General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Peace [View all]H2O Man
(78,677 posts)Very well said! Thank you!
One of the few advantages I find in being old is that I remember "Bloody Sunday," when John Lewis attempted to lead marchers across the Pettus Bridge to begin the walk from Selma to Montgomery. They were protesting, among other things, the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson, a 26 year old military veteran who had attempted to protect his mother from a police beating. The group was viciously attacked by police -- some on horses -- and KKK members.
That night at about 9:30, ABC broke into a documentary of Nazi war crimes to show film of the brutal attack on the non-violent march. This awoke something across America, among those whose lives never included really thinking about the issues involved. Some of remember that it even changed the minds of those who previously asked "what do they want?" or said "they are moving too fast." Oh, I remember that.
In fact, it got LBJ support for some mighty important legislation that was not there before Bloody Sunday. It was a damn when Vietnam drained the funding of Johnson's goal of a Great Society. And it's a damn shame when the lessons of that era are largely forgotten. For when forgotten it becomes possible for the mentally dead, KKK police mentality to gain strength.