A Star Tribune op-ed was reflecting on the Sara Jane Olson matter one day. It was on the heels of legal consequences hitting the fan for this otherwise model citizen. She had the alter ego that got her into trouble. It was from her past. And that's what got the op-ed writer reflecting.
You'll recall that Olson was the former Symbionese Liberation Army member from America's fragile times of around 1970. Hey, I can remember the name she went by when she was showing her rebellious "alter ego." It was "Kathleen Soliah." I can remember the spelling of both names. My memory can be reliable, sometimes, in these "data overload" days.
So Soliah was shown to have done some pretty bad stuff. Are there really "two sides" when it comes to entertaining thoughts of placing explosives on the bottom of police cars? To those totally attuned to 2023 America, well they'd say "no." Unequivocal, for sure.
People my age grew up in a cauldron of evolving values and judgments. Such an environment can get dangerous. Think of William Ayers, the lightning rod guy who was propped up by the antagonists toward Barack Obama.
Ayers had to fight to keep from being condemned in certain quarters. Based on his behavior from the bygone time, you might well think such a thumbs-down judgment is prima facie. Just as pointing fingers at the Symbionese Liberation Army would seem wholly spot-on.
Was the past notorious behavior justified? We'd have to say "it's not that simple."
The op-ed writer noted that people of a certain generation - the boomers - would not wholesale condemn some of the drastic or seemingly insane things that were done. But in the next breath or next phrase, the writer added "those were different times." And the writer felt that was a reason why society seemed not to be stampeding toward immediate drastic punishment.
You'll recall that Olson/Soliah spent years with a new identity to escape her past. Morally wrong for her to do so? Well, someone of my perspective - I'm a boomer - would again say "it's not so simple." Indeed there is a disquieting reaction but not one that trumpets "thumbs-down." Perhaps what we're trying to say is that the 1960s tested us and pulled us in directions that we were not wholly proud of.
Olson ended up "serving her time." Governor Jesse Ventura as I recall seemed of the school of thought of not wanting to forgive her at all. Maybe it was just political necessity to speak that way.
Getting into music
Let me point out why I'm writing on this today: just did some research on a musical group that had its start in the late '60s.
First of all, the late '60s were a tremendous wellspring for creativity in popular music: unique. Rock was well-established but not fully mature. So we waited to hear a group that incorporated brass in a dramatic way. The music had flirted with this but not fully showcased it. So along came "Blood, Sweat and Tears."
I got into researching one of my favorite songs of all time: "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know." The song was from the first phase of BST, or to use the contemporary parlance, "first iteration." The first phase was impactful but very meteoric. Al Kooper was on the scene. He sings in my cited song. So important at BST's start, it's surprising he ended up being let go as the band developed.
Not a good enough singer? A bone of contention, yes. But no one disputes Kooper's genius through his long career. He sings my favorite song in the distinctive 6/8 time. Now for the time being, I'm in love with 6/8.
Click on this link to read my blog post "Al Kooper and his BST song classic in 6/8 time." This post is on my companion blog "Morris of Course." Thanks. - BW
After Al Kooper we came to the iteration of BST that is best remembered by most people, or most people my age. I'm thinking of the David Clayton-Thomas time period. The very distinctive singing voice with the "gravelly," intense sound. The '60s were restless times, got it.
So did BST beget Kenny Rogers or was it the other way around? And then came a group of great importance to yours truly, "Chase" led by Bill Chase. They had a vocalist sort of cloned from BST and Rogers. Chase featured Terry Richards and then G.G. Shinn, the latter who I was delighted to meet personally when they had a reunion concert in St. Paul in 2007.
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| David Clayton-Thomas |
Indeed. Plain as the nose on your face for the people who were around then, were attuned to anti-war. Need I remind you the U.S. government prosecuted the tragic war in Vietnam that took the lives of about 58,000 young men. A bigger tragedy could not be envisioned.
Think of the most depressing Vietnam war-themed movies you've ever seen, and realize that the reality was worse. Countless vets who had "survived" the war but really they did not. Myriad health problems, then death. So, many people on the domestic front felt they needed to take drastic actions.
Now, so many of us might want to make judgments without the needed historical lens. Does the context make the actions right? You might say "no." But "those were different times."
Yours truly ended up with a legacy of cynicism. I'm not terribly trusting.
I exchanged emails over Christmas with a person I hadn't seen for a long time, may never see him again actually. This fellow's brother was killed by friendly fire in Vietnam in 1966. My family attended the funeral in Brainerd. It probably should not have been open-casket.
The deceased was the son of the sister of my mother's best high school friend. I had to wonder: what was the point of his death? The years passed and I couldn't shake the illogic of the Vietnam war.
My friend at Christmas said it's probably time to get over that. Get with the present, I guess. His name is Lyle.
"Thanks for the message you sent," Lyle wrote on December 23. "It was good hearing from you. Molly and I have moved to Independence OR, a small town a few miles southwest of Salem. Only been here a couple months but really like it. Keep smiling, stay cheerful and think positive. Life flies by too quickly to not enjoy every day. Have a very Merry Christmas and fun and prosperous new year."
God bless Lyle and his late brother Richard who we called "Dicky." So we called them "Dicky and Lyle."
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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