I remember a time when if you cut your hair as long as President Bush does now, some stranger on the street would pick a fight with you.

I remember when black folks and white folks drank from separate water fountains and used separate restrooms and a progressive community or business provided facilities for both races.

I remember when most men you met on the street wore a suit, necktie, and a hat.

I remember learning to drive in a car with a 3-speed stick shift on the column.

I remember when a pack of smokes cost the same as a gallon of gas, twenty-six cents.

I remember when you could get anywhere in town in no time flat on the trolley.

I remember when they taught in school that the human cell nucleus contained 48 chromosomes.

I could go on. In those days we didn't know how well off we were, but
I think we're better off now. In spite of all that, we were happier then than we are now. I don't miss the past, though. I'm nostalgic for the future.