Independence Day Collage

“Some people are saying to celebrate on a day like today is very hypocritical. Because we are engaged in things that many people in the country disagree with.”
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Most of those who frequent this blog have already heard this broadcast (heck it’s the only CD of airchecks I have! If anyone’s got more, please send!). But on this Independence Day, Bill Compton’s commentary and music collage from July 4, 1970 certainly bears repeating.
Compton was addressing the difficulty of joining in the flag-waving during a time the country was bitterly divided over a war and the president in charge (sound familiar?). At the time, the sides were divided not so much by red and green states as by which side of age 30 they fell on (kids, look up "generation gap" in Wikipedia). Ironically, of course, anyone listening to this audio who remembers hearing Compton on the radio is now on the other side of that gap – whoa! A bit of a mind-blower in itself. Nevertheless, Compton’s plea for tolerance and understanding between people of different beliefs sounds as urgent a message now as it did then, and should be required listened on this day.

Click on "Click to start" in the above playlist to hear the full 49-minute segment.
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Or, download the complete broadcast as mp3 files: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7.