I started a draft of a post about Bill Ayers shortly after Sarah Palin began using his name as a synonym for the terrorist euphemism the Republicans created circa 2001. But while the original tone of the piece was meant to be in defense of Ayers, it began to shift into a condemnation of Palin and her obvious ignorance to any facts about Ayers and the Weathermen/Weather Underground beyond the talking points handed to her. I scrapped it because Bill Ayers deserves better than to be associated with Sarah Palin. 

I make no judgement calls on Ayers’ behavior during his anti-war activist years. I was not alive during the Vietnam War and reading books and talking with people who were isn’t comparable to having existed during such a political climate. Is bomb setting the best course of action to bring about change? Not often. But those activists were running on fear, despair and a healthy dose of amphetamines and I believe it when Ayers says he did what he felt he had to at the time.

Bill Ayers did not kill anyone and he was not facing any federal charges when he went underground in 1970 (they would later be filed but were retracted in 1973). Bernardine Dohm, Ayers’ wife and fellow anti-war activist, was actually more wanted by the authorities. But her only punishment upon her surrender was a fine and three years of probation (though she did recieve more punishment for refusing to testify against a former Weatherman member that was involved in the deadly Brinks truck robbery- which neither Dohm or Ayers were involved in). Dohm was also present at that now infamous gathering in their home that Barack Obama attended. Oddly enough, the Republicans never mentioned her in their “terrorist” finger pointing. 

It was also not mentioned that in the years since they emerged from the Underground, Ayers and Dohm have become substantial members of their community, especially in the area of education. It was not mentioned that they have raised children and are now loving grandparents. Hopefully, once more distance has been trekked from the election season, Ayers will be able to return to that life untethered.

I highly recommend reading this incredible new interview with Bill Ayers from Salon that includes his reaction to being thrust onto the national stage in such a way and an explanation about that infamous “set more bombs” misquote. And if you’d like more background on The Weathermen, the entire documentary “The Weather Underground” is available on YouTube. It is in segments but here is the first part and you can easily click through to the rest.