1960s -Early 70s Anti Vietnam War LEPOCO Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern Pin

Description

THIS LISTING BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2021 AND WILL
END WITHIN 30 DAYS, ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 13, 2021,
IF THE ITEM IS NOT SOLD
OFFERED FOR SALE IS THIS
1 3/4 INCH CELLULOID PINBACK BUTTON
IN WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE REALLY GREAT SHAPE.
HOWEVER, THAT IS JUST MY OPINION.  SEE PHOTO FOR CONDITION, AND YOU BE THE JUDGE.   I AM GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE BIDDING OR BUYING.
RETURNS ARE NOT ACCEPTED
UNLESS
THE ITEM IS NOT AS DESCRIBED OR SHOWN IN THE PHOTOS OR HAS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OR DEFECTS  NOT VISIBLE IN THE PHOTOS OR OTHERWISE DESCRIBED.
GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC AND ORIGINAL AS DESCRIBED
.
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This pin was issued and sold in the United States in the mid to late 1960s - early 1970 by
LEPOCO
, an acronym for the
Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern,
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvanian. LEPOCO was active against the war in Viet Nam from about 1965 through 1973.
HISTORY OF LEPOCO.
In
November 1965
, a group of Lehigh Valley residents decided that the area should be represented in DC on
Nov. 27 for the “March on Washington” rally
. About 27 persons wanted to go, but almost immediately they ran into opposition: the bus drivers for Tri-City Coaches voted not to drive any buses to Washington for the demonstration.
In late 1965, a meeting was called to discuss “
United States policy in Vietnam
." Of those attending; about 35 decided to
form an organization to speak out against the Vietnam War
. It was first called the “Ad Hoc Committee of Concern for Vietnam” but soon became the “
Lehigh- Pocono Committee of Concern for Vietnam
,” later shortened to
Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern.
The members of the new group held their first demonstration on
Dec. 23, 1965
in Allentown and Easton, Penn.
The founding members of LEPOCO believed strongly in the U.S. political system and so sought to express their point of view through the ballot box. The first effort was
Henry Messinger’s “peace” candidacy for Congress in 1966
. Henry lost the Primary to Fred B. Rooney, but he was able to speak out against the War.
During
1967, LEPOCO started a speaker’s bure
au, with Peter Cohen. Henry Messinger, Jane Nelson, John Oliver Nelson, Ed Shaughnessy and Bob Thompson listed as available to speak at any function imaginable.
One highlight
during 1967 and 1968
was the vigil every Saturday in Easton. Although sponsored by the Easton chapter of WILPF and not LEPOCO directly,
many LEPOCO members were active in WILPF
and took part in the vigils. The activity ran from May 20, 1967 to May 17, 1968.
Also, during
1967
,
LEPOCO picketed Hubert Humphrey
when he spoke at the dedication of Freedom High School in Bethlehem. It was typical of what was to follow: an overabundance of police. In addition, LEPOCO sent two busloads to the “March on the Pentagon” on October 21, 1967, and sponsored many vigils and demonstrations locally.
In 1968
, LEPOCO returned to the political arena. On Feb. 12, the
Common Sense Party
was formed.
Peter Cohen
became
the candidate for Congress
, but lost to Rooney.
LEPOCO
focused on bringing
peace issue before the people
and support candidates backing the peace position, it was decided that LEPOCO members would run for delegate positions at the nominating conventions in an attempt to increase the likelihood that one would get favorable ballot position.
In June of 1968 LEPOCO showed that its concern went beyond Vietnam and joined 50,000 other people in Washington for “
Solidarity Day
” at
Resurrection City
: part of the
Poor People’s Campaign
. Earlier the Easton vigil became a silent memorial to Martin Luther King after his assassination.
DRAFT RESISTANCE
Early 1969
found m any of LEPOCO’s members and friends
resisting the draft
. LEPOCO sent a busload to Scranton for Neal Neamand’s trial. Bill Lang Jr. turned himself in to FBI agents after refusing induction. Jeff Vitelli tossed his physical forms into a waste basket at the induction center.
MORATORIUM ACTIVITIES
In
late 1969
, anti-war sentiment reached its peak and
LEPOCO was present as a catalyst
for people to express their dissent and disgust. LEPOCO people participated in the
F
irst Moratorium on Oct. 15, 1969.
For the
Second Nov. 15, 1969 Moratorium
. LEPOCO took five busloads of people to Washington for the biggest rally of the War. The
Third December Moratorium
found LEPOCO sponsoring a candlelight procession through Bethlehem.
Three days later there was a similar march in Allentown.
In 1971, LEPOCO
showed the film “
Selling of the Pentagon
” at a regular monthly meeting with 200 people present (the largest LEPOCO meeting ever). LEPOCO members participated in many local and national demonstrations, but the most exciting was
in September
when members were
arrested at the Bethlehem Draft Board after chaining themselves to the door
.
During 1972, LEPOCO found
that people were still misinformed about the war in Vietnam and started an
education campaign
by buying the NARMIC “
Automated Air War
” Slide Show. It was shown to 50 different groups during the ensuing year.  Many LEPOCO members spent Holy Week 1972
in Harrisburg for the “Harrisburg Seven” trial
and were joined by others on Saturday for
a mass rally.
Between
June 1971 and January 1973
: LEPOCO sponsored
480 draft counseling sessions
at the office (there were also sessions at Friends Meeting and Lehigh University) with many members assisting.
LEPOCO continued to work to bring the war to an end in
1973, January
found LEPOCO members in Washington twice, once to lobby and once to demonstrate. When the cease fire agreement was signed, LEPOCO members soon realized that the war was not really over. While the rest of the country was celebrating the return of the POW’s LEPOCO was
calling for unconditional amnesty for those who had resisted the war
.
During 1972 and 1973, LEPOCO members started to get involved in many different concerns, including the
United Farm Workers union
and tax reform
. LEPOCO also started seriously
calling for Nixon’s impeachment
and worked hard to bring this about.
This underground pinback button pin or badge relates to the Hippie (or Hippy) Counterculture Movement of the psychedelic Sixties (1960's) and Seventies (1970's).  That movement included such themes and topics as peace, protest, civil rights, radical, socialist, communist, anarchist, union labor strikes, drugs, marijuana, pot, weed, lsd, acid, sds, iww, anti draft, anti war, anti rotc, welfare rights, poverty, equal rights, integration, gay, women's rights, black panthers, black power, left wing, liberal, etc.  progressive political movement and is guaranteed to be genuine as described.
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THIS IS MY HOBBY AND IS
NOT A BUSINESS
.  THIS AND MY OTHER ITEMS ON EBAY ARE FROM MY PERSONAL COLLECTIONS AND WERE NOT INITIALLY ACQUIRED BY ME FOR RESALE.  PROCEEDS GO TO BUY OTHER STUFF I AM INTERESTED IN COLLECTING.
I AM A MEMBER OF
A. P. I .C. (AMERICAN POLITICAL ITEMS COLLECTORS)
.
IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER JOINING.  IT IS A GREAT ORGANIZATION!
SHIPPING:
ITEMS WILL BE SAFELY PACKED TO AVOID DAMAGE DURING SHIPPING.
ITEMS ARE SHIPPED BY FIRST CLASS MAIL
.
SHIPPING TO DESTINATIONS
WITHIN THE UNITED STATES
IS
.50
OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES
, SHIPPING IS
.00
.
I WILL
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