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Continental Walk for Disarmament & Social Justice Sometimes, as in this case, the expression of thanks due is long deferred. In 1976, after receiving a WRL mailing about the Continental Walk for Disarmament and Social Justice, I left Amherst College to join the walk. The experiences I had that year made an enormous difference in my life, then and since. I got to know and learn from people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives. I became familiar with Quakers, American Friends Service Committee staff and others working for peace. I learned about others, issues and myself. At 46, I reflect on connections which began or grew during that time. Today I work as Development and Outreach Coordinator with the Friends Committee on Legislation of California. FCL was created 50 years ago with the assistance of the AFSC and the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Thanks to WRL for sponsoring the Walk and creating such life opportunities for me and others. I am glad to know that WRL still exists, particularly in these times which echo the 50s. Greetings from California’s capital. Please put this contribution to good use toward a more just and peaceful world. —Ira Saletan Rembering Wally I am writing this belated thank you for printing those fine articles by Juanita Nelson, Ruth Benn and Ed Hedemann about the late Wally Nelson. I first met Wally back in July 1964 when he first came to a meeting of the Young People’s Socialist League (YPSL) to take part in a debate on nonviolence vs. armed self-defense in the civil rights movement. Wally didn’t so much espouse the theory of nonviolence as talk about a personal experience of nonviolence in dealing with a potentially violent situation. What he said was so meaningful and unforgettable it inspired me to retell it on numerous occasions. Wally was a man who was true to his beliefs. He loved life and he loved people. Randy Kehler was right on the mark when he said, through tears at the time of Wally’s death, that he never knew a man who led a life of greater integrity. Additionally, Wally was the kindest, gentlest man I ever knew. And that’s saying something because during the course of my life I’ve come to know a number of very kind, gentle men. Additionally, as Bob Bady pointed out at his memorial, Wally’s grandparents were slaves while, in contrast, Wally was the freest man he’d ever known. To close, Wally was one totally at peace with himself, was totally approachable and one whom I not only miss terribly but who is in my thoughts every day. Would that I should lead a life half as consistent and half as loving. —Lou Waronoker Defending Dan I was greatly disturbed to read about Wild Man: The Life and Times of Daniel Ellsberg by Tom Wells (Activist Reviews, September-October). The title conjures up “mad bomber” images of a personality that is actually very controlled, while the cover picture is deliberately sinister. I’ve seen Ellsberg in a variety of situations, and he has never looked remotely like that. In 1982, I heard him speak at Stanford and learned some basic facts that by then I should have known, e.g. that the University of California owns Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where nuclear weapons were designed. Two statements changed my life. The first, “This is a good time to go to jail.” After much pondering, I did. Protests, rallies, vigils and risking arrest have educated me in a way not otherwise possible. And in response to the inevitable question at the end of his presentation, “What should we do?” he replied, “The question is what can you do if you are willing to take some risk?” By releasing the Pentagon Papers, Ellsberg exposed the government lies, which led to widespread opposition to the Vietnam War. I sometimes fear that in our present state of information overload, the response to similar revelations might be, “So?” He inspired a generation of resisters such as the 1500 arrested at Livermore Lab in 1982. Ellsberg’s influence has been tremendous. I personally feel enormously grateful to him and hope that Well’s ad hominem attack will not permanently tarnish his achievement. —John Thompson |
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