Days Past

The young are often robbed of their ideas. Most times this occurs when the young are in their twenties. During the anti-nuclear arms period of the late ’50s I attended many rallies in the DC area. I was attending Greenbelt Junior High School. Yep, that young. Although the rallies took place during mid days, usually during the week, I would skip school. Early latch key kids were invisible.

Of course then as now signs were painted and passed around. I was one of those painting signs. More because I could work fast rather than because of my painterly handiwork. Signs have to read like a bumper sticker. Short words. Easy phrases. Repeatable in chorus.

My first ones were along the line of “For Life. For you.”… Eventually I reworked the signs others were using, the no-nukes, things to the ‘For __, Against ___” structure. With that structure established I began filling in words and came up with the

For Life. Against War.

Variants were of the “Pro __. Con ___” structure.

One of the ones that was carried around both a Georgetown and University of Maryland was the

Pro Life. Pro Choice. Against War.

Yep, both “life” and “choice” in the same side, since that was the tenor of the peace movement. The “pro life” was counter balance to the warrior as portrayed in media.

Days Present

Of course you know that these phrases are separated today, but they were born during the same anti-war demonstrations back in ’57-’60. The present holds them as opposites, both severed from their origin. Both are orphaned. Like many siblings separated harshly from each other they reject the others birth right. I doubt that the “pro life” citizen group of the day holds my original value. I bet they find very little wrong with killing either by war or neglect.

I wish I could take my words back, but I, nor anyone else can. All I can do is publish this small piece for peace.