Boomer$

Today is the 42nd anniversary of Woodstock. For those of you who don't, can't or care to remember it was the world famous Rock and Roll festival held in Bethel, NY 43 miles from Woodstock, NY. I didn't attend as I was 18 years old pumping gas in Indianapolis, In at the time.

I had already been downtown to take my draft physical and my number was coming for Vietnam. Protesting was common place. The peoples message was not being heard in Washington, DC. Change was in the air in 69. Older people were beginning to complain of the war. Kent State massacre was only months away. I was in the first draft lottery and my number was 196 or my birthday was the 196th ping pong ball drawn from a fish bowl establishing who would go to Vietnam and who wouldn't. Still very hard method to accept. A fairly good number. My best friend Brian got 43 and he went.

My advanced studies in petroleum transmission impeded my attendance at Woodstock. I do have vivid memories of being invited by several strangers purchasing gas. People I never met asked: ya goin? Where? Woodstock. What's a woodstock? It's a free concert in New York. Naw gotta work!

I remember it because before the event it wasn't a big deal. The Free Concert in New York drew 500,000 people for three days. When it was over people around the world new what a woodstock was. If I had a clue what was coming I would have been there.

My fathers generation had just finished putting men on the Moon last month, now this. God had invented Rock and Roll because he was tired of Gospel and 500,000 people answered his calling at Woodstock. The same people who bought gas days before were going back home with the lore of Woodstock. Should have known this would be big if people from Indy were going.

Many of the performers at Woodstock died untimely deaths from self imposed Chemotherapy. They were setting the stage for the 1970's If you remember the 70's you missed the best part!.

Coming out of the sixties and most violent time of civil discord since the Civil War. The Boomers as were often called are the children of Post World War 2. Veterans of the Hoola Hoop, Cowboy Bob and the Mickey Mouse Club. Our parents left big shoes to fill, we didn't. Even though we led privileged lives in the greatest country on earth we still weren't happy. We were cradled in full employment of the middle class and this would never change. Or so we thought.

We have gone from prosperity to High Austerity of 2011. There's really no one to blame accept ourselves. Boomers represent the largest demographic in America. It was boomers who won the 26th Amendment to the US Constitution 18year old right to vote. Once we could vote the Vietnam War was ended and the draft went with it. After ending the war we invented the computer, software and the Internet World Wide Web. Most of it began in the garage of a middle class 3 bedroom home in suburbia. We made a lot of good music along the way but we've squandered most of what made America great. It's sad because Boomers can still make a difference. We're not 18 anymore but we can change this country the way we did in 69. If for no other reason, we owe it to our parents and our grandchildren.