The toons express my frustration with the unfair situation in this country. There appears to be no legal way to come here beyond the “gold” cards he’s selling. And his goon squads treat those who risk their lives to get here like animals. Have you ever watched a roundup? That’s what they remind me of.
As always, I love the John Prine! It certainly brought back memories of marching on DC in the 60s and 70s. On a different topic, though, I watched “Bombshell” last evening, and naturally, I cannot get it out of my mind. It makes so many crucial points, I am going to watch it a second and maybe a third time. I was born in Oak Ridge right after the war, and the city remained a place of forced secrecy until long after I graduated from high school there. Parents who worked at any one of the three “plants,” as they were called, were not allowed to tell their families anything about what their jobs were. Large billboards all around town reminded everyone that the country’s safety depended on keeping their lips sealed. As far as I know, large cyclone fencing still surrounds the entire area, and unauthorized persons are still barred from many roads there. This documentary is so effective and informative, it should be required viewing by every high school student, if not by every citizen. Hooray for you, Greg Mitchell, for all the work you have done about the atomic bomb! It is superb!
That's amazing, not sure I've ever met anyone who actually lived at Oak Ridge in or close to that period....thanks for the info and the kind words. "Bombshell" was basically based on my book with Lifton, "Hiroshima in America," which of course I can recommend....
Of course I will be getting that book so that I can read more. Regarding my years living in Oak Ridge, I have many more memories. For example, my mother was arrested when she was 7 months pregnant with me because she had ventured onto one of the restricted roads. She had a craving for muscadines and knew that she could find plenty throughout "the reservation." She should have known better than to ignore the signs, though. My father had to bail her out of jail and pled for them to drop the charges. He almost lost his job at K-25, one of the three "plants" (K-25, X-10, and Y-12). She learned her lesson, thank goodness. She could have been shot; those signs were serious!
There was an amazing anti-nuclear "attack" (by the usual nuns and priests etc.) on a missile or facility at Oak Ridge a decade or two ago, probably poured blood on something, became quite famous, they went to jail including a very elderly nun, a film about it and a long New Yorker article, as I recall.
I remember when that incident happened. I was cheering them on from Atlanta, but I never heard what happened afterward. Your comment made me curious, and I found the following summary article from a Knoxville news source:
Wow. A powerful selection of cartoons.
Love Phil Ochs, and that cut by John Prine.
The toons express my frustration with the unfair situation in this country. There appears to be no legal way to come here beyond the “gold” cards he’s selling. And his goon squads treat those who risk their lives to get here like animals. Have you ever watched a roundup? That’s what they remind me of.
Nothing ICE is doing warrants respect. They are thugs and most of us don't respect thugs.
As always, I love the John Prine! It certainly brought back memories of marching on DC in the 60s and 70s. On a different topic, though, I watched “Bombshell” last evening, and naturally, I cannot get it out of my mind. It makes so many crucial points, I am going to watch it a second and maybe a third time. I was born in Oak Ridge right after the war, and the city remained a place of forced secrecy until long after I graduated from high school there. Parents who worked at any one of the three “plants,” as they were called, were not allowed to tell their families anything about what their jobs were. Large billboards all around town reminded everyone that the country’s safety depended on keeping their lips sealed. As far as I know, large cyclone fencing still surrounds the entire area, and unauthorized persons are still barred from many roads there. This documentary is so effective and informative, it should be required viewing by every high school student, if not by every citizen. Hooray for you, Greg Mitchell, for all the work you have done about the atomic bomb! It is superb!
That's amazing, not sure I've ever met anyone who actually lived at Oak Ridge in or close to that period....thanks for the info and the kind words. "Bombshell" was basically based on my book with Lifton, "Hiroshima in America," which of course I can recommend....
Of course I will be getting that book so that I can read more. Regarding my years living in Oak Ridge, I have many more memories. For example, my mother was arrested when she was 7 months pregnant with me because she had ventured onto one of the restricted roads. She had a craving for muscadines and knew that she could find plenty throughout "the reservation." She should have known better than to ignore the signs, though. My father had to bail her out of jail and pled for them to drop the charges. He almost lost his job at K-25, one of the three "plants" (K-25, X-10, and Y-12). She learned her lesson, thank goodness. She could have been shot; those signs were serious!
There was an amazing anti-nuclear "attack" (by the usual nuns and priests etc.) on a missile or facility at Oak Ridge a decade or two ago, probably poured blood on something, became quite famous, they went to jail including a very elderly nun, a film about it and a long New Yorker article, as I recall.
I remember when that incident happened. I was cheering them on from Atlanta, but I never heard what happened afterward. Your comment made me curious, and I found the following summary article from a Knoxville news source:
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2021/10/17/megan-rice-nun-peace-activist-oak-ridge-facility-dies-obituary/8503753002/. These days we all need to summon the courage to act just as Megan Rice, Michael Walli, and Greg Boertje-Obed did. We have so much more to protest now, but we must be much more careful now. Instead of arrest and trial, they just shot us in the face. That saves all that pesky business of selecting juries and possible reduction in sentences later on.
I remembered all the words to Flag Decal! It was funny when I first heard it. Who knew then that he was serious as a heart attack? Thx John & Greg:)
true