One Nation. At War. With Itself

One Nation. At War. With Itself

Dana Blankenhorn:

When I was a child, suburbs like Massapequa, on Long Island, were the real America. Our neighbor on one side was a devout Jew. Our neighbor on the other side was a devout Catholic. Each was free to follow their path. The men would meet in the marketplace, every weekday from 9 to 5, then come home to their different lives.

Back then, Massapequa also had very good public schools. Massapequa schools taught its children to think for themselves.

When I arrived at Massapequa High in 1969 parents saw this as a threat. The free thinking of the 1960s had to be put down. Our school newspaper was taken over by parents when the kids protested the War in Vietnam. When liberal activists moved a black couple into our town, a cross was burned in their lawn.