The Editor turns three score and five next Tuesday, a decade after retiring early from a 32-year career in journalism.
How time flies.
It was only yesterday when air-raid sirens and searchlights interrupted the nights in suburban neighborhoods. And when the return of Double Bubble Gum—not the atomic bomb—marked the end of World War II for youngsters.
It was only yesterday when Cold War Communists became national and international Public Enemies No. 1, bomb shelters were common in backyards and students were taught to duck and cover to avoid nuclear injuries.
It was only yesterday when Burma Shave signs and Orange Julius stands greeted motorists hanging water bags from their bumpers. And interstate freeway construction caused maddening traffic delays.
It was only yesterday when the Cuban missile crisis threatened to trigger World War III before that numbing day in Dallas, Texas. And a second “conflict” in Vietnam began killing more Americans than the first “conflict” in Korea.
It was only yesterday when Mary Jane, Hippies and civil-rights marchers changed the nation’s social fabric forever and America lost its first “war.” And man landed on the moon.
It was only yesterday that an American President and Vice President resigned in disgrace because of criminal conduct. And a bunch of religious zealots held hostages from an American embassy for a ransom of arms.
It was only yesterday that corporate thugs raided American corporations while banks and saving and loan associations succumbed to the greed creed of Reagan Republicans. And glasnos signaled the demise of the Evil Empire.
It was only yesterday that personal computers and the Internet revolutionized world commerce, communication and the availability of information. And the Berlin Wall—along with the Soviet Union—crumbled into dust.
It was only yesterday that America armed forces began redeeming themselves in Grenada, Panama and especially the Middle East after a few more bloody noses. And an American President faced impeachment for diddling a government intern.
It was only yesterday that the nation’s economy reached astronomical heights, only to dump after a new President wasn’t elected by popular vote. And a humungous budget surplus was used to enrich the rich rather than pay down the national debt and beef up Social Security and Medicare.
Short-term memory losses plague The Editor. If only long-term memories were as generous. (2 SEPTEMBER 2001)
