The Native Iowan

I am thinking of my youth. Specifically those years when you cease being a child, start learning things and being competent. Becoming capable, making choices, forming a mature personality, becoming YOU.

I have been political from a young age. Perhaps I should say I was politicised at a young age… A lot of politics got talked around The Family Table. My parents were modern liberals. They had very conservative yet held liberal ideals…

They were catholic and obviously did not practice birth control (I’m the middle of 9 natural births). Their marriage was consider “inter-racial” for the day… dad was German Catholic and mom was Greek Orthodox… my grandmother never forgave her daughter, my mother, for marrying out of the “church”.

As a little kid I went to the catholic school in a midwest, bible-belt town where catholics were a distinct minority. 1st grade to 8th saw less than 100 kids. We were a glaring minority… I never understood the slurs I heard. Still dont.

My father was a therapist in the V.A. medical system. He worked with folks from all walks of life, religions, nations, levels of education, sects and more… My brother and I reflect these days how our folks collected a number of gay and lesbian friends. We didn’t get it then but as we aged we realised that T.C. was a gay guy. Not just a single man… What did we know when we were kids?

Race, color, creed, nationality mattered not to my folks. All were welcome around The Family table.

When it came to politics, The Democrats Party was respected, the Republican Party not so much.

But all were welcome, showed respect, fed and watered equally. I never understood basic racism because I never learned it.

Many of those seated at The Family Table were clergy. Mostly catholic priests, some bishops, a couple monsignors, and one nuncio. Catholics felt comfortable around our Table. it was a very catholic Table. Catholic in our traditions and prayers and songs of worship. Many a family mass was conducted around The Table.

I think back… I can picture the large dining room with the huge Family Table.

Meals, meetings, arguments, card games, and more took place on and around The Table.

By the time I was 10/12 I knew I was a Democrat. By then I was coming-self- aware, I was modern, I thought I dressed and talked like a Democrat. I thought I was coooool….

I was 10 in 1967. Between 1967 and 1975, the year I came of age, I was educated well, indoctrinated well, conditioned well by all those gathering at The Table.

People read books back then. People talked about the books they read. I had access to lots of books and read many. Reading was something most folks did…. my mom read, my dad read, people I admired read books, discussed the books they read.

As a young teen I became politically active. My elder siblings and their friends were the 60’s era teens that were too young to vote, but old enough to die. Many were “activists”. I had first hand contact with “Nam-Vets”… Listened to their stories. I thought they were cool. I could only agree with hem support their “movement”.

I wore a used pair of “boony-boots”, and a duffle coat with genuine patches. I thought I was cool, informed, aware and cool. Did I say coooool?

in 1980 I joined the most Democrat organisation of them all, The US Peace Corps. Only liberal minded, modern, open minded folks joined the Peace Corps…. I was wrong…

Between 1967 and 1976 I’d “popped my cherry” when it comes to politics. I’d been involved with McGovern in 1972. Of course Nixon was bad, terrible. The war was bad, terrible. Republicans were bad, terrible… but when Anderson went independent in 1976, splitting the Democrat ticket and letting Raygun win… well hell! I refused to vote. I saw that it wasn’t the best and brightest running the DNC. It was dirty bizzynesss…It was a fight for power and Anderson lost, even with my support, and went rogue and fucked it all up… according to my youthful thinking Raygun was bad, evil…

I always and all ways considered Carter a fat cat of sorts. Sure he spoke homey n all but I always thought him to be a Republican in DNC clothing. Could not support him. But for some reason I thought Anderson was The-Guy… cant recall why.

As I was saying… in 1980 I joined the most Democrat organisation of them all, Peace Corps”. Only liberal minded, modern, open minded folks joined the Peace Corps…. I was wrong… My political position got beat up, shouted down, called names, and more.” I should not have been allowed in the Corps if I didn’t vote.”

Damn, can you say “intolerant”?

I was lucky to learn to question my team/ my party at an early age. I was adept at questioning the other party(s). So I went to work becoming a Centrist. After being forced into a corner by my then Peers.

These days I question everything.

Which leads me to my title for this piece….

All my youthful, tolerant, kind, well meaning democrat and democratic friends…

Where have all the Flower gone?

More later