Looking back, I remember the campus moratorium in 1970 after Kent State. My wife and I carried signs and helped organize. I carried a candle in front of the White House protesting the Bach Mai hospital bombing in 1973. I joined the occupy movement in a Knoxville Tennessee park, chanting, shouting, and educating the media who interviewed us. I’ve met William Kunstler, William Sloan Coffin, Joan Baez, Julian Bond, and many other Civil Rights leaders.
I’m tired. Attorney General Eric Holder still has his job. The Keystone Pipeline will most likely go through. The climate will continue to deteriorate. We know how that movie ends. So in a limited sense, this is a GCW letter. But with no bitterness. No gripes about dkos. I have been very well received here. I still think it’s a wonderful community. But, to paraphrase Phil Ochs, I ain’t marchin’ anymore. My heart surgery only buys me a few more years, and I want to be the best grandparent I can be, the best Wavy Gravy I can muster.
Let the younger and more passionate lead the fight. My passion is about used up. I plan on withdrawing from Facebook too. That too is an illusion of connectedness that just makes money for someone else. I’m going to hike in my beloved Smokies. Maybe I’ll meet some of you on a trail. I’ll look just like my avatar, with the same hat. That’s the hat I want to finish my path wearing. Goodbye and thanks for all the fish.