A Friend Asked. "Have you always been so political.?"

I don't think I paid much attention to politics before the 1960 Nixon/Kennedy TV debate. I was only ten years old. I was impressed with John F. Kennedy, war hero and I loved the movie "PT 109". The assasination of JFK sixty years ago this month was a real gut punch...even for a thirteen year old. The move for Civil Rights got my attention, why not? It was only fair that all Americans enjoyed equal rights. Barry Goldwater and Gov. George Wallace got my attention, how could these people and their followers be so narrow-minded and mean? I started talking and writing about these issues and found very little sympathy with my newly-formed preferences. There were no liberals in my extended family and my best friend aligned with Republicans. I became a newspaper editor in my 16th year...The Outpost. a 12 page weekly sponsored by Sally Mitchell, journalism teacher at Portage Northern H.S. Within limits, I was allowed to express my opinions in my 'From The Editor' column. This is where I first experienced "backlash" from the readers of The Outpost. Martin Luther King was assasinated in April of 1968 and I volunteered to become part of the RFK for President campaign. I manned an information table in Bronson Park when he campaigned in Kalamazoo on June 1st, 1968. RFK was an adventurous outdoorsman and a humanist (or so I thought) making him an excellent candidate for President of the USA...especially against the likes of Richard M Nixon. A few days later RFK was assasinated by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles and I graduated from PNHS. So, yes, I guess you could say that I've always been quite politically aware. I didn't believe in the Vietnam escapade so I resolved that I would invest in four years of college...college deferments were a thing. When The Draft Lottery was instituted in 1969 the college deferment strategy was in question...the morning after this Lottery (late September 1969) I discovered that I was the last ball out of the big bowl...number 366. I remained in college for most of the first half of the 70's, living in "college towns" assured that I remained interested in politics.