In Oct. of 1965, a Peace Caravan from the Catholic Worker, made its way in old cars from NYC to Manchester, NH. I had spent a recent year at St. Anselm College. I had also made friends with some radical priests at the time and at some point they reached out and invited me and others to visit the College and set up an information table on pacifism, the Catholic Worker, draft resistance and the anti war movement in general. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
Fast forward - Tonight, those of us that remain from that attempt at peace education will be able to watch the Democratic Debate brought to us at St Anselm College. Yes, St. Anselm's has become well known for Presidential Forums and debates over the years. All in the tradition of Liberal Arts, the Benedictine culture, civility and the exchange of ideas. Students and faculty will no doubt be part of the audience. Everyone trying to help our country identify a candidate who may or may not presently be represented on the stage. Bernie, Pete, Elizabeth, Joe, Amy, Andrew, Tom will all try one more time to convince us they can bring us together, change our views, etc. Here's the truth as I see it. Any one of them, yes any one of them could do better than the current occupier of the White House. But, that may not be enough, as a matter of fact, that would be pretty easy. The real issues that people are waiting for have to do with how any one of them will get things done in such a divided country, such a divided House and Senate.
Back to 1965 - my memory isn't always as good as my peers at the time but as I remember it our revolutionary little caravan consisted of Paul, Nicole, David, Kate, Terry and myself. We were young and enthusiastic in our beliefs and message. Fr. Anthony Mullaney, Fr. Casmir Malloy and Fr. Robert Case all Benedictine Monks from St. Anselm each played some part in our travel to the college. David Miller had just burned his draft card in NYC, openly defying a newly established law specifically making the destruction of a draft card a felony. More and more young men were taking to the streets and burning cards in opposition to the war that was raging in Vietnam and the government needed to do something to stop the dissent. Of course when governments stifle, protests tend to grow as was the case in '65. David was just the beginning. But as we drove north to NH that day, we couldn't help but noticing the car following us.
Revisiting 2020 and back to tonight. Where are we now? How are we doing relative to dissent? I hope some of that discussion makes the debate stage tonight because we are not in a good place. We are closer to a tyrannical leader it seems. Someone who will retaliate against dissenters and others with the full force of government. Just today, a witness in the House Investigations, Alexander Vidman was relieved of his duties because he had the nerve to tell the truth about what he understood about Donald Trump's now famous, not so perfect phone call. Other retaliations are being planned or are taking place relative to people who have stood up to Donald Trump. We have elected and appointed officials laughing at Trump's silly and sometimes mean jokes and applauding at words of hate in the East Room of the White House as he celebrates the cowardice of GOP Senators who refused to hold him to account. Yes, let's talk about that tonight. Let's focus on the real issue in the room, Donald Trump. Please, please, no more policy goopy di do. Talk about how terrible it is for a President to insult our friends, neighbors and people struggling to make a life for themselves and their families. Talk about Presidential bullying of people with disabilities and putting kids and parents in separate cages. Help people to understand how awful it is for our country to beat up on allies and countries that may be looking for help and inspiration.
As we arrived in Manchester in '65 we found a cheap motel, got some rooms, Had dinner with Fr. Anthony and others and made our plans for the next day. In the morning we found that Dave had been arrested by the FBI. Yes, that was the car following us from NYC the previous day. They had been waiting on paperwork from the Justice Department but got it and David was swept away. We regrouped and headed to the St. Anselm Campus. We were all pretty shaken by David's hijacking and arrest and wondered what else was in store for us, what excitement would this day bring? We didn't need to wait long. We had set up our information table outside the cafeteria. Initially small groups of students came and went chatting and looking at material. Everything seemed copasetic but then something happened. Perhaps it was the influx of students breaking for lunch, or maybe it was the ROTC class in full uniform marching in the background. More likely a combination of all of that along with St. Anselm pride and patriotism all mixed up together. Suddenly our little table was surrounded and we were swarmed and shouted at by hundreds of very angry Catholic young men who wanted to argue about killing, the just war theory and hatred for a country they didn't know much about thousands of miles away. It went on and on and it also got worse. We received death threats and a rope with a noose was dropped from one of the balconies above us. The local paper, known for its conservative point of view carried a headline about VIET FOE CAPTURED HERE! Our event wasn't just a college event any longer. National headlines had started to appear about David's arrest and our visit and the city of Manchester was now involved in helping us find the nearest highway out of town.
Honestly, all of that was pretty mild when I look back. My friends and I have encountered some rougher patches since then. Some have passed away but all have fought good fights for justice and peace, each in their own way.
So where are we at now in comparison to where we were then? As a country and as a world there are things that have been accomplished. Many, many good things. But here's the problem. One man along with his minions and enablers has shown us how quickly things can be changed and how easy it is for him or someone else to take control, to turn a democratic republic into an autocratic state. It's easier than any of us thought. That's what we need to talk about tonight and every other night as we move toward November. We are in a very bad place and we need all the help we can get to bring about the change we need. Listen up and pay attention.
I, too, was the subject of the Manchester Union Leader's editorial wrath when I was a student at the University of New Hampshire. Perhaps it had to do with hosting Abbie Hoffman and occupying the recruiting office when General Electric visited - back in the day.
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