#anti-Vietnam

[kropotkindersurprise]

June 20, 1967 - On this day in 1967, boxing legend Muhammad Ali was given a prison sentence for refusing to join the US military and fight in the Vietnam War. He was sentenced to five years behind bars and fined $10,000, an unusually harsh sentence aimed at breaking his anti-war resistance. “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on Brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?” argued Muhammad Ali. [source]

[troythecatfish]

[dre759]

I’m reading Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War In Vietnam by Nick Turse and Jesus Christ it’s such a jaw dropping read. The behavior the US army demonstrated against innocents in Vietnam was beyond evil. In fact I think the two most used phrases in the book so far have been “There were no soldiers/VC there. Only women and children” and “No American soldiers were punished for their actions.”

It’s a very important read; I highly recommend it. But please don’t read if you’re already having a bad day. It tests your endurance for violent content. So major content warning for that.

Here’s an audiobook on YouTube for those who are more inclined to listening rather than reading.

[embodiedfutures]

from @/pslnational

[degeneratedworker]

"They're having problems with their economy again" Ron Cobb United States 1975

[folk-enjoyer]

Sing Out! Magazine, vol 14, iss 3, 1964

"I Do Not Believe in War I Do Not Believe in The Weapons of War"

[iasirene]

Reposting my most popular Reddit post from r/Hungergames!

Could the Reaping in the Hunger Games be inspired by the 1969 Vietnam War lottery draft?

As we know, Suzanne Collins was inspired to write the series after flipping through tv channels, surfing between the Iraq War and reality tv and realizing that the lines became blurred. Collins’s father served in the Vietnam War, and I’m sure she heard many stories from him. In 1969, the Vietnam War was raging and its unpopularity was being felt all around the USA with growing anti war movements. Because of this, a draft was instated, and here’s how it worked.

366 blue capsules in a jar, one for each day of the year (leap year included). If your birthdate was drawn, congratulations son! You’re first in line to serve the empire. The first date drawn was September 14th, and the last was June 8th. They did this again in December, with letters instead of numbers. The last draft lottery was in 1975, and from 1965-1972, over two million men were forced to fight because of this. There are strong parallels between the Vietnam lottery and the Reaping. During the Vietnam War, poor, uneducated men were more likely to be chosen, as the rich could pay their way out of service. Much like the impoverished Districts being unable to resist. The Hunger Games is a much deeper series than some people give it credit for. It explores issues such as imperialism, propaganda, capitalism in decay, and revolution. It’s not just “some kids story.” It’s even more radical than we remember. Reading again as an adult has been incredibly rewarding. The imperial core (USA, UK, Japan, Canada, etc.) is the Capitol. The imperial periphery (Iran, Vietnam, Cuba, Yemen, etc.) are the Districts. The truth is stranger than fiction.

[icedsodapop]

Hate the popular narrative of the disrespected, spat upon Vietnam War veteran becos it erases how badly draft dodgers, conscientious objectors, and anti-war/anti-imperialist protestors were treated by the US government and society, maybe even worse. They were blacklisted, arrested and some were even killed by state sanctioned violence but sureee, cry about how the big bad hippies were mean to you for blowing up Vietnamese villages.

[thererisesaredstar]

Explosives Factory by Bùi Quang Ánh (1971)

[kropotkindersurprise]

Assata Shakur on the importance of Socialism and anti-imperialism. [video]

[damthosefandoms]

i love you vietnam vet au cherrycola where soda hasn’t written to anyone in months because he’s terrified and he doesn’t want to give his loved ones hope. but one day he just up and sends a girl he hasn’t spoken to basically since he dropped out of high school a zero-context letter saying “i get why you hate fights now” and something implying he’s been in love with her since first grade, and in the package with the letter is a book with a cherry blossom flower pressed inside. because he saw it in a dark time over there and it reminded him of her.

[karagin22]

[unitedfrontvarietyhour]

"In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none." - Kwame Ture

(Pt.1)

[workingclasshistory]

With the background of the Vietnam war, rising prices and stagnant wages, workers in the US began to ignore calls to support the war effort and keep working, and instead launch a wave of wildcat strikes in key industries, while women homeworkers fought for lower prices. We tell the story of these struggles in this double podcast episode. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes, ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory This is an improved, re-edited version of our original episode 8. In conversation with Jeremy Brecher, author of the excellent book, Strike!, we learn about the support for the war from union officials, the responses from the rank-and-file, and lessons we can learn from them today. In part 2, we look at strikes by postal workers, Teamsters, hospital workers and auto workers, and protests by women homeworkers  More information, sources, and eventually a transcript on the webpage for this episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e99-vietnam-war-strike-wave/ Acknowledgements

Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands, Jamison D. Saltsman, Fernando López Ojeda, Jeremy Cusimano, Nick Williams and Old Norm.

Edited by Jesse French, with original editing by Emma Courtland.

Episode graphic: Postal workers on wildcat strike, 1970. Courtesy APWUcommunications/Wikimedia Commons CC SA 3.0

Our theme tune is Bella Ciao, thanks for permission to use it from Dischi del Sole. You can purchase it here or stream it here.

[degeneratedworker]

"United by the same ideal" Vietnam 1960s

[my-dark-happy-place]

War isn't murder by Jesse Welles

This song is incredible and it hasn't left my head since it came out. There is so many haunting and poignant lyrics in there. Jesse Welles is an incredible songwriter and artist.