Guest, I think your statistics are probably pretty accurate. I fell into the late sixties group of resisters and was among the 4000 who did jail time. I've told that story several times before on the 'Cat and I won't go through it again except to say that the government emphasis DID indeed change and they became less and less focused on the problem as you say. We had become a distinct pain in the ass and in that way I hope we shortened the war.

As you stated, prosecutions slowed down, but also, sentences became shorter and shorter and paroles were granted quite early simply because we were creating an overcrowding problem. I was originally supposed to serve 18 months minimum of a three to five, but only served 6 months and a few days. I really don't know that this had any effect on shortening the war, but for many of us, the statement was the important thing at the time and in that way I will never feel regret for what I did and indeed tend to believe that the government did take notice and were forced into other things, one of which was possibly ending the conflict in Viet Nam and in the streets here as well.

Important to note, we were not all pacifists by any means. I think the pacifists often did the CO or Canada thing. My "beef" with the government was based on the grounds that we were being lied to on a regular basis. That part of it I have told many times here as well. I mean I was the All-American boy and never dreamed that I wouldn't go fight for my country, but somewhere along the line I began to see that the fight for my "country" was here and not in Southeast Asia.

Spaw