I wrote the following in 1989 after Tiananmen Square and submitted it to

The Nashville Banner for publication. Not too far off, huh? Seems, not much
has changed.

As the 113th birthday of our Declaration Of Independence approaches the

current events and turmoil in China should make us all more aware and
thankful for the personal freedoms we enjoy in this country. The sight and
sounds of the Chinese government butchering their own people is something
the free world should always remember. Those countries where the people are
oppressed should especially take notice as the Chinese people have
demonstrated how far people will go to gain their independence once they
have had even a small taste of it. It is an inborn passion of the human
being to control (or at least try) to control his own destiny. With all the
freedoms we enjoy in the United States, sadly there are elements of our
society who do not share them and in their own way are nearly as oppressed
as the Chinese people. There are those locked within the prison of poverty
and homelessness. Those who are under the control of drugs and alcohol, shut
off from the rest of us with no realistic escape from the hell of their
world. Those afflicted with AIDS and other life threatening illnesses and
diseases who can't afford proper medical care and live each day wondering if
it may be their last. Those elderly citizens who have spent their lifetime
working and raising families who believed the so-called Social Security
would take care of them in their twilight years, many of them forgotten,
wasting away in nursing homes, many more of them spending their time trying
to fight the red tape and bureaucracy to get the benefits they paid for and
are entitled to. Those war veterans who have defended our freedoms who must
contend with the same government and public indifference to their rights and
needs. Then, there is the destruction and mismanagement of our environment.
I believe it is time for the American people to stage our own "revolution"
to free ourselves from the scourge of greed, corruption and waste in our
government, military and business sectors. As a very small example, I wonder
how many hungry Nashvillians could have been fed with the food we taxpayers
paid for but was allegedly stolen and used to gain support for just one of
the local politicians whose sworn duty it was to uphold the law. How long
are we going to put up with the pillage of our tax dollars by the rich and
powerful. We must stand up for our rights and demand those supposedly in
charge of our resources own up to their responsibilities. This Fourth of
July let us all make a re-declaration of our independence as a tribute to
those who died in China trying to gain basic human rights and freedom.

I wrote the above June 7th and it is the 9th today as we hear the communists
who ordered the massacre in China still seem to be in control. I hope those
reports are wrong and the (obvious) will of the people will
prevail and some day they will know the meaning of freedom. I only wish
President Bush would denounce the regime and let the Chinese people know we
Americans truly support their quest for freedom. They are dying and all we
seem to worry about is our so-called improved image with their government
and the almighty dollar.
Del "Abe" Jones
6-9-1989

"Mankind’s greatest accomplishment is not the revolution of technology it

is the evolution of creativity " copyright Del "Abe" Jones 1984