Nope, this level of rioting is nothing new… If you’re an old fart, you remember the 60’s…
The Book of Ecclesiastes says that there is nothing new under the sun. And while many have spoken of the “unprecedented” nature of the rioting in the early summer of 2020, it is actually quite precedented.
The Long, Hot Summer of 1967 was the peak of urban unrest and rioting in the United States in the lead up to the 1968 election. While there are certainly a number of key differences, there are also a number of striking parallels that make the topic worthy of discussion and examination.
Full article, HERE at ammo.com. It’s a good recap of 67 and 68 and the violence that came with it.
The death of MLK in Memphis set off another set of riots in 68, and pretty much destroyed the DNC convention in Chicago due to the Vietnam protests and internal politics of the DNC, coupled with the brutality of the Chicago Police Department.
By the time delegates arrived for the convention in Chicago, protests had been set in motion by members of the Youth International Party (yippies) and the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam (MOBE), whose organizers included Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden.
But Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley had no intention of letting his city or the convention be overrun by protestors. The stage was set for an explosive face-off.
Full article, HERE from History.com. Ironically, this was a big impetus for Richard Nixon’s win…
What has NOT happened yet, and I truly hope it doesn’t, is the killings during the rioting. If it does, all bets are off. I really don’t want to live through that again, but it seems that those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.
However, this time it won’t be the WWII/Korean veterans stepping up, it will be the Vietnam/Iraq/Afghanistan veterans stepping up and doing what needs to be done (again)… And the left/socialists won’t like it any better this time.
I remember the riots well. After my return from sunny SE Asia in ’70 I was assigned to a mech infantry outfit at Ft. Knox. At that time there had been some break-ins at National Guard armories in Indiana and so folks were a bit nervous about it. I was assigned for a while as an ammo dump guard at the post, the only stateside duty that I was authorized to carry a loaded weapon. Later we were given riot control training though we were never used in that capacity. Interesting times.
Pretty sure there have been a couple dozen killings related to the riots already. I would say that what is unprecedented is the mayors and governors of the various cities and states either ignoring, or worse yet, actively supporting the rioters.
Read an article just the other day about the number of terrorist bombings in the US during the 70s. (Hint: It was a lot). We have not reached that point yet but as these people get bored of rioting, I wonder if they will start to expand their repertoire. The good news is that as soon as they start setting off bombs, the federal government has the authority to step in.
Anyone cheered by the governor of Oregon getting shown up by rioters burning stuff AFTER the feds left, after she’d been telling people for days that the only reason there was violence was because of the federal presence?
During those riots I was attending Metro State in Denver, a new college housed in rented buildings in downtown Denver, after my Army hitch. Strange times. I see many parallels between today’s current events and those times.
The difference, IMO, is twofold. First, few, if any “protesters” were being paid. Certainly there was some money floating around but not on today’s scale. Second, today’s social media and the immediacy of information exchange.
What gives me some comfort, thinking of the world my grandchildren will deal with, is the aftermath brought years of relative peace.
Jim- Understood.
Hereso- Probably. And yes, the bombings DID bring .gov in big time. Ironic how many of those ‘bombers’ became college professors, isn’t it…
WSF- Excellent point. But how long until we get to that ‘peace’ again?
Assuming President Trump is re-elected, four more years of turmoil as he drains the swamp.
Better than the alternative.
Indeed!
They badly want a Kent State 2.0. And that hasn’t happened. And glomming on to outta control meth heads just isn’t the same as MLK.
Still, picture the rage if/when they lose AGAIN in November.
I remember those days very well. I was in high-school, living about 50 miles SW of Chicago. Since I was in a new high-school consisting of 95% white, upper-middle class kids, we had to have a certain percentage of black students bussed-in “to get our numbers right”. They were predominantly from the East side of town, where there was another brand-new “mirror image” high school built where the demographic was reversed. We over capacity by 20%, while the other school was running at about 65% capacity.
And when the trouble started, guess who caused it?
It’s amazing to see what some of my high school classmates have turned in to. All the people I hung around with were pretty conservative, and have stayed that way. Most of us went on to college and became Engineers, Scientists, Mechanics, Doctors, and businessmen. Most of us are quite angry about the current turn of events.
They other people I knew, and some I called “friend” at the time, have turned into raving, moon-bat liberal useful idiots. Most of them went on to college, too. Some are Teachers, some are Lawyers, and some work in Social Services and/or The Gubermint. Several turned into screaming “activists”, and at least one was/is actively working with some group to try and unseat President Trump.
And most of them are screaming “Burn, Baby, BURN!”.
I don’t know how this will turn out, but if President Trump doesn’t get reelected, I think we’ll see the downfall of the United States.
If he does get reelected, we’ll see much more turmoil and violence, with an unknown ending.
Methinks it’s getting to be time to hoist the Jolly Roger…..
drjim- Hate to say I agree with you… Have had to unfriend a number of folks.
Hey Old NFO;
I have noticed a lot of parallels between 1967/1968 and now, and I think the results will be the same, Trump will get reelected like Nixon got elected because the silent majority is tired of the BS from the noisy minority.
Currently reading an unexpected thrift shop find – a first edition of a biography of Wll Rogers that I didn’t know about and that I’ve never read. As usual, it helps to be familier with the history of the era but so much of his stuff is relevant still.
I prefer to think of myself as a well-seasoned flatulent, thank you.