I have no idea when you were born
I entered UT the summer of 64
in 67-68 i was granted a one year deferrment to serve as national field secretary for Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. One of the coolest jobs on the planet since I got to travel in the west with national sweetheart.
I returned to UT after a year of traveling to various college campuses in the west and new england starting Law School on the 3 year pre law plan that was available at that time. I hated law school and elected to go back to work on my Bachelors degree in Public Administration. The Lottery was held in December of 69 prior to my graduation. I did not leave for Canada until November of 1972
In 1970 I was at UT for the Knoxville 22 and ran for SGA president. That Spring I organized the NIxon protest at the Billy Graham Crusade with Dr Reynolds, Dr Marius, and a group of students.
I have no reason to revise the truth. I would most likely have gone to Canada or joined the guard instead of Vietnam if I had not gotten a high lottery number. As it was I attended every march on Washington I possibly could during those years.
Political evolution
In the Spring of 65 the freshman class organized a SUPPORT THE TROOPS rally at the Student Center in answer to some of the antiwar activity that had begun across the country. As president of the class it was my idea. The next fall I was one of a half dozen UT students invited to DC by the Johnson administration for a symposium on the Vietnam war held at Georgetown University. The administration wanted to counter the growing student opposition to the war. McNamara was one of the speakers. I remember leaving that symposium with more doubts than before. They basically pitched the Domino Theory and basic anti-communist hyperbole.
That Spring I auditioned for Sing Out 66 - a patriotic traveling show sponsored by Moral Rearmament and joined a cast that included Glenn Close in Estes Park Colorado. I left after 2 weeks because it wasn't the cool coed - tour around Europe and get paid for singing gig I imagined. It was a rightwing mind warp run by wingnuts. Turns out that cast had a future serial killer Gerard Schaffer
If Barack Obama had been part of that cast DD would be accusing him of palling around with serial killers.
When I went to California for the fraternity in the Fall of 67 I first encountered the serious effects of the war on campus at Berkeley. The chapter there went from over 100 members down to 9 between 65 and 67. At Stanford the house was divided to the point where they held separate meethings That's when I really started to change my mind about the war. By he fall of 69 I was attendiing antiwar rallies.
Anybody remember Jimmie Baxter? He was the first African American student government president. His campaign posters were on aluminum foil backed posterboard featuring Jimmie in his afto with sunglasses and a beret sort of panther style. Baxter is now the US Attorney in Nashville. Baxter was the one who found out that the selection of Edward Boling was done prior to the meetings with faculty and students who were supposedly guaranteed a voice in the selection process. That's what led to the Jan 15th rally on the hill that ended up in a police riot and spawned the Knoxville 22.
There's a lot more to the history that I know first hand and much of it is pertinent my decision to go to Canada Polarization over the Vietnam war was only part of what was happening that encouraged me to get out of Knoxville at the time and still Knoxville is not the most pleasant place for an antiwar Democrat. that's why I spent most of the last 34 years in Montreal, Vermont, Minneapolis, Chicago, Carlsbad and Redondo Beach California and near Ithaca NY. I'm only here now because my parents are in their 90's and hey require some assiatance.
As far as "political connections" go and what has you confusing the facts is simple. I was Al Gore Sr's Senate Page in 61 and after raising money for Carter with my sound company I was able to get one thing done for draft resistors. Carter announced plans to pardon all draft resisters except those who desserted after enlistment and those who took up citizenship in other countries. I got to meet with a senior aide on the transition team where I asked that he reconsider the citizenship exclusion. One of the artists - musicians I managed in Canada, Jesse Winchester, had become a Canadian and had married a Canadian. I suggested that those who became citizens of Canada had done the most honorable thing under the circumstances and that they should be treated like any other Canadian citizen. That would allow Jesse to come to the USA to play concerts. Carter's team agreed and that is how it ended up.
Jesse now lives in Memphis. His songs have been recorded by Jimmy Buffett, Jennifer Warnes, The Amazing Rhythm Aces, Elvis Costello and Reba McEntire and he was named the greatest voice of our decade by Rolling Stone
I suspect everyone here has a history that shaped their political opinions and point of view. This is just a small part of mine. Now you can revise away. It won't change the facts.
Maybe you don't change your history
Maybe you only make stuff up about other people.
We all know full well that you adamantly suported Bush and Cheney and the Republican Party that makes up the bulk of that list.
"Heros" was a bad choice of words so I retract that and will just say they are people whose political positions you support.
It appears when the facts fail to support your positions you simply make merde up to fit your twisted view of the world
