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Listening to the News...sigh

 It turns out that, if you are to be able to communicate, you need to PAY ATTENTION. There are those of us that continue to ignore events and never read a newspaper on purpose. That would be me. My excuse is that I have a visceral reaction to the news. Just one item can set me off!

It all began way back...way, way back during the Johnson administration, Viet Nam era and the beginning of the troubled 60's and 70's. The news was never about progress or accomplishments. It was about the Democrats battling the Republicans. As a republican, I found it all very hard to swallow. 

I was all about honor and respect and progress and, above all, intellect. I liked IKE. It just seemed to me that decisions that were made about war, long hair and young people in general were not smart.

I then turned to JFK as a hope that maybe, just maybe, "different" might not be something to fear. We could learn from our mistakes and change.

But enough!!! I am now 82 years old. It is time to let it go and, well, pay attention. I have begun to listen to NPR news in the morning. I now know that the more things change the more they stay the same.

  • Not Viet Nam but The Ukraine
  • An election is about to get very ugly
  • The environment is still in trouble
  • Women are under attack
  • Education that we applauded was on the upswing no longer a priority and so it goes. 

Even at my age it is not so much a difference of opinion as it is an avoidance of the unpleasant. I need to suck it up and PAY ATTENTION!

How about you...are you watching what is going on?

Have a wonderful day.

b+

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