Lifelong Learning Institute at Waubonsee Community College

Music and politics intersect in unexpected ways. Participants will spend the first half of the class reviewing the life and music of Johnny Cash, a music legend. We will then move into examining the politics of Cash regarding the Vietnam War and the letter Cash wrote in 1974 to President Gerald Ford supporting Ford's decision to grant a pardon to President Nixon and amnesty to Vietnam draft dodgers. The class will conclude with a discussion about Ford's decision to issue a pardon for President Nixon and an amnesty for draft dodgers. We will also discuss the concept of amnesty and pardons in today's political scene.