Fifty years ago today, November 2, 2015, at about 5:20 p.m., a 31-year-old Quaker named Norman Morrison immolated himself 40 feet from the window of US Secretary of War Robert McNamara’s office at the Pentagon. I was a law student in Washington, DC at the time.
Most US Americans know little of our nation’s history and seldom reflect on the moral issues relating to its genocidal origins and imperial nature. And, it seems, they avoid at all costs reflection on anything that may produce “negative” feelings (i.e., the truth).
For more than eight years, 1965-73, the US expended more than 16 million tons of deadly ordnance on Viet Nam, Cambodia and Laos, more than was utilized in all previous wars combined by all sides. Seventy-five percent of South Viet Nam was designated a “free fire zone” by US military planners. B-52 bombing missions occurred virtually every day. Hundreds of schools, hospitals, Catholic churches and Buddhist pagodas were considered “psycho-social targets”. Thirteen thousand, or 60 percent, of all villages in Viet Nam were severely damaged or destroyed. Twenty-one million gallons of deadly chemical herbicides were sprayed over villages, farms and forests. The third generation of birth defects are now appearing. Over 6.5 million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians were murdered during the war, over five million in Viet Nam alone – thirteen percent of their population!
Vietnamese resistance and self-defense were treated as a crime deserving evermore vengeance from the US war machine. Use of systematic terror, including torture, was unprecedented. Surrender not forthcoming, genocidal scorched-earth and search-and-destroy policies sought to eliminate the entire Vietnamese population. By mid-1965, the war was just beginning to seep into the consciousness of a small minority of people. Heavy bombings began to make the news, along with the open invasion of US troops that had occurred in March.
Norman Morrison, director of a Quaker Meeting in Maryland, agonized over the US criminal war, and was distressed by lack of public outrage, especially from Quakers. On the morning of November 2, 1965, in preparing a lecture for an upcoming class, Norman penned: “Quakers seek to begin with life, not with theory….The life is mightier than the book that reports it”. Over lunch, Norman and his wife Anne discussed the latest issue of I.F. Stone’s Weekly that reprinted a letter from a Catholic priest in Paris Match who barely survived US bombings: “I have seen my faithful burned up. I have seen the bodies of women and children blown to bits. I have seen all my village razed”.
After lunch, his wife Anne went to school to pick up their 6-year son Ben, and 5 year-old daughter Christina, Norman stayed with their daughter, Emily only nine days shy of her first birthday. With no evidence of premeditation or discussion, Norman drove to the Pentagon with baby Emily. At about 5:20 p.m., within 40 feet of the window of Secretary of War/Defense Robert McNamara, Norman safely placed Emily aside before dousing himself with a flammable liquid and striking a match. Within a few minutes Norman was dead, the second US American to immolate in protest of the war. As the war dragged on, seven others would follow suit. At least 76 Vietnamese immolated themselves protesting the barbaric war being waged against them for simply seeking political autonomy.
Anne received a letter the next day penned by Norman: “Dearest Anne, I have been praying only that I be shown what I must do. This morning with no warning I was shown, as clearly as I was shown that Friday night in August 1955 that you should be my wife…Know that I love thee but must act for the children in the priest’s village. Norman”.
His wife Anne would later describe that Norman had a philosophy of “guided drift”, a kind of divine inspiration where each moment possesses reflective wisdom of its own.
Norman’s life has special significance to me. In the small town I grew up in rural western New York, he dated our neighbor’s daughter and was the first Eagle Scout I ever knew. Though seven years my senior, we graduated from the same Chautauqua Central High School, each with 28 students in our class. He considered becoming a minister as I would. We both loved baseball.
I thought Norman must have gone off his rocker. However, three-and-a-half years later, as a US Air Force lieutenant in Viet Nam, I personally witnessed the after effects of unspeakable napalm bombings of farming villages where virtually all inhabitants were murdered in a flash, mostly young mothers and children. Official reports identified them as “VC” (enemy) but I knew they were civilians. The horror caused me to turn against the war.
During an incredible dinner conversation with an educated Vietnamese family in Can Tho City, I was stunned to discover that the Vietnamese deeply revered Norman for his “constructive” sacrifice. They sang for me, in English, “An Ode to Norman Morrison,” that included the words: “The flame which burned you will clear and lighten life and many new generations of people will find the horizon. Then a day will come when the American people will rise, one after another, for life”. I wept as I grasped the extraordinary meaning that Norman’s life and act had on an entire nation of people, even though unrecognized by his own country’s citizenry.
If that was not enough, I later discovered there was a postage stamp the North Vietnamese government issued shortly after the immolation, revealing Norman’s face looking down from the clouds on US war demonstrators. The lettering on the stamp, translated reads: “Norman Morrison, the ultimate sacrifice as duty and purpose demand.”
I also learned there were streets named after Norman in Viet Nam. Posters and photos of him had appeared throughout the country, and Vietnamese soldiers on the Ho Chi Minh Trail carried his photos on their trucks. President Ho Chi Minh personally invited Norman’s widow Anne to Viet Nam. North Viet Nam’s Prime Minister Pham Van Dong shared this high national praise: “Norman Morrison has gone into Vietnamese mythology: The Vietnamese people, when fighting oppression, always have in their heart the image of Norman Morrison.”
Five days after Norman’s immolation, North Viet Nam’s revolutionary poet laureate To Huu wrote a poem, still famous in Viet Nam, “Emily, My Child,” dedicated to Norman. Towards the end of the poem is a section: “McNamara!/ Where are you hiding? /…you hide yourself / from the flaming world / as an ostrich hides its head in the burning sand”. Her father, who considered the entire human family just as valuable as his own, bore witness in the clearest and most incontrovertible manner against McNamara’s impersonal, mechanistic, and analytical waging of a war that was unleashing unspeakable violence on the innocents of Southeast Asia.
From my Viet Nam and other experiences, and from Norman’s example, my own long activist life has been guided by the mantra, “We are not worth more; They are not worth less”.
Perhaps as more of us become acquainted with the example of Norman Morrison, we will find our own version of “guided drift”.
45 Comments
I will recommend your website to everyone. You have a very good gloss. Write more high-quality articles. I support you.
Well I truly enjoyed reading it. This subject offered by you is very helpful and accurate.
Hard to ignore such an amazing article like this. You really amazed me with your writing talent. Thank you for sharing again.
I’m very pleased to discover this site. I want to to thank you for ones time for this particularly wonderful read!! I definitely savored every part of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to see new information on your blog
일본경마
magosucowep
Enjoyed reading your post keep sharing such amazing
post will come back to read more.
슬롯사이트
Your blog provided us with valuable information
to work with. Each & every tips of your post are awesome.
온라인바카라
Thank you very much for your post, it makes us have more and more discs in our life, So kind for you, I also hope you will make more and more excellent post and let’s more and more talk,
thank you very much, dear.
블랙잭사이트
ทาง เข้า xo เกมสล็อตออนไลน์ที่เเตกง่ายที่สุดในบรรดาเว็บสล็อตต้องมาเล่นกับเรา pgslot-th.com มีเกมให้เลือกหลากหลายรูปแบบภาพการ์ตูนสวย เด่นกว่าใครต้องเกมของระบบฝากถอนง่ายมาก
It’s excellent page, I was looking for something like this 슬롯사이트
สล็อตเว็บตรง แตกง่าย สล็อตแตกง่าย เกมพนันออนไลน์ ยอดนิยม ที่นิยมเยอะที่สุดในตอนนี้เพราะเป็นเกมที่มีแบบอย่างการเล่นที่ง่าย ไม่สลับซับซ้อน ต่างจากพนันอื่นๆ ที่มีข้อตกลงต่างๆมากมาย
คาสิโน สล็อต ศูนย์รวม คาสิโนออนไลน์ และ สล็อตออนไลน์ แถวหน้าของประเทศไทย เราคือ เว็บคาสิโน ที่มีเกม พนันออนไลน์ ให้ได้เลือกเล่นมากที่สุด
สล็อตทดลอง
นา กา slot
ember 2021 (시알리스 20mg 가격Figure 3). T시알리스 20mg 가격he product w시알리스 20mg 가격ill
O prazo sobre montagem é sobre até 7 dias úteis após a
good entrega.
to conventi발기부전치료제판매사이트onal cells. 발기부전치료제판매사이트Extensive la발기부전치료제판매사이트bora
here the prehttps://nnfcy25.comsent instituhttps://nnfcy25.comte has grownhttps://nnfcy25.com. De
is an examplhttps://himlongzon.come of translahttps://himlongzon.comtion of induhttps://himlongzon.comstri
that can wihttps://nnfcy25.comthstand the https://nnfcy25.comhigh temperahttps://nnfcy25.comture
ays a key rohttps://himlongzon.comle in climathttps://himlongzon.come change. Rohttps://himlongzon.combust
malayas, asshttps://himlongzon.comessment of phttps://himlongzon.comast changes https://himlongzon.comin d
for land usehttps://woorihot.com planning. Fhttps://woorihot.comurther, subshttps://woorihot.comurfa
building codhttps://maxhimplus.comes, particulhttps://maxhimplus.comarly for thehttps://maxhimplus.com pro
malayas, asshttps://bcsimozon.comessment of phttps://bcsimozon.comast changes https://bcsimozon.comin d
ce soft sedihttps://nnfcy25.comments amplifhttps://nnfcy25.comy the groundhttps://nnfcy25.com mot
Series” is 져스트릴게임an internati져스트릴게임onally accla져스트릴게임imed
Nosso site atende todo o Brasil e disponibiliza os produtos oferecidos
na nossas lojas físicas e diversos outros serviços.
You have interesting and usunx8
appealing content that you enjoy.
Your usunx8 website is truly commendable! It incorporates both convenience and innovation in its design,
providing users with an engaging and user-friendly experience. The seamless integration of
convenience and captivating design elements ensures that users consistently enjoy
เว็บสล็อต usunx8 ฝาก-ถอน ไม่มี ขั้น ต่ํา เว็บตรง แตกง่าย ที่มีผู้คนสมัครเข้าเล่นมาที่สุด รวมค่ายสล็อต ชื่อดังมากมายที่ให้คุณได้เลือกเล่น สล็อตแตกง่าย แตกบ่อย ได้เงินจริง ไม่มีการยกเลิกบิลถอนเงินของลูกค้า usunx8
เว็บสล็อต usunx8 ฝาก-ถอน ไม่มี ขั้น ต่ํา เว็บตรง แตกง่าย ที่มีผู้คนสมัครเข้าเล่นมาที่สุด แจกเคดิตฟรีทุกวัน
g framework.체증식 상환방식 The heat wa체증식 상환방식ve over Odis체증식 상환방식ha a
THE ONE CARGO สั่งของจากจีน นำเข้าสินค้าจากจีน แหล่งที่ดีของสินค้าทุกชนิดตามความจำเป็นที่มีอยู่ในตลาด ธุรกิจ และบริษัทนำเข้า-ส่งออกสินค้าสามารถค้นหาตัวเลือกมากมายในประเทศจีน อย่างไรก็ตามเพื่อให้ประสบความสำเร็จคุณต้องค้นหาผลิตภัณฑ์ที่ดีที่สุดที่จะนำมาซึ่งผลกำไรและช่วยให้คุณพัฒนาธุรกิจของคุณในระยะยาว
Perhaps they’re actually nice at all those issues and never
at all shy, however their job or well being or family state of affairs signifies that they should focus elsewhere, and their relationship
life gets brief shrift. It just means they’re a bit of
shy, or they have some emotional maturity left to realize, or they’re simply not the
best communicator. Most apps have an interface that permits you to select
your favorite reveals and browse others. What’s your least favorite pet?
Commonly, the house theatre methods embody a video-show unit which measures within the least 40 inches and an audio
system which has minimal 5 audio system. And Mercedes
is working on a brand new means to use airbags that moves them away from a passive security measure and makes it a part of an lively security system.
The truth is, anybody that doesn’t undergo these stages of improvement has what society refers to as a “physical or emotional handicap.” Growth is
a fundamental a part of your life. Inform your self, “I am fascinating, and I have rather a lot to supply those who take the time to get to know me.” Remind yourself of what you do in your spare time that you
simply accomplish whereas others are collaborating in social activities,
and inform your self how particular you might be for having this difference.
ค่ายเกมยอดฮิต เกมมาแรง แตกง่าย usunx8 แหล่งรวมเกมเดิมพันออนไลน์ บริการครบวงจรจบในที่เดียว สร้างรายได้เสริมให้กับผู้เล่นที่ต้องการจะหาเงินใช้ได้เป็นอย่างดี
What’s up, everything is going nicely here and ofcourse every
one is sharing facts, that’s actually fine, keep up writing.
A great tripod might very properly change the standard of the photographs being
clicked and videos being shot in the perfect method potential.
Studying easy methods to get the perfect results for any kind of
pictures is all the time necessary whether or not you’re taking photographs for your self or
doing it as an occupation.
The PT test includes a certain variety of sit-ups, push-ups
and pull-ups, and candidates must end a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometer) run in eleven minutes or much less.
Trainees must move the check in one go-spherical, with 5-minute breaks between each train. One instance is understanding a teacher’s timetable on the idea of given class timetables.
Nissan launched its new mirror in 2014 at the Geneva Auto Present, and
the company plans to start rolling out the system as a
vendor option on Japanese fashions immediately.
It seems like a regular mirror, the normal variety that works simply
tremendous when the weather is clear, and there aren’t any obstructions within the automotive behind the driver; but when the rain clouds start rolling in,
or the cargo area is stacked to the roof with camping gear, these aren’t splendid conditions for rear visibility.
In arranging the presentation, w e asked to see the portfolio
submissions of a trainer who had handed the assessment and one who had failed, though we requested to not be instructed which was which before
we completed our evaluations.
carbon and n무직자대부업체itrogen flux무직자대부업체es between o무직자대부업체cean
Outstanding article. Are you a Clash Royale gamer curious about how to build decks in clash royale? Well, Building an effective Clash Royale deck involves understanding various components, balancing elixir costs, and ensuring your cards synergize well together. For a more comprehensive insight, check out the linked site.
I appreciate you sharing this terrific post! Are you looking for affordable Android phones that are yet of high quality? If so, the Google Pixel 8a is a reasonably priced choice. With its respectable performance and camera capabilities, it provides excellent value. You can use the scrcpy software to mirror the Pixel 8a’s screen onto a larger monitor for seamless operation and simple setup. Visit to the given article link for more information.
It’s going to be finish of mine day, but before end I am reading this wonderful paragraph to improve my
know-how.
‘인천퀴어축제 11월 2일 부평역에서 진행’ 연예인 딥페이크로 1.4억 쓸어담아···30대 중국인 남성 구속
Good way of describing, and good article to take data on the topic of my presentation topic, which i am going to
deliver in school.