If they think they are going to
scare me, they must be made to understand that I intend to see this thing
through...Don't they know that 63 % of the people want me to escalate the war.
Lyndon B. Johnson .
Chris stood on the stage, directing the marshals with the bull horn. The band sat up and tuned it's equipment. Jim tested the microphone. The crowd settled in front of the flat form, kids played up front, and chased butterflies, some chased dogs but once harassed to much resorted to a quick harmless snarl which brought mother quickly to the aid of the now crying child. Mom controlled he crying with a stick of candy, and the dogs go on their merry way.
Chris shouted through the microphone, "Everybody sit down...Everybody sit down. We have a lot to talk about this afternoon, plus some music. It's great day. A great day...We had the march, the march was peaceful and glorious... At least three thousand marched. We stopped SPONGE's plans to cause disruption. We won...They lost...We won...They lost. But you know something,... where were the cops who were suppose to protect us?"
The crowd cheered approval.
"In fact we just about didn't have this demonstration because the police said that we would be the violent ones. They tried to stop us, they said you can't have a march permit...But we got one. They said you can't have a flat form and a speaker system, and we got it. Why did we get it? Why did they bend under the pressure? I'll tell you why...I'll tell you why. We have power... Antiwar power. We have the brother's Black power. They were scared shit of what might happen if they didn't let us march."
Chris walked up and down the stage, the crowd cheered with each sentence. His strength grew with the applause.
"We have a right to protest the war in Vietnam, and if we do not use this right, they will take it away. They tried to take it away from the University of Michigan students, who protested the war, over a year ago. The draft boards classified them 1-A. General Hershey said that's great...but the courts overruled the draft boards...We won that one. To protect our rights, we continually have to challenge the government.
The government's getting out of hand, recently, they arrested a student because he said 'Puke on LBJ.'" Chris laughed, and lit a cigarette, "They arrested him an assault charges,...They think that if he pukes enough, well maybe the President would drowned."
The crowd laughed.
Chris added," I think they ought to arrest Johnson, for pulling his dog's ear, his Beagle, til he yelps... he says the dog likes it... Can you believe that...that's what wrong with this country... The people running it think that pulling Beagle's ears is fun.
The crowd cheered.
Chris took a drag off his cigarette, and blew the smoke out. "Before we have the main speaker and listen to some music, I want to make a few comments."
Phyllis turned to Jim," Great turnout, isn't it?"
"Yea,...but does it work?... I just don't know anymore. Karl makes a lot of sense."
Chris continued, "first we all thank you for coming out today. The larger the demonstrations, the sooner the war will end. Next time vow to bring your friends, parent, and grandparents. ...As you know the casket symbolized the deaths and suffering in Vietnam. This past year several prominent men have died. In February, A.J. Muste, a pacifist for over fifty years , a faithful servant of the peace died. Bernard Fall , the author of many books and articles on Vietnam, died when he stepped on a booby trapped claymore mine in Vietnam." "The second point I want to make is that we must demand the truth, we must challenge the Pentagon and the government's rigged reports. Remember, the escalation of the war to the civilian population last December? We had to get the truth from the European newspapers. The Pentagon denied the reports, but the reports of Harrison Salisbury of the New York Times and the reports of three women of peace, all invited to Hanoi, confirmed the bombing of civilians areas. The Pentagon, when was caught lying, said, that some bombs accidentally strayed into civilian areas,"
Chris paused, and then spoke calmly, "they said they didn't use anti-personnel bombs, their targets were military. But the ladies of peace brought back anti-personnel bomb fragments, physical proof that the government lied to the American people, a government, sworn to the principles of freedom , truth and democracy, a government, whose swears to represent the will of the people. But what do they do?. they lie, and deceive. How can the American people make rational decisions, when they are fed lies , and these lies are perpetrated by the obliging press, that had joined in an unholy, immoral marriage with evil.
Lenny and Karl sat in the back of the crowd and ate laced brownies and passed them out to their friends. all laughing and giggling.
"The press, jumped to the defense of the White House, mocked the European reports, ignored the physical proof of lies, but it took one man, Harrison Salisbury, and the publishers of the New York Times to print the truth. Finally, they had the courage to chart an independent course, a course that radiates the principles of democracy and freedom, a course necessary to free this country from it slavery. "We must demand that all the free press liberate themselves and report the truth." "
Chris paused and looked out across the crowd and the well dressed men in blue suits, standing by their car, some taking pictures with telephoto lens.
The war is here at home too. How many of you know the relationship between Seran wrap and napalm...Hold up your hands?"
Chris looked out over the audience, saw only a few hands, "Seran wrap, and napalm are both made by DOW Chemical Company. You know what napalm does, it indiscriminately saturates a football field in a ball of fire, it sucks out all the oxygen in your lungs, you gasp for precious air, then roast like a pig. All in an instant second. If you get a small glob of burning napalm on your arm and you try to wipe the flaming jelly off," Chris demonstrated with his hand," you wipe off human flesh. Think about it. Some doctors, members of the organization called Committee for Responsibility, in this country have thought about it, they raised 100,000 dollar to bring children back from Vietnam to the U.S. for plastic surgery.
Chris paused, walked around the staged, the audience was somber," think about this the next time you buy Seran wrap. You'll increase the profits of Dow Chemical."
Phyllis chilled by Chris' summary, took Jim arms and held him closely, "scary... isn't it. "
After Chris spoke the a local band played. Lenny and Karl danced and encouraged others to dance up front. Chris jumped off stage, walked to Jim and Phyllis, who gave him a hug. He took out a cigarette, took a deep drag and blew out the smoke, surveyed the crowd, "looks good, doesn't it?"
Jim replied sarcastically, "yea, but it won't do any good. If we lived in a democracy, it would, but not when the government is enslaved to the military and the super industrial giants."
Phyllis hugged Jim, but chided him gently, "Jimbo, you're too sarcastic, but I love you anyway." She looked around, "see that?" She pointed off to the street to a collections of police, sheriff, highway patrol, and unmarked cars "you think they expect this place to explode?"
Jim wrapped his arms around Phyllis, and smiled." well, they have to do something. If you ask me they're wasting their time."
Phyllis looked at the dancer, then looked up to Jim. She liked the feel of his arms around her, and the firm warm body next to hers, "I'm glad Karl and Lenny came. Look's like they're having a great time." Phyllis said, "I think they're really smashed...I saw 'em eating brownies," she smiled.
Jim hugged her with his arm, and both he and Chris looked at each other and smiled.
"Looks like Lenny's the queen of the ball," mused Jim, watching her in her tight tee shirt, arousing his ardor, which sensitized the softness of Phyllis next to him. He stroked her shoulder unconsciously.
After the band, and a folk singer played, Robert's got up to speak. On the stage, he took the microphone in his hand, walked around the stage excitement peaked in anticipation. Blacks gathered up front and shouted "Black Power...Black Power."
Robert raised his fist in the air defiantly then chanted, "friends, Black men ,Black women, Black children...In l964 Malcolm X... said?"
The crowd cheered, and yelled, "what...What did brother Malcolm preach?"
"Malcolm said that the government,.. notice that I say the government, not our government...,the government should thank the Black man. The white should thank the lord that 22 million, yes, 22 million Black people in the United States have not become anti-American. Because if they did, the government's in trouble...Just look what a few Vietcong can do in South Vietnam. They fight with sticks, a few rifles, and mortars, not trucks, not battleships, no mighty air force with planes and helicopters, and look what they are doing to the mightiest country in the world. They're fighting the U.S. to a stand still. LBJ said awhile back, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Well I have news for you...There's not light at the end of the tunnel, only empty darkness, death for the brothers fighting whitey's war."
The crowd shouted approval.
"The Vietcong shot out the light bulb."
The crowd cheered and yelled "Black Power."
"Now we have more violence, criminal acts committed by the United States of America against the small country of Vietnam. Why?...I ask you why?...We all know why, don't we? We are in Vietnam for the same reason the French were. The same reason why the Belgians invested in the Congo, why the French were in Algeria, why the English were all over colonizing the third world people, the Blacks, the Red, the Yellow, the Brown, the poor. I ask why, why, why?...To exploit the human and natural resources."
Everybody, including Chris, Phyllis and Jim listened intently. Roberts speech, this year ,more militant. And each time he pressed a point the Black contingent supported him with screams of support.
"And how does this country handle the protesters? Look what happened to brother Malcolm, killed by the CIA...Why? I'll tell you why... because he was organizing the third world countries to petition the United Nations to censor America's criminal behavior.
Jim smiled at Chris, "Bob's giving'em hell."
"I know," Phyllis said concerned, "I hope he doesn't turn off the moderates?"
"I don't think so, "Chris said," besides, it's good for them to hear his side."
Robert continued, "The United States is a criminal...yes, it's a crime. They're murdering thousands everyday. They're carrying out this dirty little war with the blood of the Blacks, the Brown, and the Red man,.. worse yet...we are allowing the government to draft us, send us over to Vietnam, do their dirty work. and when we come back they expect us to say ...yes sir...yes sir, Mr. white man. Yes Sir to this and that.
We can't even elect one of our men to public office. The white man says go out and vote. We got out and voted and you know what happened? What happened to Julian Bond in Georgia? They refused to seat him in the legislature, not once, but twice. In fact he had to go to the white man's supreme court, to get them to rule that they had to seat him in the Georgia legislature.
And the white man calls this justice? The white man calls this fair? Can you believe that?
The white man is only interested in rigging the election in the South. The elections are illegal, because they do not let the Black man vote. If he tries to vote, they'll stone his house, rape his woman, spit on his son. And the other white men in this country, the ones that call themselves liberals, I'll spell that, L I B E R A L. Yes,they call themselves liberals, they all talk about human rights, and then they seat the racist man in congress. And what does this racist do in the Congress. I'll tell you, what they do? Because they stay in power so long, because of their illegal election, they control all the key congressional committees. And what does he do? Everything he can, to keep the Black man under his thumb."
The crowd roared with approval.
"Let me give you an example on how the white man operates. Adam Clayton Powell, a Black Congressman from Harlan, was ousted from the House of Representative. Why? Because he had a disagreement over a legal case he was involved with in New York. Now ,I'm not going to comment on the merits of the case, whether he's wrong or right, that's between him and his lawyer. But let take the another case, of a white man named Thomas Dodd, from Connecticut, one of the biggest hawks on the Vietnam war. You know what he did? He collected over 400,000 dollars in campaigns funds, stole over a hundred thousands dollars of that money for his own personal use, and do you know what the white men in the Congress did to him? Did they oust him from the Senate? ...No. They gave his a slap on the wrist. Censured him. It's censure for white man, but if he's Black, they kick him out of Congress. That's the white mans way of doing things."
Robert danced around on the stage. All the time Chris noticed that more police cars came, and strange dressed students, staggered through the crowd, taking pictures of everybody. His thoughts immediately turned to Schofield who probably ordered it.
Robert continued," and here in Carbondale, what would happen if a drunk Black man ran down and killed a white girl, ...Leaves the scene of the accident. I don't need to tell you, do I?"
The crowd shouted, "No."
"Lets turn the situation around...Robert Bishop, a drunk white man, ran down a Black girl, left her to die. And what did the white courts do? Yes, a suspended sentence. I need not say more."
The crowd was quiet. Robert walked around the stage said nothing, but thinking, with the microphone held up to his chin. His head down, staring at the wood floor. Finally he said somberly, "we can't vote. We don't have justice,.. no jobs, no equal education, and the government tells us that we have to fight the war over in Vietnam...My friends, the war's not in Vietnam...the war is here in the United States of America, yes here in America, not in Vietnam." Robert now shouted, "this is where we want to fight our battles."
The crowd cheered, and clapped. Karl and Lenny had gone home, slipped out sometime in the middle of Robert's talk.
"We call that Black power, folks...yes Black power means fighting for equal rights, a meaningful vote , equal schools, equal jobs, equal opportunity, not just false promises on a piece of paper. The white press wants to make something big and bad out of Black power. Why? Because the white people in this racist country do not, I repeat, do not want to give the Black man equal rights. What do you think the white press says about a white person wanting to vote?...hey, that's great... About wanting equal opportunities, jobs, schools? The white press would say that's great. But when the Black man says that, it's bad, violent. Let me tell you, and this is addressed to the whites in the audience, you only have to be afraid of Black power, if you want to deny us the vote, and equal opportunities. Only if you want to deny us justice, and freedom. Only than, you should be fearful. All we want is what you white people already have."
The crowd cheered.
Robert walked around the stage waving his fist in the air yelling, "Black Power...Black Power.."
The crowd echoed him chants.
Robert continued, after the crowd quieted down, "I have great pleasure to introduced the next speaker. James Robert Thorne."
The crowd cheered, and Jim jumped up on the stage, hugged Robert, and took the microphone from him.
"I know it's late. This will be short. let's give Robert a big hand...Robert gave us much to think about, great, wasn't it?"
Everybody cheered, chaotically. Jim looked down at Phyllis and Chris.
"Today is the largest demonstration we have had in Southern Illinois." Jim yelled, "and if the war doesn't' end, the next will be even larger. The movement is growing, in '65, a handful marched, today at least three thousand. It's great to see all of you here today. It took a lot a work and couldn't have come off without the help of many here who took the time to organize this event, Thank you...The soldiers in Vietnam thank you. The Vietnamese people thank you."
Chris sat on the ground with Phyllis, and smoked a cigarette, and listened. to Jim
"Today, protesters are marching in New York, San Francisco, all over the country. we must not stop building support. Malcolm X was the first Black leader to speak out against the war, way back in l964, In early l966 ,SNCC opposed the war, a few month later, CORE likewise and today Martin Luther King has finally realized that poverty will stay in this country as long as the war continues. In late February, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, Martin Luther King said, the promises of the Great Society had been shot down on the battlefield in Vietnam...He recognized that the war budget was twenty times that spent on poverty. He saw the war as a racist war against the yellow people. And using the poor in this county to do it's dirty work. Today, hand in hand with Stokely Carmichael, and others he's speaking against the war, in front of the United Nations building in New York."
"Not only are the Blacks opposing the war, but more labor unions leaders and rank and file are defying the George Meaney's up to now Fascist grip on the unions, and are demanding an end to the war. Even the soldiers are opposing the war.The number is small, and growing, and we'll take any numbers we can get. Three soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, last year refused to be shipped out to Vietnam. We need more of that.
"The Prisoners of War in North Vietnam are opposing the war. Recently Lieutenant Commander Richard A. Stratten a POW issued a 2000 wood document expressing his views... He said ,'I severely acknowledge my crimes... and repent at having committed them.' And last May, Navy Commander Jeremiah A. Denton the POW paraded in Hanoi, also expressed shame. Now ,I know the government calls this brainwashing, that these decisions are made under severe duress, but I don't know? If they say the war is criminal...Who am I to say otherwise?. They just recognized the truth. That's not brainwashing."
"Housewives, mothers, dads, grandfathers are all opposing the war. A war that this government does not want to end, a war in which this government does not want to negotiate. Last month, we had a peace indication from Hanoi, and what did this government do? After a short six day pause, they continued the bombing in North Vietnam. That action killed any prospects for peace. The United States said that they were using this pause to bring more troops down the Ho Chin Minh trail. They showed photos of supplies supposedly coming down the trail, but we don't know when these were taken. Maybe last year. We're now asked to believe a government that has lied to us repeatedly. And a chance peace was lost.
Dean Rusk, the Secretary of State said that they were not going to give something up for nothing. Well? The government tells us that the infiltration rate slowed, maybe that's a message, but what does the government says, the infiltration slowed in the last six months because increased bombings. But how do we know that's really the case? Isn't it worth the effort to take the change, for peace. Six days is not enough."
Someone yelled in the crowd.
"What, I didn't catch that?" Jim said as he leaned over to listen to the question again.
The student, one of the students taking pictures earlier, said," the government resumed the bombing because in six days, the North Vietnamese brought down eights months of supplies into South Vietnam."
"Jim repeated the question, then said, "the government also said they didn't use anti-personnel bombs either. How do we know this is not another lie?"
The audience laughed.
"We have to understand that the government is a tricky government. Robert told you. They fed you this and that, so you will respond like puppets. They'll get the press to cooperate with the spreading of lies. For fifteen years the CIA had secretly donated money to the National Student Association, to promote student travel overseas, so they could talk about freedom and democracy, but all the time were victims of deceit and corruption. Just another lie propagated and supported by the obliging press."
By the way, the only students ever approved to represent the National Student Association, have always been the ones who defended capitalism to the hilt. If you had different ideas or questioned some government policies you were not picked. For fifteen years they shamed the principles of freedom and democracy. That's just one of many examples of deceit, and lies, and now we're supposed to believe them? "
Phyllis snuggled close to Chris, with the sun setting, it chilled fast.
"Today they are telling us that they are going to have free election in Vietnam. We all know about " free elections" in the past. Today, they say , well it's different. Yes sir, free elections. Doesn't that sound great. It's the American government's and the press's attempts to justified the war. Just how free will these elections be? Will they let the Vietcong vote? Well they let the villages that support the National Liberation Front vote? Of course not, they might lose. They didn't let the people vote in l956."
Jim stood still, looked down at the stage, then he walked around, the crowd became stone silent, he whispered in pain, "my God," Jim looked up, a tear cracked in his eyes, he spoke louder," my God, if only we did, thousands, of lives, both Vietnamese and Americans today would still be alive...the billions of dollars spent on destruction and terror, would be spent of the poor, spent on making this country strong economically, providing jobs for all."
Jim lost his composure, he brushed his eyes with his shirt sleeve, and turned his head from he audience. Phyllis felt his pain. She wanted to hold him. The crowd felt the pain. They stood still, as if praying silently for though who suffered, senselessly.
Jim turned around and faced the crowd," do you think they are going to allow free elections? No... No... they will be rigged so the people in power, KY and Thieu, the military will stay in power. Remember what Robert said, earlier today, about how the Black man's denied the vote, how the white racist illegally get elected, dominate all the committees in Congress. and they all talk about freedom and call this freedom. But if the Black man's so free, why are they angry?
Why are we here? Why are we angry. Ask yourself the question, who do the Senators and Congressmen support? Do they support the will of the people. Or do they support the Generals, and the corporate bosses? the Blacks are angry, we are angry, the Vietcong are angry. Why? Because they have been denied the right to vote in a free election that was promised to them in l956.
They will fight, and fight for years,, they have fought for twenty two years against the French and now the U.S. and will fight for thirty years, forever if they have to, they have fought for independence for 2000 years, they will fight 'til they get the right to determine their own fate. That's why we can't win in Vietnam. Why we should get out."
"Let the North and South Vietnamese decide their fate. But we won't do that? Why? Because they will politely ask us to leave. To take out the bombs, and planes, to leave the air bases,
to take home the tanks.
"If we don't leave , some day, they will kick us out, shamed with our tails between our legs. Let's leave now. Let's not hide behind arrogant pride. Not one American life is worth saving face. Do you want to get a letter from Uncle Sam...Dear so and so, I'm sorry but your son, your husband, your father died in Vietnam, so the Secretary of State could save face, so the President could save face, so the Defense Department could save face...Johnson, Rusk, Rostow, the Bundy brothers, McNamara, the Congress, many Americans, want your sons to die, so they could save face."
Jim stunned the crowd. Phyllis loved him for it. For the way he used words, the way he put the war on a personal level, a level all men should use when contemplating war.
Chris, first hear the siren, then immediately saw smoke and fire bellowing from the ROTC building. Quickly two police cars and three fire engines, arrived. And in seconds, police and highway patrol men circled the rally, wearing riot gear consisting of helmets with plastic face shields, and long four foot billy clubs. Mothers shrieked, searched for and gathered their kids, then quickly ran off. Some students darted away, others screamed, the crowed tensed.
Richard Price senior, and Schofield approached. Chris and Phyllis jumped up on the stage,and conferred with Jim. Another fire engine arrived, the police closed, tightening the net around them.
Jim looked over at the ROTC building, Phyllis twitched in fear, Shit, it doesn't look good. We gotta stay calm.
Jim yelled to the crowd, "Calm down...Calm down...We did nothing wrong, "please,.. Please be calm. We've done nothing illegal. Don't panic."
Schofield and Price jumped on the stage.
Schofield yelled, "what the hell are you doing?" he demanded," look what you done?"
Jim was infuriated at the charge and surged towards Schofield only to be stopped by Chris who stood between him and Schofield.
"Look, We're here, the fires over there, "Jim shouted, "we had nothing to do with it. someone's trying to destroy the rally. Damnit, you should know, you're watching us all the time."
Sirens. screamed all over town now. More police and Highway patrol cars arrived from all directions.
"You are causing a hostile situation, "Chris shouted ,"let us handle it. Pull your men back, we'll leave.. but I warn you, If the cops get any closer something may happened ,and you'll regret it."
Price and Schofield huddled privately on the corner of the stage. The crowd chanted vulgarities at the police. They returned, agreed to pull back but only for a short while. Price waved the men off.
Jim took the microphone, "Ok, Ok,l et's all go home. Let's all go home. Stay in your rooms tonight. Everything is under control."
Chris and Phyllis jumped off the stage, went through the crowd, telling everybody to go home.