The Worst Generation Again

When we elected Obama, I finally thought the nation had moved beyond the nightmare of the 60s. For 40 years, Baby Boomers have fought the battles of the 60s over and over again. They are getting older and I was optimistic that we could put this behind us.

But as several examinations of the Tea Party movement show, the new right-wing activism is dominated by older white men. And now, via Sadly, No, we have this:

POPLAR BLUFF, MO. (AP) – A southeast Missouri man will host a five-day event in June that is set up like Woodstock, but with what he calls an opposite message.

Jerry Murphy owns a 400-acre farm in Butler County just northeast of Poplar Bluff. The Poplar Bluff Daily American Republic says he has linked with a group of ministers from around the country to host the gathering called “Wilderness Outcry” June 14-18.

The gathering will feature gospel music and religious speakers.

Murphy says Woodstock in 1969 marked a retreat from Judeo-Christian values in American culture. He hopes Wilderness Outcry helps turn that around.

Admission will be free, though Murphy may charge for camping to help recover the cost of hosting the event.

Officers with the Poplar Bluff Police Department say they’re worried about not having the resources to staff an event that’s rumored to possibly bring in up to 100,000 people.

Maybe it's just a nutcase, but I don't think so. First, people will come. Second, old white men are still angry that events like Woodstock took place and still see that time as ruining America. Of course, I see the 60s as kind of ruining America too, but for different reasons. The problem wasn't the hippies per se. And it certainly wasn't the music and the drugs and the sex. It was the self-centeredness. And that's at least as big a problem for those who hated the hippies as the hippies themselves.