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Mr WHY WE DEMONSTRATE Like most Americans you probably aren't happy about the war in Vietnam. But you probably aren't happy about peace demonstrations either. With American boys being killed in Vietnam shouldn't we support them ? Do we have a right to talk against the President when a war is going on? Are the men who burn their draft cards crazy? Are all of us Communists ? We would like to explain why we are demonstrating—and to urge you to join us. We aren't crazy and we aren't Communists—we are citizens who think the government is wrong to be fighting in Vietnam. DEATH AND TAXES The death rate goes up in Vietnam and the tax rate goes up here at home. Our men are taken from us to fight thousands ôf miles from home to support a South Vietnamese government so corrupt its own army can't defend it. We've been fighting in Vietnam for ten years. We've killed over 3QQ+QQQ Vietnamese. Athousandnfour own men are killed or wounded each week. But the government we support in South Vietnam is in worse shape today than when we began the war. That government asked us to come in and is glad we are there—they would collapse without us. But the people in South Vietnam think of our troops as invaders, not as liberators. The people of South Vietnam want the Americans to leave. Taxes are going up to pay for a war which you don't want, which the people in South Vietnam don't want—a war into which our government blundered by mistake. Rather than admitting he made a mistake Johnson takes our men and our tax money, trying to win a victory in order to "save face." Money that might have been used for schools, homes, dams, highways, hospitals—that money is going for bombs and bullets. And it is your money. THE PRESIDENT CAN MAKE A MISTAKE People say we have to support Johnson because he is the President. Nonsense—this is a democracy and Johnson isn't some kind of God—he is just an elected official. He isn't our boss—we are his boss. We hired him and if we want we can fire him. Johnson has not been honest with the people of this country. In 1964 when he ran against Goldwater he promised not to send thousands more of our men to Vietnam or to bomb North Vietnam. But as soon as he won the election he turned around and began sending hundreds of thousands of Americans into the swamps and jungles and he ordered our bombers to expand the war into North Vietnam. What Johnson is doing in Vietnam is wrong. It is morally wrong. And it is illegal under international law. It was a mistake for this country to get involved in Vietnam. It is amistake for us to stay there now. We should withdraw our troops, stop killing Vietnamese, and let thepeopleof Vietnam run their own country in the way they want. SUPPORT OUR MEN IN VIETNAM Yes, support our men in Vietnam. Get them out before they get killed. More than a thousand American troops are killed or wounded each week. Those who talk about "supporting Johnson" are helping send these men to their deaths. Let our government have the courage to admit it was wrong to get into this war in the first place. Get our men out of the jungles and swamps of Vietnam. Support American boys by bringing them home now. A CITIZEN'S DUTY If you believe this war is right then support it. But if you believe this war is wrong then you have a duty as an American to oppose it and to try to stop it. In a totalitarian society you have to keep your mouth shut when the government is wrong. In a democracy you have the right to speak your mind and help shape national policy. Speak out on Vietnam. Vietnam is a complex subject, hard to cover in a leaflet. For facts on Vietnam, write for books and pamphlets available from : War Resisters League, 5 Beekman Street, New York City 10038 in Northern California, 584 Page Street, San Francisco 94117
Object Description
Title | Why we demonstrate |
Place of publication | New York, New York |
Publisher | War Resisters League |
Language | English |
Country | United States |
Digital Format | XML |
Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
Publication Date-Electronic | 2016 |
Rights | Copyright belongs to the individuals who created them or the organizations for which they worked. We share them here strictly for non-profit educational purposes. If you believe that you possess copyright to material included here, please contact us at asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org. Under the fair use provisions of the U.S. copyright law, teachers and students are free to reproduce any document for nonprofit classroom use. Commercial use of copyright-protected material is generally prohibited. |
Owner | The International Institute of Social History Library Collections |
Type | Text |
Digital identifier | giEphemera946000 |
Description
Title | p. 1 |
Language | English |
Digital Format | JPEG2000 |
Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
Publication Date-Electronic | 2016 |
Rights | Copyright belongs to the individuals who created them or the organizations for which they worked. We share them here strictly for non-profit educational purposes. If you believe that you possess copyright to material included here, please contact us at asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org. Under the fair use provisions of the U.S. copyright law, teachers and students are free to reproduce any document for nonprofit classroom use. Commercial use of copyright-protected material is generally prohibited. |
Owner | The International Institute of Social History Library Collections |
Full text | Mr WHY WE DEMONSTRATE Like most Americans you probably aren't happy about the war in Vietnam. But you probably aren't happy about peace demonstrations either. With American boys being killed in Vietnam shouldn't we support them ? Do we have a right to talk against the President when a war is going on? Are the men who burn their draft cards crazy? Are all of us Communists ? We would like to explain why we are demonstrating—and to urge you to join us. We aren't crazy and we aren't Communists—we are citizens who think the government is wrong to be fighting in Vietnam. DEATH AND TAXES The death rate goes up in Vietnam and the tax rate goes up here at home. Our men are taken from us to fight thousands ôf miles from home to support a South Vietnamese government so corrupt its own army can't defend it. We've been fighting in Vietnam for ten years. We've killed over 3QQ+QQQ Vietnamese. Athousandnfour own men are killed or wounded each week. But the government we support in South Vietnam is in worse shape today than when we began the war. That government asked us to come in and is glad we are there—they would collapse without us. But the people in South Vietnam think of our troops as invaders, not as liberators. The people of South Vietnam want the Americans to leave. Taxes are going up to pay for a war which you don't want, which the people in South Vietnam don't want—a war into which our government blundered by mistake. Rather than admitting he made a mistake Johnson takes our men and our tax money, trying to win a victory in order to "save face." Money that might have been used for schools, homes, dams, highways, hospitals—that money is going for bombs and bullets. And it is your money. THE PRESIDENT CAN MAKE A MISTAKE People say we have to support Johnson because he is the President. Nonsense—this is a democracy and Johnson isn't some kind of God—he is just an elected official. He isn't our boss—we are his boss. We hired him and if we want we can fire him. Johnson has not been honest with the people of this country. In 1964 when he ran against Goldwater he promised not to send thousands more of our men to Vietnam or to bomb North Vietnam. But as soon as he won the election he turned around and began sending hundreds of thousands of Americans into the swamps and jungles and he ordered our bombers to expand the war into North Vietnam. What Johnson is doing in Vietnam is wrong. It is morally wrong. And it is illegal under international law. It was a mistake for this country to get involved in Vietnam. It is amistake for us to stay there now. We should withdraw our troops, stop killing Vietnamese, and let thepeopleof Vietnam run their own country in the way they want. SUPPORT OUR MEN IN VIETNAM Yes, support our men in Vietnam. Get them out before they get killed. More than a thousand American troops are killed or wounded each week. Those who talk about "supporting Johnson" are helping send these men to their deaths. Let our government have the courage to admit it was wrong to get into this war in the first place. Get our men out of the jungles and swamps of Vietnam. Support American boys by bringing them home now. A CITIZEN'S DUTY If you believe this war is right then support it. But if you believe this war is wrong then you have a duty as an American to oppose it and to try to stop it. In a totalitarian society you have to keep your mouth shut when the government is wrong. In a democracy you have the right to speak your mind and help shape national policy. Speak out on Vietnam. Vietnam is a complex subject, hard to cover in a leaflet. For facts on Vietnam, write for books and pamphlets available from : War Resisters League, 5 Beekman Street, New York City 10038 in Northern California, 584 Page Street, San Francisco 94117 |
Type | Text |
Digital identifier | giEphemera946001 |