Pubdate: Sun, 04 Jul 2004 Source: Gulf Daily News (Bahrain) Copyright: 2004 Gulf Daily News. Contact: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2979 Author: Colin Henderson Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n947/a04.html ANTI-HIPPIE DIATRIBE IS BEYOND BELIEF, MAN! A major, major, correction needs to be made to Mr Rob Hemmen's letter (GDN June 29). To accuse the hippies of being immoral, anti-religious and all round disgusting people, is surely a statement issued out of a total ignorance of what the "hippie movement" was all about. How Mr Hemmen can make such a broad, intolerant proclamation is beyond belief. Where you at man? This 'movement' if that is what we should call it, was born (for the sake of this discussion) in the early 60s out of a complete disillusionment with the current affairs of the time, and a realisation of ourselves, our environment and the hypocrisy around us. People learned, it's true, about life, love, sex, drugs, (yes the illegal ones, not the legal ones like tobacco and alcohol which are responsible for more deaths than anything else) peace, activism, freedom, co-operation, beauty, art, and music (disgusting isn't it?). And I tell you man, the friends and enemies they had are written in the history books, counted among the friends were Mahatma Gandhi, Aldous Huxley, Martin Luther King, Jack Kerouac, (read On the Road) and of course many outstanding musicians of our time, Lennon, Marley and the greatest of all, Hendrix. (Are all these people disgusting to Mr Hemmen tapping his feet at the watering hole ?) The enemies are all there, and apparently reading Mr Hemmen's diatribe, still are. Join the club with J Edgar Hoover, (read his biography!) Agnew, Nixon, (Tricky Dicky) L B Johnson, and the list goes on. It was about peace and love Mr Hemmen, just because some kid didn't want to go to South East Asia (read Iraq) and kill people for no good reason, believed black people were equal, doesn't make him a disgusting human being. Anti-religious, are you joking? Peace and love man, Jesus loves you. Colin Henderson - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake