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April 28, 1970 - . ."THESI AR_E .MY BELIEFS" Local BoaTd No: l Alcona County County Bufilding Harrisville, Michigan 48740 Dear America: . · This letter is intended to reflect upan the thoughts which ~ave mad~ themselves ~est m the mmd and heart of one boy/man, an individual, simple but -complex, peaceful, violent a number in a file, able to l~e a human being, Yours Truly'. These are my beliefs. They have been made aware to me, initially as an U?wanted awakeni"\g, and then, with the passage of time as a stabbing, piercing reality' by the years of uncertainty' anx_i~ty; 11alse • hope, agony, anticipation, whieh began I realize now, the day tru'.it I ambled into the courthouse, red, white, and blue painted on my brain, blindly patriotic, war unknown, 01.::i basketball and raspberry pies for reality, to offer my name . as an addition to the list of animals, to be herded off when ~ir time came Do not !eel that I speak to -~- as particular people, ("Forgive them God, .for they know not what they do." - How can this punk dare to quot.e those words?) but listen, p~ase, as I speak to what you represent. I hate you, A,merica, oh yes I do hate. I want to love yoo,' to be proud of my homeland the very soil where I ventured my first, weak, exploring steps into life, but, I hate you. You are Christian people who condone and justify violence, and spread THE POLEMIC ~::~· : 8!a~~~ cit~ ·betrayed your ' own sons and daughters, left them to starve sent them off to kill a111d di~ in a poor, wretched land on the other side of. the world, to be returned on Christma,s Eve,, in a cold, gray casket, as an of- fering to the goodness and bet- terment of mankilnd. Your chil~en. I hate your endless racism, your murdering, ruthless cops, who justify justice in the name of the black and white Uncle Toms who emulate and idolize the System. H only A_braham ( "It seems the good die young.") were alive today wouldin't he be proud of what you have become? I hate your exploiting, lecherous capitalists who go to foreign lands in search of wealth, oil, silver, copper, and go away leaving only holes in· the ground behind them. Is it _any 'Yonder why our neighbors m Latin America curse the name of Y~ capitalists, ("Go Home, YJD]ree!> throw '.rocks at fat Rockefellers, a p e r f e c t symbol of Yankee bureaucracy and oppression, is it any wonder? Oh America, my pathetic country! The world bas only to set back and watch as your acts of violence, exploitation im- perialism, and oppressi~ do more to tum ether nations of the earth against you than any am- ount of Communist propaganda. · M~t of aµ, America, I hate your stupid, bloody, senseless. vulgar, imperialistic war, a ~a:r that has ranged out of control ;lik~ran: -~ - forest fire.' J~n•s·w~,nowNixon's war • e 'W,ar lhaf has etKblr~d 'for ; decade, a. war that murdered chil- · dren, a war in whim you bave sent more than 40,000 00,S, thous sands of them not . even old enough to vote in your democrat- ic elections, to their death .. Won't you even let them have a voice in choosing their executioner? Absurd inequities, the crust of, American existence. It must be ·. of inexplicable con- solation to a Mother or Father or Wire, or Broth~, or Sister' to receive .. a: President-of-the: United-states guilt letter ex- pressing the .nation's grief at the death of their son, or husband' or brother. In this war, I would have my Mother tear the letter Into a million pieces, and cast them, remnlllllts of a son, mto the face of the almighty leader. Useless, futile, desperate war. ("All we are saying is give peace a chance.") Where will you next send your children America to "f ' , ree the oppressed", and to keep the 11at bureaucrats frolicing in their fanatical farce? Perhaps to Thailand, to Israel, to Chile? Where will my sons be herded off to? Or wiJl: we still be but- chering in Vietnam when they are '.old enough to shoot:; a gun? The futility you projeet is shattering. Why have you caused me to hate you, America? Have you forgotten Washington's advice advice from a man who w~ what you could be, ·to never ..................................................................................... , ............. 1 :I A LIFE INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS I I for. btit}~tarr~s~~tns~rance estate while youn~ and when rntes are lowest. Pro;id~~ I I edu~ation ~nd insu:a~tft~tf~~ 1~~:f~;f:tectmg the large investment of a college I Available only to students under age is- b h · llri1 11ri1 surance at your ootion _ may e c anged to cash value !Jfe in- I I Details concermrig this plan a ·1 bl f llri1 I United Life Insurance Co re avai. a e. r~m Larry Sabourin, your American I I Life presently insures th:~:~a/~r::i~ta~iv~ ill the Alpena area . American United I : I uncle, the Student Life Pim. ens m m,my U.S . colleges and unive"1ties I I La,~0f1b~~dn I I 110½ West Chisholm Stmt A. u • L. Phone 3/,%/:,621 oc3Sj;~f4 I I HOME OFFI CE IN INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA I I: PAGE 3 - ~:SJ:§ri/ ~'1t~'; Ani«i~•? wm you.J:·· llea-ce . to ' '.,fellµ" . • ]'!!OPle. . yoar ciwdren? Or wlH · you coil,tin\ltL .. ycur ~}J.course, war ~ - imperialistic ' w a r . 'vltife~<i b l o o d , · .death, ~ploitation? .·. Vietnam is the ~crat's war · the · capitalist's :. war, big businesses' war,' money's war . blood money. It ,is, among ·wan' singularly and uniquely SICK. ' That's my thing. I haven't said it all, but, I'm tir~d, so • tired, of talkfug . to a stori~ wall. · Take me to y~r zoo,- devour me, · exploit and annihilate mY mind, · and let some fat, screaming · seargeant transform me into an unthinking robot. Try U YOU -~• ypu. cannot create aa anunat · m . l\1Y . image; I was born a humai_l being; with · hum$ thoughts and emotions, . not in- stincts,. and' so I remailil. Perhaps, and it ~s truly my hope, humanity will some day mature and realize thlat our few precious years of life would be much · more enjoyable without · War Games like Vietnam. ("Another daf ,goes by, but, still tqe . child:ren cry. . . ) · Now, if you have read this far, you may, as I suspect you wID, dis~iss me as an idiot, commie, puri,k. But, . yoo are so mistaken. Thjs is ine, and I 1am real, and I al)l ·not alone. Peace. · - ROBERT J. GAUTHIER tJS-23 North . ilarrisville