There were some comments recently about Paul Robeson, one of America's greatest bass singers, regarding his socialist beliefs. One comment was that the U.S.S.R. never had a better friend. As a result of Robeson's politics, Senator McCarthy destroyed his career, presumably with the thinking that Robeson would reveal national secrets in his singing of spirituals or performance in Hollywood musicals.
However, as vicious and destructive as McCarthy chose to be, he still, to my knowledge, never attacked Helen Keller and yet she was a huge supporter of socialism through much of her life. She was much more of an activist than Robeson and yet her image remains largely intact as one who worked so hard against the adversity of being deaf and blind to succeed in her life.
Just as the witch-hunting of the McCarthy was mindlessly destructive, so too is the ongoing crusade against Islam. I've been watching "Argo" and the premise is amusing in using a bad science-fiction movie to rescue people who are all living yet another bad science-fiction movie. Iran was living its own destiny until the U.S. installed the last Shah who turned out to be a self-indulgent despot. His reputation during the time of his reign was fairly good so then, as now, the reporting was slanted to whichever direction the State Department wanted. Had not the U.S. interfered, the embassy would not have been attacked as there would have been no reason.
It's not clear why the U.S. invariably fails to learn from its history. I don't know that anything good has ever come from the U.S. policy of regime change regardless of whether it's Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, etc, etc.
For centuries there has been a campaign by European Anglos to dominate the world. I've written previously on the 'warrior gene' that came up through the Germanic tribes, went with them when they invaded England, and subsequently went to America where it is present in about thirty percent of the population. (WIKI: Monoamine oxidase A)
The genetic basis for cultural aggression is interesting but not final as presumably we have the intellectual capacity to resolve biological drives and make decisions based on reason. However, the behavior of the U.S., particularly, defies that. After being instrumental in formation of the League of Nations / United Nations, there are many in the U.S. who want it off U.S. soil as it frequently does not support U.S. aggression.
U.S. denial of its aggression is stunning and I've been reading on the absurd military campaigns by Woodrow Wilson in South America. There was no more sense to what he did than what George Bush did and yet the history books will likely show both as great heroes of the free world when they were nothing of the kind.
If you take Americans individually, you will find most are good people and many are outraged by what the government does ... and yet it does not stop. The most recent example of the failure to support background checks for purchases of firearms shows this perfectly as poll after poll showed the majority of Americans wanted these checks to be made law and yet Washington didn't do it.
How long this will continue remains to be seen but my current theory is that turning the guns on the kids at Kent State broke the back of protest in the United States. Now protest just goes to Facebook which does no more for activism than the rhythm method does for birth control.
However, as vicious and destructive as McCarthy chose to be, he still, to my knowledge, never attacked Helen Keller and yet she was a huge supporter of socialism through much of her life. She was much more of an activist than Robeson and yet her image remains largely intact as one who worked so hard against the adversity of being deaf and blind to succeed in her life.
Just as the witch-hunting of the McCarthy was mindlessly destructive, so too is the ongoing crusade against Islam. I've been watching "Argo" and the premise is amusing in using a bad science-fiction movie to rescue people who are all living yet another bad science-fiction movie. Iran was living its own destiny until the U.S. installed the last Shah who turned out to be a self-indulgent despot. His reputation during the time of his reign was fairly good so then, as now, the reporting was slanted to whichever direction the State Department wanted. Had not the U.S. interfered, the embassy would not have been attacked as there would have been no reason.
It's not clear why the U.S. invariably fails to learn from its history. I don't know that anything good has ever come from the U.S. policy of regime change regardless of whether it's Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, etc, etc.
For centuries there has been a campaign by European Anglos to dominate the world. I've written previously on the 'warrior gene' that came up through the Germanic tribes, went with them when they invaded England, and subsequently went to America where it is present in about thirty percent of the population. (WIKI: Monoamine oxidase A)
The genetic basis for cultural aggression is interesting but not final as presumably we have the intellectual capacity to resolve biological drives and make decisions based on reason. However, the behavior of the U.S., particularly, defies that. After being instrumental in formation of the League of Nations / United Nations, there are many in the U.S. who want it off U.S. soil as it frequently does not support U.S. aggression.
U.S. denial of its aggression is stunning and I've been reading on the absurd military campaigns by Woodrow Wilson in South America. There was no more sense to what he did than what George Bush did and yet the history books will likely show both as great heroes of the free world when they were nothing of the kind.
If you take Americans individually, you will find most are good people and many are outraged by what the government does ... and yet it does not stop. The most recent example of the failure to support background checks for purchases of firearms shows this perfectly as poll after poll showed the majority of Americans wanted these checks to be made law and yet Washington didn't do it.
How long this will continue remains to be seen but my current theory is that turning the guns on the kids at Kent State broke the back of protest in the United States. Now protest just goes to Facebook which does no more for activism than the rhythm method does for birth control.
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