In one of the seminal acts of anti-abortion terrorism, the Emma Goldman Clinic for Women in Iowa City was firebombed.
The Carter Justice Dept. ordered the local FBI station to drop everything else and solve the crime, an order which did not sit well with the Resident Agent, himself an anti-abortion zealot.
He came up with a theory which would justify his continuing surveillance of the local lefties, suggesting that the bombing had either been a ploy for fundraising, or the result of a lovers’ spat, theories which he kept planting in the local press.
He proceeded to stalk my friend Steve Wilson (later changed his name to Jackson Clubb, who posted at kos as MadCityRag until his death a month ago) grilling his neighbors, etc. Jackson at the time was dating a member of the collective running the clinic.
The firebombing was never officially solved. No charges were filed against Jack, probably because the US Attorney wasn’t buying the FBI agent’s crap.
(Jack later moved to Madison, where we partnered in publishing Zenger, “the Nation’s Underground Newspaper,” from 1987 until 1993.)
Last week I prepared an essay about LGBT aging, entitled Avoiding becoming part of Gen Silent. Tonight’s dairy continues on that theme.