More and more...

I'm finally up to 1969 in the story. Feeling better about it, but there is still a lot of background I'm missing. Thing is, since this is being told from the viewpoint of a 10-12 year old boy, so far, there's only so much I can put in and have it stay real. Plus Brendan is a loner, with just a few real friends. Keeps to himself a lot. Perhaps a bit autistic. His mother keeps referring to him as being simple, even though he's more than capable in many areas.

He is aware of the growing anger and restlessness in Northern Ireland over the discrimination practiced by the Protestants against them. People are talking...organizing ways to end it. Parallels are drawn with the civil rights marches and protests against the Vietnam war in the US and the May Day riots in France, where younger people are pushing for change, and the old guard just does not want to give way. Once power is tasted it become addictive, so they're fighting back in brutal ways.

It's spooky to me that so much of what's happening in the US is like a repeat of what happened in NI in the late 60s, leading up to the horrific violence of the 70s. The rich are fighting any change in the status quo and the media is going along with them. Fanatical "Christians" are forcing their views down other people's throats, despite us being a secular nation. There was even an attempted coup started by a megalomaniac who is out of his fucking mind, and the law won't do a goddamn thing about it, except arrest the grunts who carried it out and give them slaps on the wrist.

The more the world changes, the more it stays the same...except we are now in a time where Mother Nature is basically saying, "The hell with that. You won't take care of my planet? I'll take care of you." I wouldn't be surprised if the world's population starts decreasing in the next few years, from famine, catastrophe and war...even as the rich think they will be able to buy their way out of the consequences.

Maybe that's the real reason Bezos and Musk are reaching for the stars...evade responsibility while they still can...