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Hippies And The War

Northampton has been making news with Greenfield. Northampton claims its hippie infestation comes from the Franklin County shiretown.

Surely we have 'em. Surely there are young bearded visually undesirables in Greenfield. They can be seen on almost any sunny day camping about the town square, on prime corners bumming rides, or lounging about one of their favorite haunts, the front lawn of St. James Church.

But these are the guys and dolls who have been invading Northampton to harass and provoke the draft board chairman into placing all the blame for his troubles on Greenfield? Only close inspection would provide an answer. And he'd probably prove himself correct.

James Faulkner, the Hampshire County draft board clerk who resents this "bunch of hippies" besieging his office in protests of the draft, has come up with a rather pat reply. Says he These hippies kill more people with their hot rod cars than the Viet Cong do with ammunition. The only fault with this deduction is that hippies do not seem to be concerned much about what the Viet Cong do, but direct their messages to what other Americans are doing, particularly those concerned with preserving independence for themselves and the Vietnamese.

From observations of the past few weeks it is apparent that boys and girls who pretend to detest the war and the draft are more concerned with personal motives than with the safety, welfare and future of the country. They are undeniably selfish to the extreme and seek to emphasize their missions through notoriety, publicity and dope. At no other time in history could they have escaped correction with such obvious ease. They do it now only because this country emphasizes for all the world to see its insistence upon freedom, even when it causes the nation itself great pain and anguish.

Northampton need not place all the blame on Greenfield for anti-draft and anti-war demonstrations. The move is national in scope, obviously directed by well-organized groups, many of which are swelled by young people tricked, duped and cajoled by leaders with ties in Peking, Moscow, Hanoi and Havana. Some have even admitted this.

Nobody likes war. Nobody likes the draft. In this the hippies have universal respect and support. Faulkner, however, could have strengthened his charge against them by pointing out that it is not only their hot-rods which kill. With each move to interfere with American policy and its leaders, elected and chosen by the people, they are aiding and encouraging the enemy. This in turns adds to the toll of death and injured and delays a negotiated peace.

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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In the late 1960s and early 1970s the press and public figures widely denounced individuals who opposed the Vietnam War. This editorial opinion, published by the Greenfield Recorder in October of 1967, echoes national public sentiment. Those opposed to the war and the draft are identified as a fringe element of the population. Referred to as "Hippies," the author describes them as lazy, selfish and abusers of the freedoms that they have been granted as Americans. Rather than encouraging an end to the war with their actions, the editorial asserts that these protesters have been deceived into advancing Communist objectives. The editorial implies that these protesters are engaged in treason.

 

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"Hippies and the War" editorial from The Greenfield Recorder newspaper

publisher   Greenfield Recorder
date   Oct 21, 1967
location   Greenfield, Massachusetts
height   3.25"
width   3.25"
process/materials   printed paper, ink
item type   Periodicals/Newspaper
accession #   #L06.037


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See Also...

"Counting Our Blessings!" cartoon from The Greenfield Recorder newspaper

"Communication Trouble" editorial in The Greenfield Recorder-Gazette newspaper

"Violence Seen Probable in D.C. Demonstration" article from The Greenfield Recorder newspaper


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