#AtoZ 1968 - "C" is for the Catonsville Nine
“You’re going to get a concept that maybe this really is one world and why the hell can’t we learn to live together like decent people.” ~ Astronaut Frank Borman, on seeing the entire earth from outer space as he and the crew of the Apollo 8 returned from orbiting the moon.
The Catonsville Nine were nine Catholic activists who burned draft files as a protest against the Vietnam War. On May 17, 1968, they went to the draft board in Catonsville, Maryland, took 378 draft files, brought them to the parking lot in wire baskets, dumped them out, poured homemade napalm over them, and set them on fire. The Catonsville Nine were tried in federal court from October 5 to October 9, 1968. The lead defense attorney was William Kunstler. They were found guilty of destruction of US property, destruction of Selective Service files, and interference with the Selective Service Act of 1967. They were sentenced to a total of 18 years' jail time and a fine of $22,000.Four of the nine - Mary Moylan, Philip Berrigan, Daniel Berrigan, and George Mische - went "underground" when it came time to show up for prison. In other words, the FBI had to try to find them. Father Daniel Berrigan caused considerable embarrassment to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover by popping up and giving sermons and then fading back into the "underground." (Wikipedia)Click here to listen to "Catonsville Nine (War No More)," a recording by Joe DeFilippo, a retired Baltimore County history teacher.
BONUS MUSIC!Here's the #89 song from Billboard's Year-End Top 100 singles of 1968"Scarborough Fair" by Simon & Garfunkel, joined by Andy Williams on "The Andy Williams Show"https://youtu.be/pWyPhQkZNLw