I really admire your scholarship Ken. You have put a lot of thought and effort into cultural anthropology and ancient history. It was a joy reading.
Lyndon Johnson did push through some of the most important legislature from the 20th Century. His biggest mistake was Vietnam. I couldn't vote in 1964, but I campaigned for Johnson, I took my kids to meet him at Mather Air Force Base as he departed on Air Force One. Having been active in Civil Rights I applauded his legislation. Then came his actions in Vietnam. I despised those actions, I despised the draft, I despised what we did to Vietnam and the Vietnamese. And, I admit there was another problem - he was southern. He spoke with that southern twang. He did things, like picking his beagle up by the ears that "nice people" didn't do. He showed his scars from gall bladder surgery that "nice people" didn't do. In retrospect I have apologized for my prejudicial attitude toward his boorish behavior and recognized all the good he did. But in 1968, I was full out campaigning for Bobby (RFK)
I had some articles to post tonight, on the long back story to the magna carta, that will be three posts. Then just as I was getting ready to post, the NEWS came in. So I was sidetracked. I supported Bobby, but somehow couldn't get into McCarthy. Humphrey had the VietNam baggage, unfortunately. I couldn't get into Eugene McCarthy. I was working in the foundry at the time and the lottery had not started yet. In '68, I couldn't vote yet either, because the age was still 21, so I was 24 before I could vote. But I will tell you that I'm pretty sure everyone I was working voted against Richard Nixon. I was 1-A, but not yet drafted, but many of my younger co-workers had been. Every single one of my male cousins in Indiana of my generation died in that war. My black and white co-workers hated that war. We hated Richard Nixon more.
But the disturbing thing to us were the protesters. We were going and dying in the war, and the protesters were exempt. Yes they could get drafted after graduation, but we didn't realize that. A group of us went up to Chicago in '68 to support Humphrey. There was a clash with the college supporters of McCarthy that ended in violence. I don't think I ever completely got over my bitterness. And of course by the time I attended college everyone was too young to have been concerned, the war was over, and Nixon had resigned. But even though there was no conflict with my fellow students, one of the reasons I didn't attend earlier was due to that resentment. It was something to grant exemptions to college students, it hadn't happened in any previous war I ever heard of, in fact, in earlier wars that had a draft,all the way back to the civil war, workers were less likely than the middle class or college class to be exempt from wars. The New York draft riots during the civil war was largely because many laborers had been exempted and then as the war began to go badly for the north, there was an attempt to draft them. But somehow it seemed profane to me that those being exempted were the loudest voices of protest. I don't recall a lot of TV cameras being focused on our upset with the war, no one followed the steel walkout by workers in protest against the war---it was covered, if at all, as a worker strike. And then we got arrested and told sign up or go to jail. I didn't, and the others who, like I, didn't sign up were released in a couple of days but escorted by police back to our foundries.
When they held the first lottery though my birthday was drawn n. 365. No way I would ever be drafted, even though they went up to around n. 180 that year--but the college exemptions, again, made the number so high. But the lottery seemed to make it worse for the worker. Or at least in my foundry. Everyone who had not been drafted previously got a high number and I found myself the only one in the foundry where I worked that was under 25. So embarrassed, I told everyone I was enlisting because my number was coming any day. But I made sure to get a contract to be, not just a medic, but to be an ambulance corpsman, I knew too many medics who ended up having to defend themselves just to help the injured. I figured as an ambulance (helicopters in VietNam, we would get out of the copter and be carrying a stretcher so I would have no hands to carry a gun. Halfway through basic I was called into the top sgt. office and told my school had been cancelled and I would be going to Fort Sam for regular medic training. I said wait a minute that's not what my enlistment contract said and I wanted to wait for the next ambulance class. I was told that I would have to go to AIT immediately after basic but if I chose not too, they would release me but I would still be subject to the draft and put back into the pool. As I said, that would have been extremely unlikely so I never served.
But talking about the protests remains a sore point with me.
As for Johnson, I think he was a vulgar human being whom I probably would have despised. But I often wonder what he might have accomplished in a second term. If he might have put teeth into equalization policies. I wonder if King and Bobby hadn't been shot, if America would have elected Reagan and become what it is today. And as much as I totally admire Johnson's democratic principles, for that same reason I despise him because VietNam (I believe) prevented his policies from ever coming to their full fruition. And yet when I look back, I wonder how Johnson would not have lost everything he fought for if he had not pursued his meaningless war. He would have been tarred a pinko and we would probably be in the same position today. Who knows? Unfortunately at that time no one would have accepted a retreat I do not believe. So he was cursed either way. But I do believe no man ever did more to try to create a true democracy, and I am glad you can look back and recognize that. If you read Cato's books you cannot but hate and love Lyndon Johnson, but he died this year without the final, and maybe most important final part of his life. But Johnson will never become as respected as he should be because of VietNam, and the greatest attempt to democratize America, will never become as acclaimed for what he attempted to do, as he will be remembered for what he failed to do, all because of a complete misunderstanding by America that communistic governments were never "leftist" at all, but just another form of tyranny.Something I once said on Robert Reich's substack and got shot down for was that tyranny is tyranny and whether it's called fascism or communism or multinational corporativism it's all still tyranny. But I was told the latter is not tyrannical, but freedom.
I really admire your scholarship Ken. You have put a lot of thought and effort into cultural anthropology and ancient history. It was a joy reading.
Lyndon Johnson did push through some of the most important legislature from the 20th Century. His biggest mistake was Vietnam. I couldn't vote in 1964, but I campaigned for Johnson, I took my kids to meet him at Mather Air Force Base as he departed on Air Force One. Having been active in Civil Rights I applauded his legislation. Then came his actions in Vietnam. I despised those actions, I despised the draft, I despised what we did to Vietnam and the Vietnamese. And, I admit there was another problem - he was southern. He spoke with that southern twang. He did things, like picking his beagle up by the ears that "nice people" didn't do. He showed his scars from gall bladder surgery that "nice people" didn't do. In retrospect I have apologized for my prejudicial attitude toward his boorish behavior and recognized all the good he did. But in 1968, I was full out campaigning for Bobby (RFK)
I had some articles to post tonight, on the long back story to the magna carta, that will be three posts. Then just as I was getting ready to post, the NEWS came in. So I was sidetracked. I supported Bobby, but somehow couldn't get into McCarthy. Humphrey had the VietNam baggage, unfortunately. I couldn't get into Eugene McCarthy. I was working in the foundry at the time and the lottery had not started yet. In '68, I couldn't vote yet either, because the age was still 21, so I was 24 before I could vote. But I will tell you that I'm pretty sure everyone I was working voted against Richard Nixon. I was 1-A, but not yet drafted, but many of my younger co-workers had been. Every single one of my male cousins in Indiana of my generation died in that war. My black and white co-workers hated that war. We hated Richard Nixon more.
But the disturbing thing to us were the protesters. We were going and dying in the war, and the protesters were exempt. Yes they could get drafted after graduation, but we didn't realize that. A group of us went up to Chicago in '68 to support Humphrey. There was a clash with the college supporters of McCarthy that ended in violence. I don't think I ever completely got over my bitterness. And of course by the time I attended college everyone was too young to have been concerned, the war was over, and Nixon had resigned. But even though there was no conflict with my fellow students, one of the reasons I didn't attend earlier was due to that resentment. It was something to grant exemptions to college students, it hadn't happened in any previous war I ever heard of, in fact, in earlier wars that had a draft,all the way back to the civil war, workers were less likely than the middle class or college class to be exempt from wars. The New York draft riots during the civil war was largely because many laborers had been exempted and then as the war began to go badly for the north, there was an attempt to draft them. But somehow it seemed profane to me that those being exempted were the loudest voices of protest. I don't recall a lot of TV cameras being focused on our upset with the war, no one followed the steel walkout by workers in protest against the war---it was covered, if at all, as a worker strike. And then we got arrested and told sign up or go to jail. I didn't, and the others who, like I, didn't sign up were released in a couple of days but escorted by police back to our foundries.
When they held the first lottery though my birthday was drawn n. 365. No way I would ever be drafted, even though they went up to around n. 180 that year--but the college exemptions, again, made the number so high. But the lottery seemed to make it worse for the worker. Or at least in my foundry. Everyone who had not been drafted previously got a high number and I found myself the only one in the foundry where I worked that was under 25. So embarrassed, I told everyone I was enlisting because my number was coming any day. But I made sure to get a contract to be, not just a medic, but to be an ambulance corpsman, I knew too many medics who ended up having to defend themselves just to help the injured. I figured as an ambulance (helicopters in VietNam, we would get out of the copter and be carrying a stretcher so I would have no hands to carry a gun. Halfway through basic I was called into the top sgt. office and told my school had been cancelled and I would be going to Fort Sam for regular medic training. I said wait a minute that's not what my enlistment contract said and I wanted to wait for the next ambulance class. I was told that I would have to go to AIT immediately after basic but if I chose not too, they would release me but I would still be subject to the draft and put back into the pool. As I said, that would have been extremely unlikely so I never served.
But talking about the protests remains a sore point with me.
As for Johnson, I think he was a vulgar human being whom I probably would have despised. But I often wonder what he might have accomplished in a second term. If he might have put teeth into equalization policies. I wonder if King and Bobby hadn't been shot, if America would have elected Reagan and become what it is today. And as much as I totally admire Johnson's democratic principles, for that same reason I despise him because VietNam (I believe) prevented his policies from ever coming to their full fruition. And yet when I look back, I wonder how Johnson would not have lost everything he fought for if he had not pursued his meaningless war. He would have been tarred a pinko and we would probably be in the same position today. Who knows? Unfortunately at that time no one would have accepted a retreat I do not believe. So he was cursed either way. But I do believe no man ever did more to try to create a true democracy, and I am glad you can look back and recognize that. If you read Cato's books you cannot but hate and love Lyndon Johnson, but he died this year without the final, and maybe most important final part of his life. But Johnson will never become as respected as he should be because of VietNam, and the greatest attempt to democratize America, will never become as acclaimed for what he attempted to do, as he will be remembered for what he failed to do, all because of a complete misunderstanding by America that communistic governments were never "leftist" at all, but just another form of tyranny.Something I once said on Robert Reich's substack and got shot down for was that tyranny is tyranny and whether it's called fascism or communism or multinational corporativism it's all still tyranny. But I was told the latter is not tyrannical, but freedom.