Put into the equation that the era that Cranky Yank is evoking was also the era when we left our medical care to our doctors. We, as a society, simply did not question a doctor's dictum as to whether we needed surgery, when it should be planned, what kind of treatment was called for. That era is gone.

And these days we have less faith and trust in our elected officials. In WW II, we were content to follow the lead of our government; we knew they knew what they were doing. After all, they were the experts.

Of course, we went about our business. We were being un-American if we didn't. Plenty of people who used their ability to think, to question, to rally others, were hassled by their families, their neighbors, their government...

Ebbie