Do you simply listen to the Republican talking points on this issue, or do you know a little about William Ayers and the Weather Underground? Do you know why they thought that attacking the military complex during the Vietnam War was a viable option? Do you know who the other members were, and what they believed, and how they feel about it now?
You should.
The RNC wants to focus on Barack Obama's connection to Bill Ayers who was prominent in The Weather Underground - an organization that committed acts of domestic terrorism.
Both the DNC and the RNC seem to quickly put off The Weather Underground as a simple "terrorist" entity. Like all forms of terrorism - which very greatly, the form of terrorism is never contextualized. It's never mentioned that the point of The Weather Underground's terrorism was to stop the Vietnam war and the means of aggressive war at all costs.
Ayers was asked in a January 2004 interview, "How do you feel about what you did? Would you do it again under similar circumstances?" He replied "I've thought about this a lot. Being almost 60, it's impossible to not have lots and lots of regrets about lots and lots of things, but the question of did we do something that was horrendous, awful? ... I don't think so. I think what we did was to respond to a situation that was unconscionable." On September 9, 2008, journalist Jake Tapper reported on the comic strip in Bill Ayers's blog explaining the soundbite: "The one thing I don't regret is opposing the war in Vietnam with every ounce of my being.... When I say, 'We didn't do enough,' a lot of people rush to think, 'That must mean, "We didn't bomb enough shit."' But that's not the point at all. It's not a tactical statement, it's an obvious political and ethical statement. In this context, 'we' means 'everyone.'"
This is an amazing 2002 documentary that was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004. If you are quick to categorize Ayres as a terrorist - or Obama as a terrorist for his encounters with Ayres, you should realize what kind of terrorist he really was FIRST before spreading Ayres actions as an ultimate evil. If you don't know what the weather underground was really about and will bring it up in conversations with friends anyway - this should be viewing for you.
via videosift.com
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