BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

Recently, while walking across a university campus towards the bookstore, I noticed a group of students carrying Barack Obama signs.  They took up their places, fairly evenly spaced along the sidewalk that bound incoming traffic.  Each held up his sign when a car passed, often smiling and giving a thumbs up to the driver.  When I was a student, we would have given the peace sign.  I took a seat on one of the park benches and watched for a while.  They were doing something important.  I wondered if they knew how important.

I sat quietly, but I suppose my presence in the cold did not go without notice.  Finally, one of the young men walked over to the bench and started talking to me about Senator Obama.  I was impressed with his knowledge of the candidate and his argument for the cause.  Sitting there listening to the student’s case for Obama, I began to realize that he thought this grey haired old lady must be a McCain supporter.  It was an incorrect assumption on his part, of course, but I let him go through the sales pitch.  He was good.

One of the others in the group had made a run to the cafeteria and brought back a cup of hot chocolate for each of us.  She took a seat next to me and joined in the conversation.  We sipped our hot chocolates and I continued to listen as the two spoke of the opportunity to change our world with a new leader. 

One spoke of being a child and hearing about Tiananmen Square and the lone man who had taken to the street to stop the tanks.  She was amazed that a single person would speak out, knowing that by doing so he was risking his life.

The young man spoke of the oppression in Iran and the student demonstrations and how the Iranian government sent in troops to squash the protests.

He was appalled that students didn’t have the right to voice their views.  “It’s free speech.”  He went on to tell me how lucky we are to be living in the United States, but that we need change.  He mentioned the War in Iraq and health care.

Oh, I do agree.  Then the young man pulled a copy of the photo (left) from his pocket and asked if I could imagine what those students endured.  Yes, we are lucky to live in the United States, but that good luck did not come without a price. 

I thought of another picture of another young man holding a flag.

I mentioned to my two young companions that perhaps we should not be so quick to judge others or other countries.  I caught them off guard.  I could see it in their eyes.  Then, I realized that while these young students could quote from President John Kennedy’s “ask not what your country can do for you…” speech and begin Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech they had no real knowledge of how life was just forty years ago.

The two students and I exchanged email addresses and promised to keep in touch.  Recently, I emailed John (the student) a copy of the picture of the “hippy with the flag”.  He promptly emailed me and said he didn’t see the significance of the “hippy with the flag” compared to the Iranian protest picture, except both men have flags, one an Iranian protester and the other “an old hippy”.  (Alan, if you read this, these are the words of a college student, not mine.)

I emailed John, attaching two pictures and asked what he thought of those pictures.

John responded immediately, outraged by the images. 

Where did these pictures come from?  When were they taken?  Whose soldiers are these?  Is the man in the picture dead?

Yes, John, the man in the picture, Jeffrey Miller, is dead.  This is the full picture.

And, the soldiers?  Ohio National Guard on the campus of Kent State.

The date was May 4, 1970.  Not so long ago.

And, the old hippy with the flag?  Alan Canfora… just seconds before he was fired on by the Ohio National Guard.  He was wounded in the wrist.

Now, I’m not interested in taking a sad or nostalgic walk down the horrors of memory lane. My only purpose is to teach the young students who take our freedoms for granted, to remind everyone that it was not so long ago that our country was in total chaos, with students in the streets and on campuses protesting for causes we believed in.

And, now when my new friend, John, emails me to ask what is so important about the FISA bill or when Sarah, the young black student takes for granted being on a college campus filled with a diversity of races and cultures, I hope they will remember that our voices have not always been so easy to hear.  And, it is more important than ever that we continue to speak out, loud and clear.

Some of my friends shy away from speaking out today.  They hint that one never knows what “they” might do.  They caution that “things have changed”.  They fear the secrecy of our government and in the fear they sit back and accept the gradual erosion of our rights and freedoms. 

They don’t mind cameras on every corner.  They say we “never know who is listening in” on our phone conversations.  They believe we should sit quietly and export our democracy to Iraq, as if we have used all we need of it.  They dare not complain about the public school system, even if our high school graduates can’t read.  And, so what if everyone doesn’t have health care?  We do.

And, then I get an email from John or Sarah and feel the pride in our future, in the future of our country and once again I have hope.  If it takes Barack Obama to mobilize our young people, if it takes Barack Obama to re-open the doors that have closed and to allow us to live our retirement years without fear, Barack Obama has my vote.

It’s time to pass the torch to youth and dreams of change.  Now, if you will excuse me, I’m off to a meeting at the university.  There are young people there who are organizing their next Obama for President rally and I get a new energy from them.

A special word of thanks to Alan Canfora for his generosity in allowing me to use his pictures and his story.  Alan, thank you for everything… and I do mean everything.  To read Alan’s story, please visit his site.