The community band rehearsal commenced with a tune we haven't played, "Burst Of Flame". It sounded more like "First Was Inane", as ready to play as we were. Well, it was turned in to our librarians and we focused our attention on songs more rehearsed, especially patriotic ones, for we are to play in a Veterans' Day ceremony. Not only is this ceremony shorter than Memorial Day, but our conductor announced the elections will mercifully be over so no "vote for me" insertions. I made a joke about the days of my youth when the Catholic comic "Treasure Chest (Of Fun And Fact)" would run a periodic story of a suburban family waking up on a school day to discover a full throttle communist takeover, so we'd have no ceremony (wait until May Day).

I sit next to a doctor whose reason to be where he is consists of being a bassoonist. That's how I see it. When the band does its set-the-minute-hand reliable breakdowns I have heard him say, "Yes, another thing to blame [President 43] for." I think I've sussed his political affiliation. So he responded to my "commie" crack with, "We're there already."

I write this on October 21, which marks a 1928 speech in which Hoover used the term "rugged individualism" and Ronald Reagan's 1986 initiation of his (or his handlers') pursuit of "tax reform". Yes, individualism is trumpeted up and down, left and right, but don't enjoy too much without the do-re-mi and don't be a threat, which is what community values, not big and bad government, are there to fight. A threat which knows the difference between fascism and communism, or knows much more of anything.

Unfortunately I got the good doctor's attention, for he leaned over after two more tunes were subjected to the luck of Friday pillaging and told me how in his ultra Democrat district he's never seen more Republican signs. "Change is here!"

Tweedle-dee, tweedle-dum. No more "commies" but back to, "This is not fascism and in the name of freedom I'll clobber you if you say it is!" It never went away, but more of its friends arrive every second.