Festival of Life, 1971, A remembrance
Posted: August 12th, 2010, 5:09 pm
In 1971, in the third & fourth week of April, 1971, there was a massive protest for the environment, Earth Day; for voting rights ; & for the ending of the Vietnam War...I was one of the southern participants & organizers in the MOBE at the time and Vietnam Veterans Against the War protest.
We were for eighteen-year-olds to get voting rights, clean air, clean water and cessation of hostilities in Vietnam. This was the climax of
the sixties and seventies protest marches. We got results... Shortly after this march, young people got the vote, the clean air and water acts were put into practice and the Vietnam War finally started winding down. I am very happy that I stuck my neck out
and participated in this "Festival of Life".
During the "Festival of Life" as it was called, Peter, Paul & Mary; & John Denver played music along with many others. In addition, John Kerry spoke along with Renny Davis and many more. We were organized and determined...Here's some surviving clips... See below: Here's clip of Peter, Paul, & Mary--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8U6Oh9uSY8
Here"s a another surviving clip of John Denver:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBcwAJZG ... re=related
During the first week of May, 1971, there were mass arrests and &
between 7,500 and 12,000 people were rounded up and imprisoned in DC stadium. ( I left shortly before the end of April , and was not imprisoned. ) It was the largest mass arrest in U.S. history.
We had rubber bullets & tear gas canisters fired at us
if we had overstayed our welcome...which i did. However, our contingent was prepared with helmets, and gas masks, so we were
not hurt. Some of us had flak jackets and vests filled with newsprint to deflect rubber bullets. We were prepared to retreat if
our protest at the Arlington Cemetery was not permitted. We got inside during our second attempt. Many of us threw away our military medals in protest on the capitol steps. It was an exciting march...more to follow.
Here's another clip of Barry McGuire's. War causes the most environmental damage which humans can do to this planet.
We may ban the bomb, but can we stop the military madness?! See link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EyGcXj8 ... re=related
Keep in mind, now, that "the shoe is on the other foot" . I support
Obama's handling of the current wars, but I think possibly that the
"timetable" to withdraw from Afghanistan may have to be adjusted.
We have had high amounts of wounded, but few deaths so far.
Folks are growing impatient, but Afghanstan is a poor country and may have to be propped up for years ...See my Afghanistan topic...
The 1970s were a different time and different approaches to activism were called for. ..We elected Obama so that Iraq would wind down and so that our mission in Afghanistan would be clarified.
I think that our President has done his best so far.
We may have to march in support of President Obama. I urge
everyone to vote Democratic this November. We can't afford another right wing congress that would get us further into debt and destroy the environmental and social/health legislation we worked so hard to pass this term. We are in the greatest recession since the great depression and we need to give the
Obama administration continued support so his social and economic programs will not be cut in mid-stream.
We were for eighteen-year-olds to get voting rights, clean air, clean water and cessation of hostilities in Vietnam. This was the climax of
the sixties and seventies protest marches. We got results... Shortly after this march, young people got the vote, the clean air and water acts were put into practice and the Vietnam War finally started winding down. I am very happy that I stuck my neck out
and participated in this "Festival of Life".
During the "Festival of Life" as it was called, Peter, Paul & Mary; & John Denver played music along with many others. In addition, John Kerry spoke along with Renny Davis and many more. We were organized and determined...Here's some surviving clips... See below: Here's clip of Peter, Paul, & Mary--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8U6Oh9uSY8
Here"s a another surviving clip of John Denver:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBcwAJZG ... re=related
During the first week of May, 1971, there were mass arrests and &
between 7,500 and 12,000 people were rounded up and imprisoned in DC stadium. ( I left shortly before the end of April , and was not imprisoned. ) It was the largest mass arrest in U.S. history.
We had rubber bullets & tear gas canisters fired at us
if we had overstayed our welcome...which i did. However, our contingent was prepared with helmets, and gas masks, so we were
not hurt. Some of us had flak jackets and vests filled with newsprint to deflect rubber bullets. We were prepared to retreat if
our protest at the Arlington Cemetery was not permitted. We got inside during our second attempt. Many of us threw away our military medals in protest on the capitol steps. It was an exciting march...more to follow.
Here's another clip of Barry McGuire's. War causes the most environmental damage which humans can do to this planet.
We may ban the bomb, but can we stop the military madness?! See link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EyGcXj8 ... re=related
Keep in mind, now, that "the shoe is on the other foot" . I support
Obama's handling of the current wars, but I think possibly that the
"timetable" to withdraw from Afghanistan may have to be adjusted.
We have had high amounts of wounded, but few deaths so far.
Folks are growing impatient, but Afghanstan is a poor country and may have to be propped up for years ...See my Afghanistan topic...
The 1970s were a different time and different approaches to activism were called for. ..We elected Obama so that Iraq would wind down and so that our mission in Afghanistan would be clarified.
I think that our President has done his best so far.
We may have to march in support of President Obama. I urge
everyone to vote Democratic this November. We can't afford another right wing congress that would get us further into debt and destroy the environmental and social/health legislation we worked so hard to pass this term. We are in the greatest recession since the great depression and we need to give the
Obama administration continued support so his social and economic programs will not be cut in mid-stream.