I listened to all ten episodes of Mother Country Radicals 🎧

What a fascinating podcast to hear in some of the old-timers voices, who took the fight for Civil Rights and Justice to the street, declared war on American Institutions and police, fought back in many cases with the same violence that was used against them. Blew up a few bathrooms and too many of them, especially black members, got shot by the police. As a student of modern history, it’s not a story I’m unfamiliar with, but still such a tragic story how it ends. But maybe there wasn’t much of an alternative ending possible.

Ultimately though the podcast is just a reminder of the high-personal cost that political involvement has. People who choose a life of political advocacy give up much of their own life, their families, their future for their cause. Where they mad? Where they terrorists? People said many of the same things about their predecessors, such as the founding fathers, or John Brown. Or the Whiskey Rebellion. Or the Racial Uprising in Summer 2020 or the fight of Ammond Bundy and his group of gun-toating cowboys. Or the January 6th Uprising.  But I’m not sure if the high cost was worth it. At least not to me. But without people willing to stick their heads out, and give their lives for our country, where we would be today? I’ve always believed a little unauthorized broken glass is a cost worth for advancing our country forward.

The older I’ve gotten, the more convinced that the political life is not for me. Every time I stick my neck out and speak out, it usually comes back to bite me. But maybe that’s the cost of progress. I honor such people, but I usually just refrain at this point. Legally, I have to be careful with state ethics law with my job. But more then that, I’d rather just play along, get along, go along, and make more money so I can invest in my future. Money can protect you from the ills of society, it allows you to hide from problems, and pay off those who are giving you a hard-time. Once I eventually move to my place in country, in the woods, I won’t have to deal with so many of the problems facing our cities and urban life — from the racist police to climate change.

While certainly government workers will have their statues and monuments created, along with naming every other highway Veterans Road, I would have to think the members of the Weather Underground and the Black Liberation Army were far braver then government workers who had the whole power of state behind them. I wish activists, rather than well paid government workers would get more respect. Small groups of committed individuals can make change, but it comes at a real cost to them personally.