With all this in mind, I now want to point out that there is actually a section of our community that has fought against an unjust war before.
The Vietnam war.
Many experts believe that it was the negative public sentiment towards that incursion that eventually ended it. What caused that sentiment? Many people, of all sorts of social groups, stood up to their leaders and voiced opinions against the war. They took to the streets and made their opinions heard by the greater community. The greater community then managed to break the programming their media was feeding them and stood up themselves against the injustices of the Vietnam war.
Among the 'hippies' and other assorted radicals who took to the streets, a group of women named "Save our Sons" were dedicated to speaking for Australia's gagged conscripts, particularly those under 18 years old. They established themselves in Sydney and quickly spread to Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle and Adelaide.
Save our sons dressed up as good decent women did in those days - hats gloves, etc. - and carried blue and white banners to their rallies at the army barracks, courts, Parliament House, the city square, and even to Vietnam itself. They eventually came to realise that their voice could be made stronger by becoming more of a 'personalised presence'. They relaxed on the hats and gloves and started wearing jeans and mini skirts. Where once they had remained silent, they now spoke out about the war as 'slit-gut and rape' of a people.
Initially labeled as hysterical mothers with nothing better to do, communist dupes, or as bimbos, the Women of Save our Sons persevered against enormous opposition and eventually helped usher in a mass movement against the war.
They began, complete novices as political activists, but learned fast how to raise funds and to how to organise and address public meetings, rallies, teach-ins and protest marches. Along the way they were abused, assaulted, arrested and even gaoled.
Read more on these heroic girls: http://www.geocities.com/milesago2001/saveoursons.htm http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/1997/263/263p25b.htm http://www.roninfilms.com.au/view.html?index=260&oid=1832297 http://home.vicnet.net.au/~womenweb/Save%20Our%20Sons%20-%20Vietnam%20War.htm
The only crime I can imagine worse than allowing today's leaders to continue on their path to destruction, would be to also forget the lessons people like Save our Sons learned for us.
END.
My mom was in this group.The popular govt that ended 23 years of conservative rule inc conscription was overthrown by a CIA led coup in 1975.Chris Boyce was so upset by this he became a spy for Russia.
