\”All of this has happened before. And all of this will happen again.\”

— Leoben

I\’ve been feeling like I\’m reliving my childhood recently. No, it\’s not an overdose of my Peter Pan syndrome. Much of the news of today makes me think back to my elementary school days. For instance:

1. Gas Price Crisis — Then it was caused by OPEC mad at us for supporting Israel. Now it\’s caused by speculators. Either way, it\’s all that people are talking about and I half expect the return of the AMC Gremlin or Chevy Chevette.

2. An unpopular war — Vietnam was probably more unpopular. Those fucking, spoiled baby-boomers were getting drafted into it, and we couldn\’t have that. And, with 200 teevee channels, we have more of an opportunity to look away and ignore Iraq.

3. An unpopular President — I\’m fairly positive that had Bill Clinton not been Impeached, W would have been one week after the Dems took control of Congress. And the only reason Nixon wasn\’t impeached was that he resigned first. So I guess the idea of President Cheney is also keeping the Dems at bay.

4. The Mustache — The cheesy 70s mustache is making a comeback. Like when you first hear a new word, and then you hear it all the time for the next week, this part of my theory didn\’t reach my consciousness until last week. While enjoying the weekly Rahr Brewery open house last Saturday I noticed a dude that was a Steve Prefontaine starter kit (only with a decidedly doughier body). Then, earlier this week, I started noticing more and more dudes with the same 70s style mustache. Finally the theory was finalized when I saw Jason Giambi\’s roided up, mustachioed mellonhead.

So get ready for all kinds of 70s things. There\’s already talk of a return of The Gong Show and Match Game. Can Pet Rocks, Mood Rings and Est be far behind?

Steve Prefontaine.

Jason Giambi