Originally posted on V B I:
Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division escort evacuees at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 20 The invasion was doomed from the start. Addressing America’s current political crisis, Ezra Klein’s essay in The New York Times, “Let’s Not Pretend That the Way We Withdrew From Afghanistan Was the Problem,”…
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My Time as a Vietnam War-era Conscientious Objector
Originally posted on 1960s: Days of Rage:
Conscientious objector William White being dragged from his home in Sydney after being arrested, 1966 “When I chose to apply for conscientious objector status in 1969 during the height of the Vietnam War, I was a teenager and in a quandary: How was I to prove my objection…
Saluting 4,000 vets on the White House lawn
Originally posted on I Ain't Marching Anymore:
No, not in 2003. Not in 1971. In 1932. The data caught up on me Friday, but May 29, 1932 was when the Bonus March arrived in Washington, D.C. — and laid the groundwork for how the U.S. currently pays veterans for their service in war. These were veterans…
For the 50th (?!) anniversary of Kent State
Originally posted on I Ain't Marching Anymore:
Written 10 years ago, and most of the text below didn’t make it into the published book. I’m listening to a program on NPR’s Talk of the Nation about the events of May 4, 1970, at Kent State University. including a survivor of the shootings and a…
Some loose thoughts about Jacob Ritter (1757-1841)
Originally posted on I Ain't Marching Anymore:
He didn’t speak English when he joined General Washington’s army. And by 1790, he was both a combat veteran and a torture survivor. No wonder he became and stayed a Quaker. ? A careful reading of his 1840 memoir (a smash in Quaker circles) yields both facts,…
About the Book (and this site)
Before the U.S. Constitution had even been signed, soldiers and new veterans protested. Dissent, the hallowed expression of disagreement and refusal to comply with the government’s wishes, has a long history in the United States. Soldier dissenters, outraged by the country’s wars or egregious violations in conduct, speak out and change U.S. politics, social welfareContinue reading “About the Book (and this site)”
John Lewis was a conscientious objector to war. Did you know that?
This blog, like my book, doesn’t tend to dwell on the brave folk who completely avoided military jurisdiction — the thousands in CPS camps during World War Two, the literal millions who spent the Vietnam era in alternative-service jobs. All of whom are important and honored, but to include their stories would swamp an already-capaciousContinue reading “John Lewis was a conscientious objector to war. Did you know that?”
Getting to know our partners #2
Our own Jon Hutto on his activist evolution, Kwame Toure, and EmpowerDC’s mutual aid work. Food for All DC Interview by Peter Sage with Mr. Jonathan W. Hutto, Sr. from Empower DC Jonathan Hutto is a Community Organizer with Empower DC, a community based organization in partnership with Food For All DC to support thoseContinue reading “Getting to know our partners #2”
Skip to the index: it’s poetry and all the news you need.
In this last pre-pub gasp, I had the honor of working with an expert in crafting a book’s index. She asked me to brainstorm some possible categories, so I went to books that share mine’s DNA. Looking more closely than I usually do, I’m reminded that a good index constitutes poetry, commentary and relentless factContinue reading “Skip to the index: it’s poetry and all the news you need.”
Song, Struggle and Sorrow: Phil Ochs and Victor Jara
Originally posted on Occupied With Song:
On May 9th, 1974, Phil Ochs organised a concert at Madison Square Garden. “An Evening with Salvador Allende” was a tribute to Chile’s peacefully elected socialist president, and a protest against the brutal military coup that had instituted a dictatorship the previous September. Ochs had a personal reason for…
