\t\t\t\t
Hannah Arendt (1972)<\/center>The popular stereotype of hippies describes them as lazy, unmotivated,
\neven apathetic. At times we can be this way, especially when stoned. But
\nif you look back at history, you’ll find just how many causes we were actively
\ninvolved with, and how many great things we accomplished. This chapter
\nreviews the circumstances that led to the hippy movement, the major causes
\nthat hippies supported, the outcomes of our movement’s activities, and
\nthose causes that still remain to be tackled.<\/p>\n
Timothy Leary (Chaos and Cyberculture)<\/p>\n
Hippies were part of the first generation to face the real threat of
\nnuclear annihilation as children. We were supposed to be reassured by the
\nfallout shelters popping up everywhere and the drills we had in school
\nwhere we hid under our desks. Nobody wanted to face the reality of nuclear
\nwar. We had to discover that reality ourselves, and bring it to the attention
\nof our elders. Our parents’ denial of the consequences turned to anger
\nin our generation as we learned the truth.<\/p>\n
it’s time to pause and reflect.<\/b><\/p>\n
Mark Twain<\/p>\n
This was the first of many startling discoveries we were to make as
\nwe matured into young adults. The legacy of WWII and the boom years that
\nfollowed was a prevailing attitude that America could do no wrong. Victorious
\nin war, we would lead the world in peace. Prosperity and optimism was taken
\nfor granted. Hell, we even figured we could walk on the moon!<\/p>\n
Now your crosses are burning fast, <\/b><\/p>\n
Southern Man.<\/b><\/p>\n
Neil Young (Southern Man)<\/p>\n
But all was not right in the land of plenty. At the start of the 1960s,
\ncivil rights was the issue of the day. Black people were demanding equality
\nunder the law. At that time blacks could vote in national elections, but
\nin local elections, especially in the south, blacks were denied the franchise.
\nThis was only one of many rights denied black people. In theory, black
\npeople had equal rights, but in reality America was still practicing Apartheid.
\nSegregation was the law in the south.<\/p>\n
then take a look around to Selma, Alabama. <\/b><\/p>\n
Barry McGuire (The Eve of Destruction)<\/p>\n
In 1960, black people were taking to the streets in organized protests.
\nSit-ins at segregated lunch counters in southern cities were inciting both
\nblacks and whites to action. College students, many of them white, were
\ngetting involved in these actions and learned a few things about non-violent
\nprotest. This was risky in the south. Some protesters were beaten or murdered
\nas a result of their activities.<\/p>\n
There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave. <\/b><\/p>\n
P.F. Sloan\/Barry McGuire (The Eve of Destruction)<\/p>\n
The anti-nuclear movement started gaining ground in the early ’60s as
\nwell. With more countries testing nuclear weapons, and production increasing
\ndramatically, the concern was worldwide. President Kennedy urged Americans
\nto build fallout shelters while Ban the Bomb demonstrations in America
\nand Europe attracted tens of thousands of students and intellectuals such
\nas Bertrand Russell.<\/p>\n
Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
Civil rights and anti-nuclear protests often included marches, sit-ins,
\nspeeches and songs by famous people, signs with slogans, and chants. These
\nprotests were always marked by peaceful intent. If things got ugly it was
\nusually due to police tactics or violent counter demonstrations (by such
\norganizations as the KKK). The SDS, Students for a Democratic Society,
\ngot its feet wet in these early demonstrations. They would later organize
\nanti-war campus protests around the country.<\/p>\n
With a thousand million questions, about hate and death and war. <\/b><\/p>\n
‘Cause when we stop and look around us, there is nothing that we
\nneed, <\/b><\/p>\n
in a world of persecution, that is burning in its greed.<\/b><\/p>\n
The Moody Blues (Question)<\/p>\n
Young people began to get the idea that their government didn’t really
\nhave the interests of the people as their main priority. Just as President
\nEisenhower had warned, the military\/industrial complex was having undue
\ninfluence on U.S. policy making. There were big profits to be made in the
\narms race. And the legacy of the McCarthy witch-hunts of the 50s was back,
\nhaunting us as our paranoid government saw the threat of Communism everywhere.<\/p>\n
John Fitzgerald Kennedy<\/p>\n
President Kennedy stood up to Premier Krushchev over Soviet nuclear
\nmissiles in Cuba, nearly causing WW III. But it was LBJ (President Lyndon
\nBaines Johnson) who was to lead America into a full-scale war in Vietnam.
\nSome believe Kennedy was about to withdraw from involvement in Vietnam
\nwhen he was assassinated on November 22, 1963.<\/p>\n
John Fitzgerald Kennedy<\/p>\n
People young and old saw the American dream buried along with Kennedy.
\nWe awoke quickly to face the nightmare of reality. It was only two days
\nafter President Kennedy died that LBJ escalated U.S. involvement in the
\nVietnam War.<\/p>\n
Anti-war chant<\/p>\n
Eighteen months later, we were getting even more involved in Vietnam.
\nFirst we sent more advisors, then we started bombing North Vietnam and
\nramped up the draft. In March 1965, American foot soldiers first engaged
\nthe Vietcong on their home turf. Later that same month the SDS organized
\nthe first Teach-In about the Vietnam War at the University of Michigan.
\nThe following month, the SDS led the first anti-war march in Washington
\nD.C.. Over 25,000 people showed up, including singers Phil Ochs, Joan Baez
\nand Judy Collins<\/p>\n
Anti-war chant<\/p>\n
Student deferments and Conscientious Objector status became more difficult
\nto obtain. Tens, then hundreds of thousands of young people had to give
\nup their dream of college to go fight a terrible war in a distant land.
\nSome of them burned their draft cards, others fled to Canada to avoid the
\ndraft. As more and more of them returned in body bags or were termed MIA
\nor missing in action, it became clear we weren’t winning in Vietnam.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t believe in war, but what’s that gun you\u2019re totin\u2019? <\/b><\/p>\n
P.F. Sloan\/Barry McGuire (The Eve of Destruction – Topped the charts
\nSept 25, 1965)<\/p>\n
On October 16, 1965 a nationwide anti-war protest brought out 100,000
\npeople in 80 cities around the country. By 1967, the opposition to the
\nwar was going full steam. On April 10th, a nationwide protest, Vietnam
\nWeek, started with draft card burnings (now illegal) and anti-draft demonstrations
\naround the country. On April 15, a huge anti-war protest in New York City
\nincluded 400,000 (equal to the number of soldiers in Vietnam at the time)
\nwho marched from Central Park to the United Nations. Speakers included
\nMartin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael and Dr. Benjamin Spock.<\/p>\n
Haille Sellassie\/Bob Marley (War)<\/p>\n
While the hippies celebrated their freedom with the Summer of Love in
\nSan Francisco, and Flower Power Day in New York, it was a Summer of Rioting
\nin the ghettos of America. Blacks took to the streets in Chicago, Brooklyn,
\nCleveland, Baltimore, Newark and Detroit, where 43 died in some of the
\nworst rioting in U.S. history. It was just the beginning of the Long Hot
\nSummer.<\/p>\n
Stokeley Carmichael<\/p>\n
Why did blacks riot? Some saw a race war as the only way to freedom.
\nYears of peaceful protests had not really changed much for black people.
\nDespite the passage of various Civil Rights acts, there was still widespread
\ndiscrimination, racism and economic inequality. The radicalized elements,
\nespecially the Black Panthers were arming themselves and inciting others
\nto confront the establishment, violently if necessary.<\/p>\n
the message is freedom.<\/b><\/p>\n
John Sinclair (1969) The White Panther Party Statement<\/p>\n
The Black Panthers were the inspiration for other groups including the
\nWhite Panthers and the Weathermen (a radical splinter group from the SDS)
\nto use violence against the establishment. This took the form of bombings
\nof symbols of the military\/industrial\/economic system like banks.<\/p>\n
John Lennon (Give Peace a Chance)<\/p>\n
The black and hippy protests going on during this period overlapped
\n(time-wise), but most hippies were still intent on peaceful protest. On
\nOctober 21 and 22, 1967, 35,000 anti-war protesters stormed the Pentagon.
\nThey were greeted with tear gas. Eventually all the demonstrators sat down
\nin front of the Pentagon and the assembled troops (MPs). The standoff continued
\nwhile the protesters held teach-ins, sang songs, chanted and listened to
\nspeeches. Many demonstrators went up to the MPs and talked to them about
\npeace and love. A famous photo shows a young man placing a flower in the
\nrifle muzzle of a guardsman. As day became night, some of the troops were
\nwon over. The protest was so peaceful at this point, no one felt threatened.
\nPeople started fires to keep warm, and a community was forming.<\/p>\n
Around midnight, paratroopers relieved the MPs and they started to clear
\nout the demonstrators with force. 647 protesters were arrested, often after
\nbeing severely beaten by the paratroopers and U.S. Marshals. In response,
\nlater that same week, draft deferments were eliminated for those who violated
\ndraft laws or interfered with recruitment, two common tactics of the protesters.<\/p>\n
to protect the country they stole from the red people.<\/b><\/p>\n
The musical, Hair<\/p>\n
In December a Stop the Draft movement was organized. It included 40
\nantiwar groups, and nationwide protests were coordinated. On Dec 5, 1967,
\n1000 antiwar protesters tried to close the New York City induction center,
\nwhere draftees reported. 585 were arrested including Allen Ginsberg and
\nDr. Benjamin Spock.<\/p>\n
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong. <\/b><\/p>\n
Young people speaking their minds <\/b><\/p>\n
Getting so much resistance from behind. <\/b><\/p>\n
Buffalo Springfield (For What it’s Worth)<\/p>\n
On Dec 31, 1967, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Paul Krassner, Dick Gregory,
\n& friends pronounced themselves Yippies. On Jan 16, 1968, they founded
\nthe activist Youth International Party which was to organize protest actions
\nincluding the famous demonstrations during the Democratic Convention in
\nChicago.<\/p>\n
Bob Dylan (The Times they are a-changin’)<\/p>\n
For three days, 10,000 demonstrators were met by 12,000 Chicago police;
\n6,000 National Guard; 7,500 U.S. army troops; and 1,000 FBI, CIA &
\nother services agents. These government agents then proceeded to riot,
\ninflicting heavy damage upon the protesters. Outnumbered and outgunned,
\nthe only protection the protesters had was their voices. They shouted the
\nwhole world is watching while news cameras filmed some of the less violent
\nevents. Chicago Mayor Daly (and the U.S. government no doubt) wanted to
\nteach the hippies and yippies a lesson.<\/p>\n
Huey Newton<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the level of violence on the streets everywhere was rising
\ndramatically. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April
\n4, 1968, spontaneous riots erupted in 125 cities across the country. Oakland
\nPolice ambushed the Black Panthers. Eldridge Cleaver was arrested with
\na bullet-shattered leg and Bobby Hutton was shot and killed.<\/p>\n
Unknown<\/p>\n
Days later, hippies held a Love-in at Malibu Canyon, Calif. and the
\nSpring Mobilization against the Vietnam war began soon after. Students
\nat Colombia and Boston Universities occupied administration buildings on
\ncollege campuses to protest discriminatory academic and financial policies,
\nand to add ethnic studies to the curriculum.<\/p>\n
at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.<\/b><\/p>\n
John Fitzgerald Kennedy<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Women’s Liberation movement was gearing up. Women were
\ndeeply involved in the Anti-war movement from the start. They helped organize,
\ncontributed money, marched, sang songs and got arrested like everyone else.
\nBut women inspired by the civil rights movement had their own agenda. More
\nwomen than ever were leaving the home and entering the work force.<\/p>\n
it must be demanded by the oppressed.<\/b><\/p>\n
Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
Tired of being treated like second class citizens, exploited economically,
\nsexually, and without equal rights, they decided to break from the other
\nprotest movements and get politically active. In 1966, NOW, the National
\nOrganization of Women was founded. By 1968 women groups had multiplied,
\ndemanding the right to abortion, childcare, and an end to economic, political,
\neducational and sexual discrimination. Women had their work cut out for
\nthem trying to raise the consciousness of Americans taught to see them
\nonly as sex objects or mothers.<\/p>\n
but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.<\/b><\/p>\n
Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
American society had never been attacked on so many fronts, so vociferously,
\nas it did in the closing years of the 60s. The Women’s movement was just
\none more log on the fire of discontent eating away at the white male dominated
\nsocial structure.<\/p>\n
Lao-Tzu<\/p>\n
During this time, a typical newscast would start with the latest violent
\nclashes in the streets of some ghetto, followed by scenes of marches and
\nspeeches from some anti-war rally. Then a sobering set of statistics of
\ndead soldiers in Vietnam, after which some conservative politician would
\nbe interviewed saying how we’re winning the war, and if we would just re-elect
\nhim, it would be over in a jiffy.<\/p>\n
… shot down on the battlefield of Vietnam.<\/b><\/p>\n
Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
As the troop level in Vietnam approached its all-time high of 543,000,
\nthe Vietnamese launched the surprise Tet Offensive, which marked the turn
\nof the war in their favor. The My Lai massacre of a whole Vietnamese village
\nincluding women and children by American soldiers was reported and the
\nmedia had a field day. The war was leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouth
\nby now. LBJ deciding his Vietnam policy was a liability and a failure,
\ndecided not to run again for president (perhaps the fact that Robert Kennedy
\nannounced his candidacy had something to do with it), and ordered a partial
\nbombing halt. Within two months, peace talks began in Paris.<\/p>\n
will make violent revolution inevitable.<\/b><\/p>\n
John Fitzgerald Kennedy<\/p>\n
As 1969 began, students all over the country were taking over campus
\nbuildings and issuing demands. Violence was everywhere. The U.S. launched
\nthe biggest ever bombing campaign against North Vietnam. In New York City,
\npolice raided a gay bar in Greenwich Village, which lead to the Stonewall
\nUprising where 2000 protesters battled 400 police, thus starting the Gay
\nLiberation Movement. Cult leader Charles Manson and his followers murdered
\nactress Sharon Tate and the LaBiancas.<\/p>\n
Bob Dylan (Subterranean Homesick Blues)<\/p>\n
As the Chicago Eight trial got underway, in which the Yippie leaders
\nwere charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot, the Weathermen began
\ntheir Days of Rage with bomb attacks against establishment targets. On
\nMay 15, 1969, hippies camping out peacefully in People’s Park in Berkeley
\nwere attacked and forcibly removed by police and the National Guard. On
\nJuly 20, 1969, Man set foot on the moon. It seemed that we had to go that
\nfar just to find some peace. Then again…<\/p>\n
half a million kids can get together and have fun and music <\/b><\/p>\n
and nothing but fun and music, and I bless you for it!<\/b><\/p>\n
– Max Yasgur, owner of the farm where Woodstock took place.<\/p>\n
In the middle of all this mayhem, much to their eternal credit, over
\nhalf a million hippies managed to have three days of peace, love, fun and
\nmusic at the Woodstock Music Festival in August 1969. In a way this was
\none of the most political (or apolitical) statements ever made by hippies.
\nAt Woodstock, a huge, virtual city appeared without adequate planning for
\nsuch a large group. The only agenda anyone brought with them was to have
\na good time, groove on the music and each other. Without leaders, without
\npolice, without government, without violence, they managed to feed, and
\ncare for themselves outdoors despite the heat, rain and mud. The Woodstock
\nNation had left its mark on the world.<\/p>\n
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.<\/b><\/p>\n
Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
On Oct 15, 1969, another half million people took to the streets around
\nthe U.S. in peaceful protests during the first Vietnam Moratorium. One
\nmonth later, 500,000 marched in Washington DC as part of the largest antiwar
\nrally in U.S. history. Speakers included Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern,
\nCoretta King, Dick Gregory, and Leonard Bernstein. Singing songs of peace
\nwere Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul, & Mary, John Denver, Mitch
\nMiller and the touring cast of Hair.<\/p>\n
Dr. Benjamin Spock<\/p>\n
By the end of the year over 100,000 soldiers had died or been injured
\nin Vietnam, and a draft lottery had begun. A free concert given by the
\nJefferson Airplane and the Rolling Stones turned to tragedy at Altamont
\nas the Hell’s Angels killed a man waving a gun. It was a symbolic end to
\na violent year. Some say it marked the end of innocence for the Love Generation.<\/p>\n
Ronald Reagan, then Governor of California, on how to deal with student
\nunrest.<\/p>\n
1970 began in similar fashion with the student riots in Isla Vista,
\nCalifornia and the Weathermen bombing the Bank of America there and office
\nbuildings in five states. Three Weathermen were killed when a bomb they
\nwere working on exploded in a house in Greenwich Village, NY. On March
\n1, 1971 a bomb exploded in a Capitol restroom. The Weather Underground
\nclaimed responsibility saying it was in response to the U.S. involvement
\nin Laos.<\/p>\n
The Moody Blues (One More Time to Live)<\/p>\n
The Vietnam War, wasn’t the only topic that riled hippies. In 1969,
\na disastrous oil spill near Santa Barbara, California focused our attention
\n(again) on the environment. Hippies were frustrated with the lack of government
\ninitiative towards cleaning up the environment and leniency with corporate
\npolluters. So we organized, protested, and contributed to environmental
\ngroups and by 1970, the Ecology Movement was in full swing. The National
\nEnvironmental Policy Act, or NEPA was signed into law and on April 22,
\nthe first Earth Day was declared. This landmark event, involving 20 million
\npeople, raised awareness about how humans were treating the planet and
\nways to mitigate the impending dangers to the environment. The Environmental
\nProtection Agency was soon established to monitor and clean up toxic wastes.
\nThe Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty also went into effect.<\/p>\n
Crosby, Stills & Nash (Ohio)<\/p>\n
College protest had become so commonplace by 1970, that it was a horrible
\nshock when the news reported thirteen unarmed student protesters being
\nshot, and four killed by the National Guard at Kent State University, Ohio.
\nTen days later, police killed two students at Jackson State University
\nduring violent student demonstrations. The very same week, antiwar protesters
\nin NYC were attacked by construction workers. It was clear that the ongoing
\nprotests were dividing the country and the violence was totally out of
\nhand.<\/p>\n
Bob Dylan (Blowin’ in the Wind)<\/p>\n
Despite the peace talks (just how long DID they spend discussing the
\nshape of the table?), the Vietnam War dragged on, taking more lives and
\nfurther alienating us from our government. As more ‘Nam veterans returned,
\nthey brought back horror stories about the war. Soon they were the focus
\nof protests. Vets appeared at the forefront of the Peace movement, and
\nthey were a powerful ally, since they had the respect of the warmongers.<\/p>\n
Many people still think the protesters hated the soldiers who went to
\nwar. Far from it! All of us knew people who served in Vietnam and respected
\nthem. It wasn’t their choice, they were drafted. At the start of the war
\nmany went with a spirit of my country, right or wrong and jeered the
\nprotesters. Some protesters did focus their attention on the soldiers,
\nsince they felt they should have resisted the draft, but that was more
\nof a media stunt. Once they got there, even the most devout, brainwashed
\nsoldier faced his own apocalypse. When those lucky enough to survive
\nreturned, their attitudes were often similar to those who protested the
\nwar.<\/p>\n
I know vets who are so fucked up from their experience that they must
\ntake heavy prescription drugs for the rest of their lives otherwise they
\nfreak out. One vet, a distant relative of mine is denied contact with his
\nfamily to this day. Why? Because they’re afraid of him! I spent a few days
\nwith him just before they shipped him to ‘Nam. I found him fun and full
\nof life. When I saw him next he was close to being a vegetable, yet he
\nwas physically unharmed in the war!<\/p>\n
The Vets’ wounds mirror the wounds the country suffered. They still
\nhaven’t healed. Hawks and doves still argue over foreign policy. America
\nhas now taken on the role of World Policeman. Fortunately it appears we
\nhave learned some lessons and now our government seems reluctant to put
\nAmerican soldiers on the front line, preferring to use our superior technology
\nas the weapon of choice. Kill them from the air and Americans won’t have
\nto see the mangled, burned bodies of women and children below.<\/p>\n
But the selective service system still exists to register young men
\nwho turn 18 so they can be drafted should the need arise. America can find
\nit all too easy to justify intervention when ethnic cleansing (Bosnia,
\nKosovo, East Timor) is involved, or when its so called strategic interests
\nare at risk (the Gulf War). The attitude is shoot first, ask questions
\nlater. One should never feel we are at peace when we still have the nuclear
\ncapacity to wipe out (almost) all life on the planet.<\/p>\n
Look in the mirror and laugh.<\/b><\/p>\n
Look in the heart and smile.<\/b><\/p>\n
Look at the Creation and cry.<\/b><\/p>\n
We are the caretaker of the Creation.<\/b><\/p>\n
We have forgotten who we are.<\/b><\/p>\n
We have forgotten why we are here.<\/b><\/p>\n
The trees speak of the Creator.<\/b><\/p>\n
The birds sing of the Creator.<\/b><\/p>\n
The Creation speaks to us.<\/b><\/p>\n
Are we listening or are we too busy?<\/b><\/p>\n
Skinwalker (CreeWarrior@webtv.net)<\/p>\n
On the environmental front, hippies established and supported such organizations
\nas Greenpeace, Earth First!, Friends of the Earth, etc. They lobbied Congress
\nand took direct action against those whose only motivation is economic
\ngain regardless of the impact on the planet’s ecology. Some of their efforts
\nare as legendary as they are dangerous. One day we’ll all look back on
\nthese brave activists who risked their lives and freedom and hail them
\nas heroes. You, too, can be a hero by supporting such organizations that
\nput the common good above selfish short-term interests. Earth is the mother
\nof us all, and we must treat her with respect.<\/p>\n
Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
Although much has been achieved in the area of Civil Rights, racism,
\ndiscrimination and economic inequality still plague minorities in America.
\nUntil we end the cycle of bigotry and fear that one generation passes on
\nto another, this problem will continue to haunt us. Hippies practice Love
\nand Tolerance for all beings, and this is an important message to share
\nwith everyone. Remember, actions speak louder than words and hugs are warmer
\nthan handshakes.<\/p>\n
bumper sticker<\/p>\n
Nuclear, biological and chemical threats still hang over our heads.
\nPerhaps more than we realize. The technology has filtered down to where
\nmaniacal despots without inhibitions can get their hands on weapons of
\nmass destruction. We face a challenging moral dilemma dealing with such
\npeople. Our lack of resolve on this issue will come back to haunt us one
\nday.<\/p>\n
Just say NO to INTOLERANCE!<\/b><\/p>\n
Hippyland<\/p>\n
It does seem that hippies as well as many other groups have a reluctance
\nto get involved in an issue unless something personal is at stake. One
\nissue that is getting hot now certainly affects hippies personally. The
\nissue is marijuana. Everyone has an opinion whether it be to legalize,
\ndecriminalize, medicalize or industrialize. Until we all get together on
\nthis issue, THEY will have the upper hand. It has been politically unfeasible
\nto discuss this issue with the anti-drug hysteria that has swept the nation
\nfor three decades. Now things are changing. This is one issue that can
\nunite us again.<\/p>\n
Marijuana has been used for millennia to heal, inspire, clothe, and
\nwarm humanity. It can even feed us as it’s one of the best protein sources
\nknown. Yet we have vilified this magical herb to where even innocent children
\nsuffer when their parents are given 20 year jail terms, often on a first
\noffense. At one point we decriminalized it in many states. Now it’s lumped
\nin with heroin as the most dangerous kind of drug. Thousands of people
\nare in need of its medicinal properties and are denied such comfort by
\nlaw.<\/p>\n
Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
Today, we have a War on Drugs which is really a War on Americans. Our
\ngovernment takes Woman and Children prisoners every day this war continues.
\nWe justify such actions as a deterrent, yet handing out 20-30 year sentences
\nto (some) first time offenders, is far worse than how we punish many murderers.
\nPLEASE END THE WAR! PLEASE FREE THE PRISONERS!<\/p>\n
The Buddha<\/p>\n
YOU can make a difference! As this issue heats up, get involved with
\nyour statewide and national organizations. NORML (National Organization
\nfor the Reform of Marijuana Laws) is a good place to start. Remember, all
\ndrugs are NOT created equal. Your mind and your body are yours. No one
\nhas a right to tell you how to use them or how to heal them. FREE YOUR
\nMIND.<\/p>\n
The purpose of this program is to expose, disrupt, and otherwise
\nneutralize the activities of the various new left organizations, their
\nleadership, and their adherents\u2026. We must frustrate every effort of these
\ngroups and individuals to consolidate their forces or to recruit new or
\nyouthful adherents. In every instance, consideration should be given to
\ndisrupting organized activity of these groups and no opportunity should
\nbe missed to capitalize on organizational or personal conflicts of their
\nleadership\u2026. The organizations and activists who spout revolution and unlawfully
\nchallenge society to obtain their demands must not only be contained, but
\nmust be neutralized.<\/b><\/p>\n
FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in Disruption of the New Left<\/p>\n
counterintelligence memo dated May 14, 1968<\/p>\n
It’s clear that there has been a coordinated effort on the part of the
\nfederal government, local agencies, even the media to disrupt, discredit
\nand undermine the legitimate right to protest in the United States. The
\nextent of this conspiracy has yet to be determined because so many documents
\nrelating to this period are still classified. To justify their actions,
\nmany sought to find communist instigators just as McCarthy did in the 50s.<\/p>\n
George Orwell (1984)<\/p>\n
Agents infiltrated every student group, every left leaning political
\ngroup, and every minority organization, to carry out J. EDGAR’s dictum.
\nThey used every counterespionage tactic available at the time, including
\ntailing people, informants, tapping phones, keeping confidential records
\non individual members’ activities including drug use, sexual liaisons,
\nand other information that had nothing to do with their political activities.
\nIs it any wonder these groups lost their leadership, their focus, their
\nenergy? With agents everywhere, who could you trust?<\/p>\n
The truth is that this country’s leaders cannot tolerate dissent from
\nwithin if it threatens the established order. As a result the great tradition
\nof protest has come to a grinding halt in this country. There is now an
\nunderlying feeling that if you voice your politically incorrect opinions
\nin a coordinated fashion you’ll get into trouble.<\/p>\n
And now to suit our great computer, you’re magnetic ink.<\/b><\/p>\n
The Moody Blues<\/p>\n
Thanks to the Internet, our government has new methods to pry into our
\npersonal lives. They now can and do intercept any communication transmitted
\nover the web that they choose. They scan websites for pornography, drugs
\nand other things they disapprove. They have agents monitoring chatrooms
\nand postings. They look for keywords. Once they’ve found a suspect they
\nread his\/her incoming and outgoing e-mail. Then they do the same to those
\npeople that person has contact with, and so on. And they cry that this
\nisn’t enough! They want more power over what is said and done on the Internet.
\nOur government thinks they should be controlling everything, everywhere.<\/p>\n
…so keep on thinking free!<\/b><\/p>\n
The Moody Blues<\/p>\n
Big Brother is here friends. He is watching, listening, taking notes,
\nmaking lists of names. The danger of this is that we will all eventually
\nhave a file. Whether it gets used against us depends upon what we do. It
\nis another means of controlling us. If a person were to decide to get vocal
\nabout his opposition to government policies, they can just pull his file,
\nand haul him in on some trumped up charge (perhaps statements made out
\nof context, or an agent-provocateur can lead the person into some illegal
\nactivity). I’m sure writing this book will put me on an enemy list in some
\ngovernment agency (if I don’t have a huge file already!). What I wonder
\nis, will anybody care when I’m hauled away for speaking my mind.<\/p>\n
What really distinguishes this generation. . . is its determination to act, its joy in action, the assurance of being able to change things by one\u2019s own efforts. Hannah Arendt (1972)The popular stereotype of hippies describes them as lazy, unmotivated, even apathetic. At times we can be this way, especially when stoned. But if you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[22,68,103],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-hippies-from-a-to-z","tag-activism","tag-history","tag-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}