I know that every generation deals with the same issues, as they look toward the younger generations for hope and security for our future. I am certain that our parents and grandparents were very concerned as they thought about their future and the future of this country being placed in our hands. Looking back we were the generation that cared; we were the generation with passion; we were the generation that gave a damn and marched in the streets, organized boycotts, and demanded accountability from the establishment. There were demonstrations at Berkley and Ohio State, rallies in New York, San Francisco and LA; there were even riots in our inner cities, because people were passionate about what they believed in, what was needed, and what this country has always stood for: the freedom for all its people.

Today's generation is searching so hard for a cause, for something to believe in, to fight for, to even, as simple as it may seem, to care about. The biggest share of the young people seem to be followers, and this scares me. They (and I am not trying to generalize) don't seem to question authority; it is almost as if "once told something, then it must be true".

Here are a few examples of some of the things that are happening around us, and yet virtually no one is angered or questioning:

• Dixie Chicks are all but criminalized for comments they made concerning President Bush and Texas. I would have said a lot more.
• The White House Press Secretary, at a press conference, states that people (the American public) should be very careful at what they say. Is this a threat?
• John Ashcroft, Attorney General, states that most Americans have no problem giving up some of their freedoms for an assurance of safety and security. And just what freedoms would that be; do we have a choice?
• The President of the United States is lying to the American public, instilling fear and anger (at a time when that is not too difficult considering 9/11) and ensures to the world that we will protect the world from an IMMEDIATE and OMINOUS DANGER! It's really about the oil: before electricity and sanitary water was restored to the people, things they had prior to our INVASION, the oil fields were up and running. The people are still today without readily available drinking water.

We thought Ronald Reagan was an actor. George Bush's performance in this "B" movie is pathetic, but the majority of Americans applaud him. Have we lost touch with reality? Will the younger generation be blinded to such pathetic yet real attempts at manipulation?

With the ever increasing global scene we are faced with a completely different and awesomely challenging world. Everything we and others do affect us all. Our economy and our stock exchange affect China, Japan, and the European Union. Our foreign policy can and does affect even the smallest citizen of the Earth. Over five billion dollars of our tax money will be spent around the world to teach young people not to have sex outside of marriage. Five billion dollars, while American senior citizens do not have life sustaining medication, and the literacy rate in America is sinking. True, it appears to continue to climb, but we have lowered the standards used to judge literacy to reflect better on our educational system, so the reports don't show the real trend.

My point of concern is that our evermore complicated world is continuing to challenge even the brightest of our scholars. Will we and those after us be able to meet the challenges, or will a few bureaucratic manipulators continue to pull the wool all over our eyes?

[By Don Mentink, Mr Palm Springs Leather 2003]