On Campus and Off

In late November, within a sanctum at Harvard (“in the house of mine enemy”), Massachusetts’ Young Americans for Freedom burned the Harvard Crimson editorial endorsing the Vietcong, and announced to the few gentlemen of the Fourth Estate who bothered to accept YAF’s invitation to attend, its intention to counter the Moratoria-Mobes. Anticipating the nationwide conservative demonstrations on December 13-14, the Boston-based group staged its event on Pearl Harbor Day in the Common, where the largest Octoberfest was held. YAF had gone to war.

Validating Agnew’s Second Law of Media Dynamics (the press doesn’t give a damn about presenting both sides), Boston’s dailies buried miniscule stories on the obituary pages; their coverage aimed at minimizing what was to happen. But they couldn’t bury the demonstration itself, which, coming only a week after the only press conference, and publicized by word of mouth, drew thousands to Boston Common on a windy Sunday night, December 7. Rally planner and state YAF Chairman Don Feder glanced derisively at the newsmen and told the angry crowd just how the papers had suppressed word of the rally. To Feder’s: “The press can no longer ignore us; in the words of William F. Buckley, “Say it again, Spiro!’ ”; the audience responded with a roar; the reporter nearest me twitched. Monday’s papers gave us front-page attention.

In late November, within a sanctum at Harvard (“in the house of mine enemy”), Massachusetts’ Young Americans for Freedom burned the Harvard Crimson editorial endorsing the Vietcong, and announced to the few gentlemen of the Fourth Estate who bothered to accept YAF’s invitation to attend, its intention to counter the Moratoria-Mobes. Anticipating the nationwide conservative demonstrations on December 13-14, the Boston-based group staged its event on Pearl Harbor Day in the Common, where the largest Octoberfest was held. YAF had gone to war.

Validating Agnew’s Second Law of Media Dynamics (the press doesn’t give a damn about presenting both sides), Boston’s dailies buried miniscule stories on the obituary pages; their coverage aimed at minimizing what was to happen. But they couldn’t bury the demonstration itself, which, coming only a week after the only press conference, and publicized by word of mouth, drew thousands to Boston Common on a windy Sunday night, December 7. Rally planner and state YAF Chairman Don Feder glanced derisively at the newsmen and told the angry crowd just how the papers had suppressed word of the rally. To Feder’s: “The press can no longer ignore us; in the words of William F. Buckley, “Say it again, Spiro!’ ”; the audience responded with a roar; the reporter nearest me twitched. Monday’s papers gave us front-page attention.