I was living less than two miles north on Michigan Avenue when the demonstrations and riots broke out in 1968 at the Democratic convention. I was scared to death being 20 yrs ols, coming from small town Iowa - I thought Chicago and the world was going to blow up.
Now, being a “seasoned” senior, it gives me shivers at the thought of a repeat of that ugliness, not only in Chicago but in Milwaukee too.
Curiosity seekers and loons turn out to watch or parade their cause in the midst of this turmoil. Why can’t people just stay home, keep their nose clean and watch it on TV?
Great piece that shows the historical rhyming of 2024 and 1968. What starts as one thing, quickly attracts people that just want to be part of something (don’t even know what the “something” is in many cases), and then it devolves into chaos. Maybe violence. 1968 at least was protesting the American government, for American actions, that were costing American lives.
This is different to me - it feels like an extension of the war of the Middle East that involves all of the major players as the region realigns around the threat of Iran.
Sorry I’m late reading. I experienced a great loss yesterday of my beloved Turkish angora cat Krystal I saved from a kill shelter in Tampa just 3 months shy of 10 years ago. Cancer sucks! How about giving us recommendations of where we can move to out of the country if TFG becomes the dictator in chief.
Rusty, you have my sympathies. I lost my 10 year old tabby in January to lymphoma. Perfectly healthy at Thanksgiving and gone right after New Years. Carrying a picture of her has helped. Healing thoughts coming your way.
I’m not familiar with the Art Institute, but to say art and writing can’t be improved through schooling doesn’t track. I’m a music teacher, and yes, I could have worked on my musical skills outside of a college, but then I wouldn’t have a masters degree. I wouldn’t be considered a highly qualified teacher in my state, and my students would be missing out on the musical and pedagogical skills I learned in school. In regards to the student loans, let’s not be crabs in a bucket. Someone else being relieved of a loan for a school that has been described here as a scam should be a good thing. It certainly doesn’t hurt me for someone else to have debt relief.
I was also scammed by a for profit college. They took my student loan money but never turned my transcripts over to the state of Alabama. I found out 8 years after I graduated when I wanted to finish my AA in business management. I never finished paying the loan and they refused to give me a hearing on the fact the school closed 6 months after I graduated. There’s so many of these places it’s pathetic. DeVry was another that was recently closed down for promises made but not kept.
Charlie, I just saw the interview with Lizz Cheney and I thought it was excellent. I would have liked to see her endorse Biden but perhaps she is saving it for another time for maximum effect. Liz has said before (I am sure more than once) that she will do anything to prevent Donald Trump from ever holding office again. I would have liked to hear what are her specific plans in that endeavor. I am a person who loves history and have used historical quotes quite often.( Churchill,FDR,JFK,MLKing Jr.among others) I'll leave with one of my favorites that will go down in history (among the those memorable ones) from Liz Cheney) "There will come a time when Donald Trump is gone. But your dishonor will remain".
I finished listening to this this morning. I am a lifelong moderate democrat and I daresay Ms Cheney and I would disagree on pretty much every issue of policy. Having said that I would be honored to stand shoulder to shoulder with her in the defense of the republic and the constitution. I would beg her to step up and stand with Joe Biden, not on policy, not on issues, but on the only thing that actually matters in this election and that is the defense of the republic and of the constitution.
I’ve been informed by people whose integrity I trust on student loans (because they have institutional knowledge surrounding them) — is that these are normal loan forgiveness actions that happen all the time without fanfare, repackaged as special actions for an election year. Most of the objections to it that I’ve seen to it from non-crazy people are more about political optics. I have no reason to doubt what I’ve been told but skeptic that I am, I need to verify it for myself. Anyway, I thought I’d mention it. I read a lot of news to stay informed but it can be a hard slog sometimes to get to the heart and truths of an issue when electoral politics get involved.
1968, I was 10; I was a child and trauma to me was picking my bike up and crushing a grasshopper that just happened to be sitting on my handlebars.
As a woman eventually I worked in surgery and was inducted into the hall of fame of real life, all its evil, it’s good, it’s apathy and of course it’s trauma.
When I was in the 7th grade I tried asking my mother for a POW metal bracelet. ( I didn’t have a way of buying it on my own; I very much remember feeling like a shielded child but I wanted to understand more as I saw the occasional news or heard stories of the draft. )
I look back now and realize how I knew nothing about nothing.
I’m paying attention now, sir( and the “ SIR”( I refuse to let the XPresident steal my salutation)( it’s Grammer, right?)
Thank you Charlie for your very apt mirror imaging of our past. How have we learned from history if we are apathetic to its lessons?
Charlie, when you were writing Morning Shots for The Bulwark and had warned about the rise of antisemitism on the campus left prior to 10/7 I had practically laughed it off in the comments section there—particularly when compared to the antisemitism that I had seen on the right for over a decade. I think it’s obvious that I had some blind spots that are now pretty visible. It’s too bad it took seeing college students waving Hamas flags and chanting Hamas slogans for me to wake up about that. Now I know what it must have felt like for you in 2015. You were right.
Regarding Kristie Noem,I believe the faces of Mt. Rushmore, the Lakota and Sioux Indians of the SD reservations (who have banned her) are the smart ones.
Charlie,I too feel the campus protests will only help Trump since he is claiming the mantel of tough on crime.(similar to Nixon in 1968) In a couple of pieces I wrote in The Bulwark, I even mentioned how rich it is for Trump to think of himself as tough crime fighter and even evoking Alanis Morrisette's song:Isn't it Ironic. I grew up in Mn. and was 14 at the time in 68. I became a history major later on and 1968 sure was history in the making! By the way I was an admirer of Gene McCarthy. He was quite an intellect and a very sharp, quick wit.
I was in school in Chicago in 1968 and had the honor of being one of the students for McCarthy. I think I passed out buttons and bumper stickers! I remember very clearly when Dr. Martin Luther King was killed. The campus went into lockdown. And again for the riots at the DNC convention. This feels nothing like that time to me. I think citizens are aware of the danger Trump presents and the damage the Supreme Court has wrought, and will be united in November to deny the fascists the power they seek.
It worries me that the riots we have been seeing are very different in their fabric from those of the 60s. My Dad was also teaching on a college campus at the time. It was frightening. I wore a POW bracelet—hope against hope that the missing would be returned to us. As has been noted by others before me, US troops were dying in what was an impossible war. We didn’t know how to handle guerilla warfare. But there we were. The protests were heartfelt about people’s lives on the line. Later we would find out about draft dodgers and the impact on the makeup of the troops. I can never think it right to avoid a bad situation by placing someone else literally in the crosshairs.
The current conflict is deeply troubling. I always thought the Mossad were able to take out enemies with precision strikes. So why are tens of thousands of Gazan civilians dead? I don’t for a minute underestimate the absolute horror—beyond my imaginings of the Hamas attack. It was purposefully brutal, and targeted civilians including innocent children. The whole thing is absolutely awful. I wish Israel would consider its response. Starving out a whole country may feel like an eye for an eye, but is that a good thing? As to the protesters, I believe Mayor Adams was correct in saying that a lot of those protesting most vigorously and violently were not students. They were national organizers looking for the main chance. This is not to suggest that the students didn’t feel very strongly about the issue. But perhaps things would not have gotten out of hand if the students had been left alone. Add to that the magnification of a group event by social media, and you are headed for disaster.
It is a complex and heartbreaking situation now, but Vietnam hit us all hard. I think ‘68 was worse.
Charlie, very much enjoyed your conversation with Liz Cheney, even if you weren't able to pin her down on endorsing Biden ... yet. Her thoughts on revamping the conservative presence in our politics (not just trying to revive the Republican party) were right on point.
Like you, I am old enough to remember vividly that fateful 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago when the chant of "The Whole Word is Watching" rang out as Mayor Daley's out of control police force charged again and again into the throngs of protestors outside the International Amphitheater. The scene at Columbia 55 years later was nothing in comparison as an orderly line of New York's finest entered and cleared Hamilton Hall. Even the chaos at UCLA was nothing in comparison to Chicago. Many people forget that there were disturbances at the Republican Convention in Miami that year, mainly by civil rights groups. The result of those protests was three dead, over 30 injured and hundreds arrested. But the Republicans' "law and order" platform seemed to conform with the Florida National Guard being called in to assist the Miami police who got increasingly aggressive. In fact, Governor Kirk of Florida may have been auditioning as Nixon's VP in his use of force, but that role went to Spiro Agnew, who as governor of Maryland had put down similar protests none too gently.
Let's not overlook Governor Reagan's use of the Highway Patrol and the National Guard to put down the protests which resulted in death and injury. In defense of his tactics he said, "If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with. No more appeasement." I remember my mother, a life long Republican who worked with the state party, was absolutely appalled at this remark. Many credentials were buffed on the 60s protests.
I was living less than two miles north on Michigan Avenue when the demonstrations and riots broke out in 1968 at the Democratic convention. I was scared to death being 20 yrs ols, coming from small town Iowa - I thought Chicago and the world was going to blow up.
Now, being a “seasoned” senior, it gives me shivers at the thought of a repeat of that ugliness, not only in Chicago but in Milwaukee too.
Curiosity seekers and loons turn out to watch or parade their cause in the midst of this turmoil. Why can’t people just stay home, keep their nose clean and watch it on TV?
Great piece that shows the historical rhyming of 2024 and 1968. What starts as one thing, quickly attracts people that just want to be part of something (don’t even know what the “something” is in many cases), and then it devolves into chaos. Maybe violence. 1968 at least was protesting the American government, for American actions, that were costing American lives.
This is different to me - it feels like an extension of the war of the Middle East that involves all of the major players as the region realigns around the threat of Iran.
Excellent history lesson.
Thank you for a great interview with Liz Cheney!
Sorry I’m late reading. I experienced a great loss yesterday of my beloved Turkish angora cat Krystal I saved from a kill shelter in Tampa just 3 months shy of 10 years ago. Cancer sucks! How about giving us recommendations of where we can move to out of the country if TFG becomes the dictator in chief.
Rusty, you have my sympathies. I lost my 10 year old tabby in January to lymphoma. Perfectly healthy at Thanksgiving and gone right after New Years. Carrying a picture of her has helped. Healing thoughts coming your way.
Thank you!
I’m not familiar with the Art Institute, but to say art and writing can’t be improved through schooling doesn’t track. I’m a music teacher, and yes, I could have worked on my musical skills outside of a college, but then I wouldn’t have a masters degree. I wouldn’t be considered a highly qualified teacher in my state, and my students would be missing out on the musical and pedagogical skills I learned in school. In regards to the student loans, let’s not be crabs in a bucket. Someone else being relieved of a loan for a school that has been described here as a scam should be a good thing. It certainly doesn’t hurt me for someone else to have debt relief.
I was also scammed by a for profit college. They took my student loan money but never turned my transcripts over to the state of Alabama. I found out 8 years after I graduated when I wanted to finish my AA in business management. I never finished paying the loan and they refused to give me a hearing on the fact the school closed 6 months after I graduated. There’s so many of these places it’s pathetic. DeVry was another that was recently closed down for promises made but not kept.
Charlie, I just saw the interview with Lizz Cheney and I thought it was excellent. I would have liked to see her endorse Biden but perhaps she is saving it for another time for maximum effect. Liz has said before (I am sure more than once) that she will do anything to prevent Donald Trump from ever holding office again. I would have liked to hear what are her specific plans in that endeavor. I am a person who loves history and have used historical quotes quite often.( Churchill,FDR,JFK,MLKing Jr.among others) I'll leave with one of my favorites that will go down in history (among the those memorable ones) from Liz Cheney) "There will come a time when Donald Trump is gone. But your dishonor will remain".
I finished listening to this this morning. I am a lifelong moderate democrat and I daresay Ms Cheney and I would disagree on pretty much every issue of policy. Having said that I would be honored to stand shoulder to shoulder with her in the defense of the republic and the constitution. I would beg her to step up and stand with Joe Biden, not on policy, not on issues, but on the only thing that actually matters in this election and that is the defense of the republic and of the constitution.
Great and informative as always!
I’ve been informed by people whose integrity I trust on student loans (because they have institutional knowledge surrounding them) — is that these are normal loan forgiveness actions that happen all the time without fanfare, repackaged as special actions for an election year. Most of the objections to it that I’ve seen to it from non-crazy people are more about political optics. I have no reason to doubt what I’ve been told but skeptic that I am, I need to verify it for myself. Anyway, I thought I’d mention it. I read a lot of news to stay informed but it can be a hard slog sometimes to get to the heart and truths of an issue when electoral politics get involved.
1968, I was 10; I was a child and trauma to me was picking my bike up and crushing a grasshopper that just happened to be sitting on my handlebars.
As a woman eventually I worked in surgery and was inducted into the hall of fame of real life, all its evil, it’s good, it’s apathy and of course it’s trauma.
When I was in the 7th grade I tried asking my mother for a POW metal bracelet. ( I didn’t have a way of buying it on my own; I very much remember feeling like a shielded child but I wanted to understand more as I saw the occasional news or heard stories of the draft. )
I look back now and realize how I knew nothing about nothing.
I’m paying attention now, sir( and the “ SIR”( I refuse to let the XPresident steal my salutation)( it’s Grammer, right?)
Thank you Charlie for your very apt mirror imaging of our past. How have we learned from history if we are apathetic to its lessons?
Charlie, when you were writing Morning Shots for The Bulwark and had warned about the rise of antisemitism on the campus left prior to 10/7 I had practically laughed it off in the comments section there—particularly when compared to the antisemitism that I had seen on the right for over a decade. I think it’s obvious that I had some blind spots that are now pretty visible. It’s too bad it took seeing college students waving Hamas flags and chanting Hamas slogans for me to wake up about that. Now I know what it must have felt like for you in 2015. You were right.
Regarding Kristie Noem,I believe the faces of Mt. Rushmore, the Lakota and Sioux Indians of the SD reservations (who have banned her) are the smart ones.
Charlie,I too feel the campus protests will only help Trump since he is claiming the mantel of tough on crime.(similar to Nixon in 1968) In a couple of pieces I wrote in The Bulwark, I even mentioned how rich it is for Trump to think of himself as tough crime fighter and even evoking Alanis Morrisette's song:Isn't it Ironic. I grew up in Mn. and was 14 at the time in 68. I became a history major later on and 1968 sure was history in the making! By the way I was an admirer of Gene McCarthy. He was quite an intellect and a very sharp, quick wit.
I was in school in Chicago in 1968 and had the honor of being one of the students for McCarthy. I think I passed out buttons and bumper stickers! I remember very clearly when Dr. Martin Luther King was killed. The campus went into lockdown. And again for the riots at the DNC convention. This feels nothing like that time to me. I think citizens are aware of the danger Trump presents and the damage the Supreme Court has wrought, and will be united in November to deny the fascists the power they seek.
Trumpster will definitely try to take advantage of the protest as the "law and order" candidate.
Eli the Snuggle Wolf! 😁😊🐾💤
It worries me that the riots we have been seeing are very different in their fabric from those of the 60s. My Dad was also teaching on a college campus at the time. It was frightening. I wore a POW bracelet—hope against hope that the missing would be returned to us. As has been noted by others before me, US troops were dying in what was an impossible war. We didn’t know how to handle guerilla warfare. But there we were. The protests were heartfelt about people’s lives on the line. Later we would find out about draft dodgers and the impact on the makeup of the troops. I can never think it right to avoid a bad situation by placing someone else literally in the crosshairs.
The current conflict is deeply troubling. I always thought the Mossad were able to take out enemies with precision strikes. So why are tens of thousands of Gazan civilians dead? I don’t for a minute underestimate the absolute horror—beyond my imaginings of the Hamas attack. It was purposefully brutal, and targeted civilians including innocent children. The whole thing is absolutely awful. I wish Israel would consider its response. Starving out a whole country may feel like an eye for an eye, but is that a good thing? As to the protesters, I believe Mayor Adams was correct in saying that a lot of those protesting most vigorously and violently were not students. They were national organizers looking for the main chance. This is not to suggest that the students didn’t feel very strongly about the issue. But perhaps things would not have gotten out of hand if the students had been left alone. Add to that the magnification of a group event by social media, and you are headed for disaster.
It is a complex and heartbreaking situation now, but Vietnam hit us all hard. I think ‘68 was worse.
Charlie, very much enjoyed your conversation with Liz Cheney, even if you weren't able to pin her down on endorsing Biden ... yet. Her thoughts on revamping the conservative presence in our politics (not just trying to revive the Republican party) were right on point.
Like you, I am old enough to remember vividly that fateful 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago when the chant of "The Whole Word is Watching" rang out as Mayor Daley's out of control police force charged again and again into the throngs of protestors outside the International Amphitheater. The scene at Columbia 55 years later was nothing in comparison as an orderly line of New York's finest entered and cleared Hamilton Hall. Even the chaos at UCLA was nothing in comparison to Chicago. Many people forget that there were disturbances at the Republican Convention in Miami that year, mainly by civil rights groups. The result of those protests was three dead, over 30 injured and hundreds arrested. But the Republicans' "law and order" platform seemed to conform with the Florida National Guard being called in to assist the Miami police who got increasingly aggressive. In fact, Governor Kirk of Florida may have been auditioning as Nixon's VP in his use of force, but that role went to Spiro Agnew, who as governor of Maryland had put down similar protests none too gently.
Let's not overlook Governor Reagan's use of the Highway Patrol and the National Guard to put down the protests which resulted in death and injury. In defense of his tactics he said, "If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with. No more appeasement." I remember my mother, a life long Republican who worked with the state party, was absolutely appalled at this remark. Many credentials were buffed on the 60s protests.