Volume 266 | No. 21

Mon, July 4

1994—Nye County, Nev., Commissioner Dick Carver re-opens a Federally-closed road with a bulldozer, reigniting the Sagebrush Rebellion. 1975—Eleven years after Goldwater got the GOP nod there, the Ant Farm’s “Media Burn” crashes a customized Caddy into a wall of burning TVs at San Francisco’s Cow Palace. 1970—At “Honor America” day in D.C., Billie Graham and Bob Hope preach and joke, protestors smoke pot atop a truck shoved into the Reflecting Pool, and neo-Nazis snarl and jeer. 1951—In Madison, Wisc., 99.2 percent decline to sign a petition containing excerpts from the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. 1947—The Boozefighters, a subset of “The Greatest Generation®,” …

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Sun, July 3

1994—The Mayor of Boulder, Colo. declares this “Allen Ginsberg Day.” 1993—In just leather jacket, dog collar, and jockstrap, punk rocker G.G. Allin is laid to rest at St. Rose Cemetery in his hometown, Littleton, N.H. 1988—The U.S.S. Vincennes, in Iranian waters, shoots down an Iranian airliner ascending within a commercial air corridor; 290 civilians die. 1979—President Carter OKs covert aid to the mujahideen, despite Z. Brzezinski’s warning it will spur a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 1978—The Supreme Court rules that seven words are too dirty to broadcast—using those words in its ruling. 1971—R. Nixon tells B. Haldeman, “Jews are all through the government…you can’t trust …

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It’s a Whole New Ball Game

Though it was long before our time—Julius Caesar’s assassination predated our founding by seven times our lifespan to date*—we often daydream of life in ancient times. What was it like to live in a world controlled by capricious and uncaring gods? Now we know. Last week certain Supreme Beings—half a dozen unelected religious zealots, five of them appointed by politicians who lost the popular vote, and several of whom likely perjured themselves in order to get the gig—declared holy war on us mere mortals. Thursday they threw out gun bans, overthrowing a precedent going back a century and a half. These may be best remembered …

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How Vietnam got under America’s callused cowboy skin

by Jean Stimmell Because America chose to wage a war in Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh was exiled from his country and ended up a renowned spiritual teacher and peacemaker, instrumental in mellowing our macho culture. It was even more of a turnaround for Ocean Vuong, the acclaimed writer and poet: He tells us he literally wouldn’t exist without the Vietnam War. That’s because his grandfather, an American soldier fighting in Vietnam, met his grandmother, “a girl from the rice paddies,” ⁠1 and married her. And then, there’s me: a hapless 19-year-old who stumbled into Vietnam after dropping out of college. I enlisted before the big …

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Thank You For Your Service

To the Editor: Congratulations, Mary. Having reached your twelfth year as an American citizen, you are hereby required to register for the draft. No, not for Military Service, but for the U.S. Female Fertility Service. The mission of our agency is to ensure all unwanted pregnancies, especially those initiated through rape or incest, are carried to term in a manner that protects the life and wellbeing of the developing fetus. Under U.S. law, should you become pregnant due to an unfortunate circumstance, you will be required to report to the FFS within ten working days for service as a surrogate mother on behalf of the …

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