My Lai anniversary, Pentagon March, PBS Series, Notre Dame Conference, MLK-1968 A Decisve Year

 My Lai anniversary, Pentagon March, PBS Series, Notre Dame Conference, MLK

Dan Higgins

4:53 PM

To  winston warfield,    Ajemian, Ray, vfp   and 41 others

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---------- Original Message ----------
From: Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee <reachout.ffrd@gmail.com>
To: deh43@comcast.net
Date: February 27, 2018 at 4:06 PM
Subject: My Lai anniversary, Pentagon March, PBS Series, Notre Dame Conference, MLK

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In This Issue My Lai Anniversary Pentagon March Honored PBSVietnam Series Military Resistance Conference Pentagon Papers Films MLK Support for Draft Resistance February 27, 2018 Dear Daniel Higgins, We are well into the new year--and ever greater concern about our nation's leaders and the domestic and international problems they pose. One thing we agree with Ken Burns about is that the national experience with Viet Nam still echoes today.  However to learn its lessons productively, we must more honestly recall what took place and why. In this newsletter, we review how we honored the fiftieth anniversary of the march on the Pentagon and invite your participation in remembering the 50th anniversary of the My Lai massacre on March 16th. Other fiftieth anniversaries that are notable in 2018 have already included the indictment of Dr. Spock et. al. for supporting draft resistance plus the Tet Offensive.  Ahead of us are the McCarthy and Kennedy campaigns, the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the Democratic Convention protests and two national draft card turn-ins.   Wide distribution of the PBS Vietnam Series provides many opportunities for broader grass roots education. Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee Sally Benson * David Cortright * Ann Gallivan * Susan Hammond * Susanne Jackson * Frank Joyce * Steven Ladd * Paul Lauter * John McAuliff * Terry Provance * Brewster Rhoads * Nancy Jane Woodside  My Lai:  Never Again!   The media is already noting the significance of the 50th anniversary of the massacre at My Lai on March 16th.  This offers a reason for us to go deeper about the horrific event itself and how it was mishandled by military and political leaders.  It is also a moment to direct attention to similar still hidden smaller atrocities as well as the larger atrocity of the human costs of the war then, and of the reality that it is still taking lives today. We ask you to consider doing the following: 1) Add your name here to a public appeal for moral responsibility that will be released for the anniversary.  Circulate this link to your lists  tinyurl.com/MyLaiAppeal 2)  If you live near Washington, join the vigil at the White House on March 16th, and educational programs Thursday through Saturday.   3)  Create a vigil in your own community in front of the office of a Senator or Representative. 4)  Incorporate the My Lai liturgy into religious services on the March 16-18 weekend. 5)  Organize a community or campus event to watch and discuss the videos "Four Hours in My Lai" and "Winter Soldier", based on the shattering hearing organized by veterans to bear personal witness to other atrocities. 6)  Be part of commemoration ceremonies at My Lai itself with survivors and descendants, the centerpiece of a two week program for anti-war activists in Vietnam (deadline for last minute registration March 1, 2018). More information about these projects on our website. My Lai Resources Articles Excellent Wikipedia entry here "The Ghosts of My Lai" in Smithsonian Magazine here Books "My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent into Darkness" new book by Howard Jones "The Forgotten Hero of My Lai:  The Hugh Thompson Story" by Trent Angers    Videos "Four Hours in My Lai, Anatomy of a Massacre"  Yorkshire Television on youtube here