Why Today's Protests Are Different From Those Against the Vietnam War
They are, however, perhaps even more necessary
What’s been going on in Los Angeles and the protests planned today against the would-be emperor’s birthday celebration are often compared to the Vietnam War-era demonstrations that so many of us oldsters participated in.
There are superficial similarities, but also a big difference: With the exception of a few crazies, most of the Vietnam protestors believed our nation was basically good, just wrong on the war. Lyndon Baines Johnson was one of the most progressive presidents in history, and did more for civil rights and Black Americans than any president than Abraham Lincoln, and did many other good things apart from the Vietnam strategy. Even Richard Nixon did his share of good, and resigned without even dreaming of resorting to violence when the nation had proof of his complicity in the Watergate coverup.
There was also a universal feeling then that things would be fine and we’d be back to normal once we were out of Vietnam and then when Nixon quit. And in many ways, we were.
But that’s not the case now. We have elected a monster without any redeeming virtues whatsoever, and he has a cadre of modern fascists hell-bent on destroying democracy. He needs to be gone. But there’s no guarantee that we will recover even when he is.
Yet we have to try.
And for the irony of all ironies: In September, 1945, the last of the three fascist powers, Imperial Japan, surrendered to the United States and our allies. That same month, a fetus was conceived who would be born 79 years ago today and go on to try to destroy what is best about the nation that saved the world.
Hollywood couldn’t have made that up. Be careful today, but take a stand for what is right.
I demonstrated during the Vietnam years and will do so today, but not without a modicum of fear.
I keep reminding people that yes we demonstrated against the Vietnam War but....we demonstrated almost every day and on weekends for YEARS before the tide of public opinion changed. In other words consistency over time is our best strategy! Be an obstacle, throw sand in the gears, keep pushing back to slow down the machine, keep showing up, speaking up, calling up, and never give up.