Shutting down New York

[Bandwraith at aol.com]

Something else folks might do well to remember is that whatever
the SDS may have preached, they represented a tiny fraction of
those involved in protesting against the war, or, for that matter,
for civil rights. Most anti-war activists were not active in the SDS.

A majority of New Yorkers, however, were wildly enthusiatic about
Willie Joe Namath and the New York Jets in the 1969 Super Bowl III, 
as they brazenly challenged the hegemony of the Baltimore Colts and 
the National Football League. I can remember- like yesterday- standing 
shoulder to shoulder with the mob at "the U" (student union) in Madison, 
Wisconsin, and watching, incredulous, the flickering elevated tube, as 
Willie Joe hit George Sauer (no bummer!) with a long bomb down the far 
sideline. Pandemonium! I should have known something was up. In the 
middle of Cheese-land- where did all those New Yorkers come from?

respectfully

In a message dated 2/1/04 2:59:35 PM, paul.mackin at verizon.net writes:

<< The thing everybody needs to remember is that these were 18-22
year-olds. (Rudd was 22)

I wish I could convey to p-listers what it was like to view these
goings-on as an adult in 1968. I was more sympathetic than average,
shouting the slogans with the best of them. Anything to embarrass the
Administration and make it more difficult to continue the war was my
theory. But did I or other grownups--sympathetic or unsympathetic and
including Pynchon I would guess--take the SDS rhetoric with any degree
of literalness--believe there was even a remote possibility that it
could carry out the avowed program. No, No, No. (of course this didn't
deter the FBI from trying to infiltrate, which is the thing they do) My
point is that as long as the by '68-69 preposterous rhetoric of SDS  was
only talk plus embarrassing though harmless marches on the Pentagon,
etc., etc., the Establishment had no reason to feel very threatened. It
was merely children being a naughty. (usefully naughty to my way of
thinking) Only when word turned into violent deed did a crackdown on the
relatively few (very few) need to follow. 

Do a thought experiment. Think of the 22 year olds of your present
acquaintance and imagine them overthrowing the government.>>