The Specter of Violence in America

[IChing]

What is the likelihood of violence breaking out in America? The 35-year anniversary of the Kent State massacre may seem like a meaningless footnote in the history of the 1960s for people under 50, but it was much more. The killing of citizens by their own government is the ultimate expression of state terror. It galvanizes the public against the government in a way that cannot be described and it causes a major shifting of political alliances. Is this where the nation is headed?

The shooting of peaceful demonstrators in Falluja had the same affect as it did in Northern Ireland on Bloody Sunday. A single deadly incident served as the catalyst for massive armed struggle. Kent State had a similar effect, shaping the consciousness of an entire generation. The thing I find most striking about people who are under 40 (who didn’t experience the 1960s) is their implicit trust in government. It’s shocking. As journalist Izzie Stone said to his students, “If I could only teach you one thing it would be this: Governments lie!” The 60s generation was defined by its wariness of government. Our slogans “Never trust anyone over 30” or “Tune in, turn on, drop out” articulated the divisions that existed in society and synthesized the attitudes of a generation, attitudes that were mistrustful of authority and contemptuous of the “Establishment”. The men who never fit into that generation (George Bush “cheerleader” George Will, Richard Perle, etc,) still harbor a strong resentment that manifests itself in their anti-progressive agenda and their bitterness towards that epoch. Quite simply, they were the misfits.

Trust in government for the under-40 crowd is bound to come under serious strain as the economy begins to bog down and the war drags on. They’ll see that there’s nothing supporting either the war or the economy except the calculated deceptions of government officials. The under-40s are about to learn first-hand the meaning of Stone’s warning.
The government cannot be trusted…Ever! That’s the lesson of our generation and of Kent State. When we look back on those tragic events we should be evaluating the divisions that exist in society today and asking ourselves: How long will it be before violence breaks out in America again?>>>>snip

http://dissidentvoice.org/May05/Whitney0509.htm

[evlbstrd]

1. Judging by all of the violent shrieks from the right,

not too damned long.

[knowbody0]

2. those of our generation

who did not protest back then are now ruling the country. they looked down on us then, and they walk on us now.

[IChing]

4. I am one of those generation

and thought my protests made a difference and they did.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3639518&mesg_id=3639518

at this link said what I am feeling , but we do have young people here that are protesting
In San Luis Obispo county, the city voted against the war, Santa Barbara also voted against the War. But I think we need a GENERAL STRIKE in this country, before things will start happening, not waiting for Hillary in 2008, or the 2006 election. It will be too late.

[knowbody0]

5. i absolutely agree

our numbers were great then, now we are "grown up" .... we need an effective plan - the flag should be upside down til these nuts are gone.

[The Traveler]

3. Indeed the authors

of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States would have agreed with your conclusion: Governments lie and are not to be trusted. They therefore defined a system of government that made it possible to constrain and distribute power in an attempt to control the spread of corruption. It is notoriously imperfect but has worked remarkably well in the long run.

However, that system cannot fulfill its function unless there is deep commitment by the people to insist upon its proper operation.