This commentary is by John Freitag. He currently serves as Strafford historian, moderator of the Universalist Society of Strafford and is active in his local Lions Club. He recently ended a fourth term on the Strafford Selectboard, serving this past year as chair.
The encampments on college campuses and in particular the arrests at Dartmouth College have caused me to reflect on civil disobedience as well as my own arrest some 52 years ago in Hanover, New Hampshire, during a Vietnam War protest.
My father was a wounded World War II combat veteran who worked in the defense industry, and I grew up with respect and appreciation for those who serve, including relatives currently stationed here and abroad.
However, I was also heavily influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, veterans who had recently returned from Vietnam and my religious upbringing. When I turned 18, I decided not to go into the armed services but to become a conscientious objector and requested this status when filing for the draft.
In 1970 I gave up my student deferment, left college and moved to West Lebanon, New Hampshire, to fulfill my two-year alternative (civilian) service obligation at an environmental resource and activity center modestly called “The Center for Human Survival” and nicknamed “The Do It Store.”
It was an incubator for ideas. The first large-scale recycling center in the Upper Valley came from there, plus it was a regional center for organizing co-ops and buying clubs. This included what is now the Upper Valley Co-op and Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, or NOFA-VT.
While the center was, after considerable effort, approved for conscientious objector work and there was maximum opportunity for creativity, there was no pay. I ended up working at the center during the day and taking a job at the elementary school in Hanover as a night custodian to cover my bills.
In 1972 there was a major escalation in the Vietnam War when President Richard Nixon decided to mine the harbors of North Vietnam to slow supplies coming into that country. It was a dangerous gamble as sinking ships of other nations using ports have in the past led to war, as was the case with the Spanish-American War.
I asked my boss, Myron Cummings, Dresden School District buildings and grounds manager, for two days off from work to protest.
“None of my custodians have ever asked for this before” he replied. “Don’t you think you have an obligation to stay on the job?”
“Myron”, I said. “I feel this is a serious situation, and I have the obligation to do what I feel is best for the country.”
He grudgingly relented.
When it was time to return back to work, I put on my green uniform with “Dresden School District” and “John” stitched on the shirt. Before it was time to start the job, I came across a sit-down demonstration blocking the entrance to an Army research facility as a protest against the war.
I had previously taken part in civil rights and anti-war civil disobedience actions and decided to join this peaceful sit-down demonstration. We were arrested, booked and jailed. I managed to make bail and punch in for work.
That evening, Myron came by the school. He had received a complaint about one of his custodians getting arrested. I explained to him that I had not intended to get arrested in uniform and offered to resign. Myron considered it, but I was a really good worker and popular with the teachers and students, so he decided to keep me on.
I ended up, when the case came to court, pleading guilty. As I explained to the judge, I knew what I did broke the law and felt that it was a necessary action. I was fined $100. Others involved chose jail time instead of paying the fine to register the depth of their concern and commitment.
It is imperative that we don’t ignore the horrendous problems of the world, but rather speak, act and live lives that address these issues. It also is important to recognize that civil disobedience as a political tool can easily damage the cause one promotes. There are all too many who eagerly focus attention on the protesters rather than the issue itself and use it to advance their own agenda. The media, which thrives on drama, is all too happy to oblige.
Mahatma Gandhi in India and Martin Luther King Jr. in our country recognized this. Those engaged in their civil disobedience campaigns were trained to accept arrests, beatings and jail without fighting back and encouraged “to keep the eye on the prize.” Both campaigns, albeit with a great deal of sacrifice, were ultimately successful.
There is a natural revulsion against deliberate lawbreaking and, in particular, violence. In our troubled times, there are those on the right and left who would make excuses for unacceptable actions such as attacking police officers and storming our Capitol, destruction of property, or endangering others.
These actions have to be vigorously opposed no matter how passionate one feels about one’s cause.
At the same time, those who deliberately break the law, even when completely nonviolent, need to be extremely careful in how they proceed, keep the focus on the issue and be willing to accept the consequences.
Otherwise, the message they wish to send can get not only lost, but their actions also can become counterproductive to all they wish to achieve.
