{"id":5559,"date":"2017-01-18T02:58:12","date_gmt":"2017-01-18T02:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=5559"},"modified":"2017-01-29T03:41:18","modified_gmt":"2017-01-29T03:41:18","slug":"on-hard-hats-hells-angels-and-inauguration-day-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=5559","title":{"rendered":"On Hard hats, Hell’s Angels – and Inauguration Day 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are we in for another\u00a0\u201cdeja vu all over again<\/a>,” on Inauguration Day, 2017?<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

\"InaugurationInauguration Day is coming up on January 20. \u00a0And here’s a\u00a0news flash<\/a>: I\u00a0Googled<\/a>\u00a0“trump inauguration protests” – and got over two million results.<\/p>\n

Here’s part of the\u00a0grab-bag<\/a>: \u00a0Trump rips John Lewis as Democrats boycott inauguration<\/a>,\u00a0The Anti-Inauguration 2017<\/a>,\u00a0‘Bikers for Trump’ to Form ‘Wall of Meat<\/a>,’ and\u00a0The Gathering Storm of Protest Against Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Which leads to the musical question:<\/p>\n

“Are we in for yet another\u00a0\u201cdeja vu all over again<\/a>?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"KentIn this case we can go back in time, to see if history will\u00a0repeat Itself<\/a>. \u00a0That is, back some 47 years before the upcoming January 20, 2017. \u00a0Back to New York City and “a sunny spring day in May 1970.” \u00a0There, over a thousand peace activists started a march to protest – among other things – the shooting of 13 Kent State students<\/a>. \u00a0(Four of them died, as shown in part at right)<\/em>:*\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the Manhattan peace protesters made their way … 200 white, middle-aged, construction workers in hard hats and carrying American flags barred their way and chased the young hippies through the streets beating them with lead pipes and crowbars<\/strong>. \u00a0Policemen stood by passively and watched. \u00a0More than 70 protesters were injured, and 20 hospitalized. \u00a0A few days later president Nixon met with the \u201cHard Hat Riot\u201d members at the White House to turn a patriotic victory lap. (E.A.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

See\u00a0Anger Redux | The Huffington Post<\/a>. \u00a0Which – in turn – brings to mind a recent web article: Angels, Protesters and Patriots: What a Long-Ago Skirmish Says About Love of Country<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That article went back to 1965, when a group of Hell’s Angels also<\/em><\/strong> staged an attack on an “antiwar protest in Berkeley, one of the first of countless such protests to come.” \u00a0(For an ironic note, see\u00a0“politics make strange bedfellows<\/a>.”) <\/em>\u00a0But there was a difference: \u00a0The president didn’t<\/em><\/strong> invite the Hell’s Angels\u00a0to the White House for a “patriotic victory lap.”<\/p>\n

Instead, the president of the Oakland Hell’s Angels decided to end to all future attacks.<\/p>\n

That is, on October 16, 1965, a group of Hell’s Angels from the Oakland chapter “attacked a Get Out of Vietnam demonstration at the Oakland-Berkeley border.” \u00a0The first clash came at the Oakland Army Terminal, a “shipping point for men and materiel bound for the Far East:”<\/p>\n

The Angels attacked… \u00a0The existential heroes who had passed the joint with Berkeley liberals [now attacked] the same liberals with flailing fists and shouts of ‘Traitors,” “Communists,” “Beatniks!” \u00a0When push came to shove, the Hell’s Angels lined up solidly with the cops, the Pentagon and the\u00a0John Birch Society<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The protesters had<\/em> <\/strong>planned to hold another demonstration the following month. \u00a0But – fearing further attacks – in the interim a number of liberals including poet\u00a0Allen Ginsberg<\/a>\u00a0– at left – worked to keep<\/em> the Angels from attacking again. \u00a0(Thompson<\/a>, 244-53)<\/em><\/p>\n

The result? \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>According to\u00a0Angels, Protesters and Patriots<\/a>,\u00a0“Oakland chapter leader Ralph ‘Sonny’ Barger\u00a0… called the protesters a ‘mob of traitors.’\u201d \u00a0Nevertheless, he promised to forego further attacks against protesters. \u00a0He did so – he said – based on the Angels’ “patriotic concern,” after which he “read a telegram he claimed to have sent to President Lyndon Johnson, volunteering the Angels for behind-the-lines ‘gorrilla’ [sic] duty in\u00a0Vietnam.”<\/p>\n

The article pointedly noted that the “Angels, at first blush, seemed unlikely patriots.”<\/p>\n

Which leads to another question: \u00a0If the “Bikers for Trump” – shown above – or other\u00a0Hard hats<\/a>\u00a0start beating up Inauguration Day protesters – with lead pipes, crowbars or otherwise –\u00a0will the new president invite them<\/em> <\/strong>to the White House for a similar “patriotic victory lap?”<\/p>\n

\"SamuelAnd speaking of patriotism: \u00a0The wise – and oddly prescient –\u00a0Samuel Johnson<\/a>\u00a0once said, “<\/span>Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel<\/a>.” \u00a0But it should be noted that he wasn’t condemning either true patriotism or patriotism in general. \u00a0Instead he condemned “false patriotism:*”<\/span><\/p>\n

What he’s calling attention to is that scoundrels, when challenged, will often use false patriotism in order to shut up their opponents.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which brings us back to Richard Nixon. \u00a0(The sitting president who\u00a0feted<\/a>\u00a0the construction workers who beat up the offending “peace activists” in 1970.) \u00a0<\/em>In his case, Nixon had – only two years before – committed an act of treason to get elected president. \u00a0That treason resulted in the death of 18,506 members of the armed services in Vietnam. \u00a0What Nixon had done was “<\/i>scuttle the Paris Peace Talks,” in October, 1968, solely in order to get elected in \u00a0November.<\/p>\n

That was the point of last November’s\u00a0Deja vu all over again<\/a>? \u00a0And the point at issue – that Nixon committed treason to get elected – was conceded by as “arch<\/a>”\u00a0a\u00a0conservative<\/a>\u00a0as\u00a0George Will<\/a>. \u00a0(See\u00a0George Will Confirms Nixon\u2019s Vietnam Treason<\/a>.) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"ABut we digress. \u00a0And I’m not necessarily<\/em> saying that Donald Trump committed treason to get elected in 2016. \u00a0The point here is that – sometimes to a frightening extent – “History Repeats Itself<\/a>.” \u00a0(Or as\u00a0Santayana<\/a>\u00a0put it, “Those\u00a0who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

But in this case, let’s hope not.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

That is, in response to actcs of violence by some of his supporters, Donald Trump has told them to “Stop it<\/a>.” \u00a0But Sonny Barger actually got<\/em><\/strong> his “supporters” to stop their attacks.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0Hunter Thompson<\/a>\u00a0noted, in the weeks leading up to the second<\/em> planned march on the Oakland Army Terminal, a group of liberals including Ginsberg and Ken Kesey’s “Merry Pranksters<\/a>” tried to persuade “Barger and his people not to attack the marchers.” \u00a0For one thing, Ginsberg delivered a long speech – in the form of one of his famous poems – at San Jose State College on November 15, 1965.<\/p>\n

Barger had second thoughts about attacking a march that Ginsberg “obviously considered a right thing.” \u00a0But still – referring to the Vietnam Day Committee – “Sonny considered them all chickenshit – and that was that… \u00a0So it came as a surprise when,” on the day before the scheduled second march, the Oakland Hell’s Angels held a press conference.<\/p>\n

At the news conference, Barger repeated his disdain for the marchers’ planned “despicable, un-American activity.” \u00a0Nevertheless, there would be no further attacks, he said, for reasons including that “any physical encounter would only produce sympathy for this mob of traitors.”<\/p>\n

Or, as noted in\u00a0What a Long-Ago Skirmish Says About Love of Country<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Barger, who would go on to survive cancer and prison … never changed his views. \u00a0Those \u201cleft-wing peace creeps,\u201d he declared in his autobiography, deserved every bruise they\u00a0got.<\/p>\n

All the same, the Angels never attacked another\u00a0protest.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Wouldn’t it be nice if Donald Trump could do the same thing with his<\/em> <\/strong>supporters?<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“The Prez” – Sonny Barger (middle) – saying the Hell’s Angels would no longer attack protesters.<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/em><\/h3>\n

The upper image was<\/strong> courtesy of\u00a0Hard Hat Riot: Tea Party of yesteryear \u2013 Daily Kos<\/a>. \u00a0(Which has since been “removed.”) \u00a0The caption refers to two prior posts from this blog: \u00a0Last May’s\u00a0<\/em>Is this \u201cdeja vu all over again<\/a>,” and last November’s\u00a0reprise<\/a>,\u00a0Another \u201cdeja vu all over again<\/a>?” \u00a0See also\u00a0Hard hat – Wikipedia<\/a>, as to the literal<\/strong> meaning of the term, and the\u00a0Collins Dictionary<\/a>, as to its cultural implications; i.e., “<\/em>characteristic<\/a> of the presumed<\/a> conservative<\/a> attitudes<\/a> and prejudices<\/a>\u00a0typified<\/a> by construction workers.” \u00a0(See also,\u00a0Hard Hat Riots<\/a>.)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNote\u201d also that an asterisk in the main text indicates a statement supported by a reference detailed further in this \u201cnotes\u201d section. \u00a0Thus, as to the 13 Kent State students, see\u00a0<\/em>Kent State shootings – Wikipedia<\/a>, which included the image to the right of the paragraph. \u00a0The caption: \u00a0“John Filo<\/a>‘s Pulitzer Prize<\/a>-winning photograph of Mary Ann Vecchio<\/a>, a 14-year-old runaway, kneeling over the body of Jeffrey Miller<\/a> minutes after he was fatally shot by the Ohio National Guard<\/a>.” \u00a0A further caption reads: “Mary Ann Vecchio<\/a> gestures and screams as she kneels by the body of a student, Jeffrey Miller<\/a>, lying face down on the campus of Kent State University<\/a>, in Kent, Ohio. \u00a0On publication, the image was retouched to remove the fencepost above Vecchio’s head.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The “inauguration day” image is courtesy of\u00a0<\/em>Inauguration Day \u00a0… Clipart Panda – Free Clipart Images<\/a>. <\/span>As to January 20, 2017, see\u00a0Weather forecast for Trump’s inauguration looks gloomy<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Allen Ginsberg image is courtesy of\u00a0classics allen ginsberg american …<\/a>hellopoetry.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: Samuel Johnson. \u00a0For some of his sound-bites on “the real deal,” see The Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page: Quotes on Patriotism<\/a>. \u00a0Re: the false patriotism quote, see\u00a0What does this quote by Samuel Johnson mean: ‘Patriotism<\/a>,’ etc.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: 18,506 service-members killed in Vietnam after Nixon “scuttled the Paris Peace Talks” in October and November, 1968: \u00a0US KIA in 1969 – 11,616, 1969 in the Vietnam War – Wikipedia<\/a>; \u00a0US KIA in 1970 – 6,081, 1970 in the Vietnam War – Wikipedia<\/a>; \u00a0US KIA in 1971 – 0, 1971 in the Vietnam War – Wikipedia<\/a>; \u00a0US KIA in 1972 – 641, 1972 in the Vietnam War – Wikipedia<\/a>; \u00a0US KIA in 1973 – 168 1973 in the Vietnam War – Wikipedia<\/a>. \u00a0(Total = 18,506.)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"AThe “history repeats” image is courtesy of\u00a0George Santayana – Wikipedia<\/a>. \u00a0The caption: “Santayana’s famous aphorism ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’ is inscribed on a plaque at\u00a0Auschwitz concentration camp<\/a> in Polish<\/a> translation and English back-translation (above), and on a subway placard in Germany (below). \u00a0The “subway placard” is shown at right.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: Donald Trump and his “violent” supporters. \u00a0I\u00a0Googled<\/a>\u00a0“trump ‘stop it,'” and got some ten million, seven hundred thousand results. \u00a0(10,700,000.)<\/em><\/p>\n

The Hunter Thompson image is courtesy of\u00a0Kentuckian Hunter S. Thompson<\/a>johncoxtalks.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For another post on Trump\u00a0vis-\u00e0-vis<\/a>\u00a0the Angels, see\u00a0<\/em>Donald Trump and the Hell\u2019s Angel<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The lower image is courtesy of Angels, Protesters and Patriots: What a Long-Ago Skirmish Says About Love of Country<\/a>. \u00a0Re: Barger as “Prez,” see Thompson\u2019s Hell\u2019s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga<\/a>:<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

In any gathering of Angels … there is no doubt who is running the show: \u00a0Ralph “Sonny” Barger, the Maximum Leader… \u00a0To the Oakland Angels he is Ralph. \u00a0Everybody else calls him Sonny[,] although when the party gets wild and loose he answers to such names such as Prez, Papa and Daddy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

1999 Ballantine Book edition, at page 10. \u00a0(Thompson added that Barger was – by turns – a brawler, a fanatic, “a shrewd compromiser and a final arbitrator.”) \u00a0<\/em>See also\u00a0Hunter S. Thompson – Wikipedia<\/a>, and\u00a0<\/em>On the wisdom of Virgil \u2013 and an \u201cAngel<\/a>,” in my companion blog.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

And finally, this proviso: \u00a0“Any resemblance to actual persons” – that is, and comparison to other actual persons – “living or dead is purely coincidental.”<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0See\u00a0Any Resemblance to Actual Persons, Living or Dead, is …<\/a>, and\/or\u00a0All persons fictitious disclaimer – Wikipedia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, for a more in-depth treatment of the negotiations leading to Barger’s decision to “stop the violence,” see Thompson’s book, Ballantine edition, at pages 244-53. \u00a0Six of those ten pages are taken up by Ginsberg’s poem, “To the Angels,” delivered at San Jose State on November 15, 1965, “before students and representatives of Bay Area Hell’s Angels.” \u00a0These pages included two ironic notes, the first that for “reasons never divulged, [President] Johnson was slow to capitalize on Barger’s offer and the Angels never went to Vietnam.” \u00a0(To engage in “behind-the-lines ‘gorrilla’ [sic] duty.”) \u00a0Also: \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The Angels … are rigidly anti-Communist. \u00a0[Which adds a third note of irony, given the events of this last election.] \u00a0Their political views are limited to the same kind of retrograde patriotism that motivates the John Birch Society, the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party. \u00a0They are blind to the irony of their role [as] knight errants of a faith from which they have already been excommunicated. \u00a0The Angels will be the first to be locked up or croaked if the politicians they think they agree with ever come to power<\/strong>. (E.A.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Note that a knight-errant<\/a>\u00a0was a “figure of medieval chivalric<\/a> romance literature<\/a>.” \u00a0Such a knight would “wander the land in search of adventures to prove his chivalric<\/a> virtues.” \u00a0The plural would be<\/em>\u00a0Knights-Errant<\/a>, as seen in\u00a0<\/em>Sparkler Monthly<\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are we in for another\u00a0\u201cdeja vu all over again,” on Inauguration Day, 2017? * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * Inauguration Day is coming up on January 20. \u00a0And here’s a\u00a0news flash: I\u00a0Googled\u00a0“trump inauguration protests” – and got over two million results. Here’s part of the\u00a0grab-bag: \u00a0Trump rips John Lewis as Democrats boycott inauguration,\u00a0The Anti-Inauguration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5559"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5559"}],"version-history":[{"count":91,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5945,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5559\/revisions\/5945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}