... In the context of replying to that topic I mentioned that my children and their children will never know the many freedoms I enjoyed coming up, like hopping on a plane without being body scanned or photographing the entrance to the QMT without fear of arrest or not having to have my passport stamped for vaccinations that I have received for instance. .......r.
so you are comparing the freedom of "hopping on a plane without being body scanned or photographing the entrance to the QMT without fear of arrest or not having to have my passport stamped for vaccinations" to being offered the choice between being taken away from your friends and family, sent off to some far away land to kill or be killed, people who did nothing to harm the US or going to prison if you refused? The guy I played football with in HS came back in a box.
Back in the late 60's at 5am, over 400 SCPD cops raided the dorms at SUNY at Stony Brook. This was during finals week. Those that were in their dorm room (cops had warrants) were arrested if the cops either had prior evidence of drug possession or if drugs were found during. For those that they couldn't locate in their dorms, the cops got class records of the students they needed to arrest and determined and while they were taking their final exams the cops marched into the room or lecture hall, identified the person, cuffed him or her and dragged them out. I was there. This happened.
This was for possession of pot. One guy, a senior in my class had a single marijuana plant in a clay pot on his window sill when the raid happed. He was convicted of a felony and was sentenced and served a year and a day in jail (sentences of more than a year meant you lost your right to vote) . 1st offence for anything.
BTW, you mentioned nothing about the situation for blacks. Have you seen any of the films of the marches thru the south by MLK? People dressed in suits quietly walking down the road and the cops set the dogs on them. Nothing like the so called
mostly peaceful protests of today.
When I 1st got married, my new wife who had a Macy's credit card for over 5 years, went to customer service to change her name on the card. The clerk said “May I see the card” and my wife handed it to her. The clerk then took out a pair of snips, cut the card in half, threw it in the trash and handed me an application for a Macy’s card and said that I could put my wife on my card as an authorized user but I would be responsible for all purchases.
In 1950 five year survival rates for cancer was 25%, in the 70's was 49%, and now is (2007-2013) is 67%
I'm not saying the good old days were all terrible — they weren't; all I'm saying that sometimes we subconsciously filter out the bad leaving only the good.
As I said "
Sometimes the good old days weren't as good as the good old days" (I didn't originate that phrase — maybe came from a Simon and Garfunkel song?)