"Catharsis" and "Sir! No Sir!"

A Bit of Personal History

Although much was written about the Vietnam war, very little has been said about the thousands of active duty military that opposed it. My contribution was minimal compared to the courage of those that refused orders.

At one point a change of strategy from ground action to bombing was needed because the military could not depend on the ground troops being willing to fight.

Many were locked up. I was never jailed but was given non judicial punishment including a bust in rank and pay grade for distributing "unauthorized printed material" on the base. That being Catharsis, an antiwar newsletter published by myself, Doug Crate, and others from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station. We called ourselves the Quonset-Davisville GIs For Peace.

The paranoia we experienced as we published this was in some ways justified. We met in the state park in Rhode Island as well as in the local Unitarian church. We learned how to organize and publish with help from the folks at the Beacon Hill Support Group in Boston. Late at night in the apartment of Jack Powers on Cambridge Street up over the Stone Soup Gallery near Buzzies Roast Beef.

Now the story has been told with the release of Sir! No Sir!

A movie about the anti-war movement within the military. Described as a "story never told"
http://www.sirnosir.com/

On the website is acknowledgement of the group I founded "Quonset-Davisville GIs For Peace"
http://www.sirnosir.com/archives_and_resources/library/articles/catharsis_01.html

Also on the site are 2 images of the cover of Catharsis, the publication I created with guys from my base.
I recall drawing the logo with a US Navy felt tip marker. A Navy typewriter was used for the text.
We would do the "paste up" with the help of Jack Powers & the Beacon Hill Support Group. (see below)
On the bottom of the issue you can see my initials.
http://www.sirnosir.com/archives_and_resources/galleries/cover_pages/catharsis.html

Ebert & Roeper Review of Sir! No Sir!
http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/ebertandroeper/index2.html?sec=6&subsec=sir!+no+SIr!

Jack Powers... http://www.jackpowerspoet.blogspot.com/
http://dougholder.blogspot.com/2007/06/boston-legend-jack-powers-70th-birthday.html

Meetings of Quonset-Davisville GIs For Peace were held here:
http://www.iboston.org/mcp.php?pid=charlesStreetMtgHouse

Doug Crate was my best friend in those years. He was a co-conspirator in my anti-war activities as well as the person that entertained us all. In the summer, I was always welcomed at his parents basketball camp outside Bangor Maine. In the winter he would often stay at my apartment in Lynn. He would bring some "homegrown" when he'd come down in lieu if rent. It's good to see he stayed active in music.
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/7159778/a/Atomic+Orphans.htm

Kenmoto Blog - http://kenmoto.blogspot.com/

Running For State Rep

Dear Friends,

No, I'm not subjecting you to another of my political rants & raves. Well, maybe I am.

Many of you have asked me why I don't run for political office since I'm always running my mouth on a variety of issues. Well, I've decided to stop complaining long enough to try a run for the New Hampshire House of Representatives. I've supported many long shots over the years, and now I am one. Beginning from scratch, I have not passed go & not collected $200. I have little name recognition & I'm asking for your help in the way of time knocking doors, making phone calls, holding signs etc. The campaign bank account willl be set up soon & we'll need money for signs, postage etc.

Originally, I thought I was only interested in national issues, but recently I've come to the conclusion that many of the same issues can be addressed on the state level.
A few examples:

• Education ... The federal government has increased the interest rates on student loans & generally made it more difficult for families to send kids to college. They passed No Child Left Behind but didn't properly fund it. We need to fill these gaps on a state level. Our primary & secondary schools need equalized funding without sacrificing local control.
• Environment ... With the federal government more interested in protecting corporate profits than the environment, it becomes very important that New Hampshire take the lead. My town of Barnstead recently passed ordinances protecting our ground water. This happened with Democrats & Republicans working together.
• Health Care ... There are millions of Americans working full time without health care. Will New Hampshire wait for a national solution, or will we "take care of our own"?
• Civil Liberties .... The federal government seems intent on chipping away at our rights and privacy but New Hampshire has always been libertarian (small "L") and in the forefront. We need to guard our freedoms and privacy and cannot afford to watch silently as they erode.
• Family Values... While on a national level there is much talk about family values, it seems that it all focuses on divisive "wedge" issues. I believe there are many family values issues that we can all agree on and implement right here in New Hampshire. As co-owner of ForFamily.net, TrueVine.net, and ChristianBroadband.com I've been helping families with issues of online pornography & Internet safety for the last 6 years.
• Minimum Wage .... While we are not seeing an increase in the federal minimum wage we can at least fight for an increase here in New Hampshire.
• Small Business ... The federal government these days seems to be only interested in helping huge corporations while small businesses account for the majority of new jobs. As a small business owner I've seen the squeeze & believe New Hampshire can continue to be a good place to start and operate a business.

Over the course of the summer I'll be trying to get my name out there. The primary is in September & final election in November. I'll keep you posted on how you can help.

Sincerely
Kenny Bourbeau
Candidate for State Representative
Alton, Barnstead, Belmont, Guilford