"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , "Kim"
writes:

(lotta snippage)

But you're still planting flowers, and liking jewelry. Same difference.

Yeah, but I like to think that I'm being a bit of a renegade. Actually,
I
don't like things all the same. Remember the good 'ol "Neighborhood
Association" debates that have come and gone here? I'm against them, for
whatever purpose; and would be so very, very depressed if I ever have to
live "in" one.

Same here. But the reason those associations exist is fear - fear that
folks
won't keep up their properties in a reasonable manner if there is no
mechanism
to force them.


Paranoia will destroy ya. Fear is a strong emotion. I'm not so attached to
my property that I'd let fear determine where I live and worry about what
someone else does on theirs. But, I also don't buy my place for
investment--so to speak. I bought my place (with my hubby of course) to
stay. This is the first land and home I've had, and no doubt will be the
last. I plant roots...spent too much time being a Navy brat.


I never got into the beatniky-hippie kind of
lingo. Heck, I don't think I could even be classified as a true
hippie--I
am just a couple of years too late fer it.

So am I.


Most people like to romanticize about that period in this country's history.
I don't know how it was here in the Dallas TX area--most people I've talked
to who were around my age and a little older were too busy going to drive-in
movies, necking, getting pregnant and getting married. Not very many
politically motivated debates down here, 'least not the way we used to have
'em at the drop of a hat up there!

But, what little we could do in our little town up north to protest the war,
we did. We had a black arm-band day at high school; we had our graffiti on
our bookcovers, etc. Not much to do in a little town. I don't remember,
though, many folks who were "for" the war--other than our parents. Most of
the guys I knew got drafted; most of the gals I knew were saying buy to
their guys most of the time. And, the country was in upheaval. I'd not
like to go back to those days at all. It was NOT a peaceful time in our
history.

The Yippies (now the Yuppies and everyone gets them confused as old hippies;
they are not, they were Yippies) dragged the whole thing into violent
protests. A true hippie would no more pick up a rock or spit at a cop than
the man in the moon. The Yippies were extremists. Now, they're a bunch of
pussy sell-outs who bought lock, stock, and barrel into the system they used
to say they "hated."


Some folks can be no other way.

Naw, I think Dan can be a real up guy most of the time. Cool dude.


I'd thrive at the opportunity to drive past him in a time of need, and I
would drive right on by. People like him aren't worth my time, good or bad
time at that.


Woodstock? Let's see, that was late summer 1969, when Kim was 15 if
memory
serves. I don't think a responsible parent would let their 15-year-old
go
to such a "happening".

Yep, 14 though.

All the more reason.

And, you're right. I had friends whose parents were much
more lenient than mine who went.

I'd call it "irresponsible" rather than "lenient".


Naw, most of us were pretty grown up in our town. They'd been just as well
going at 18 as 14-15. And they were. Most of them had a great time. Then,
later, that concert happened up in...where was it--the race track (?) up in
NY...OH YEAH, Glen something? Is that it? Well, anyway, by then I had my
kids and wouldn't have gone for the best of times.


A lot of us were mad that the clueless promoters had ruined the whole
festival
scene by their incompetence. Even 30 years later there were problems doing
another one.

Give me the Philadelphia Folk Festival any day. Well managed, excellent
acts,
good sound and video, well behaved crowd and it's been held every year
since
long before that place in NY. People take their kids and grandkids. No
visible
booze or drugs.


I have a cousin in music that I bet you've seen if you went there. For the
sake of her sanity, I'll private email you on that, if you'd like. I'm sure
there's some jerk in here that would be incessant toward her if they knew
who she was.



I think there was more than talk. Did Yeager/Yager/Yeger (however his
name
is spelled) think there was loads to be had in a suit and begin the
process
until it was explained to him the debaucle of the whole thing?

Max Yasgur, now dead, I think. I'm sure he got a piece of the pie. Point
was,
they made a mint from the whole "counterculture" aspect of it.


Yeah, he did, as I recall. And, they did too.


Yeah, Summer 1970 saw the tragedy at Kent State...the beginning of the
end.

End of what? Looking back, I'm amazed only four died in the Kent State
mess.
Days of near-riot conditions, kids throwing rocks and teargas canisters
back at
National Guardsmen (who were untrained in riot control)? KS was not a
nonviolent demonstration.


I think that was when "we" as a counter-culture began realizing that we and
"they" had limits and that we had to start growing up with our approach to
democracy. The unfortunate thing that happened out of the 60's is that on
all campuses today, one must have a "stamp of approval" to organize and post
things on the wall. While I'd not like to see the mob mentality as it was,
it's a pity that our youth aren't exposed to true, true democracy in action,
which, in my opinion, does involve activism. I applaud the TX Democrats who
wouldn't give in to the pressures of an immature jerk here, who is called
the Governor of this state.


By the way, I'd have guessed you were an old hippie, Jim.

Not me. I could never afford it.


Wow, wonder what part you're speaking of. We all lived with our holey
jeans, drove clunkers for cars, partied in fields, etc. LOL Nothing about
afording anything with these guys. Let's see, our "swell" of hippies was
aged from about 12 to 23-4. We lived in a small town, so big brothers and
sisters always had little brothers and sisters with them; and every darned
one of us was friends--I do miss that. Heck, my little guy--first born--was
at more field parties as a baby than he's ever been to the rest of his life!
First day out of the hospital we landed at a celebration near Hedges Lake,
in a great big field to welcome Fall and have our last bash before Winter.
Oct. 20, 1974. Guess what else we were just getting the chance to
celebrate!?


I went to engineering school, remember? I
always thought that to build a better world, one had to know how to build
things in the first place. So I learned how to do electrical engineering.
And
I'm still at it.


Well, we had guys who went out of High School into Physics, Liberal Arts,
and other Sciences. We loved for them to come home and tell us the tales of
college life. Heh heh, my biggest kick back then was seeing Alice Cooper at
a Hall on the campus of Plattsburgh, NY.


There's no substitute for actually knowing how to do things, and doing
them.
Remember the movies "The Magnificent Seven" (actually a remake of "The
Seven
Samurai"? The farmers (productive people) does not need the bandits
(moochers).
But the bandits sure need the farmers!

Some good things came out of those times. Those are the things to
remember.

At least there's still a few left upholding the original ideals.

Yeah, baby!

Actually, you might be surprised at how simple my "ideals" really are.

I gave up.

Not me.

73 de Jim, N2EY


I don't think I'd be surprised at your ideals at all, Jim. It takes an
awful lot to surprise me these days...

Kim W5TIT