By John Johnson
The last few weeks and especially this week there has been a lot of media coverage about Veterans. About supporting veterans, with medical care, jobs and support. Of course not much coverage of why we have so many. Why we have we got them killed and injured with our invasions in the Middle East and Central and South America. And why in the hell we are doing that. Why we need to invade so many other regions leaving destruction and death in our wake.
In the Sixties and early Seventies the left, SDS etc we did our best in keeping young men out of the draft and support those, with their horror stories.
We, in our local SDS office, had regular meetings to help young men in getting out of the draft. We of course had regular governmental infiltration, spying on us and the brave men that came in. The FBI made regular visits at our apartments to try and intimidate our efforts.
Today because of our economy many young men are joining the military, while many, many US soldiers have come home damaged. And with the drones we have rained down deaths, often of innocents, around the world.
So Im obviously in favor of building an activist community and movement. And Im trying to do my best with Change Links. We don’t get enough support. Im hopping around with my cane, a result of my heart problem last January. I just had to invest $1400 in my car to help distribute some papers around, and we really have to thank the others that get it around town but its going to take much more efforts. We should thank all the volunteers who have help Change-Links since the beginning. We have other editors who taught me how to put the newspaper together. All those who have helped distribute Change-Links every month. A mainstay has been Dean who gets them out on the Westside and elsewhere and makes it by for every mailing meeting. Chuck from Orange County. Franco who has helped in the Pasadena area until he had some health problems. Marcielle , Paul and others in the Pasadena area. Woodrow who uses buses to hit downtown, South Central and others places. And many others. Thanks.
Of course Wall Street and their ilk aren’t brothered by liberal wimps in Congress. They easily buy them or roll over them to keep their gigantic profits rolling in.
Obama’s weak-knee efforts with health care reform were crumbs thrown to us and large found to the health care industry hasn’t been of much help to a majority of those who can’t buy their private plans.
Kennedy
My parents were big fans of Adelia Stevenson and voted for him in the 2 1950’ elections. My 1960 I had become politically aware, spirited on by the Civil Rights movement. I actually helped a bit in the 1960 run off but Jack Kennedy won the primary. Then he came through LA on a campaign tour. He was to speak in the San Fernando Valley, at the North Hollywood Valley Plaza, about the first large out door shopping center. I walked over to it, a bit late so I ended right behind the speakers program. There was a large crowd in the parking lot. . After his talk he headed down the steps and came by me. It was very crowded I was pushed along with him, till I was on top of the trunk. It was a convertible Chrysler. In the crush I was pinned to the top of the trunk. Kenned was sitting on top of the rear seat. As the car started to drive away, I was lifting off my feet. Kennedy looked back and my distress because the car was speeding up. He yelled to the driver to stop and leave me off. I thanked him as I jumped off.
Kennedy was murdered by the FBI, etc. and the Mob. One reason was that the Kennedy administration was planning the recognize the Castro Government. But the CIA and the Mob wanted to continue to exploit Cuba and tried to blame the murder on Castro by using Oswald, a phony Cuba backing. Of course they could not leave him alive so got the Mob to get Ruby to kill Oswald and promised him full ownership of the club he ran. Ruby didn’t live much longer.
