| February 24, 1895 José Martí, a Cuban revolutionary, poet, journalist and teacher, began the liberation struggle against Spanish control. He had been forced out of Cuba repeatedly (to Spain) for his opposition to colonial rule, and spent 15 years in the U.S. organizing the revolution just before returning home.  José Martí Cultivate a White Rose By José Martí I cultivate a white rose In July as in January For the sincere friend Who gives me his hand frankly. And for the cruel person who tears out the heart with which I live, I cultivate neither nettles nor thorns: I cultivate a white rose. read about José Martí |
February 24, 1965 District 1199 of the health care workers’ union (now Service Employees International Union) in New York City became the first U.S. labor union to officially oppose the war in Vietnam. |
February 24, 1966 Father and son, Tom and Barry Bondhus, united in their opposition to the draft. Photo: Pete Hohn, Minneapolis Tribune Barry Bondhus, classified 1-A (fully eligible) for the draft during the Vietnam War, dumped two buckets of manure in file drawers at the Elk River, Minnesota, draft board. A farmer’s son (one of ten brothers) from Big Lake who acted with the full support of his parents, he was charged with destruction of government property. His father, Tom, wrote a declaration of war on the government over their insistence on forcing his boys into the army. He said he was prepared to die to protect his sons but eager to negotiate. “My opinion is that since our constitution guarantees: Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness; and because the army denies all three; the draft is not lawful.” Barry, sometimes referred to as “the Big Lake One,” who listed his race as “human” on the draft forms, served 14 months in jail and prison for his action. Perspective on the case and the Bondhus family more than 50 years later |
| February 24, 1972 Daniel Berrigan (one of the “Catonsville 9”) was released after 18 months of a three-year term. He went to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where his brother Phil Berrigan was on trial, also for anti-Vietnam War activities [see February 21, 1972]. Investigation of a Flame, a film about the Berrigan brothers and the Catonsville 9 |
| February 24, 1983 A congressional commission released a report condemning the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, calling it a “grave injustice.” Read more |
| February 24, 2012 Syndicated talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh began a three-broadcast-day-long campaign attacking Georgetown Law School student Sandra Fluke (rhymes with book) for her testimony before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.  The previous week she had been invited to testify on the subject of federal requirements for contraceptive coverage in health insurance policies before the Republican-controlled House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Instead, Committee Chair Darrell Issa (R-CA) declared her testimony inappropriate (she is past president of Georgetown Law Students for Reproductive Justice), instead hearing from five men. Committee member Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney asked, “Where are the women?” Fluke talked about the high cost of contraception and the non-pregnancy-related importance of such medications for some women. Limbaugh spent six hours on air demeaning her personally and derided her as a “slut” and a “prostitute.” Watch Sandra Fluke’s testimony: |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryfebruary.htm#february24
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