Tin Soldiers and Nixon’s Coming
At the end of the ‘60’s Viet Nam was at its peak, 500,000 of us fighting a losing cause halfway around the globe against an ‘enemy’ that mostly wanted an end to colonial rule. Our presidents, both Democrat and Republican, knew the war was hopeless by then but refused to admit both defeat and poor judgement. In the ivory towers of universities, the Draft swept through like a plague pandemic, galvanizing the apathetic into militant reaction. At my college, the Univ. of Wisconsin/Madison, demonstrations broke out and the National Guard bivouacked on the campus grounds. A student strike was called and the university basically ground to a standstill.
In Ohio at Kent State the Guard killed four demonstrators who were guilty of nothing more than watching a protest against the War.
Looking back over half a century, I’m not sure our protests ended the war any earlier. They ended Lyndon Johnson’s chances at another term and the police riot in response to the Chicago Democratic Convention closed the door on his successor, Hubert Humphrey, and gave Nixon the election. So I’m a little conflicted about protest movements’ effectiveness.
Nevertheless… this week Trump wants a military parade on his birthday. Already he’s sent 2000 National Guard into Los Angeles to protect ICE and their deportations with 200 Marines activated just in case the L.A.cops and the California state patrol can’t handle the mostly peaceful demonstrations, more a test run for future illegal use of the military to quell legal protests. The war this time is not against an overseas enemy — it’s against the rule of law, the Constitution and ultimately the very foundations of what seems to be an extremely precarious democracy.
All over the country thousands of demonstrations are planned to protest this President and his anti-American regime. Do I think they’ll make a difference? Maybe not. But the time has come to say what Congress hasn’t said, nor the Supreme Court: enough is enough. We the people need to speak up now. We didn’t vote for this and even the folks who voted Trump. It’s time to vote again — with our feet. I’m hitting the bricks this weekend. Again. Enough is enough!
Tags: Military Parade Birthday Present, No Billionaire, No King No Clown, Trump Protest