Arming the Revolution

8/14/2019 Arming the Revolution

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Arming the Revolution

The Winds of Change Blow Flamestoward

Jordan Ledererin the '60's

Shattu! house was one of the lower l"ing #ewels in the ultural tiara of the of the late 60's$earl" %0's$ hi& ulture of the San Franiso Ba" area (t stood in one of the e&ienters of that ulture$ theuniversit" town of Ber!ele"$ Ca The )eautiful three olor house &aint &rolaimed an artist's &ride ofraft (t dis&la"ed vivid earth &igmented hues of maroon$ gra" and oher "ellow An invoation of theartists' muse$ estatiall" on#oined with the modern tehnolog" of the airless s&ra" &en These two hadla)ored forth in love ( often marveled at the lean$ as if ta&ed$ lines )etween the harmoniousl"ontrasting olors$ &enil &erfet lines formed with a single &ass of the airless &en *arvelous too was

the reali+ation of the &ratial im&ossi)ilit" of mas!ing with ta&e all the intriate ontours of the,itorian ornamentation in the old$ traditional wa" of suh &ainting$ it would have ta!en an im&ossi)leamount of time -et it had suessfull" )een so olorfull" detailed )" this advane in the tehnolog" ofthe arts .ngineering failitating art$ art rewarding engineering The s&heres &iered )" wooden dowelsshowed showed a lean edged meeting of maroon and gra" Sroll wor! la" fresh on oher)a!grounds of ginger)read ga)les$ and adorned the )a" window &anels that formed the narrow ornatefront of this ,itorian flavored ginger)read house faing Ber!ele"'s Shattu! ave

(t was )right and fresh$ li!e the "outhful faes of the /C Ber!ele" students and the nonaademi students$ as ( might all them$ who filled its interiors with the s&irit of Renaissane$ ofastrolog"$ Tarot$ and m"stiism (ndian ragas and inense olored and sented dee& &hiloso&hialdisussions stimulated )" Ber!ele"'s aifia Radio &rogram$ What is 1i&2 3r &erha&s it was a

disussion s&ar!ed )" .nglish hiloso&her and Sausalito house)oat dweller Alan Watts 1is easternhiloso&h" radio )roadast alled on us to ontem&late the nature of human onsiousness

.ah room at Shattu! house had its' ou&ant$ some times even the rawl s&ae under itwas ou&ied as well$ most an"&lae would do$ if it ould hold u& a sreen of olorful$ low ost (ndian)lo! &rint muslin )ed s&reads$ a sta&le of loal student sho&s The &orous muslin filled with thelingering sents of inense$ Jasmine$ Sandalwood$ Fran!inense and the u)i4uitous oil of athouli5welling s&ae in Ber!ele" was &reious$ and desired )" man" whose &urit" of &ur&ose$ devoid oforru&ting merenar" intent$ left them in an im&eunious state The goodwill )o down the street$&ri+ed for its' water tightness$ and the fat that it was generall" filled with soft and warm o)#ets$ alsoheld the status of a oveted dwelling

For #ust )eing in Ber!ele" was in itself an eduation The intelletual auldron of ideas$ diverse&eo&les$ &s"hedeli visions and a )u))ling ultural revolution was &erha&s the most meaningful &artof it (t ertainl" was for me There were man" willing to endure suh a minor inonveniene as livingin a 7oodwill )o$ if it meant the o&&ortunit" to )eome a &art of that vaguel" defined )ut headil"swelling tsunami of soial hange referred to in onversation man" times a da"$ as 8The *ovement9

( had )een invited to Shattu! house )" a &revious housemate$ Ba!er$ a / of 3regon graduatewho moved to Ber!ele" for the &ost graduate eduation of its offee houses$ streets$ and ativist&hiloso&hers 1e had found wor! at the 85irt" Rain)ow9$ an art su&&l" store founded )" a reent


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Ber!ele" graduate$ who didn't want to leave Ber!ele" But within a semester of m" arrival$ almostever"one there would leave$ and ( was faed with finding a new &lae$ or ta!ing over the lease andfilling it with friends and others who needed housing$ eas" enough$ so ( did

:o one it seemed$ reall" wanted to leave Ber!ele"$ ee&t &erha&s those who had &rostitutedtheir o&&ortunit" for eduational enlightenment to some rass material &ur&ose of em&lo"ment That

outside world$ our assoiation with the enlightened minds of an elite universit" had im&liitl"informed us$ was one dominated )" greed" and stu&id )usinessmen$ and militaristi )rutes$ who ruell"su&&ressed an ignorant$ raist$ &re#udied$ )lindl" materialisti and morall" )an!ru&t &o&ulous ofavariious Amerian onsumers Than! the /niversit" S"stem$ that we were safe from their orru&tinginfluene

(t was Woodrow Wilson$ ( )elieve$ who said it is the &ur&ose of &rogressive eduation to ma!eits alumni as little li!e their &arents as &ossi)le ( sometimes wonder how /niversities would fare ifthat was &rinted on ever" tuition )ill

The dis&arit" in wealth )etween the West and the rest of the world was no longer to )e seen assomething we had done right and the rest of the world should emulate$ )ut rather something the westhad done to the world and for whih Ameri!a s&ell that with a ; &lease$ deserved to &a" retri)utionWomen$ mud &eo&le$ the &oor$ the third world$ all suffered under the domination of the western whitemale$ whose )rutal and evil efforts at self aggrandi+ement was res&onsi)le for &er&etuating thema#orit" of suffering in the world

We had learned that the seas were d"ing from the &ollution of mass onsumerism$ and withinthe s&ae of our adulthood$ the &lan!ton that su&&lied 60< of the worlds o"gen would )e gone Thaton no less an authorit" than sientist$ environmentalist$ ativist and 1eroi underwater adventurerJa4ues Cousteau

5es&ite all the stern and righteous letures onerned students gave to the mothers of largefamilies at the Safewa" mar!et aross the street$ the &o&ulation )om) was still e&loding (t was&ro&elling us into a *althusian future of starvation amidst the )arren de)ris of a stri& mined &lanet$ theertaint" of suh a future was #ust a matter of doing the math

The ti!ing minute hand on the lo! of :ulear war stood at = minutes to midnight$ and giventhe fasists' refusal to unilaterall" disarm$ or even em)rae the :ulear free+e$ it was ertain to stri!ethe midnight death !noll for all man!ind Traditional institutions of religion$ ivis$ moralit" andeduation eisted solel" to &er&etuate$ failitate and &rovide euses for the ontinuing e&loitations )"the &owerful

.thni minorities$ women$ "outh$ la" s4uirming under the #a!)oot heel of the traditional whitemale dominated soiet" At Bla! .&eriene &arties$ onverted$ guilt stri!en middle lass whites hadtheir wallets stolen at shotgun &oint$ and the women fored into situations where the" atuall" )elievedthat the" were a)out to )e ra&ed$ to show them what life had$ su&&osedl"$ )een li!e for Bla!s allthrough Amerias' histor"

(n short$ the world outside the /niversit" ommunit"$ Realit"$ was$ o)viousl"$ a )ummer

But if one lived in a &lae li!e Be!ele"$ one didn't have to go there 3ne ould )e &ro&elledfrom the linging mu! of suh a realit" )" o&ious louds of weed$ LS5$ ST$ 5*T$ *esaline$


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s"lo")in These were the new ro!et fuels that ould &ro&el the onsiousness of man!ind out of themire and u&ward along the &ath to :irvana ma&&ed )" enturies of meditative )liss &erformed )"eastern mon!s and whose fruits of wisdom were sri)ed into the ( Ching$ the Tao$ the Ca)ala$ the Suffitets of Rumi$ and the .g"&tian and the Ti)etan )oo!s of the dead$ all availa)le at Sham)ala Boo!s onTelegra&h Ave -ears of &ainful disi&line and tedious aseti meditation were no longer re4uired forsuh enlightenment At >0th entur" s&eeds$ in hours of &s"hedeli e&eriene$ one ould launh into

the multiolored )lossom of the the &s"hedeli Lotus$ e&eriene a new onsiousness$ and failitatethe dawning of the new age of A4uarius 81armon" and understanding$ m"sti magi revelation andthe minds true li)eration9 was resulting

The movement laimed the high road in sei+ing the helm and altering the doomed ourse of a)an!ru&t materialisti ivili+ation and its om&assionless handmaiden$ a deterministi siene 8Whoare We29 As!ed the &iering larion lear all of Finh ollege attendee 7rae Sli!$ turned&s"honaut$ and one of the man" &rosel"ti+ing musial voies$ 8We are volunteers of Ameria$,olunteers of Ameria9 A generation whose new awareness ould ma!e it all right$ if onl" we ouldget the world$ at least its' "outh$ to feed its head$ and see the light of the new onsiousness 7raewould )e frustrated in an attem&t to dro& 600 mi!es of LS5 into Rihard :ion's tea at a white housegathering

( would get two aademi units of soial studies redit$ disreetl" la)eled inde&endent stud" onm" transri&t$ for a student union s&onsored ourse o taught )" 1arvard rofessor Timoth" Lear"$ ofTurn on$ Tune in$ and 5ro& 3ut$ fame$ and 5r Rihard Al&ert who later )eame eastern flavored 8Be1ere :ow9 guru Ba)a Ram 5as The ourse was entitled 8The ursuit of 1a&&iness$ .m&hasi+ingSe and 5rugs9 Ber!ele"s' disi&les of .salens' 7estalt Fl"ing Cirus .nounter grou&s ra!ed o&enour rigid$ inhi)iting )ehaviors and drew one into the li)erating world of inter&ersonal human emotionsJo" was the natural state of our )eing$ and onl" the horrid self limiting im&erfetions of traditionalulture !e&t us from )eing there

What 2 -ou want me to go where2 And do what2 But m" father an )e ver" &ersuasive (t wasm" first summer out of m" ver" disillusioning three "ears in the Arm" The militar"$ ( had slowl" and&ainfull" reali+ed$ was far more li!el" to dis&la" a)"smal inom&etene$ self serving$ and orru&tionthan it was to re&liate the etraordinar" eam&les ( had e&eriened in m" summer with m"7odfathers' Air :ational 7uard unit

(n the Arm"$ ( had e&eriened a side of humanit" ( had sarel" sus&eted eisted$ and ( hadseen enough$ though far$ far$ from the worst$ of man's inhumanit" to man$ to feel a 4uee+" turning ofsi!ness in the soul ( had seen &overt" :ot Amerian &overt"$ whih m" assoiates seemed to want to)lame for ever" oneiva)le soial ill :ot the Amerian &overt"$ res&lendent with heated s&aes$eletri lights$ hot and old running water$ indoor &lum)ing$ a refrigerator$ a television$ a tele&hone$food stam&s and a welfare he!$ )ut real &overt"$ third world &overt"

The &overt" of a )lind and ri&&led famil" with four small hildren living through a thirt")elow +ero winter in a &u& tent of anvas sra&s$ with a half mile wal! down a stee& hill to the nearest&olluted water ( had seen &eo&le live deent &rodutive and ha&&" lives with a tin" fration of thematerial resoures that graed even &oor Amerians ( had learned there was a differene )etweenmaterial &overt"$ and a &overt" of the s&irit and of harater$ and ( had learned that the latter is farmore devastating

To finish m" Arm" time ( had engineered$ through three frustrating &asses of o&ious&a&erwor!$ a few months earl" disharge to return to Ber!ele" in time for the fall semester ( now sawthe &lae with ver" different e"es ( would loo! through the man" &roffered ideologial lenses with amore #aundied and s!e&tial e"e But living amidst the strong dis&arate &ulls of onfliting and


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ground 1e had onvined adget Clar!e$ the ver" .nglish head of the Western 1emis&here 5ivisionof 5ea Surve" S"stems$ to finane his innovative one&t of ada&ting the .uro&ean 5ea guidanes"stem to field mo)ile airraft o&erations .ver" hd and engineer in the 5ea Cor&oration said itouldn't )e done *" father had )arel" finished high shool$ and that onl" )" onvining a !indl"teaher to graduate him if he got his &ilots liense

:ever the less$ 3ld Silver Tongue$ as he would sometimes later )e alled$ made a onviningenough ase to get his finaning (t &ro)a)l" hel&ed that 5ea was in dee& finanial diffiulties$ andhis &ro&osal$ however unli!el" of suess$ offered at least a &ossi)le &ath for the or&orations' return tosolven" The des&erate are often the ones most willing to innovate /sing his e&eriene in fieldairraft o&erations$ he &ersonall" designed the e4ui&ment that would ta!e former giant fied radionavigation stations$ shrin! them to mo)ile si+e and tru! them out over the roads for tem&orar"installations in rural ow &astures

When ever"one was too sared to lim) a twelve stor" high$ >0 ft$ ladder li!e radio antenna$he said 8B" 7od ('m == "rs "ears old )ut if no one else will lim) that thing$ ( will9 Fortunatel" someone else did (n Cow)o" &ilot Festus's later words 81e ramrodded that outfit9

('m ashamed to sa" it would )e deades )efore ( a&&reiated m" fathers ahievement$ ( was too)us" disdainfull" de&reating his old shool white male militar" influened management st"le$ and la!of &olitial orretness 1adn't we$ after all$ gone to a great /niversit" to learn )etter than that2

The natural environment of rural 7eorgia was indeed )land and )lah$ so&histiated intelletualstimulation non eistent$ and one's entertainment o&tions might )e limited to the loal hog aution -et( ame to see that there was wisdom here$ of the salt of the earth$ good fenes ma!e good neigh)orsvariet" *" ounter ultural ontem&oraries ould see wisdom in the shaman of some almost etint(ndian tri)e$ "et were in denial$ willfull" )lind to the wisdom in the sim&ler &eo&le of their ownheritage

(n Ber!ele"$ intelligene$ worldliness$ and aademi so&histiation ounted for ever"thing1ere the" meant little .ffort$ heart$ harater$ integrit"$ )eing true to ones word$ these were the oin ofthis more )asi rural realm (n one small town$ ( suddenl" reali+ed that someone with a ollege degreewas as rare there$ as an astronaut was in Ber!ele"$ and "et the la! of degrees was of as little im&ort tothe towns &eo&le as the sarit" of astronauts was to those in Ber!ele" erha&s$ ( )egan to see, ourBer!ele" values weren't the sole and universal sale

The whole of the e&eriene was the ver" o&&osite of what ( had &lanned for m"self at in BigSur$ "et ( )eame strangel" a&tivated )" it We were doing something that had never )een done)efore$ navigating heav" airraft overfl"ing millions of ares at treeto& level$ to an aura" of &lus orminus >= feet$ the most aurate airraft guidane )eing done in the world And we were doing it froma road mo)ile g"&s" onvo" of four tru!s and trailers$ leverl" and heavil" )ede!ed with antennas$ground mat$ water and diesel$ si 3nan diesel station generators$ a&aitive oil )oes$ hain hoists$ome alongs$ a)le lam&s and hain )inders$ and well worn$ dou)le leather &almed riggers gloves

We would &ull into a farmers &asture$ ran! u& an antenna la"ing ato& a utilit" tru! into anu&right &osition$ li!e a missile read" for launh$ and srew three five foot long swam& anhors into thesand" red la" 7eorgia soil 3ur four man team stood one at eah ground anhor and with the hainommander at the enter manning the antenna's )uilt in hand ran!ed winh$ sweat u& the si twent"foot$ teleso&ed together for trans&ort$ steel lattie setions

There was little idle hat All the energ" went into 4uiet$ stead" &rodution 83ne$ ta!e two$


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three loosen four$9 gu" wire a)le ad#ustments !e&t the rising tower straight and vertial 8 Che!tension$ 7ood2 $ 3; tie it off$9 net setion going u& We sweated li!e &igs in the hot sun and humid7eorgia heat$ )ut at the end of a tough si hours a full" o&erational radio navigation station$ with allaoutrements$ stood read to )roadast (ts' >0 ft high$ twelve stor" antenna$ was usuall" the highestthing around for tens of miles (t might sta" there two wee!s or two months$ till we rolled it u& againand moved it on

The net da" one of the station o&erators$ one of the gu"s who manned a ground anhor &ost"esterda"$ would )e res&onsi)le for !ee&ing the station on the air$ fueled and &ro&erl" ad#usted for thatwhole time 1e might )e o&erating alone in that ow &asture$ H0 miles from the rest of us for the wholetwo wee!s or two months Another of that sweat" rew$ eventuall"$ it would )e me$ would )e &lottingradio wave &atterns and airraft flight &aths )a! at the air&ort )ase offie trailer$ whih itself mightmove one or twie during the two to four months of a ontrat

We were doing something that had never )een done )" man )efore$ and doing it )etter thanan"one else ould do it We felt li!e we were aom&lishing something$ something that mattered3ther &eo&le ounted on "ou to do "our &art$ ra&idl" and &reisel" (t wasn't another aademi &a&er$another &ile of #argoni+ed &ol"s"lla)i erudite effluent$ to )e read one$ ma")e$ some of us stu!nonsense &aragra&hs in our &a&ers to see if the" were )eing read at all$ some !ind of grade sri))led onit$ and the result hu!ed into the memora)ilia This was su)stantial$ it was real$ it was hanging&eo&les lives$ hanging them for the )etter$ and the" were voall" grateful for it

At the air&ort the ground 4ua!ed under the ough and roar of a do+en >$000 h& radial airraftengines$ right out of WW(( The )attered o!&its of old :av" ,E> twin engined tor&edo )om)ers stillshowed their mahine gun triggers and tor&edo release handles Sitting ross legged in the lotus&osition in the &leiglass )u))le nose of a BE% four engined )om)er #ust learing the tree to&s at >>0miles an hour was a thrill that mathed$ and admira)l" om&limented$ tri&&ing on &s"hedelis on aam&us And indeed$ ( was to find that the loals !new that at times of the right om)ination oftem&erature and rainfall$ &owerful *agi *ushrooms ould )e &i!ed )" the )ushel in the 7eorgiaow &astures

(t was li!e )eing a &art of a tehnologial traveling irus$ o&&osite$ in man" wa"s$ "et&aralleling the 7estalt Fl"ing Cirus .nounter 7rou& *ovement at .salen and Ber!ele" (t was aneternal manifestation$ rural$ tehnologial$ made of airraft and engineering$ "et of the same s&irit andinnovation )" individuals of vision that was ha&&ening in the internal s"hologial realm

The ast of haraters was as )i+arre as an" on the Ber!ele" streets$ )ut of a totall" different il!A rew right out of Terr" and the irates ,ladimir$ ,al$ the C+ehoslova!ian s4uadron ommanderwho had defeted during the 1ungarian revolution$ fl"ing his Russian *i7 #et fighter out ofC+ehoslova!ia with the rest of the s4uadron hasing after him to shoot him down$ and then selling the*i7 to the C(A to get his sta!e in a new world 1e had little use for an" !ind of authorit"

Festus$ the 8Who's ramrodding this outfit29 ow)o" of W"omingIs Aviation S&eialties Theformer Air Ameria &ilot for the C(A$ the name lost to me$ who had started his own Asian argo airlineand was having a tourist hotel )uilt )" the same woodwor!ers who had )uilt (ndonesian residentSu!arno's$ ela)oratel" arved &alae (t was situated on his own offshore Cam)odian island (t had allfallen to the ommunist ta!eover so fast that his first attem&t to fl" out with what he had &reloaded in


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his argo &lane resulted in his )eing shot down 3nl" )" ma!ing it )a! on foot to a seond airraftwere he and his famil" a)le to get out with #ust the shirts on their )a!s 1is wife$ of a former highgovernment famil"$ had a hard time understanding wh"$ if the" needed mone"$ the" didn't #ust run asuitase of 1eroin as her famil" had alwa"s done

( too$ a4uired a ni! name$ a handle$ Wooll" Bull"$ for m" long hair and )eard$ and )eamenot the least weird of this multi &ointed star of human diversit" The mone" was damn good$ and "ouould live off the &er diem living allowane on ontrat$ and )an! the whole &a"he! 3f ourse$ itwas de rigueur to )e )lase' a)out it ( remem)er m" father handing me a long unashed &a"he! andsardoniall" remar!ing$ 8 ( found this )eing used as a )oo!mar! in an LS5 )oo!9 For the net eight"ears$ three till ( graduated$ ( would alternate )etween the three month ontrats of 5ea #o)s in thes&ring and fall$ and the aademi environment of Ber!ele" during the shool "ear ost graduation$ (followed m" first true love into a new age soial e&eriment$ an alternative artists warehouseommunit" in San Franiso$ and went world traveling )etween ontrats in the summer

5ea &a" had &urhased 5aner$ the onl" vehile ( have ever )ought )rand new$ a to&of the line 6=0 Trium&h Bonneville motor"le that stood lo!ed under a &iee of tan! retriever hainin the "ard of Shattu! house The"'d ut through the a)le lo! the time it was stolen$ &atientl" &r"ingthe a)le a&art wire )" wire and utting eah strand$ )ut the fresh ha!saw mar!s ('d oasionall" findon those half inh thi! hain lin!s #ust made me smile at the thought of the would )e thievesfrustration

The movement was ta!ing root and growing 8Somethings ha&&ening here$ )ut "ou don't !nowwhat it is$ 5o "ou$ *r Jones9 sang Bo) 5"lan (t was ha&&ening around the leading /niversit"am&uses$ the 1aight Ash)ur"$ in San Franiso$ the )a! to the land movement$ the new soietiesham&ioned )" minds li!e Tim Lear" and Ba)a Ram 5ass$ *ahareshi$ Alan Watts$ Aldious 1ule"$smaller more &ersonal )u))les around the &ersons of enlightenment$ li!e the 5ali Lama$ 7handi$*artin Luther ;ing ( remem)er &ointing out that while esta)lishment anhorman Walter Cron!itewould end his )roadast with 8 and that's the wa" it is9 The Ber!ele" radio station would end its :ews&rogram with 8That's the news$ if "ou don't li!e it$ go out and ma!e some of "our own9 There were&lent" willing to do so

( )elieved that "ou lead )" eam&le Rather than atta!ing the esta)lishment )eause of itsshortomings$ and tearing down what someone else had )uilt$ the higher road was to )uild "our owneam&les of more &erfet soieties Soieties that the mainstream ould then see the truth of$ and see!to model themselves after (f the ounter ulture had )etter values$ it would &rodue )etter soieties$and that would )e o)vious to ever"one So ( was more interested in the stud" and reation of effetivealternative soieties than in the engineering of onfrontations and &olitial &ower gra))ing

Behind the *artin Luther ;ings$ whose strateg" de&ended on &rovo!ing )ut not returningviolene$ there la" the more o&en alls to violene )" the *alom 's the 1ue" :ewtons$ the LewisFarra!hans$ the Bo))" Seals$ the 8Soul on (e9 of .ldridge Cleaver To m" friends who dis&arage m"urrent more onservative )ent$ ( sometimes &oint out that ( voted for the first Bla! *an to run for the&residen"$ K0 "rs )efore 3)ama The S"m)ionese Li)eration Arm" romantii+ed the all to armsBlues singers Lightening 1o&!ins$ Sonn" Terr"$ and Brownie *7ee gave salt to ommunal earth

8Revolutions and revolutionar" wars are inevita)le in lass soiet"$and without them it isim&ossi)le to aom&lish an" lea& in soial develo&ment and to overthrow the reationar" rulinglasses and therefore im&ossi)le for the &eo&le to win &olitial &ower


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The sei+ure of &ower )" armed fore$ the settlement of the issue )" war$ is the entral tas! andthe highest form of revolution This *arist ELeninist &rini&le of revolution holds good universall"$for China$ and for all other ountries9 E*ao tse Tung

So read the little red )oo! of Chairman *ao that the Bla! anthers )ought in )athes for =0ents a&iee$ then sold$ for a dollar eah$ on the ree&tive Ber!ele" am&us$ dou)ling their mone" in a

few hours$ and whose ver" a&italistiall" a4uired &rofit was then used to )u" their first guns

Shattu! house stood at the neus of the elements of Ber!ele" To the .ast u&Ehill was theam&us ommunit" of whih we were an em)r"oni dias&ora

Behind the )a! fene in that diretion was the Russian immigrant &hiloso&her who lived in autilit" room and wor!ed as a free lane translator of Russian maga+ines for the for the / Sgovernment *ostl" agriultural stuff$ he assured us To the south was the Sarge$ a )la! thirt" "earsoon to retire Arm" *aster Sargent who had ahieved his life's goal$ a )rand new white Cadilla$res&lendent with a television set in the )a!$ a rarit" in those da"s We were in the mied edge of theBla! ghetto to the west$ that etended down through the flats to the industrial edge of the )a"$ and tothe *arina We were 7hetto enough that the handle on m" ,W Bus side door would )e in the down&osition ever" morning$ indiating where someone had tested it for )eing lo!ed$ a reminder that if "ouwere to forget to lo! it #ust one timeBut ( thin! ever"one !new not to fu! with the Sarges' add"

The Sarge !e&t us with a foot on the earth$ )rought us )a! to realit" from the midst of ourhi&&ie idealisms 1i&&ie it should )e noted$ was a media term$ we$ the &eo&le on the streets$universall" alled ourselves Frea!s 3ne of the girls left her rooms' side window o&en on a hotsummers night and a loal snea!ed in and stole her stereo 1er t"&ial of the times attitude wase&ressed as 8 ( guess if he loved musi so muh$ he had to steal m" stereo$ he should have it9 TheSarge #ust shoo! his head disgustedl" 81e didn't love musi$9 he said$ &roviding a needed dose ofrealism$ 8 1e had that thing sold for mone" to )u" drugs in >0 minutes9

(n the main house in front of the Sarges onverted garage lived an assortment of s&ades$ as)la!s were alled in the ounter ulture of the time$ that we didn't !now &ersonall" An all adultfamil"$ or some !ind of etended famil" The losest ( ame to meeting them was one :ew -ears eve( had started m" ele)ration with a ta!eout out order of loal BB$ enlivened with the #oints s&eialtast" 'Tiger Saue9$ an u& side of living in the ghetto /nfortunatel" the BB was tainted and ( amedown with an immediate and intense ase of food &oisoning$ a down side of living in the ghetto After)arfing it all u& in several e&isodes$ ( olla&sed into )ed earl" for the evening

Sometime later$ in the middle of the night$ ( was suddenl" #olted awa!e )" the sound of near)"intense and ra&id gunfire 8*" 7od9 ( thought 8Whats ha&&ening2 1as the revolution started2 8 ( ranto the front door$ flung it o&en and stared out into the night *u++le flashes turned m" head leftwardto the house in front of the Sarges garage domiile (ts' small front &orh was &a!ed with a)out a halfdo+en )la! men and women$ )la+ing awa" with rifles$ &istols$ and shotguns Fousing in$ ( ould seethe" were aiming high 83h -eah$9 ( reali+ed$ 8it's :ew -ears eve$ the" are #ust ele)rating W3W 9 (staggered )a! to )ed

The net mid morning ( was drawn to the front door )" the unusuall" formal &henomenon of afirm !no! A uniformed o& stood there ( was one of the few who attem&ted$ totall" unsuessfull"$to disourage the use of the then universal term 8igs9 for o&s$ feeling suh dehumani+ationreminisent of the :a+i la)eling of Jews$ and one that ould$ ultimatel"$ have no good onse4uenes

( was ta!en a)a! as he said 8We've had some om&laints from the used ar lot aross the


9/21

street 8 1e held out an u&lifted &alm (n the enter of it was an e&ended mm slug 8We dug this outof a wall$ loo!s li!e it ame from over this wa"9 8Jesus$9 ( thought$ 8( ho&e he doesn't want to startsearhing the &lae9 ( rolled m" e"es toward the &orh ( had o)served he night )efore 8-ou mightwant to tr" net door$ 8 ( re&lied That seemed to satisf" him$ though ( imagined he wouldn't get muh&ast the &u!er fator if he got as far as !no!ing on the door over there

While nonviolene was &u)lil" es&oused$ there was a underurrent of frontier #ustie in theBer!ele" of the time With high ho&es$ )ut with &overt" and naivete$ as a so&homore$ and )efore m"enrihment )" 5ea em&lo"ment$ ( had )ought m" first$ ver" low end$ >=0 single "linder thum&er*athless sram)ler motor"le *" mother tells me ( had wanted a motor"le sine ( was K "earsold .ver" time one went )" m" a&tivated mind would follow its' sound into the distane (t was aom&ulsion ( had to follow *athless was an .nglish *ar!$ ( #ust loved the elo4uene of the name$and its to& end twins were a rih feast for the e"es in Regen" Red$ )la! and hrome$ glittering on theshowroom floor$ all enhantingl" )eautiful Suh ould not )e said for the old used one ( ould affordwith the M>00 ( had saved from manual la)or #o)s through the student #o) offie *athless )i!es$unfortunatel"$ also earned a re&utation for a )ad )ottom end design$ whih made their engines &rone tofailure

The *athless dealer was in the )usiness distrit of downtown Ber!ele" The )usiness distritwas few )lo!s u& Shattu! Ave to the :orth$ an area that atered to the m"sterious rowds andativities of non students$ and whih we rarel" visited$ ee&t for the oasional hane to hear Sonn"Terr"$ Lighting 1o&!ins$ or Brown" *7ee &la" at the loal )lues venue The *athless dealer had)een less than andid in desri)ing the raed to trash ondition of the )i!e ( )ought$ and it too! twomonths of waiting for &arts$ to even get it running The" had a&&arentl" ommitted graver offenses toothers as well Late one night someone had e&ressed their dis&leasure with their servie as a dealer$ )"&ar!ing aross the street and$ through the dis&la" window$ shooting u& the motor"les on their showroom floor$ with a high &owered rifle

Closer to Shattu! house was *other's *otors$ the ounter ulture motor"le re&air sho& ( wasinitiall"$ at least$ &roud to &atroni+e A teenager$ had stolen m" new$ &ost 5ea em&lo"ment$ to& ofthe line Trium&h Bonneville from a am&us motor"le &ar!ing lot The ha&less father$ doing the rightthing$ offered to &a" for the damage to the front for!s that resulted from the high s&eed &olie haseand rash that followed That *others' too! several la!adaisial months to do a re&air that should haveta!en a ou&le wee!s$ was one of the earl" lues that the ounter ulture #ust might not atuall"&rodue the su&erior$ more ideal world we were &lanning for it

A )lo! down Ash)"$ the arterial ross street at the orner$ was the loal Ban! of Ameria)ranh that$ as a s"m)ol of a&italism$ was )eing )om)ed on monthl"$ sometimes wee!l"$ )asis The)om)s went off in the wee hours of the morning$ &ro)a)l" out of onsideration that no one shouldatuall" get hurt$ and the" were small &i&e )om)s so ine&tl" onstruted that the" left onl" )la! sorhmar!s around the Ban!s' entr" wa"$ doing no real damage (n the ontet of the times$ ever"one$ertainl" the loal media$ and a&&arentl"$ the authorities$ #ust seemed to ignore them 3ne of the&ro)lems with the movement was that ghetto )om)ers and student &rotestors didn't seem aware of an"of the legal a)strat lines )etween &rotest$ ivil diso)ediene$ defiant emotional ats of self e&ression$street theater$ and what would )e #udged in a ourt of law as a serious rime Suh a &i&e )om)er&ro)a)l" onsidered his at the same as that of raising a linhed fist at a street demonstration$ or on a3l"m&i medal winners &odium an innoent and righteous$ if defiant$ form of &u)li emotional selfe&ression *ost naivel" assumed even suh etreme ats to )e a !ind of theater$ not a real rime$ )utmerel" a &osition statement made with &ride


10/21


11/21

was little else that wasn't onsidered a&&ro&riate and neessar"$ or that at least eliited em&ath" alongwith the relutant neessar" moral ondemnation

3f ourse the &oint of demonstrations was to &rovo!e violene on the &art of the uniformedagents of the esta)lishment Their televised )rutalit" would disredit their &olitis$ #ust as BullConnors )rutal su&&ression of the ivil rights marhers in Selma had horrified the nation$ and lent the

neessar" &u)liit"$ s"m&ath" and wides&read su&&ort to the ivil rights ause The suess of one wasde&endent on the eesses of the other 3nl" )lood ould fous the national attention on suh su)#ets$following the medias' maim 8if it )leeds$ it leads9

5uring the Civil Rights struggle$ the uniformed agenies of the government had shownthemselves$ to the &u)li$ through the e"e of the media$ as the enemies of real #ustie Bull Conners$with his &olie dogs and water annon in the streets of Selma$ the &olie in an" Amerian ghetto$ the)lood thirst" Alameda ount" Sheriffs' de&uties shotgunning students off the roofs during eo&le'sar!$ the :ational 7uard shooting down even innoent student s&etators at ;ent State The four deadand nine wounded there$ ins&ired the losing of /niversities all over the ountr"$ in a K million strongnational student stri!e The :ational 7uard ou&"ing the streets of Ber!ele" with armored &ersonnelarriers$ onertina )ar)ed wire and fied )a"onets (t all arried the eho of the ontem&orar" Sovietsu&&ressions in the streets of rague and Buda&est$ and sto!ed the indignant rage of a re)elliousgeneration

All &itures ourtes" htt&NOOwww&eo&les&ar!orgOhistor"htmlcheck 'em out!

The eight "ears of intermittent attendane it too! me to graduate$ inluding m" three "ear stintin the Arm"$ s&anned the 8*el's drive in sit ins$9 the Santa Bar)ara oil s&ill &rotests$ the man" wee!slong demonstrations of the Free S&eeh *ovement$ the *artine+ de&ot munition train o)strutions$Sto& the 5raft Wee!$ eo&les ar!$ and the Third World Stri!e$ and ('m sure some others that don'tome immediatel" to mind
http://www.peoplespark.org/history.htmlhttp://www.peoplespark.org/history.html


12/21

8 There are times when the wor!ings of the mahine )eomes so onerous that one has to throwones )od" onto the gears to &revent the mahine from wor!ing at all9 Were the elo4uent if demagogi

words of *ario Savio to the huge rowds of students that had &roved the effia" and the &ower ofsuh &rotests to hange the rules of world the" lived in And this was true even though H0< had&ro)a)l" shown u& #ust to see what the hell was going on 1ow ould one not use suh new found&ower to alter the doomed ourse of the )lind and )asel" guided Ameri!an ulture of our h"&oritialanestors2

Amerias traditional values were not to )e trusted ( remem)er sharing with m" father one ofthe lessons of m" aademi e&eriene$ that giving the average Amerian more mone"$ was li!e givinga mon!e" a )igger lu) Aademi elitism2 3f ourse not$ we're #ust o)viousl" smarter$ and learl"!new what's )est for a terri)l" ignorant world

The Rolling Stones sang out 8 The time is right for violent revolution$ )ut where ( live the gamethe" &la" is oooom&romise soooluuuuution And what an a &oor )o" do$ 'e&t &la" for a ro! roll)and$ ause there ain't no &lae in London town$ oh "eah$ for a street fightin' man9

Living on the edge of the ghetto$ as Shattu! house was$ one learned that the &olie were a lotli!e the famil" dog (n one ontet of &eo&le the" were the affetionate$ lo"al &rotetors$ in another thesnarling fang )ared hallenger of the intruder The differene )etween the two$ it was something of asho! to atuall" e&eriene$ ould )e a mere few )lo!s of geogra&h"

A &revious domiile$ the 1aste and Bowdith house$ had )een two )lo!s from Telegra&h avewhih at the time served as a sort of sto! trading floor for &s"hedelis A)out a hundred &eo&le hung

out in front of e&e's i++a &arlor (f "ou as!ed a dealer 8(s this stuff an" good29 1e would usuall"&oint to someone and sa" 8As! him 1e's on it9 (nside e&e's$ eight &eo&le might sit around one of the)ig round oarse wooden ta)les *one" would )e dealt li!e ards on the ta)le to&$ then all handswould go under the ta)le$ with shoulders wiggling$ as the drugs were distri)uted The minimal nod todisretion was omi Then someone might lean over and as! 8Can ( )orrow "our outfit29 to shoot u&with Roger$ in a loth fl"ing helmet with goggles on to&$ sold >> !ilos$ )ri!s$ of weed out of the trun!of his ar in one night$ from the &ar!ing s&ot immediatel" in front of e&e's That s&ot was oftenou&ied )" a ou&le of ustom 1arle"'s of the 1ell's Angels$ though ( never saw more than two thereat the same time


13/21

:et to e&e's was a oin laundromat 3ne evening ( ame )" and it was om&letel" filled withstreet frea!s sitting hi& )one to hi& )one on to& of the washers and dr"ers that lined the edge of theroom$ ma")e thirt" to fort" &eo&le The" were &assing around #oints and there was a strange vi)e ofolletive onsiousness Curious$ ( ste&&ed inside ( was instantl" aosted )" a franti frea! 8-ou'vegot to hel& me9 he ried 8The &igs are )usting &eo&le$ and these &eo&le don't even reali+e it9 Justthen$ from the )a! door on the o&&osite side of the room$ two )rown uniformed Ber!ele" o&s

entered$ a&&roahed a sitting to!er$ and one on eah arm$ lifted him off the washer and arried him outthe )a! door to a waiting s4uad ar The" ame )a! in$ too! another$ and drove off .ver"oneom&letel" ignored the whole thing$ the" didn't even turn their heads (t was as if it were #ust another&assing halluination A ou&le of those standing$ asuall" wal!ed over and too! the seats of the&eo&le removed (t was too muh for me to deal with ( loo!ed hel&lessl" at m" aoster$ shrugged m"shoulders$ turned around and left ( wonder toda" if it was #ust a s&ontaneous event$ as ( too! it forthen$ or was it some !ind of more organi+ed 8smo!e in9 a not unommon at of &rotest at the time

Living a )lo! awa" from e&e's$ we had a !ilo of silo")in im&regnated grass delivered toour door for M0 and it la" o&en in the middle of a ta)le with a to" sword stu! in it for an"one andtheir guests to ut off a hun!$ as desired

The reentl" &assed law against LS5 and other &s"hedelis was seen as an illegitimate$reationar" res&onse to the &ower of suh mana to transform the mainstream soiet" There was tal!$and ertainl" efforts$ to turn &laes li!e Ber!ele" into free +ones where suh laws ould not )e&ratiall" enfored

(t was in this ontet that$ shall ( all him$ Tinsen arrived at Shattu! house Tensin had )een ahousemate at Lifestream house$ the &lae we ou&ied after the 1aste and Bowdith house had )een)ought and torn down )" the /niversit"$ forming &art of an em&t" )lo! that was su&&osed to )eomea &ar!ing struture and &la"ing field for the /niversit"$ )ut after la"ing vaant for over a "ear with)udget dela"s$ instead )eame the famous$ or infamous$ de&ending on "our &ers&etive$ loation ofeo&les ar!

The Lifestream domiile had afforded us a dail" e&eriene of the &ar!s' evolutions and its'violent onflits The final H0$000 strong marh of &rotesting students$ oming in from olleges all u&and down the oast$ had &assed in the street immediatel" in front of our house$ and had &aused there fora s"m)oli la"ing of a tru!load of sod over the as&halt street

Tensin had emerged from his Lifestream )asement room as the s&itting image of a %Russian Bolshevi! revolutionar"$ )la! great oat$ Cossa! &ill hat$ and waiving a >> ali)er rifle8(nto the streets Brothers9 he loudl" &rolaimed to all$ in a stirring )it of theatrials 8Jesus Christ9 (thought 81e's going to go out there and get himself shot9 For him$ it was #ust good street theater$ )ut (!new no o& was going to sto& and measure the )ore diameter of his rifle or he! that it wasn't loadedor see that it was #ust for the fun of the dramati effet


14/21

This was a &ro)lem for man" of the demonstrators$ a la! of understanding of when drama)eame self endangering riminalit"$ the" would )e more sur&rised than an"one when their &retensionsand lassi imager"$ ou&led with the )ri! throwing violene of rougher street deni+en assoiates$were ta!en seriousl" enough to &rovo!e real )ullets 3r &erha&s some o&erated more in the theme of87o ahead shoot me$ ( dare "a9 The onstant r" of 83ff the igs9 wasn't onduive to intelletual

disourse either

When ( had tele&honed m" father$ on eo&les ar!s Blood" Thursda"$ that &eo&le were )eingshot down in the streets$ he had advised$ 85on't do an"thing that will have long term onse4uenes9(t was good advie$ and ( tried to &ass it on 5on't let the &assion$ heat and drama of the moment ause"ou to do something etreme that will )e diffiult to live with$ or will even define$ the rest of "our life

(t was emotionall" hard not to res&ond to the o&&ressive uniforms in the manner of the studentsof Buda&est$ rague$ or *eio it" ( had reentl" visited *eio Cit"$ to visit the *eian fiane ofa roommates sister$ at the /niversit" there 1e had ta!en me on a am&us tour$ &ointing out where


15/21

some 6H students had )een shot dead in the u&risings on am&us The )uildings were still visi)l" &o!mar!ed with mahine gun )ullets$ and the man" steniled on images of Che 7uevara in red &aint werestill visi)le under the newer$ o)suring little rollered on s4uares of )la! over &aint Some twohundred &eo&le had also )een !illed$ ( found out researhing this in >0$ during demonstrations in theit" itself$ shot down in the infamous Tlatelolo S4uare *assare ro)a)l" few Amerians !now of it)eause the ones li!e me an't &ronoune it$ and the &u)liit" was effetivel" stifled )" the

government$ as ( sa"$ ( onl" found out while writing this in >0avier$ m" host$ was a student of eonomis 1e e&lained that in the /S one studies the sto!mar!et$ )ut in *eio$ one studies wh" there is no sto! mar!et ?at that time@ 1e e&lained themethodolog" of the ruling government &art"$ the R( 8(f "ou )eome influential as an ativist$ thegovernment offers "ou a #o) (f "ou deline$ someone drives )" and mahine guns the windows out of"our families home Then the" offer "ou the #o) again9 A further deline$ and "ou )eome the target

*anuel$ one of the ree! frea!s here in To&anga an"on$ was a &rett" heav" aloholi when ('dwor!ed with him on some odd #o)s 3nl" reentl" did ( learn from some one more intimate with him$that he had )een the son of a well &laed *eian famil"$ and had )een heavil" involved in the onflitof that time at the /niversit" 1e had fled to the /S$ and the o)surit" of To&anga$ out of fear for hislife$ )ut had )een &ursued )" *eian agents even here$ though he was suessfull" hidden )" hisfriends$ who had diverted their in4uiries ( had ho&ed to tal! with him a)out those times$ )utunfortunatel"$ li!e so man" of us at this age$ he &assed awa" a few wee!s ago$ S&ring >0$ )efore (had the hane to s&ea! with him on the su)#et Seeing these &eo&le$ and their )its of histor"disa&&ear$ is a lot of what motivates me to write these &ages

(n the To&anga of the %0's fugitive status was often the default mode ( )eame aware of thiswhen ( was awa" on a tri& Some friend from the east oast ame )" and tried to find me 3n m"return$ ( was informed of this )" another To&angan in the following manner 8While "ou were gone$some)od" ame loo!ing for "ou$ )ut don't worr"$ we didn't tell them an"thing9

(n the Ber!ele" of the earl" %0's$ the *eio /niversit" !ind of violene was a &ossi)ilit"that ( was fearful of As a veteran$ ( had )een omforta)le wal!ing into the :ational 7uard's assem)l"areas and tal!ing with the troo&s$ while the" ou&ied Ber!ele" during eo&les ar! ( don't !now whatthe troo&s had )een told$ )ut the" were sared Sared$ ine&eriened "r olds with *EK's$ and notver" stead" trigger fingers The !ind of troo&s that in all &ro)a)ilit" nervousl" fired the first shots atConord and Leington$ starting the eight "ear war of the Amerian Revolution$ the !ind of troo&s thatdid in %0$ fire 6% rounds into demonstrating students$ !illing K and wounding nine$ some of whomwere #ust )" standers (t was the ontem&orar"$ infamous ;ent State massare (t was a)out asdangerous a situation as ('ve felt (t was with suh humanl" disastrous &ossi)ilities in mind that (managed$ with some effort$ to onvine Tensin to !ee& his theater to the onfines of our )uilding

Toda"$ with his a&&earane at Shattu! house$ TensinIs tale was no less dramati 8 ('m hel&ingsome friends at / C Santa Bar)ara9 he o&ened The students at this oean front &aradise &art" shoolwere not to )e outdone )" Ber!ele" in their su&&ort of 8the movement9 The" had reentl" )urned thes"m)ol of a&italist o&&ression$ the loal Ban! of Ameria )uilding$ to total destrution$ in a massdemonstration (t was an at ertainl" more effiaious$ if also more negativel" onse4uential$ than ourloal )la! sorh mar! ma!ing &i&e )om)ers

The event is well desri)ed in the 5ouOdrama novel Burning Ban!s and Roasting*arshmallowsNThe .duation of 5aniel *arleau N a few eer&ts hereN

Suddenl" a se&arate grou& of rioters$ sur&rising ever"onePes&eiall" the o&s$ harged Throwing


16/21

ro!s and &ro#etiles of ever" desri&tion$ whoo&ing$ hollering$ this oiled mass thrust itself ontoone side of the &olie line$ )rea!ing it a&art and foring a ra&id retreat of its dismem)ered &arts westaross the &ar! The Rolling StonesI 8Street FightinI *an9 )lasted from an o&en window filling the night air u&and down the street Some of the rioters heered The o&s !e&t running until the" were out ofview$

The &illars in front of the )an! still held$ )ut the front wall had aved inward when the roof olla&sedThe )ri! walls on eah side and in )a! framed the fire (t too! the good &art of an hour )efore the firegutted most of the interior

The" had done it The" had reall" done itPwhoever 8the"9 were :ow all of usPwhetherresidents of (sla ,ista or students of the /niversit"Pwere sailing together$ li!e it or not$ into smo!eEsli!ened$ unharted waters

( As ( started to wal! awa"$ ( notied three gu"s The" held refashioned oat hangersover what was left of the fire 3n the end of the hangers were several marshmallows9

/C Santa Bar)ara's )eah front am&us is one of the most id"lli$ luurious and o&ulent inAmeria$ one far more suited to sun)urns than Ban! )urning Those who )elieve violent revolutionomes from &overt" and dis&arit" in inomes would do well to stud" its ativities in the sities

At Shattu! house$ Tensin )egan to ela)orate on the &lans of the friends he was wor!ing with atSanta Bar)ara (t was sarel" less dramati than the )an! )urning 8The &lan is to )rea! o&en theam&us R3TC Armor"$ and sei+e the G0 *EKs in it9 ? the *EK )eing the standard Arm" (nfantr"rifle of the times@ 8The" don't want an" mone" for themselves$ )ut the" have to get enough mone" toover the ost of the o&eration$ a)out MG= &er rifle9

ThatIs ertainl" onsientious of them$ ( reflet$ not to sull" the no)ilit" of shooting &eo&le for&olitial ends$ with the trul" horri)le immoralit" of see!ing to ma!e a &rofit All a &art of the 8nonviolene ee&t in the &ursuit of Soialist Revolution9 &hiloso&h" of the times$ the slogan so oftenfound im&rinted over a &iture of an armed 7eronimo or Che 7uevara


17/21

Tensin went on$ 8*" #o) is to find the movement grou& that an )est use the guns ('ve ontated ever"grou& ( an thin! of$ )ut none of the organi+ations have wanted them9 That's something of a relief$ (thin!$ releasing a little of the &h"sial tension that the revelation of this &lan has 4ui!l" )uilt u& in me8The onl" grou& ( have left to ontat9 he ontinued 8is the Bla! anthers ('m on m" wa" there now9

( su&&ose Tensin wouldn't have sto&&ed )" to tell me this if he wouldn't have a&&reiated some

om&an" in this rather )alls" endeavor$ )ut this was never e&ressed *" own thought was 8 JesusChrist This gu" is going to wal! into Bla! anther art" :ational 1ead4uarters and offer to sell them*EK militar" rifles29 (nredulous$ and with the adventurous s&irit of an invulnera)le "outh ou&ledwith the enthusiasm of the times$ ( thought 8This$ ( gotta see9

Without muh further ver)iage we headed out on foot down Shattu! Ave$ and toward Bla!anther art" :ational 1ead4uarters This was the home to our revolutionar" 8Freedom )" an" meansneessar"9 )la! )rothers The Bla! Brothers of the )la! )erets$ )la! leather #a!ets and )la!u&raised linhed fists$ and$ un!nown to me until writing this in >0$ delared )" the FB( to )e thenum)er one domesti threat to :ational Seurit" The" were loated onl" > )lo!s south$ in thediretion of 3a!land

(f Ber!ele" was harateri+ed )" the foment of revolutionar" intelletual and ultural ideas$ theflats of 3a!land were harateri+ed )" the gritt" survival level onerns of Bla!$ Brown and -ellow&eo&les linging to$ or irrevoa)l" ensoned on$ the )ottom rungs of the eonomi ladder (t was not&rett"$ or safe (ts foot)all team e&ressed its am)iane well The logo of the 3a!land Raiders$ withtheir re&utation for rough field &la"$ is a foot)all helmeted &irates fae$ res&lendent with )la! e"e&ath and a )are !nife )lade lenhed )etween snarling teeth

A "ear or so &reviousl"$ ( had )een o)serving the leadershi& of 8Sto& the 5raft Wee! 8 in ationin the streets of 3a!land

William *andel ;FA tal! show host has some relevant remar!s on itN

Sto& the draft wee! was of &ermanent signifiane to Amerian 1istor"$ and s&eifiall"$ legal histor"$)eause$ among other things$ it mar!ed the high &oint in a #uries understanding of what the firstamendment &rotets ( desri)e this in ?his Boo!@ 8Sa"ing :o to ower9$ )eause m" son Bo) was oneof the defendantsBo) and the other seven 3a!land defendants had organi+ed the wee! long roving demonstrations ofsome ten thousand &eo&le that sought to shut down the /S Arm" (ndution Center Thosedemonstrations were the lima of five "ears of &rotests against the ,ietnam warThe defendants$ their friends assoiates and families$ inluding m"self$ were onvined the Sevenwould )e onvited 3nl" two &eo&le thought differentl"$ defense attorne" Charles 7ar" and m"fathera verdit was e&etedthe sene when ( entered the ourtroom was oneiva)le onl" in theBer!ele" area and onl" during the 60's As the #ur" was out$ the ourt was not in session Bo)'s thenwife was &la"ing with another defendantIs hild on the #udges )enh Law"er 7ar"$ )ald$ in suit andtie$ was standing on his head in a orner doing -oga The defendants$ with "ears of their lives in the)alane$ were outside$ &la"ing touh foot)all$ )arefoot$ in the &ar! aross from the ourthousethe#ur" announed 8not guilt"9 ( rosesa"ing &erha&s this would restore the defendants faith in thewor!a)ilit" of Amerian #ustie (t did not$ the" all )eame radial anti a&italists


18/21

The last three words are !e" to me What does a 8radial anti a&italist9 )elieve in2 What !ind ofsoiet" does a radial anti a&italist )uild2 1ow do "ou live$ da" to da"$ in an anti a&italist world2This was the ontradition ( )egan to see in the movement -ou )urn the )an!$ )ut "ou still want "ourhe!s ashed There was no real alternative )eing &ro&osed$ onl" the vaguest ideali+ed loud astleversions of the ideolog" of those others$ soialism$ *arism$ also see!ing to destro" a&italism To meit seemed an eerise of newl" found &ower$ in a &ersonal sense$ an e&ression of &ersonal resentments

against$ not something for a via)le alternative Anti a&italism needs a&italism more than thea&italist$ )eause a&italism defines the anti a&italist The a&italist doesn't need or see! outa&italism$ he #ust engages in the eonomi ativities that eisted long )efore someone hoose to la)elthem as 8a&italist9

What was )eing offered as a su)stitute for the esta)lishment was a !ind of Buddha mind$ the!ind of &ersonal indifferene that ould &la" )arefoot touh foot)all while awaiting word on ones fatein a trial$ "et devote oneself wholeheartedl" to a ause greater than the self$ li!e ending the war Andto do so from the &ers&etive of one's own &ersonal world and soiet"$ without feeling the need toeamine$ or ta!e an" res&onsi)ilit" for$ the onse4uenes that ending$ or losing$ the war would mean tothe millions atuall" affeted )" it

An oriental warrior one a&&roahed an .astern mon! 8( ould ut off "our head with a singleswi&e of this sword 9 1e said 8( ould wath "ou do that9 The *on! re&lied There is a disarming&ower in suh a selfless attitude The values of the alternative ommunit" were ver" sedutive Li!ethe ol"nesian tri)es$ the" sent out their )eautiful women to meet the "ang energ" of other ulturesThe message was sedutive$ don't struggle to do that ommute$ ma!e that dollar$ enfore that law$ den"that tem&tation 1ere$ smo!e this #oint$ ta!e this tri&$ ma!e love with this )eautiful woman (sn't this a)etter wa" to live2

The founder of &s"holog"$ Freud$ was a great fan of oaine 1e wrote man" &ositive lines ofadvoa" )ased his initial e&erienes 3nl" later as he )egan to e&eriene the nervous &aranoia thatusuall" omes form length" use$ did he )egin to reali+e that this was not suh a good thing A similar&ath was followed )" the alternative ulture$ the &art" in the -ellow su)marine would eventuall"ollide with the reefs of realit"

Ted *organ omments N

8Jeff &uts his finger on a &henomena that ha&&ened with great fre4uen" in the late 60's earl" %0'sNnamel" the *ilitant Wing of The *ovement ?:ew LeftOantiwar@ ated out their rage and a willfulnessto either 8fore an end to the war9 or Q more li!el" and less #ustifia)l" ( thin!$ 8tear down the s"stem99

1ow do "ou measure the suess of a demonstration2 ( haven't seen this addressed in other historiesFor us it was sim&le 3ne went home and turned on the evening news (f "our da"s demonstration gotnational news attention and favora)le treatment$ "ou had sueeded (f "ou didn't get overage$ "ouneeded to do something more etreme$ more innovative or more violent$ more newsworth"These were street demonstrations were nominall" made with the intent to shut down the 3a!land Arm"(ndution enter$ )ut the real &ur&ose was to gain national television overage for the anti ,ietnam Warmessage

The demonstration ( was attendingOo)serving was legal as long as it remained on the sidewal!sand didn't )lo! the roads$ and this was ha&&ening The &olie were irritated$ )ut mostl" sta"ed out ofsight ( listened as the student &olitios made a onsious deision that suh a &eaeful demonstrationwas not going to get enough national news overage$ and the" deided to send demonstrators out intothe streets to )lo! traffi$ !nowing the o&s would have to res&ond *ost of the demonstrators had noidea of the violene that was alulated to ensue At that &oint the leadershi& lost m" s"m&ath" (


19/21

ould see little enough differene in their &ushing innoent idealists into in#ur" for their own &olitial&ur&oses$ and what the" were su&&osedl" &rotesting a)out the ,ietnam war But shortl" ( found m"selfaught u& in the mo)$ fleeing an assaulting line of angr" 3a!land riot &olie$ running with thedemonstrators down the grung" narrow )a! alle"s of one of the ities seedier setions

ausing to ath a )reath$ ( found m"self in front of an alle"wa" tattoo &arlor This$ around

%0 was a long time )efore tattoos were as trend" and &o&ular as the" are toda" Three life si+eddrawings of full overage u&&er )od" tattoos on offer filled its mom and o& si+e store's dis&la"windows 3ne was of the ela)oratel" wound dragons and Chr"santhemums of the Ja&anese mafia$ the-a!usa st"le Another was$ as the &laard at the )ottom &rolaimed$ in the Frenh underground st"le$with 8;ill Co&s9 srolled aross the hest in elegant sri&t and the Frenh language The third$ it wasla)eled$ was in the Amerian gangster st"le$ with large fauets la)eled hot and old at eah ni&&le ()eame ver" a&&reiative of the fat that it was still da"light

The 8Colors of Benetton9 was a lothing om&an" advertisement that showed the smilingrain)ow olored faes of a raiall" diverse lientele 3ne )log omment remar!ed9what the realolors of Benetton &romises us is an endless drive through the streets of downtown 3a!land9 Letsho&e not

3ur &resent goal$ Bla! anther art" head4uarters$ was on the us& of the Ber!ele" 3a!land)orderline$ drawing its revolutionar" energ" from )oth ultures

As we overed a 4uarter )lo! down from our house$ at the orner of Shattu! and Ash)"$ we&assed the loal gas station The sign on it's &rie mar4uee has remained lodged in m" mind$ a sign ofthe times (t read$ in large sarlet olored letters$ 87as hea&er than LS5 8 (t was >= ents a gallon

A)out half wa" further to our goal$ we were aosted )" a rew ut Clint .astwood$ as ast inthe movie 97rand Torino9$ t"&e of WW(( veteran 1e was out net to the sidewal!$ tending his frontlawn Both Tensin and ( had the free flowing 8natural9 long hair and )eards de rigueur to the ounterulture of the times The vet's eat words are lost to me$ )ut the" followed the general theme of theones ( had more memora)l" heard while in the Arm"$ 8Wh" are "ou ultivating on "our fae whatgrows wild around m" asshole29

Tensin &aused in his stride$ turned$ and with a solemn and &atientl" aggrieved demeanor$re&lied$ 8Well$ "ou see$ m" fae was horri)l" sarred )" a land mine in ,ietnam9 The old vet fro+e1is s&uttering$ a&o&leti$ )a! &edaling a&olog"$ as he found himself ast in the role of the ver"veteran )ashing frea!s he was tr"ing to ondemn$ was trul" marvelous to )ehold Tensins' statementwas of ourse$ om&lete )ull shit$ )ut it demonstrated well the errati$ s&ontaneous and un&redita)legenius he was a&a)le of$ and whih made him so fasinating to )e around

A further short wal! and we arrived at our destination$ a medium si+ed offie )uilding With a&ause of a)out the time it ta!es to draw a dee& )readth$ Tensin )oldl" entered the glass swinging frontdoors$ m"self at his heels We found ourselves in an o&en offie$ a)out the si+e of a small )an! lo))"$the &erimeter lined with a)out a half do+en des!s 8Who's in harge here29 )oomed out Tensin in a)old$ room filling stentorian voie A )la! man of a)out thirt" rose 4ui!l" from )ehind a des! to theleft$ and ra&idl" a&&roahed us As he got loser he forthrightl" re&lied$ 8( am9 8Well$8 stated Tensinfirml"$ 8('m selling *EKs9 8Lets' tal! outside$9 *an in Charge una)ashedl" re&lied 1e turned$ andwith several words and a gesture$ delegated harge of the offie to one of the three )la! women whoom&rised the remainder of the offie staff

We eited )a! out the front door$ wal!ed to the )uilding's end along the sidewal!$ and then


20/21

half wa" down the narrow alle" along the south side ( found it somewhat amusing that this sidealle"wa" should )e the &referred venue$ )ut maintained m" serious demeanor 83; whadda "a got29*an in Charge stated sim&l" Tensin laid out the short version of the G0 *EKs and needing the MG=a&iee for them 83!9$ *an in Charge re&lied$ unhesitatingl"$ 85on't )ring them all here$ #ust )ringone (f it wor!s$ we'll ta!e all "ou an get9 ( was stunned$ and a little addled$ as we eited )a! u& thealle"wa"$ *an in Charge for!ed off )a! into the offie$ and we headed homeward )a! u& Shattu!

( had )een living in the ever s&eulative$ &hiloso&hial world of student intelletuals$ full ofela)orate &ol"s"lla)i mental a)strations$ usuall" disonneted from an" onse4uential &h"sialrealities The sim&le$ swift$ deisive$ terseness of this dialogue$ ou&led with the magnitude of its'im&liations$ left me &rett" s&eehless The &ros&et of this endeavor$ whih ( had heretofore regardedwith an amused$ inredulous uriosit"$ suddenl" )eame a ver" real$ ver" grim$ realit" (t had m"insides hurning As we wal!ed )a! u& Shattu!$ ( lawed m" mind )a! into ontrol of m"voa)ular" 8-ou !now9 ( tried to introdue the one&t in a asual$ friendl" wa"$ 8this ould reall"fu! u& a whole )unh of lives9

As )est ( ould$ ( used the time during our wal! home to onvine Tinsen that ( thought this&lan was a reall" )ad idea The lives that stood to get destro"ed were not #ust those of the &eo&le whostood to get shot$ and those who might do the shooting$ )ut his assoiates stealing and handling thewea&ons as well ( ouldn't )elieve the" had an" rational understanding of the life long onse4uenessuh an at would entail$ that it wasn't #ust one$ &erha&s self im&osed$ adolesent dare leading to "et a)igger one$ all amidst a romantii+ed notion of *arist revolution for the sa!e of the downtrodden

( remem)er one Ber!ele"ite telling me that it was so o)vious the ountr" was read" forrevolution$ all that was neessar" was to start it Suh delusion was the &rodut of living in a small anduni4ue world and mista!ing it for the whole world ( !new$ with a !nowledge renewed with ever"5ea ontrat in the dee& South$ that suh 8ri&e for revolution9 sentiments ould )e ontained withina few = mile radius irles drawn around a handful of leading ollege am&uses and hi& areas li!e the1aight The danger$ and the soure of the delusion$ was that so man" never left suh a irle of li!eminded om&atriots$ indeed the" ativel" disdained assoiation with an" others

Witnessing suh effets taught me the im&ortane of atuall" going out amongst those onemost de&lores$ fears$ and feels in o&&osition to Find out who the" reall" are 3ne is lia)le to find thatthe" too$ are human )eings$ human )eings of a )road s&etrum of views 1uman )eings that def" ourstereot"&es$ and$ in realit"$ are muh more om&le than a re&ositor" for the shadows of our dar!est&ro#etions and a onvenient target for our negative emotions (t )rought to m" mind a 4uote ofTerrenes'$ 8 ( am a man$ and nothing a man an do is alien to me9

3ne of m" fathers fl"ing a4uaintanes had started an air trans&ort servie with a sur&lusStratofreighter$ a large$ four engined &ro&eller trans&ort version of the BE> that had dro&&ed the atom)om) on 1iroshima 1e had flown guns to Castro in Cu)a )a! )efore Castro hoisted his *aristolors$ and when most Amerians$ and not #ust the lefties$ still )elieved he was a good gu"$ &rodemora" freedom fighter The omment rela"ed to me a)out this gun running e&eriene was that thehardest &art of )eing a gun runner$ was olleting the )ill

The irumstanes of the '60's &ushed middle and u&&er lass "outh into the shadow" realmsthat formerl" sheltered onl" riminal outlaws The laws against s"hedelis$ regarded )" man" as alaw against a religion$ was one fore The moral su&eriorit" of diso)ediene to esta)lishment law&reedented )" the Civil Rights *ovement was another The &ereived immoralit" of the ,ietnam war$ou&led with it's im&osed violene and the threat to &ersonal li)ert" of the draft$ was a third(nde&endene in suh a world was an im&erative

3ne of the &laes fighting hard for its' inde&endene was the gate five ommunit" aross the


21/21

)a" in Sausalito ( was em&atheti and attrated to it and its leading luminaries$ hiloso&her AllenWatts and &oet John ,arda The latter's ashes had )een given a romanti ,i!ing's funeral$ hishomemade )oat sailing out into the vast aifi through the 7olden 7ate of the San Franiso Ba"

At one &oint$ the authorities had gathered an armada of &olie and a tug )oat to destro" the7ate Five ommunit" The net da" the tug was to start towing house)oats off to )e im&ounded Theommunities res&onse was to tow one of the largest house)oats$ )uilt on a large industrial )arge$ into

the onl" hannel dee& enough for the tug to enter )"$ doing so in the dar! of night Then the" suttledthe )arge$ its' sun!en hul! )lo!ing the hannel$ and effetivel" losing the door A daughter of theSwedish Ro"al Famil" was a gate five resident$ and she had the suttled )arge house)oat registered as aSwedish flag vessel An" attem&t to remove it would )eome a length" matter of international salvagelaw The 7ate Five ommunit" would retain its' inde&endene a while longer .ver"one heered

Throughout the movement students with soial and revolutionar" ideals interated with streethardened$ hard #ail time served$ riminals li!e man" in the anthers$ and with the oaine and heroindealers of the )a! streets and the *afia Their innoene and ha)ituated nie gu" soial mannersresem)led a wave of froth" soda &o& washing u& against )loodied )a"onets -et the interation gaveeah windows into worlds neither might otherwise have !now to eist Suh interations would sha&ethe times$ and the soiet" that grew from them$ for )etter and for worse (n man" 1oll"wood movies oftoda"$ those o&&ressed )" the government find refuge in the underworld

(t was a ou&le of wee!s later that ( again ran into Tensin 1e told me his Santa Bar)ara friendshad deided the Bla! anthers weren't the grou& the" had in mind when the" &lanned their R3TCArmor" )rea! in$ and the" had deided to anel it

( )reathed a long$ dee& sigh of relief

Documents

Arming the Revolution