Talk:Bernardine Dohrn
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[edit] Removing side comment regarding lack of fatalities, and whether this makes the WUO "notable"
I am removing the note which claims that none of the bombings the Weathermen took part in caused a fatality (other than the deaths of the three members in Greenwich Village) and that this makes them notable as terrorists.
As the main article on the group states, there was at least one fatality in a bombing connected to the Weather Underground. While none of the cells took direct responsibility for the attack, this does not mean they did not do it. After all, the public outcry if they actually *killed* someone might cause some of their supporters to turn against them. (My understanding is that, despite a hall full of witnesses, some ex-members now deny Dohrn's controversial statement supporting the Manson murders.) However, as the Weatherman main article explains, they apparently later took great pains to avoid killing people, despite their (facetious?) boasting about killing rich people. However, the IRA has been using the same methods to avoid civilian casualties (ie calling up and warning of a bomb) so this doesn't make the Weathermen special.
Considering well over 20 bombings of police stations, government buildings, and other public places by the Weathermen - which, by American terrorist standards, makes them greatly successful, it is disingenuous (and a bit biased) to suggest that they mostly are notable for not killing anyone.67.10.131.229 04:54, 12 July 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Removing further POV and inaccuracies
I removed some additional material and added more details. Rereading it in depth, it appears to have been written by an apologist, as it ignores some salient information about Ms. Dohrn's past, instead only mentioning what she and her husband do today. She is a fascinating and frustrating person, and we should do her justice by telling the truth about her, warts and all (ie not ignoring controversies), without resorting to bias. I've been researching the Weather Underground for several years and was particularly peeved to see "COINTELPRO created dissent" blamed for the breakup of the group, which neither the main article on the Weather Underground, nor any reputable source, claims.
That's pretty insulting to the Weathermen themselves, too - despite having strong beliefs (right or wrong) that they were willing to break the law for, the infiltration of the government (COINTELPRO) created dissent and broke them up? Gimme a break. Most marriages that fail don't need COINTELPRO to help them; and this was a volatile group during volatile times, trying to become revolutionaries. We're also talking about the group that split up SDS in 1969.
COINTELPRO did collect information on the group, and may have put moles into the group; however, the main reason for the group's break includes a) arrests of members, and b) the usual "creative differences", including, finally, much more radical communist theory in the group, and arguments about what the purpose of the group was. A number of the group, including Dohrn, eventually were repudiated or left the group by the mid-1970s. Mark Rudd's interview with San Diego Indy Media is pretty instructive in explaining how isolating the group could get, and how it changed over the years.67.10.131.229 04:54, 12 July 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Odd
The final paragraph referred to South Africa as a 'Communist country'. Since this is clearly false, I've deleted it. Just wondering why anyone put it in in the first place, though.--RainbowCommie 16:05, 17 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Not a lawyer
Dohrn is often described as a "lawyer" but she has never been admitted to the bars of either Illinois or New York. According to this article in the Northwestern Chronicle, Dohrn was unable to pass the Moral Character and Fitness portion of the New York bar due to her criminal past. Therefore, to say she was an "associate" at Sidley & Austin is inaccurate, since at best she was a paralegal or intern. Being a law school graduate does not make one a lawyer. CagedRage 00:43, 25 April 2006 (UTC)
