Boomers Are Back

posted 8 months ago, updated about 1 hour later

There is a discussion on the BarackObama.com web site over whether the activist baby boomer generation got stuck in the 60's.

I think the boomer generation didn't get stuck...we just abandoned a lot of our principles in favor of the rampant materialism that overtook this country during the Reagan years.

Like most of the country, we joined the bigger is better, spend..spend..spend...mentality that has got us to where we are now!

Ecology took a back seat to bottled water.

Anti-war took a back seat to gated communities.

Civil rights took a back seat to 'looking out for # 1'

Education took a back seat to TV watching.

I am a boomer (52 years old) and I can tell you many activists changed as they got older, bought houses, and had kids. Many became more conservative...some stopped caring about life outside their own house!

However...Obama has reawakened this sleeping giant of activists! At his event in L.A. on Monday night, the two groups MOST represented were college kids and boomers....and I can tell you, we boomers were still there dancing to Stevie Wonder and Mavis Staples long after the college kids left!!

The boomer generation didn't get it wrong, they just forgot what they stood for. We WILL stand again. We boomers...who will NOT go quietly into the night...are still the generation that drives this country.

Thanks to Obama...we remember who we are!

Comments

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1. 8 months ago kandel2 wrote:

please go to snopes.com type obama and national anthem...How about a guy that does not pay respect as the national anthem is being played. Of those on the stage, he was the only one who stood with head and eyes down...And he wants to be president????

2. 8 months ago LinnieFB wrote:

Kandel2...thanks for your comment. I respectfully and vehemently disagree with your statement however. Obama realizes and appreciates the meaning of the anthem. His hands were over his heart during the pledge which preceded the anthem!

Please help us stop the misinformation and dirty tricks! I can assure you that Senator Obama loves this country...HIS country...and that is why he is running for President. It is not an easy road for him...but, it is the right road!

3. 8 months ago kandel2 wrote:

I don't know what you are disagreeing with..It is not my photo or video. For my self I cannot say if his hand was over his heart for the pledge or not...I was not there. were you ? If so Please contact Snopes with the correct information. In the mean time his staff of advisors have stated he sometimes puts his hand over his heart ( but not always ) Again ..go to this site and notice the demeaner of all on stage. No intention of an argument here, the photo was emailed to me and as my habit with much that I receive, I checked it out on Snopes...To say the least I was shocked and upset and cannot justify his actions.

4. 8 months ago slw1541 wrote:

Great points. Barack Obama is the one candidate that can bring change and integrity to our nation from with in and throughout the world. His spirit and the spirit of those around him have awakened so many. The crowds are diverse in all respects!!! All full of hope for a new and better generation!

5. 8 months ago LinnieFB wrote:

Well...I can't get mad about someone who bows his head and closes his eyes during the National Anthem. Maybe he's thinking of all the challenges we currently face in our great country....

--Maybe he's thinking about the millions of people struggling with health care bills & medication costs.
--Maybe he's thinking about the millions of parents wondering how they are going to pay for their kid's college education.
--Maybe he's thinking about our troops in Iraq who are doing an outstanding job in an impossible, and ill-conceived situation.
--Maybe he's thinking about the neighborhoods beset by empty houses because of our mortgage mess.
--Maybe he's thinking about the rising energy costs and how many can't heat their home or drive.

And...MAYBE...just MAYBE...he is PRAYING!

6. 8 months ago hippy38 wrote:

The photo or video does not prove whether Senator Obama has no respect for the national anthem. It only displays that in that moment he has his hand folded which in no way suggests disrespect. Some people are better "actors" in any given moment than others in attending to actions that have nothing to do with character or how that person would perform in their duty to the office of the president.

If the criterion for the office is inflexible behavior then we need a robot or savant for president.

I myself seldom hold my hand over my heart during the anthem but stand much like Senator Obama and others. More often than not, I am the guy holding the camera and taking the photos of others.

Read all of the Snopes page for clarification and edification.

7. 8 months ago hippy38 wrote:

Linnie’s blog titled “Boomers are Back” sparked a question that I struggled to answer beginning with what’s happened to our generation of protest? Why has it flattened and/or tranced-out? And finally, what has kept me on track all these years labeled by my peers as the constant hippy.
LinnieFB wrote: “I think the boomer generation didn't get stuck...we just abandoned a lot of our principles in favor of the rampant materialism that overtook this country during the Reagan years.” That’s a pretty insightful response that frames the problem in its proper historical perspective. That’s pretty much what happened to our generation. The critical question is what did happen during our trance?
Last night I watched the instant download from Netflix titled “Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man. The movies is characterized as describing the personal and professional life of Ralph Nader, one of America's most controversial consumer advocates and political activists. Nader's willingness to take on big industry earned him a reputation as both a working-class hero and a public pariah. Interviews and archival footage help illuminate this in-depth profile of one of the most influential political figures in modern history. The documentary addresses in a fair and balanced manner what has happened to America from the 1960s to today.
No matter what your views are regarding Ralph Nader, this movie frames well what happened during the “trance period” beginning with the Reagan years until today. It documents how both Republicans and Democrats ripped the soul from the body politic. It may change your mind about Bill Clinton’s legacy and make clear why Hillary presents a similar risk. It frames an interesting must see perspective.
What kept me out of the trance? In the beginning I was active in the Public Interest Action Group (PIRG) and was a successful volunteer Nader Raider. I also had an extensive background in sociology, psychology, philosophy and medicine and worked and taught as an allied health care professional. My focus was in occupational health and safety. Perhaps another factor that helped stir my anger toward Reagan was his total opposition at funding alternative energy, and most specifically solar energy research that Reagan effectively crushed and drove to Arab countries off the grid… I had just developed a company producing solar panels and then joined the high tech revolution in the Boston area.
What’s breaking the trance today? The collapsing American Dream and failing infrastructure is causing our generation to break this false delusion and face reality as it is. Senator Obama is helping to frame the debate and to restore sanity into the body politic. (Not to mention the destruction brought about by the war and a looming nuclear war).
Rent the Nader movie: Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man and view it ASAP. It is an eye-opener worth seeing again and again. If you subscribe to Netflix, it is an instant download requiring the latest version of Internet Explorer which Netflix upgrades with its own movie player. Broadband connection required.
To grasp the significance of the “trance”, read “Trances People Live”, or search the concept on the net. In Trances people live Dr Wolinsky presents us with a new conceptual framework for “trance” which is easily understandable. His concept is saying that within the bounds of our everyday experiences we are creating a self induced trance. He says that trance is a new word for our feelings about life. He finds an intriguing way to teach us how to experience the transformational insight that 'we are not our problem'. I have used these insights and extended the transformation process to what I call “political self help” and how the political activist keeps from trancing-out.

8. 8 months ago RR4evr wrote:

I remember news coverage of the anti-war protests when we were in Nam, You really have to see the FULL picture. I flip channels when I watch the news. The first station showed hard hat blue collar workers beating what looked like poor defensless hippies. The next network showed the full picture. It seems the hard hats were defending the flag from these kids trying to rip it down. 'Nuf said?

9. 8 months ago Charles1950 wrote:

Great Blog about Baby Boomers coming back. I hope to God that's true. Unfortunately there are those who will say anything and make up any story to make certain politicians look bad. This country is in a tail spin heading down because of bigots, religious zealots, opposing corrupt political parties and those who want a 2 class system ( rich and poor ). We're in the year 2007, but it's beginning to feel like 1928.

By the way I did go to snopes.com and read the whole piece. I suggest everyone go read what it really said. It debunks notions and lies about Senator Obama.

It's amazing how the truth can be spun to fit an agenda. He must really scar the pants off those who make up stories and lies about him.

10. 8 months ago lemoncello wrote:

Obama DOES scare the powers that be. A black president? Perhaps all the negative positioning is just a way to disguise their racism.

11. 8 months ago LinnieFB wrote:

I think Obama will be a President for ALL of us! I am simply amazed at the support he gets from all sides of the political spectrum. Clearly...his message resonates with all Americans!