a cup of joe

found out a few months ago
that if i want to teach in california public schools
i have to sign a loyalty oath
basically a pledge to 'american values'
and a pledge to not engage in activities
aimed at overthrowing the government
the oath a hangover from the mccarthy era
i could never sign such an oath
too many folks i still admire paid heavy prices
fighting that oath when i was a child
and i caught some of the mccarthy era crap as a teenager myself
having stories censored in a high school magazine
the school district a bastion of mccarthyite
and john bircher administrators
and now we have
the 'homeland security act'
sigh


a cup of joe
one in a lifetime
is more than enough