i attended my first anti war protest!

Peace,

after work of Saturday i went to a anti war gathering i found out about from Internationalanswer.org and it was VERY fun! it started right after i got off work. there was a candle light vigil and singing and talking. we were singing Blowin In the Wind, and several other songs. when we were done singing the guy playing the gutar asked us to just tell us what is on your mind. i talked about the way life realy is and what it is masked to be, etc, etc and after the 45 minute protest it was over just as fast but all of them wanted me to sign up for there organisation, be on tv ads, attend the meetings, go to all there gatherings, etc! man and that was only the first one i have been to! i cant wait til i get to D.C.! how many others of you went to protest the war?

later

the tired flwoer child

 

I attended my first A.W.D in Washington D.C. during the winter of 67. Some of the notables in attendance were Dr.Benjamin Spock and Jerry Rubin. Abbey Hoffman promised to levitate the pentagon if we followed him from the grounds of the Capitol to the Pentagon. Only about 7,000 of us made the march into Virginia. Most people I asked to follow us said they didn't want trouble or were to cold and hungry to walk the distance. I also got my first taste of CS gas that night. Power To The People!

 

Good on you!!!! I was at the London one on Saturday, great day


I've been going to them since Septmber 11th... keepin the pressure up

 

I was at a small one nearby this past weekend

 

Peace,

groovy! i am glad alot of you guys are getting off the couch and actually doing something! and WE i wish i could have went to that one in 67 like you did!must have been a blast!

later

the tired flwoer child

 

yes it is a blast, but let's not forget the seriousness of the issues behind why we all have to get off the couch and protest.

It is great to get together and protest, it can be fun... but if we had no war we wouldn't have to do it.

They wouldn't have had to protest in 67 and we wouldn't have to still be protesting now...

Personally, I find it hard going and hard work, not particularily groovy at all.

Love Clairexxx

 

No Joshua. It was not. We were out manned and out gunned. We were resented by almost everyone. Basically, because of our ideology,the lenght of our hair and the cloths we choose to wear we were considered second class citizens. Especially by those in authority. I saw more young men and especially young women being beaten that day and into the night by those who were sworn to protect us than I can ever tell you. I aided several young men and women who were beated bloody by the so-called police and by what I suspect were government agents perhaps they were CIA operatives? Or perhaps even D.C police in civilian cloths? They carried guns and night sticks under there coats. And they were attacking us! I came home with blood stains all over my field jacket and a flannel shirt with no sleeves because I tore off several large sections of my shirt to make head bandages to help stop the bleeding . Several hundred people were arrested that day Joshua. Dozens were beaten into unconsciousness. I later heard some even stayed in jail for several days without food before there bond hearing. I also heard a short time later a few of the more seriously injured were even lucky enough to be taken to local hospitals. Please,remember, in 1967 most Americans still openly supported the war. The vast majority of America was against us that day Joshua. It was not until after Tet [Vietnam's lunar new year] of 1968 that opinions both young and old finally started to slowly change against the war. Thanks,in large part, I believe, because of our determined actions against the war that started on that day. No Joshua. It was not a blast. It was war. And there was much more fighting to come.

 

Peace WE,

oh i didnt know it was that bad! atleast your hard work and many others paid off and stopped the war, even if it was years after. i am glad you were ok. i want to go to DC and see if it still happens. i know it does but i think the media is lying about it. when i get a auto that runs i plan on having the Central Nebraska Peace Core go there. they like my suggestions (i wonder why) and join others and protest the war and i want to go so bad here it is to.. conservative. woud you like to go if i find out in plenty of time and we could meet for the first time in person! you and your son! i would love to protest side by side with by best friend and your son united against the war!

later

the tired flwoer child

 

I watched a documentary about John Coltrane, the great jazz saxophonist. He was always wary of the police back in the 50s and 60s. He was taking a break from his gig at the club and smoking a cig outside when a police officer told him to move along. He said he worked there and wouldn't leave. He was beaten bloody by the cop. There were some really sick things happening in the 60s and earlier.

 

Please forgive me for laughing Joshua. But,the only thing my son would ever protest is not being able to watch the Howard Stern show on TV. And,even then, he would most likely only make a cell phone call to complain to myself and his mother. My son has never had to fight for anything. He's been given almost everything. He lives in a world of privilage and opportunity Joshua. He's a good guy. But,he's had an easy life.


I would be pleased to meet you if/when you come to Washington. But, please understand. I can only meet with you on a weekend. And our time together may be very brief. If I am on-call during that time.



I no longer attend protests Joshua. I am a healer not a fighter. I have fought many battles in my life Joshua. Starting when I was just a bit older than you are now. I still carry the scars of my service in Vietnam Joshua. I passed the torch of truth,justice and freedom on to a younger generation many years ago. I can only hope they carry it as proudly as many in my generation tried too.

 

Peace WE,


i will elt you know when and if that time comes. i understand WE about your son. you have done alot fo good in your day. and we all owe you our respect for it. and i am sorry you had to go through Viet Knam. its nice to be able to talk to you. i have been working alot lately. hows your job going?

later

the tired flwoer child

 

Why the fuck would they beat you guys to practical death?

 

I went to the Kent State 35th commemoration on May 4th. You may recall that 13 students at Kent were shot in 1970 by the Ohio national guard during a rally. There were similar incidents where students were killed in Alabama and at Jackson State university in Mississippi in 1970. Protestors often got beaten or even shot in that era.

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