Advice to a Kerry Youth

I can tell you're pretty upset by everything. It is always good that you have a conscience about everything - that will take you very far. But it is difficult to be so affected by everything. You take everything so personal, which I always did as well. It is hard being a person of conscience!! Things may look dark, but they are never that dark. Just think if you were some peasant in some other country. You are terribly lucky to be American. We must all realize that, and we must all preserve it. I remember when I was your age, and we were in the midst of the Vietnam war. Believe me, things looked grim back then to us young people! Riots, demonstrations, people going to Canada. There definitely WAS a draft back then - I was drafted. I was just lucky I didn't have to got to "Nam." 50,000 kids killed in Vietnam. And many of us didn't believe in that war, I certainly didn't. And this was the Democrats that got us into all that - Johnson. Nixon was reviled as well, although his whole platform was to get us out of the war, which he eventually did. Nixon sure put a bad face on politics for a whole generation! The cold war - your generation just will never know the angst that shaped our whole generation. Your generation will experience different angst. Gay rights wasn't even on the horizon back then. Abortion rights, environmental problems. These are problems for your generation. I am quite sure you will confront them and prevail.

It is ALWAYS about compromise, Kevin. Just remember that there is a whole spectrum of people out there, with vastly varying beliefs. Nobody, absolutely nobody, [especially the Christian right, and even the leftist university professors] is in possession of the truth, and that includes you as well, you must realize. I have fought my whole life against people who think they possess the truth, on both sides of the spectrum. There IS no "truth." When people who think they have the truth have ultimate power, then you have societies like Iraq, like Nazi Germany. There always has to to be a spectrum of belief and people of conscience from both sides to reach compromise. You will be an important person of conscience to participate in that process!! I believe it. I know you hate Bush, but he is not a bad person. He has beliefs which conflict with your own. He is speaking for his constituency. Democrats do the same when they are in power. Kerry is not a bad person either. American will survive Bush. We would have survived Kerry as well. There are plenty of people of conscience around to keep him [and you] compromising. Yes, even in politics. Especially in America. Looks like Hilary in 08 to me! Pulling the country back to the left after 8 years of Bush will probably be welcome. There is your chance.... You should be all prepared for it!

Lots of love, and keep up the good work.

Check out my additional rants and raves....