This was published in The Nashville Banner in 1989. I saw it coming so why didnt anyone else?

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 communist bastards 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 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

June 9, 1989