History Sometimes Repeats

When I was a kid, I heard adults say, “if you live long enough, you will see history repeat.” Well, I have lived long enough, and in some respect, history is repeating itself. As a teenager, I remember the anti-war movement, civil rights marches, and the riots of the 1960s.

Today, there is no anti-war movement because there is no draft. The young people being killed or maimed in today’s endless wars are volunteers not scared kids. In Vietnam, the average age of a grunt was 22, and today in Afghanistan, it is nearly 34. These men and women are professionals as opposed to over 50 years ago when the government was forcing clueless kids to go. Yet how long should American’s of any age be asked to sacrifice their lives.

The civil rights marches of the 60s occurred to achieve the basics. The right to vote, eat in a restaurant or rent an apartment was the goal. Today, it is still fairly basic. The police, and in some cases White vigilantes, should not kill African Americans simply because they are Black. Back in the 60’s, the protesting was done by Blacks with a smattering of White support. Today many of the crowds are predominantly White.

On the other hand, riots are still chaotic. The purpose is supposedly to have justice. Yet rioting then and now turns into grabbing freebies and general looting. As in the 60’s, it affords those looking for any reason to use force to restore peace. A reason to stir up those afraid of anarchy. The anarchy does not even have to exist…only the perception of anarchy. Just look at what is going on in…