Gene McCarthy Dies

Posted on December 11, 2005 by Dave Pollard
mccarthyGene McCarthy, the most important and influential critic of and galvanizer of action against the Vietnam War, died yesterday. His 1968 presidential campaign was what stirred me to believe in political activism, to believe change was possible. He was most of all a deep thinker, and he realized fifty years ago that the greatest threat to the survival of our world was what he called ‘acedia’ — beyond apathy, spiritual torpor, resignation. He said this was much more dangerous than ignorance, and, fifty years later, he is still right.

Photo: Paul Hosefros in the NYT

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3 Responses to Gene McCarthy Dies

  1. marianne richmond says:
    December 12, 2005 at 01:54

    Gene McCarthy’s campaign was also my first engagement with the possibility of change…being “Clean for Gene” at an age when my mother had to drop me off at campaign headquarters was an experience that to this day I still count among life’s most important moments…and Gene McCarthy was one hero who never disappointed.

  2. Raging Bee says:
    December 12, 2005 at 11:53

    Dave: Totally off-topic, sorry — can you give a link to any site describing Canada’s system for redrawing legislative districts (a.k.a. “gerrymandering”) in detail? I remember you had posted about it sometime last year, or earlier. I’d be grateful.

  3. Dave Pollard says:
    December 14, 2005 at 19:19

    Thanks, Marianne. RB: Try this link: http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=cir&document=index&dir=red&lang=e&textonly=false . I don’t claim the Canadian system is perfect, and there may well be better models in other countries.

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