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Writer's pictureaimgralnick

TURN! TURN!

This is about bicycle riding and government.

Remember when you were being taught to ride a bike or were teaching your own young ones to ride? I remember two experiences clearly. The first was my father teaching me. As you will read hopefully within the year in my autobiography, I grew up on a dead-end street, exactly 110 yards long. At the end was a foreboding cast iron spiked fence that kept us off the subway tracks. The subway, which at that point ran above ground, was still called, “the subway.”

My first bike was a red Schwinn with a big centerpiece in the middle of which was a button to warn people and animals to beware. The tires seemed almost as thick as automobile tires from the 1920’s. In was on that street, Waldorf Court, in Brooklyn, NY and on that bike that my dad taught me the skills necessary to stay upright and not have my bike look like a drunk was riding it. I got the hang of it pretty quickly, with Pop puffing alongside, and having a firm grip on the back of my seat. Then one day he decided it was time. He let go. It was a moment or two before I realized I was rolling solo.

I also realized that the fence was getting closer and closer and that my father was yelling, “Turn! Turn!” Well, it was a narrow street, especially with cars parked at the curb and we hadn’t really practiced that yet. Long story short, I crashed. And it hurt. ‘bruised elbows, knees and ego.

Now let’s jump a few decades. This scene is almost exactly the same except for the street, which was a cul-de-sac and the absence of the train. My first born was on his first bike and it was I puffing alongside, hand firmly gripping his back seat. One day I let go. I yelled, “Turn! Turn!” He crashed.

‘bruised elbows, knees, and ego.

Now to government. Kids are the citizenry. The firm hand on the seat is that of the President. His teaching, however, provides problems. He doesn’t tell the truth. Actually, he’s a liar. About what? Pick a subject. He’s chosen, now seen approved, a Supreme Court nominee who is a bully and also a liar. He’s protected him by throwing monkey wrenches in the FBI investigation of the charges leveled against the judicial nominee.

His cabinet has shown an amazing ability not to know the rules of government. Actually, some are corrupt thieves. With his cabinet he is trying to tear apart the national park system, he is trying to remove environmental regulations on water be it coming from a faucet, a river, or the ocean. The only human rights he thinks are needed are for Americans who are males; he’s dialed back globalism to Senator Vandenberg’s days before WW 11. Women’s rights? Forgedabout’em.   And he’s shown himself to be a bully in the class of Joe McCarthy.

I could go on but why? It’s all out there for the listening and hearing.

The point is it is almost too late for someone to start yelling “Turn! Turn!” If someone doesn’t soon the same thing will happen as happened to me and my dad and then to me and to my son. We’re going to crash–at least from my perspective.

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