What are your thoughts on the Weather Underground/Weathermen (especially those of you who remember firsthand)?

Asked by kevbo (25672) August 31st, 2010 from iPhone

I happened to catch a documentary chronicling the movement, and it strikes me how much more systematically “terrorizing” this group’s actions were in comparison to what is commonly cited as examples of domestic terrorism today (in the U.S.) Granted, contemporary events are far more spectacular in scope, but this group pulled off multiple (perhaps 30) bombings over a series of years on government offices, including the U.S. Capitol. Moreover, the participants were U.S. citizens, many were intelligent and/or came from money or families of influence.

One theme among members (now in middle age) featured is the belief that the tumult of Vietnam (as well as social/racial injustice) perpetrated by various levels of government catalyzed their collective response and basically drove them to violence in the form of systematically planting bombs in government facilities (although they took care to ensure buildings were evacuated) and claiming credit and professing their purpose (usually a direct response to a recent act of government oppression).

It wasn’t clear from the documentary whether the group was a principle factor in the draw down of the Vietnam conflict, but one member cited one factor in their demise was the pervasive belief among conventionally thinking Americans is that violence in America is either criminal or insane unless it is state-sanctioned.

Retrospective thoughts from members interviewed vary from “we ultimately had little impact” to mixed feelings to “I would do it again, but smarter and better.”

What strikes me as wholly remarkable is the fortunes of members vary wildly. Those who continued with other opposition movements in the early 80s are mostly imprisoned as are some who’s revolutionary careers ended with the Underground. Still others are prominent academics and activists walking free today. Many escaped prosecution due to FBI misconduct during the investigation of the Underground. Can you imagine the outcome if they perpetrated this activity today?

In a way, there’s not much to say about it other than it was a crazy time and this was a symptom of that craziness. (It is what it is.) Was it sort of inevitable given the conditions? Was it right or wrong? Was it effective? Did it fall into the trap of succumbing to violence in response to violence or was that a “correct” response?

What are your thoughts? How does it relate to today’s terrorism zeitgeist?