Well, another waxing nostalgic post, here comes

So Walter Cronkite has passed, probably most haven't thought of him in the past years, I, too, received these pre-printed letters from him extolling the use of free press, CARE, and other organizations over the years. It was nice hearing what his true feelings were in reading these letters, I somehow don't get the impression that he would have lent his name to anything he did not believe in.

But the memories of his broadcasts, they came flooding back last night; when JFK was assasinated, my parents were both working in the city, so I left school and went to stay with trusted neighbors: Uncle Joe, the bookie, who drove a cream colored '57 Fleetwood, convertible, and Aunt Mary, who would ply me into doing my homework with Jordan almonds and Turkish delights, I remember watching CBS news with Uncle Joe, and seeing this man take off his glasses and glance up at a clock, the tears glistening in his eyes. I didn't know who he was, but I got the feeling that those around me, the solid ones, the secure ones, were suddenly confused and fearful.

He could convey that to a small child with one glance.

And the walk on the moon! I remember watching an old TV at my uncle's house, outside, while my cousins and I splashed around in the pool, my uncle adjusting the view by moving the rabbit ears on the TV, and again this man, clapping his hands, gleefully, you could just feel the shivers going up and down his spine, I wasn't much interested, until I saw that hand clapping, and everyone, in their summer clothes, with the gin and tonics in their one hand, cigarette in the other, stopped, and all smiled at each other, as if witnessing a proud birth. They were. They were watching a promise made fulfilled, and they were glad they could do it.

Cronkite expressed dismay at entertainment news; why wouldn't he? he didn't show a sliver of his true thoughts for so many years, and suddenly we are without this reminder.

Maybe the right thing to do, is to try and achieve again what he did; agree among ourselves that the news and those that report it is awesome tool; an informed public does well to protect a fragile ideal like democracy; without the rancor, without the opinion, without the emotion, just the objective facts.

Maybe this could be a promise to be fulfilled, that some day we all stand around with our gin and tonics, and maybe not the smokes, and smile at each other over.

Regards

Pace