Those first few months of his life leading up to the Cuban missile crisis must have hit him hard.
I’m younger than he is. I remember a few useless duck and cover under our desks drills for a nuclear strike. I’m like “we’re screwed if this what we do for a nuclear strike”. I don’t think the teacher approved of my comment.
Yeah, that was the consensus among my friends, too. The drills and movies seemed pretty ridiculous.
However, I was convinced that if Russia did decide to bomb us, it would be at 10AM on the first Tuesday of the month, when they tested the sirens near me (and still do).
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We would go into the hallway an face the lockers
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Are they still “nuclear attack” warnings, or are they used for tornadoes?
In my “growing-up” town (“home town” is different from that and current town), the tornado sirens were tested on Fridays. Every two weeks, I think.
The local fire station has a siren. I’ve never heard it.
We do earthquake drills here: just as scary for the kids.
I think we’ve done more lockdown drills than fire drills this year.
I don’t recall hiding under desks as a student (although as a west coast teacher we certainly did this for earthquake drills). But we did have a bomb shelter in my elementary school, and one time we even had a drill where we went in there. It was full of janitorial supplies, but even so the whole school did fit in there. Just.
I don’t know what precipitated the drill… maybe something going on with the USSR??? Never had one before or since.
I think it was around 1986ish. Chernenko died in March 1985… I kinda think it was later than that, so early in Gorbachev’s reign.
BTW, I recall writing to President Reagan in late 1985 asking him not to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union.
He wrote back to me (I mean probably some White House intern, but it had “his signature” on it) and I can’t remember exactly what he said but something vague about desiring peace but wanting the United States to be strong … exactly the sort of thing that a politician would say to an elementary-age kid. And included a picture of himself.
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I wrote a letter to George H. W. Bush in elementary school and got a response. I don’t remember what my letter or the response said, but it came with a picture of him, Barbara, and their dog.
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Sheesh, Nancy got dissed… pic I got was only Reagan.
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… if the Russians looooooooove their children, too.
African Americans caught up for the most part. And Hispanics apparently have a higher vax rate than white people, despite being poorer.
More importantly, minorities are a whole lot younger than white people.
30% of white people are boomers.
20% of POC are boomers.
Generally younger people were way less inclined to get vaccinated, especially kids.
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This past weekend at the CPAC Lauren Witzke, a GOP candidate for the Senate in Delaware, said: “Here’s the deal. Russia is a Christian nationalist nation. They’re actually Russian Orthodox. … I identify more with Putin’s Christian values than I do with Joe Biden.”
Wow. When I think WWJD, bombing the shit out of others isn’t my first thought…
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That was exactly my reaction but Putin supports the right “family values” so blowing up people doesn’t matter.
Is Putin even Christian? I mean, does he say he is Christian? Does he ever attend church? Pretty much all the Russians i know are atheists, and the one time i visited Russia and went to some churches, the congregation was tiny and very old.
I assume Putin is as much of a Christian as Trump is.
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I’m not sure that’s true. Trump, if asked, probably says he’s Christian. Although i don’t think he goes to a church. Well, maybe.
Trump said he is, because votes. There was a funny clip where he was asked what his favorite Bible passage was.
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