Reply #34: One part of his op-ed is still unacceptable to me [View All]

[karynnj]

I never thought his "connection" to Obama was a problem. He is an expert on education, consulted by even the Daley administration (we all now the current Mayor Daley's father was not exactly a member of the SDS). I also think he has likely done some good things in recent years per all the accounts of people who should know. However, he still has an enormous blind spot to the fact that what he did in the 60s/70s was completely wrong.

As a college student then, I knew the frustration people had that even huge demonstrations and teach-ins to inform people looked like they did little to change the trajectory of the war. I could understand if he EXPLAINED that was why they went to violence that they targeted against property. He should then have pointed out that not only did it not work, it was morally wrong. There was always a real possibility that someone - a police man or fireman responding or an innocent passerby could have been injured and killed. That 3 million people in Vietnam were killed was NOT changed by whether buildings were blown up in America.

I know that many students I knew actually moved away from the antiwar movement, while of course staying antiwar, in revulsion of leaders like that. The weathermen tarnished the anti-war movement. They in no way moved anyone in their favor.

So, yeah I think it was great that he stayed out of the spot light before the election, but I absolutely do not see him as classy.