1964 "Get a haircut"

            The year 1964 was like 1969 a cultural pivot year many social norms were being challenged and American social life was being changed forever. LBJ won the election against Barry Goldwater. A Muslim Cassius Clay aka Mohammed Ali became the Heavy weight champion in boxing. The silver in our coins was changed to copper nickel coins in 1965 but the law approved by LBJ happened in 1964. The Beatles came to America on the Ed Sullivan show in NYC that year and music was never the same again what Elvis had started with Rock an Roll the Beatles capped with their music revolution.  The female opportunity as a human an a person really started to change for the better. Smoking was tagged with cancer and the Ford Mustang car was magic. Along with all this change was a record high  in wealth for most of America. LBJ introduced the "Great Society" we all know how that worked out 50 years later and 21 Trillion $$$ dollars the drain. Vietnam was starting to heat up as was rights for blacks in the South. Civil Rights was soon to become law and segregation in the South would end soon. There was Good and Bad an many way to look at this pivotal year. To me quite a few of the bad stuff came about because of  LBJ, yes change was needed and the South had to change but the Civil Rights Act was not a cure all and the demonstrations and riots to come well just read your history. Rebellion was the way of life yes we needed change but society needed time. Idealism abounded  in all of the baby boomers "right" was more important than the radical means being used. 1964 is history now I was 14 years old and a conservative, my hair was short, a crew cut and in 4 years draft bait for a War in South East Asia that made no sense to me. I went did my duty but would I do it again. I'm not sure. Would I like to relive 1964 you bet loved the music an life was so much simpler in  South West Pennsylvania at that time it was a great time to be alive an all the change coming was not all bad.