A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 4

The parallels you see in history are fascinating.  At the turn of the 19th century the United States found itself involved in a war in the Philippines.  It was in many ways an early version of the Vietnam War.

The Philippines had previously been a Spanish colony.  Spain gave up control of the Philippines as part of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War.

The Philippine war lasted three years.  4,200 Americans died in the war and an estimated 20,000 Filipino combatants were killed.  An astonishing 200,000 civilians died as a result of the war, famine, and disease.

Just as in Vietnam a few decades later, the U. S. enjoyed a vast superiority in military technology.  The Filipinos found conventional warfare ineffective.  Just as the Viet Cong did later on, the Filipinos engaged in guerrilla warfare.  Even the topography was similar to Vietnam.

Both sides committed atrocities.  Both sides used torture.  That is also a parallel with more modern history.

Aggressive foreign policy that involves the use of the military has been a hallmark of conservative politicians.  The Philippine war was a result of the conservative McKinley administration's policies.  The policies were carried out by President Theodore Roosevelt after McKinley's assassination.

Famed writer Mark Twain was a prominent opponent of the Philippine war.  Twain wrote "A War Prayer" and blasted the hypocrisy of people who proclaim their virtue while carrying out atrocities in colonial wars.

More to come