The juxtaposition of the two stories was just too much for me to ignore.
Hey, I grew up in the '60s and '70s.
No, I didn't go to Woodstock. But my heart was there.
I got lucky in terms of military service. The draft was pretty much over by the time I got out of high school in 1973. The Vietnam War was winding down.
But distrust of the government was growing. Especially among young people, who were finding all kinds of mind-altering concoctions that opened up their worlds to viewpoints that - how should we say - were different than their parents.
Yes, a lot of young people were experimenting with pot, among other things.
And they were protesting the actions of their government.
That's how today I came to write about two stories that appeared in the Sunday paper.
One was the infamous 1971 break-in at the Media office of the FBI by a group local activists. They suspected the government was undertaking widespread surveillance of American citizens. The documents they absconded with - and eventually disseminated to the media - proved it.
The other story advanced a hearing that will be held tonight in Nether Providence.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is bringing his statewide listening tour to Delco with a stop at Strath Haven High School.
The topic? The notion that Pennsylvania should legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
Yes, pot. The demon weed. Reefer madness? Not anymore. It looks like it's going to be Pennsylvania's latest cash crop.
I guess they really have run out of ways to pilfer revenue from the pockets of gamblers.
The only thing missing is the tie-dyed T-shirt.
It's in today's Monday print column, my weekly Letter From the Editor.
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