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

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. How long?

I fear it is coming and it is not too far off. Perhaps, sometime in 2006.

God, I don't want to see that happen. I really don't. Not again. Not another time in my life. I thought we had put it behind us and made the necessary changes, but now I am losing faith in that.

[IChing]

4. Me too

But remember we had student strikes that shut down schools and colleges
labor strikes,

We need a national strike soon, for workers, education, social security, healthcare, antiwar
and the general injustices that inflict this nation from these fascist bastards in charge of our government and money making institutions such as ford, gm, insurance companies, bank preditorory bank and credit companies, etc. etc etc.....they are all in it together, believe me
they are.
and we need to come together and realize that

[chlamor]

2. The Everyday Violence

in America is staggering.

[mike_c]

3. you know, this really gets to the essence of what I was thinking...

...when I responded to Will Pitt's post about there being so few young political activists. Those of us who grew up in the 60's and 70's came of age in a atmosphere that was inherently distrustful of government-- despite the wholesale trust most of our parents had for American leadership. I think that's more because of social changes that occurred post-WWII than political changes-- political events like Vietnam and Watergate simply fit into the context of social upheaval provided by the civil rights movement, antiwar movement, urban unrest, and the rock counter culture (for want of a better term) that all grew up alongside one another.

[applegrove]

5. People are vulnerable right now. Anyone who encourages them to

fight in the USA is being cruel.

We have elections. If you need to protest..you get involved and start a youth group or you do the grassroots thing.

We will kick them out of power in 1 1/5 years. And the longer they stay once they are not welcome..the more the Repuke party will have been destroyed. They are ruining the American Brand and forcing consumers to choose between one corporations and another. Soon everyone will turn against them.