[Peace-discuss] 1968: Dr. Benjamin Spock's indictment for urging young men to resist the Vietnam draft - The Washington Post

[Boyle, Francis A]

Ben Linder Instead of Me 

Down to Nicaragua in 1985

With my Friends and Comrades-in-Arms

Ramsey Clark and Len Weinglass (R.I.P.)

To stop Reagan's contra terrorist mercenary bands

Tormenting, torturing, murdering, raping, robbing, pillaging, devastating 
Nicaragua's long-suffering people

Under a contra death threat for all Americans

Subjected to CIA biowarfare by Hemorrhagic Dengue Fever
For which there is no cure
The three of us marched on our way anyway

Instead of us lawyers 
Reagan and his contras murdered Ben Linder
A Noble Engineer
Bringing fresh water to the poor campesinos in the countryside

Ripping Ben from his Family's arms
Ben was a Martyr for Peace!
Reagan and his contras murdered Ben Linder instead of me

I have led a full life
But not so he
Struck down in his young manhood
By a gang of American criminals and their terrorists

So I write this poem in Honor of Ben
May Ben's Name live forever!
I know his Soul already does
R.I.P.: Ben Linder
Instead of me


Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954 (phone)
217-244-1478 (fax)
(personal comments only)


-----Original Message-----
From: Boyle, Francis A 
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2018 9:21 AM
To: 'David Green' <davegreen84 at yahoo.com>; Miller, Joseph Thomas <jtmiller at illinois.edu>; 'sherwoodross10 at gmail.com' <sherwoodross10 at gmail.com>; 'peace-discuss at anti-war.net' <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>; 'C. G. ESTABROOK' <carl at newsfromneptune.com>; 'a-fields at uiuc.edu' <a-fields at uiuc.edu>; 'Joe Lauria' <joelauria at gmail.com>; 'Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net' <Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>; 'peace-discuss-request at lists.chambana.net' <peace-discuss-request at lists.chambana.net>; Szoke, Ron <r-szoke at illinois.edu>; 'Arlene Hickory' <a23h23 at yahoo.com>; 'Karen Aram' <karenaram at hotmail.com>; 'abass10 at gmail.com' <abass10 at gmail.com>; 'mickalideh at gmail.com' <mickalideh at gmail.com>; 'Lina Thorne' <lina at worldcantwait.net>; 'chicago at worldcantwait.net' <chicago at worldcantwait.net>; 'Jay' <futureup2us at gmail.com>; 'David Johnson' <davidjohnson1451 at comcast.net>; 'Mildred O'brien' <moboct1 at aim.com>; 'C G Estabrook' <cgestabrook at gmail.com>
Subject: FW: 1968: Dr. Benjamin Spock's indictment for urging young men to resist the Vietnam draft - The Washington Post



Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954 (phone)
217-244-1478 (fax)
(personal comments only)


-----Original Message-----
From: Boyle, Francis A 
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2018 9:19 AM
To: sectns.aals at lists.aals.org
Subject: 1968: Dr. Benjamin Spock's indictment for urging young men to resist the Vietnam draft - The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/01/05/he-was-americas-most-famous-pediatrician-then-dr-spock-attacked-the-vietnam-draft/?utm_term=.ac3c1bf090b7
Ben Spock, M.D.

Managua, Nicaragua, 1985
With Ramsey Clark and Len Weinglass (RIP) To help Nicaraguans Against Reagan's contra terrorists

After day of hard work return to hotel
Sitting on veranda sipping soft drinks
Ben Spock and his Wife
Bringing Humanitarian relief supplies
At own expense

Sit down to talk
Most dramatic meeting
Ramsey persecuted Ben
Draft Resistance Conspiracy
We all knew 

The Empire put on trial
America's Baby Doctor
For saving his Baby Boomers
>From Abattoir of Vietnam

Conversation pleasant but tense
Ben vindicated by History
Against Ramsey and LBJ and Hershey
We all knew
Ben gracious too

After Spocks depart
Ramsey turns to Len and me
Anguishly
It was the worst decision
I ever made
In my entire life
Prosecuting that man!

We all make our mistakes
Ramsey and me
Learn from them hopefully

Here's to Ben Spock, M.D.
Right from very get-go
Doctor for my Woodstock Generation
My hero!
Long may he live
In annals of history!
RIP