Subject: “Lest we forget the assassinations of the 1960s”

04/10/2005

Paul Krugman (NYTimes, March 29, “What’s Going On?") said, “America
isn’t yet a place where liberal politicians, and even conservatives who
aren’t sufficiently hard-line, fear assassination.” Have we forgotten
the 1960s’ assassinations of two Kennedy brothers and of Martin Luther
King Jr. already?

The “hard-line” of anti-communism then was not so different than the
terrorism, anti-terrorism and anti-democratic forces of extreme
religious right groups now.  Lest we forget, let us as true
freedom-lovers unite now to confront right-wing extremists, before
fringe elements there assassinate more leaders or even restrict
freedoms that they hypocritically profess to protect.

If John Kerry in 2004 had won, we’d realize how wrong the Vietnam War
was in 1968, a year of two political assassinations.  We must break the
cycle of extremism or suffer “more” assassinations.

Chandler Harrison Stevens, Ph.D.
Austin, Minnesota

The author was an independent candidate for Congress in Massachusetts
when both Robert Kennedy & Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated in
1968.  He also competed briefly with John Kerry in 1970 for that same
seat, after being the first independent to serve in the Massachusetts
Legislature in over 50 years.

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203 20th St SW, Austin, Minnesota 55912; 507-437-2974, 219-7252