A whole generation thrown to the wastelands, only to partially recover a decade or so later.

1963 was a watershed year. The assassination of Kennedy had a rippling effect of driving the anti-establishment movement. When your President gets murdered, it confirms how messed up the world ( i.e. the establishment) is.

The beatniks and jazz clubs, where one could recite bad poetry became tiresome, and grew tame and boring. The drugs which first appeared in these places grew more common and potent, destroying the minds and lives of many.

Protest and violent rebellion seemed cool. Inspired by the civil rights movements and riots, the young imitated the techniques and protests emerged on schoolgrounds and anywhere the young, drugged and immature hung their "peace" necklace.

And in a world where it takes about 30 years to stop saying "baaaaa" these protesters spurred countless imitators and generated a new peer pressure on young folks who didn't give a darn about Vietnam or anything else. They became the throwbacks...the squares.

LBJ was handed his hat by the poorly conducted war. He split, knewing he would never win re-election anyway. The squares still outnumbered the drugged out and immature, and Nixon won handily.

Nixon presided over the transformation of the lost generation. By 1972 the drug culture had already earned a well-deserved notorious reputation. Drug education appeared in school curriculum and it no longer was cool to be "taking a trip" and jumping out a window.

The nation had awoken from a binge of uppers, downers, bennies, sleepers and furballs brought on by folks like Timothy Leary. The ones that lived to tell the tale helped to steer others away from the danger. Too many had lost friends and relatives thanks to the "liberal" movement.

Nixon and his 1950's image was an anathema to those who wanted the nation to proceed on a liberal, free-for-all. The free-love communes were going bust and the casualties were mounting. Jimi Hendrix and countless other drug-related deaths woke a portion of America up to the dangers of "liberalism".

Still many embraced the "psychedelic" a state of mind brought about by certain drugs. The trees were talking to theses folks and gaia became a symbol. The environmentalists had their start as a bunch of drugged out hippies on a "psychedelic" trip.

Now the old remnants of this generation see it all slipping away. 12 years of Reagan/Bush were worse than the 7 years of Nixon. Clinton, the ultimate self-absorbed byproduct of this generation, failed to lead the ex-druggies to the promised Nirvana where conservatives don't exist, AIDS is cured so that 'free love' gender-irrelevant could resume unabated and the planet sings of brotherhood and harmony.

"W" is just like another slap in the face to the liberals of this generation. Two-terms under his leadership seem even worse than the Reagan/Bush 12 years. Unfortunately, their numbers are dwindling. Too many former liberals awakened with children and grandchildren and embrace 'conservative' values and presonal responsibility. They don't want to see their kids overdose or drink themselves into a stupor only to awaken in their own vomit, like they did. They don't want to see them in any riots, protests or chaining themselves together and lying down in the middle of streets protesting the G12.

So we see the progressive embitterment of the remaining liberal movement. Not only have they the conservatives to deal with - but the betrayal from within their own ranks and a growing conservative youth. But for too many folks feminism, environmentalism and protesting have lost the appeal it held for them in 1972.

The younguns protest everything. If it's Friday they must be protesting fish and Monday its the letter M. But for the old ones the protesting and hatred is more intense and the pain is more real.

Bush is their last target. Iraq is the last straw to grasp. In Iraq and the situation there, they have encapsulated 25 years of resentment that began with Reagan's landslide victory over Carter.

It's not about Iraq. Not a whit. Not even about Bush. It's about the death of a way of life, a dream formed when still young and impressionable - that is what the old ones beef with Bush is all about. If Iraq fails they can say "told you so" and they will feel some form of vindication which they can spread out as a balm to cover a 25 year old wound.

It's not much, obviously, but it's all they got.