We Lost a Good Man

It will probably surprise many who know me to know that I walked precincts for George McGovern during his 1972 Presidential bid, along with my young and equally idealistic wife.  In 1972 everything was about the Vietnamese War.  Nixon had been under fire to end the war, but couldn't get it done.  People my age had discovered the power of protest, the power of raised voices.  There were so many things about that war that with age, education, and a dash of wisdom allows us to see it even more clearly for the disaster that it was.  The way it was excuted, the theory behind the purpose, the way the country treated the men and women in ranks...all pretty disgraceful.  But at the time, it was a huge controversy.  My parent's generation had gone off to a "noble" war to literally save the world, returned to build the country, and had faith in government.  To them challenging the authority of government was unthinkable.  And then Vietnam changed it all.  Of course, the wild and crazy 60s helped a bit.

George McGovern tapped into the frustration and unrest for millions of people, especially the young.  He seemed to be a good man who saw the futility of the war and wanted to end it.  For me it was way before I even thought of a career in the military.  All I knew was that too many people were dying in a far off land for no discernable purpose.  And the evening news brought it home every day.  We all know the result of his run for the Presidency.  He lost in historic proportions.  But to this day I beleive he was right.  And to some degree he was proven to be right because we managed to extricate ourselves a few years later.

McGovern went on to live a good life and have impact in many areas.  He became what today is characterized as a libertarian.  When he sunk his life savings into a hotel in Connecticut, he railed against government rules and regulations and a tax structure certainly designed to be unfriendly to small business.  Sound familiar?  He came to see the almost insatiable appetite for govenment control and intervention into the lives of everyday Americans as a clear and present danger to the country.

The thing he continued to do though is maintain himself as a good and decent man of peace.  He was a decorated war hero and knew the horror of war.  He never tried to pit Americans against each other like is occuring today by the crowd in power.  He simply saw a wrong and tried to right it.  He lived a long and consequential life and died at 90 years old.  Not bad.  But still...we lost a good man.