Radio Memories

Eat-n-Write, a memoir writing class
2 Aug 2006

Radio Memories

I remember driving cross-country at night with my parents. In the ’50’s we lived 185 miles north of my grandparents, and often wound up driving home after dark.

After we kids settled down, we’d listen to dad sing, and – finally - we’d be reduced to listening to the radio.

It is a perverse fact, but I enjoy staticy radio… it reminds me of my youth, of being warm and safe and all together with the family.

I don’t remember what was on the radio. I just remember the ambiance.

Today when I listen to radio I get ball games or Rush Limbaugh.

I hate ball games… unless I am watching them with family.

I don’t like ball games because crowds manipulate my emotions.

In the mid-60’s I joined the army and went to Vietnam as a result of such manipulation.

And after Vietnam I spent two months in an army hospital winding down.

My emotions are MINE. I want other people to leave them alone.

Advertisers be damned. Histrionic commentators be damned. I know what you are doing, and my finger rests on the ‘off’ button.

Rush Limbaugh tries hard to manipulate my emotions. I listen when I can’t stand whatever else is on.

Rush paints the Liberals in a dark light… although I don’t believe the Conservatives are any better.

I’ve been thinking about writing a suggestion to the Libertarians. They ought to publish a “vote for” list. They have enough votes to swing an election… if they could act together… if they could bring themselves to vote for “a lesser evil” instead of “a sure loser, but isn’t he a good guy?”

I think the Libertarians should vote as a block for a couple of election cycles. They could rock the boat; bust up the Republicrat block. Those two have been leaning toward each other for so long – trying to steal voters from the other party – that they are distinguishable only by rhetoric.

The problem is… for whom should Libertarians vote?

Until this morning I was going to vote Democratic, but after listening to Rush…

But I can’t vote Republican because that would reward Rush.

So I guess I’ll vote Libertarian, just because I hate… hate?… Rush with his talk of his crotch and his lovable, pink, naked, body… That man is gross. That man has no shame.

I want my PBS… preferably on a staticy station being pulled in from far away, on a cold, dark night, with my boys in the warm car.

I want my boys to have sleepy memories of being warm and safe and all together with family.

Thanks to Charlie Kempthorne of The Life Story Institute. http://www.thelifestoryinstitute.com/fatbook2.htm