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wiggs

(7,788 posts)
12. Speaking of history...I'm reading a book that recounts a VERY similar
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 08:11 PM
Apr 2015

time in our recent past...Thurston Clarke's 'The Last Campaign', about three months of the RFK campaign in the 60's. Amazing book, amazing candidate and person in RFK. But at that time there was extreme civil unrest, killing of blacks (including leaders like MLK), wealth inequality, unjust war, public health debates. REALLY striking parallels to our time now. The sad thing is we are arguing about many of the same issues! But RFK was able to knit various interests together, create coalitions of unlikely bedfellows because he was truthful, honest, authentic, and realistic. He not only spoke truth to power...but even as a representative of the powerful he spoke the truth. He admittedly had money and everything in life that one could ask for and said as much during his campaign speeches...but he spent the most time and effort with the poor and suffering...learning, seeing, feeling, understanding.

RFK's approach was that he refused to talk just about law and order to white audiences and just about civil justice to black or poor audiences. He courageously stayed in reality and talked about both justice and law and order wherever he went. He was authentically compassionate but had civil order creds...was apparently becoming a rock star 'change' politician prior to his assassination.

He was refreshing then and would be even more so now. Tragic for our country that he wasn't able to serve as president. I highly recommend the book for not only historical perspective but for insight into our own current state of the nation.

Re the OP...He did not think violence was necessary, but he thought a revolution was. More so a moral revolution than an armed one. More so inspiration to do something productive than to do something destructive. It was GIANT change without blood (he had witnessed enough blood, of course).

Many folks sit back in their easy chair and judge the actions of people they have no clue NoJusticeNoPeace Apr 2015 #1
I wish we could avoid violence. dballance Apr 2015 #4
And even that last part of what you say, while true, they werent defending anybody when they NoJusticeNoPeace Apr 2015 #6
K&R marym625 Apr 2015 #2
the am rev was not a peasant uprising. it was a tax revolt by the rich. KG Apr 2015 #3
KG, You are Correct dballance Apr 2015 #8
Oh please, the tea was thrown in the water. cwydro Apr 2015 #5
So you're saying the revolutionaries didn't loot the ships? dballance Apr 2015 #9
Ridiculous cwydro Apr 2015 #14
I've never read anywhere that the ships were burned. Only that the tea was dumped. cherokeeprogressive Apr 2015 #17
spurious. The Tea Party was a result of planned action cali Apr 2015 #7
Yes. cwydro Apr 2015 #15
I generally agree with your posts Cali. Not this time. dballance Apr 2015 #18
It's not the same...this riot won't solve anything at all. davidn3600 Apr 2015 #19
I was talking to sheshe about the Boston Massacre last year after the Ferguson showtrial was over. Major Hogwash Apr 2015 #10
false. The tea party was a carefully planned and executed action cali Apr 2015 #13
Nothing good can come from a land that has blood on it's hands.. HipChick Apr 2015 #11
Speaking of history...I'm reading a book that recounts a VERY similar wiggs Apr 2015 #12
And The Labor Movement: WillyT Apr 2015 #16
Let's not forget the slaughter of the native peoples who were living here LiberalEsto Apr 2015 #20
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