As a child of the 60’s who participated in a political revolution to help end the war in Vietnam, reduce nuclear arms, address civil rights, and generally promote love, acceptance, and tolerance I am immensely proud of the youth of America who recently joined in the new political revolution. By feeling the Bern you have made your voices heard loud across the country. You have all worked so hard, so tirelessly, yet so full of energy and enthusiasm everyone knows you’re there. It was emotional and empowering and gave many of us hope for the future, especially those of us called “radicals” back in the dark ages of the fifties.

Make no mistake, it was dark. Oh I know they make it sound like all the world was like Leave it To beaver or Father Knows Best with white picket fences and a surplus of cash, but here’s the reality. We had senator Joe McCarthy who formed the House Un-American committee which allowed the government free of punity to accuse, subdue, and try in a court anyone they even suspected of having close ties to Russia or Communism. He ruined many careers and many lives with his absurd paranoid accusations. We had contingency plans for when the Russians sent nuclear bombs to our country. In many of the southern states African Americans where called “Colored folks” and had to use separate drinking fountains and bathrooms, were often refused medical help from “Whites Only” hospitals and service from Whites Only food establishments. Other minorities were refused jobs in favor of less qualified whites and the government had zero transparency. We could go off and die in a war because our birthdays fell on a poor lottery number yet we couldn’t vote. Businesses and corporations were free to pollute the air and water at will regardless of how it effected the earth. Then the 60’s came calling and a political revolution was in the air. So while many look back on the 60’s as the turbulent decade in which the youth was blinded by drugs the truth is we made major strides in social equality. Not total, but significant. We held the government responsible for the deaths of American children they forced to fight in Vietnam. We forced them to reduce nuclear arms. That’s how social revolution works, a give and take. We took some rather large steps which seem to fade into the pop culture of drugs, sex, and rock and roll. We also took some steps backwards, between assassinations and the banning or imprisonment of our political leaders. It wasn’t perfect, but in the end we pushed the lines in the sand forward and continued challenging until too many of us either got caught up in the seductive world of greed or became complacent. I myself fell into the category of complacency because radicals became time warped burnt out hippies.

I understand how deflated many of you feel, we felt the same faced with defeats like the re-election of Nixon and the escalation of war but in the end we prevailed. Because revolutions aren’t exact, have no synchronistic movement, revolutions are choppy and irregular. I am also incredibly proud that it was Bernie Sanders, someone from a generation that won’t benefit personally from a revolution was able to garner the attention, compassion, and trust of the youth of America. Please understand one thing, Bernie did not sell you out. Bernie took a strategic hit for his cause because he knows that revolutions are devised of a few steps forward and then a step or two backward. Revolutions need to grow and nurture, learn how to walk. Bernie suffered a great personal sacrifice by stepping aside because he understands the bigger fight is to prevent us from embracing those backward ideals of the 50’s, which is where we will be headed if Trump wins. Not to mention losing all our status and integrity in the global world where things now travel at warp speed due to technology.

No one is more disappointed than Bernie himself. Not so much about not being president although I’m sure that stings, but disappointed in himself for not being able to carry you into victory. Hear this, your revolution is not over. It has taken a setback but it’s not over. It will however end if you allow a dictatorial candidate into office. A candidate who would be happy to have things the way they were before my generations political revolution. I’ll be the first to admit that far too many of the radicals of the 60’s Turned On and Tuned In really did Drop Out and part of the problem we fought hard to eradicate. Partly it was because we depended too much on using drugs as a means of angering the status quo, I can’t tell you how much fun it was to piss off my father by growing my hair long despite his objections and openly embracing Liberal ideals. It was also partly because as time goes by many people tend to forget that we are all one of the same, a part of a whole, and begin to wonder what’s in it for us personally. You have the power to end our complacency and continue your revolution, but you need to believe that your battlefield has changed, and not voting for Hillary isn’t a place to express your outrage but what Bernie would expect. Pleasedon’t give up the ground you’ve gained by allowing a giant step backward.
I am also very proud of how the youth of America has evolved culturally, become far more tolerant than days gone by. For the most part you embrace all religions or non-religions, all ethnicities, the LGBTQ community and you show compassion for one another as well as this magnificent planet our species has treated so poorly. Kudos’s to you, the young generation that will inherit a less than perfect world. Forward your generation as many leaps as you can, the entire globe will be better for your continues efforts.
Dig on this……The unfortunate truth in our country is that most of our modern presidential elections have come down to the lesser of two evils. In this particular election the more evil candidate, the one who can and will inflict the most damage to American society is glaringly obvious. His name alone emotes imagery of hate, anger, and violence, as well as a complete disregard for the ecology or rights of any and every culture that isn’t his own. At any rate, its your world now, and you will be influential in shaping the future of your world. I would have voted for Bernie, but The Bern is voting for Hillary so I’m chill with The Hill, hoping that Bernie will continue to have a strong voice for all of you…. Peace and