Dispatch from a Baby-Boomer

From the Weathermen to Lars Larson; exploring the Yings and Yangs of political revolution...

(SALEM, Ore.) - As a member of the baby-boomer” generation I can say this without a doubt: “American politics certainly has had its “Yings” and “Yangs” of counter-culture political movements over the past four decades”.

I well remember an extreme left-wing element of Yings, personified by the “Weathermen”, affiliated with the “Weather Underground” from 1969 on into the 1970’s.

The “Weathermen” advocated for the violent overthrow of the US government which of course relied primarily on the American People utilizing their Constitutional right to bear arms and form a well regulated militia to organize such.

The Weather Underground movement latched on to a Bob Dylan lyric, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" for its name.

The movement was primarily ‘black-ops’ kind of stuff planned by youthful American ‘political idealists’ who thought America was going down the drain over the Vietnam War.

The Weathermen conducted a campaign of a few selectively-targeted bombings of U.S. government facilities through the mid-1970s. One high-profile action was aiding in the jailbreak and escape of Timothy Leary.

Leary was described as "the most dangerous man in America" by President Richard Nixon, most likely due to Leary’s mantra: “Turn on, tune in, drop out” which Nixon invariably was sick of seeing on anti-war signage and hearing chanted by anti-war demonstrators.

Once the end of American military involvement in Vietnam was on the horizon, the Weathermen movement lost its touchstone cause célèbre, and their rhetoric and propaganda lost its ‘cross-over political audience’ of primarily anti-war activists.

Ayers is now retired from a respected (mainstream) career position as a professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he formerly held the titles of Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar.

So goes the Yings, as did Ayers, for the most part metamorphosed into (maybe?) Democrats or swallowed up into the non-political hum-drums of daily life.

It seems the national spokes-model of the more centric factions of the Yangs is Sarah Palin. However, the Yangs have some more extremist members who have recently been bandying about talk regarding the violent overthrow of the U.S. government; such violent overthrow which of course (like the Yings) would rely on the American People utilizing their right to bear arms and form a well regulated militia to organize such.

For the most part, the more extreme elements of the Yangs are simply right-wing re-manifestations of the left-wing extremes of the Yings; except unlike the Yings, when extreme elements of the Yangs want to speak out about “Second Amendment remedies”, they get uncensored radio air time on public airwaves. (The Yangs haven’t blown up Federal buildings to get public attention, as of yet that anyone knows of.)

In a recent online blog of 11 January 2011, the Oregonian’s Jeff Mapes reminded readers of last year’s Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle and an ‘on the air’ dialogue she had with Portland talk show host Lars Larson during her campaigning.

The Angle-Larson dialogue included a notable comment from Angle. She mused to Larson & Larson listeners that if Congress (at the time dominated by Democratic majorities in both houses) kept going “this way” (in the same direction) the American people may resort to "Second Amendment remedies."

Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron
Angle said the American people may resort to
"Second Amendment remedies." The
suggestion didn't prevent her from receiving
endorsement from Lars Larson.

Just in case you may not be quick to remember, the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is found in the official documents surrounding the adoption of the Bill of Rights and references the right of to “keep and bear arms” and a “well regulated militia”.

The original hand-written copy of the Bill of Rights, approved by the House and Senate, was prepared by scribe William Lambert and resides in the National Archives.

Original ‘on paper’ versions of the Second Amendment are existent, however, they incorporate slight differences in capitalization and punctuation; One version passed by the Congress reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Another version can be found in the copies distributed to and later ratified by the states: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

“I hope that's not where we're going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around? I'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.”

As Lars Larson syndicates his show in the Northwest and nationally, if Larson so chooses, he can provide a broadcast ‘soap-box’ on public airwaves for political candidate campaigns. Larson's Portland-based talk radio show (Shows website: http://www.larslarson.com/ ) happens to be aired in Nevada, where Angle was eventually defeated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this past November.

An Oregon resident, Larson provided his ‘personality’ status to Angle’s campaign, giving her a personal endorsement in her race against Harry Reid. Larson interviewed Angle several times over the course of her campaign, however, it hasn’t been verified if the airtime Larson spent with Angle (considering his endorsement of her campaign) required being reported as a campaign contribution in Angle’s financial campaign disclosures. Angle also received a similar endorsement from Mark Levin, another conservative radio talk show host.

It was further pointed out by Mapes that Angle “frequently avoided” mainstream media interviews” during her Senate campaign, saying she ‘preferred to talk with media figures sympathetic to her candidacy’.

Lars Larson is obviously a ‘media figure’ sympathetic to Angle’s politics by way of the fact he provided his endorsement to her candidacy.

**Racial misinformation**

Angle's ad shows a 'Chicano' gang member;
'Chicano' meaning born in the US of Hispanic
heritage, and falsely projects this cholo as the
image of an illegal alien. Anyone who knows
the culture knows otherwise. It is false
advertising; yet she is revered as "the best candidate to represent their values"

Here's another Mapes’ quote of Angle, as to what she had to say on a Lars Larson show when Larson asked where Angle stood on gun rights:

“You know, our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government. And in fact Thomas Jefferson said it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years.”

As Angle’s campaign against Reid heated up, Bryan Shroyer, Political Director for the Tea Party Express www.TeaPartyExpress.org commented about Angle, "Conservatives recognize that Sharron Angle is the best candidate to represent their values, and as such they are lining up behind her campaign in an unprecedented fashion". TeaPartyExpress.org & www.Ourcountrydeservesbetter.com appear to be websites operated and owned by the ‘Our Country Deserves Better PAC’. The Our Country Deserves Better PAC chairman is “The Honorable Howard Kaloogian”.

Angle’s comment about “Second Amendment remedies” captured the attention of Washington Post Website writer, Greg Sargent. Sargent pens "The Plum Line" carried online by the Post. Sargent sought a response from Larson about Angle’s “Second Amendment remedies” statement on Larson’s show. Sargent eventually contacted Larson. Sargent states that Larson responded that “he doesn't have any doubt that she [Angle] was floating the possibility of armed insurrection as a valid response if Congress continues along its current course."

Sargent directly quotes Larson: "If it [Congress] continues to do the things it's doing, I think she's leaving open that possibility," Larson said. "And I think the founders believed that the public should be able to do that when the government becomes out of control. It just matters what you define as going too far."

Jeff Mapes talked with Larson previous to Mapes’ reporting Larson’s comments in Mapes 10 January 2011 piece “Lars Larson: Angle's comments on government overthrow were 'perfectly sensible”.

Mapes Quote: “Larson argued that if a government "gets completely out of hand, some kind of uprising to take the government back is appropriate." He added of Angle's argument: "I don't find it hateful, I find it perfectly sensible." Larson said he isn't advocating a violent overthrow of the government. (sic) But he said it's possible that government could become so tyrannical that a "violent overthrow of the government" is justified.”

The writer of this article is research analyst and writer who contributes to Salem-News.com, but prefers to not use their name..