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If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.

It's how our country was born.

American fascists are most easily recognized by their
deliberate perversion of truth and fact. Their newspapers and
propaganda carefully cultivate every fissure of disunity, every crack in
the common front against fascism….
Henry A. Wallace

Hitler would have loved FOX News.

When I was still a very little boy, I went to an event at a local park with my much older sister and her boyfriend. My sister and her boyfriend, young, in love, and completely caught up in each other, left me pretty much on my own. I was drawn to a huge collapsible table set up near a wooded area. Beside the table was a shiny red bike with a tag on the handle bars. On the table was an assortment of toys and games, all brand new, still in the packages. My eyes rolled over them to the end of the table; to the electric train set. It was beautiful, exactly what I’d always wanted. In awe, I reached toward it.

“Don’t touch the prizes.” someone shouted at me.

“Prizes?” I thought to myself hopefully, wondering just how I might get a shot at that train set.

Someone blew a whistle and more kids than I’d ever seen at one time began lining up, side by side, behind a white chalk line on the grass in front of the picnic tables. I ran for it, and squeezed into the line just as a man, standing off to one side, raised a pistol in the air. The starting shot rang out and I was off with the bang.

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As I was taking my walk today I saw a very young boy riding his tricycle in the driveway at his house. He was being closely supervised by his big sister. The boy was about 4 years old and his sister looked to be about 10. She was watching his every move and made sure that he didn’t venture too close to the street. You could tell that she loved her little brother very much and the little guy seemed to have much respect for her.
When I saw the two children I thought about my big sister. I call her my “big” sister when in fact by the time I was 10 years old I outweighed her by 5 pounds and when I was 19 I was twice her weight. Never the less I will always think of her as my big sister.
My sister was 7 years older than I was. She was always very protective and concerned about my welfare. She almost always included me in her activities and was never ashamed of me or resented my tagging along. She was really a great sister.
When we were children we usually spent our summer vacations in Tennessee. During our stays we would spend most of our time at my grandmother’s house in the country. We both loved the time we spent there and later in our adult lives we would reminisce about our many adventures in the woods, streams and cave around grandma’s farm.
One of our cousins lived about 1/4 mile down the road. His name was Edgar Ray, and he was about 3 years younger than my sister was. He would always hang around with us during our visits. We were inseparable, like the Three Amigos.
On rainy days we would often play in the barn. We would climb in the rafters and jump into the piles of hay or pretend that we were driving the old rusty tractor. Sometimes we would pester the cow or the old mule. Occasionally my sister would tell scary stories hoping to frighten me but she usually would end up scaring herself more. (more…)

During my walk today I started thinking about the earliest thing in my life that I could remember. Recently my girlfriend and I had discussed it. I told her that I was sure I could remember back to an event that happened when I was four years old. I had the mumps and my mom wanted me to stay in the house and not to be too active (back then they thought any activity at all would cause the disease to settle in your scrotum and make you sterile). I wasn’t going for it though and decided to get out for a little adventure. Of course it wasn’t long until mom missed me and started searching.

To make a long story short I hid up under the dashboard of my dads old ‘47 Chrysler and listened as the calls from mom, my sister, dad and the neighbors became more frantic. I finally was spotted by a neighbor boy who turned me in.

I think I remember that so well because of the impact it had on my mom. I don’t think she ever hugged me that tight again.

As hard as I tried today I still couldn’t remember an earlier event in my life. I know about earlier thing but only because someone told me. With the mumps episode I really recall it all, the sounds, the smells, the heat of the day and that wonderful feeling when you know someone cares so much about you.

An essay by Stephanie Rodriguez

I had come to church with Grandma because it had seemed important to her. Besides, it would be kind of fun. I hadn’t seen the place in twenty years. I looked up from the hymnal and noticed that some of the same people I had seen the last time I was here, were here now. “Some things never change.” I mused. And then again, some things do. The place itself had changed a great deal. There were new floors, new stained glass windows and much finery that I didn’t remember from my childhood. The new doors were huge, awesome, positively scary looking. They must’ve cost a fortune. No doubt the place was expensive; damned expensive. And the people, these same people as were here twenty years ago, were dressed magnificently. (more…)

If you are a baby boomer you will remember the ice cream vendors that rode the pedal powered carts. I think they were around until the mid 60’s. They would pedal through the neighborhoods ringing the bells that hung from the handlebars and some also blew on their whistle to announce their arrival.

Every kid on the block would rush to get their nickels and dimes so they could buy a frozen sweet treat.

In 1960 I was twelve years old and I thought that operating one of those pedal carts would be the best job in the world. After all ice cream sells itself and everyone would be happy to see you coming. Also you would have all those delicious frozen delights right at your fingertips. What could be better?

One day when one of the vendors came down my street I asked how one could get such a great job. He told me that the job was not that great and it was very hard work, but if I was interested and was at least twelve years old, I could go to a warehouse near down town and apply. He said they would take anyone who was old enough and had a social security card. (more…)