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August 16, 2002 About time we got to Woodstock Americans can use a lovefest in this summer of angst. If there were ever a summer that cried out for a little peace, love and rock 'n' roll, this is it. We Americans are an agitated lot in August 2002 and with good reason. The first anniversary of the deadliest attack on American soil is approaching, giving rise to old memories and new emotions. The war on terrorism that sprang from that horrific day continues. American lives have been lost in Afghanistan in pursuit of Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida terrorist network. More deaths are certain. At home, we now have daily reminders of the threat of terrorism as well as the risk of government overreacting to the threat by depriving citizens of their constitutional rights. We are wary air travelers. We can't bring backpacks into ballparks anymore and, to add insult to injury, the ballplayers are talking about going on strike because they can't manage to get by on an average salary of $2.3 million a year. Meanwhile, most working people are worried to death that their pension plans will either be looted by corporate executives who lied about their companies' finances to enrich their own bank accounts or be drained by a Wall Street swoon brought on by the continuing lack of trust in corporate America and the Bush administration's inexplicable inability to recognize that it has to do more than cluck at lying CEOs. Then there's the drought and the unending string of 90-plus degree days. The heat enflames road rage. Of course, we are still angry at the Catholic Church for doing nothing for years about priests who sexually abused children and lately we are petrified that some maniac will grab our kids off the street. Television doesn't offer any relief. Its idea of entertainment is having cameras follow "real" people around, snooping on them as they do really idiotic things. A 'burger might taste good, but it would be better if they'd stop warning us about E. coli. And hiking would be a lot more fun if we didn't have to worry about West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease. And of course, President Bush seems determined to go to war with Iraq so that Saddam Hussein can use weapons of mass destruction against Americans. (No, that's not necessarily backwards.) This, of course, is above and beyond the daily travails of home and work and school, of paying taxes and raising kids and wondering whatever happened to popular music. So welcome, Woodstockers. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Your annual visit to the field and the farm in Bethel where more than 400,000 of you gathered in 1969 to share your lives for three muddy, love-filled days has never been more timely. It may not be as splashy as other Woodstock anniversaries, but that's good, too. We need to quiet our heads a little. We need to reflect and relax, listen to some good music, have a veggie burger and catch up on each others' lives. We need to remember and re-energize the spirit of unity, pride and caring that brought us together as a nation following Sept. 11, 2001. Seeing some of the Woodstock nation return for a few days should help. So enjoy the visit, hippies. Be cool. And, neighbors, cut 'em a little slack. 40 Mulberry Street * PO Box 2046 * Middletown, NY 10940 Telephone 845-341-1100 or 800-295-2181 outside the Middletown, N.Y., area. For optimal viewing experience, click here. Copyright Orange County Publications. All rights reserved.
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