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I was 13 the summer of 1962. We spent our time at the neighbor’s pool, or at the beach slathering on Sea and Ski,one of the only two suntan lotions. Coppertone being the other.

Once a week somebody’s Mom dropped us at the library and we checked out a bunch of books to read.

We also used to get on the city bus and go downtown to shop at the dept store or go to the movie and eat lunch at the counter at Walgreens Drugstore. We always wore dresses and white gloves. The South was still very formal then.

There was almost no AC except in commercial buildings so after dark my dad would turn on the attic fan and by midnight you could stand it enough to drift off to sleep.

There was a drive in movie theatre right next to our neighborhood and one of our neighbors was given a free speaker mounted on a tree in their yard so they wouldn’t go to court about the noise. We used to all gather over there on Sat night and sit on the side lawn and watch the movies for free. I remember seeing all the Troy Donahue movies.

We lived in a very nice neighborhood and had 2 cars. A beater for my Mom to drive to the grocery store and a company car for my Dad. I believe he made about $6,000 per year and we lived frugally but well. It was a good time to be growing up.

In the summer of 1962 I was 17 and working in the alfalfa fields hauling hay. Had just recieved my Soc Sec Number. Fantasized buying myself a new 409 Chevy or 421 Pontiac Ventura hardtop w/4-speed trans. (On $1/hr — right.)

After work would shower and drive my mom’s ‘52 Chevy about 15 miles to visit my girlfriend and listen to her Kingston Trio album collection.

Later, in the middle of the October Missle crisis, met my high school sweetheart. Wondered if we would survive to have a second date.

All of this is why I don't believe America is coming back. That and we have several generations of kids raised to think in three second spans and with no education as we once defined education. What was once the great majority- self reliant individuals and families including the black population under what disabilities they labored- is now a minority. That minority cannot overcome the last 50 years of collectivist education without taking over as a tyranny that can control the education system and limit it to the three Rs and Civics, History (actual history), Geography, and the like. But the establishment of such a system would be utterly self defeating. I can think of only one instance of a nation-saving tyrant voluntarily relinquishing power to a republican system and that was Pinochet in Chile.

The problem is the same as that in the arab areas surrounding Israel. The education of several generations of children has been devoted to death hatred for the Jews and CANNOT BE UNDONE short of a hundred years of 19th century colonization on the India pattern.

Summer of '62 I was 8 years old. Played outside with my friends in the Brooklyn streets (can you imagine that?), and watched Sandy Becker's kids show on WNEW channel 5:

...and "Officer Joe Bolton's Three Stooges Fun House" on WPIX 11:

We didn't have much money, but life was good. Did I mention my dad worked three jobs and my mom stayed home?

The thing I miss from 1962 is how little we thought about, or talked about the government, now they are almost as big a part of our every waking moment and conversation and thoughts and worries throughout the day as our families and personal lives used to be.

It would be wonderful to go a week without having to think about the government at all, except for maybe a speeding ticket.

Today a small momentary lapse in government situational awareness can result in an infinite variety of violations and costly, life changing mistakes, at work, in recreation, driving, even conversation and humor.