Ironically, those who fail to learn from past mistakes are destined to repeat them—this overused and self-explanatory old saying has been repeated in various ways over the years. The Democratic National Convention will be held in Chicago from August 19-22, which could potentially see a resurgence of protests. Historically, the last time the United States was so embroiled in a war protest was in 1968, and the Democratic National Convention was also held in Chicago. For those old enough to remember seeing a young Dan Rather swept along with the crowd, maneuvering his bulky broadcasting head gear and imploring security officials to “take your hands off of me, unless you plan to arrest me,” will live in news lore infamy.
The backdrop of the turmoil was a planned protest from ardent opponents of then President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Vietnam War policy. Pair that with the civil unrest from just a few months before following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the real possibility of a brokered convention. President Johnson announced he would not seek re-election in March, with the antiwar movement gaining steam. Johnson’s Vice President Hubert Humphrey faced challenges from Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy and Robert F. Kennedy Sr. It is not unreasonable to believe that the upheaval thwarted a new and maybe more liberal elected Democratic president withdrawing sooner from Vietnam. Richard Nixon won in November, escalated, and, therefore, six more years of war—the protesters did not want, were allowed to continue.
I fear the same fervor that led the Yippies (who symbolically nominated a pig for president) to disrupt the Convention in Chicago in 1968 will lead to more massacre, starvation, and annexing of land by Israel with the blessings of a Republican Party led by Donald Trump. There is little doubt what the response will be by the GOP to the Gaza protesters on college campuses and in the streets under a Republican regime. The current Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, threatened intervention by the National Guard just a day or two ago, “If this is not contained quickly and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard,” he said. Speaking of that pesky repeating of history, the last time the government sent in troops to quell the protest of kids, four students died at Kent State.
The media will portray any violent confrontation, as in 1968, as students who are misinformed, misaligned, and malcontented. In 1968, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee scuttled peace talks. This time could be worse, allowing, in this case, Israel to turn Palestine into a parking lot. Donald Trump, as reported by Al-Jazeera on March 26, said, “You have to finish up your war,” Trump told the Israel Hayom in an interview that the right-wing newspaper said had been recorded over the weekend. “You have to finish it up, you got to get it done.” Those are the words from a man who tried a blanket ban from the United States of Muslims and calls immigrants “vermin and animals.”
I have questions about who is funding the tents, food, toiletries, and money for the protesters. Much like the Occupy Wall Street protesters, without an end game, they will not be remembered as noble but as just a bunch of kids making a mess.
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