Fugitive Days – Bill Ayers
Ironically, Bill Ayers seems to have garnered more attention by his tenuous associations with Barack Obama than he did by being on the FBI’s most wanted list as one of the 60’s activist group, the Weathermen. In this book he tells his tale of his activist days and he writes in an extremely engaging way. He draws you in and brings the times alive again – the excitement and the horror, the injustice and the radicalism, the pacifism and the violence and the call to young people to change the evil, racist, terrorist government that had taken over this great country and perverted its ideals.
The Weathermen have been tainted by the Nixon administration’s (and the FBI) label of “domestic terrorist”, though this group and their tactics had nothing to do with those of true domestic terrorists, such as the KKK, the abortion clinic bombers, Timothy McVeigh, the Unibomber, and even the American police and military at the time. Or even groups such as Palin’s Alaskan separatists. These were true Americans who were willing to fight and die to oppose the terrorist policies that the American government had enforced against their own citizens, particularly African-Americans, and on innocent Vietnamese in an illegal and immoral war. These people believed in the ideals that America was founded on and fought to bring these ideals back.
As a lifelong pacifist I don’t approve of all of the tactics that they used (though there is no record of the Weathermen’s actions claiming any lives other than their own, unlike the police who reacted against them), but these were true American heroes, not unlike those who fought against the tyranny of the British during the founding of this country.
For those who are interested in the reasons behind 60’s activism as told by someone who was in the heart of one of the many movements at the time (and he doesn’t presume to talk for any of the other many different groups that were active at the time), this is a well written, emotional read. Highly recommended!
The Weathermen have been tainted by the Nixon administration’s (and the FBI) label of “domestic terrorist”, though this group and their tactics had nothing to do with those of true domestic terrorists, such as the KKK, the abortion clinic bombers, Timothy McVeigh, the Unibomber, and even the American police and military at the time. Or even groups such as Palin’s Alaskan separatists. These were true Americans who were willing to fight and die to oppose the terrorist policies that the American government had enforced against their own citizens, particularly African-Americans, and on innocent Vietnamese in an illegal and immoral war. These people believed in the ideals that America was founded on and fought to bring these ideals back.
As a lifelong pacifist I don’t approve of all of the tactics that they used (though there is no record of the Weathermen’s actions claiming any lives other than their own, unlike the police who reacted against them), but these were true American heroes, not unlike those who fought against the tyranny of the British during the founding of this country.
For those who are interested in the reasons behind 60’s activism as told by someone who was in the heart of one of the many movements at the time (and he doesn’t presume to talk for any of the other many different groups that were active at the time), this is a well written, emotional read. Highly recommended!
posted by rich at 3:16 PM
<< Home