A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 38
George W. Bush's greatest skill was taking vacations. Just weeks before the attacks on September 11, 2001, Bush was at his make believe ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he got intelligence information that Osama bin Laden was planning a major attack on the United States. Bush acted annoyed and brushed off the information.
When the attacks occurred Bush was in Florida at an elementary school reading "My Pet Goat" to school children. When he was told of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a plane that went down in Pennsylvania he looked like a deer in the headlights. Instead of heading to Washington, D. C., or to New York he went West.
Later on, he played the macho game by standing at Ground Zero with a megaphone. But the real heroes on 9/11 were the first response teams and the passengers aboard the United flight that went down in Pennsylvania. They prevented terrorists from crashing the plane into the Capitol.
It was an unbelievable dereliction of duty by Bush and his administration because there were sufficient warnings to prevent the attacks on 9/11. Bush compounded the horror by launching an attack on Iraq, which had nothing to do with the attacks. He also used the attacks as an excuse to pass tax cuts for his rich friends and to begin an assault on civil liberties in the United States.
More to come
Friday, November 29, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 37
Until the 2000 presidential election I had never heard of a "hanging chad." It turns out it's the part of a ballot that you punch out that doesn't totally detach. Hanging chads and other questions in Florida held up the final decision on the 2000 presidential race for weeks. Al Gore won the popular vote and Bush, thanks to Florida, won the electoral vote.
Republicans exerted tremendous effort to steal the election for Bush. They "protested" outside offices where ballots were being recounted. When you look at photos of the "protesters" you see readily identifiable Republican operatives in the crowd. But the biggest ace they held was a friendly Supreme Court that ruled in favor of Bush and stopped the recounting of ballots in Florida.
George W. Bush was one of the least qualified people to enter the White House in the modern era. He had been a cheerleader in college, got preferential treatment to get National Guard duty and avoid Vietnam, was known as a drunk and drug user, got a sweetheart deal to own part of the Texas Rangers baseball team, got elected Governor of Texas, where the governor is mostly a figurehead, signed lots of execution orders to give Texas the dubious distinction of executing more people than anyone else, and then sneaked his way into the White House. This country paid a major price and so did the people of Iraq.
More to come
Until the 2000 presidential election I had never heard of a "hanging chad." It turns out it's the part of a ballot that you punch out that doesn't totally detach. Hanging chads and other questions in Florida held up the final decision on the 2000 presidential race for weeks. Al Gore won the popular vote and Bush, thanks to Florida, won the electoral vote.
Republicans exerted tremendous effort to steal the election for Bush. They "protested" outside offices where ballots were being recounted. When you look at photos of the "protesters" you see readily identifiable Republican operatives in the crowd. But the biggest ace they held was a friendly Supreme Court that ruled in favor of Bush and stopped the recounting of ballots in Florida.
George W. Bush was one of the least qualified people to enter the White House in the modern era. He had been a cheerleader in college, got preferential treatment to get National Guard duty and avoid Vietnam, was known as a drunk and drug user, got a sweetheart deal to own part of the Texas Rangers baseball team, got elected Governor of Texas, where the governor is mostly a figurehead, signed lots of execution orders to give Texas the dubious distinction of executing more people than anyone else, and then sneaked his way into the White House. This country paid a major price and so did the people of Iraq.
More to come
Thursday, November 28, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 36
In the 1990's AM talk radio was dominated by extremists like loudmouth Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh has little positive to say. His whole approach is to attack, attack, attack. He attacks liberals, gay people, minorities, women, and anyone else who doesn't support the oligarchy. The amazing thing is that many working class people have bought into Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, and other right wing blowhards.
Right wing media had a field day with the Monica Lewinsky scandal during the Clinton administration, which finally led to Clinton's impeachment and eventual acquittal in the Senate. If they acknowledged the good economy at all, right wingers claimed it was due to the benefits of Reaganomics that allegedly were just beginning to manifest themselves.
It would have seemed logical for Al Gore, Clinton's vice-president and the Democratic nominee in 2000, to win the presidency. Gore was qualified, had no real personal scandals, and had worked for an administration that produced a good economy and avoided war. But the right wing media was busy making scandals out of thin air again.
Gore supposedly claimed credit for inventing the Internet, for instance, while his opponent, former Texas governor George W. Bush, was a good old boy you would want to have a beer with.
By any logical measurement, Al Gore won the election. But we have this thing called the Electoral College. Republicans were able to use the Electoral College and a few good buddies on the Supreme Court to steal the 2000 election.
More to come
In the 1990's AM talk radio was dominated by extremists like loudmouth Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh has little positive to say. His whole approach is to attack, attack, attack. He attacks liberals, gay people, minorities, women, and anyone else who doesn't support the oligarchy. The amazing thing is that many working class people have bought into Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, and other right wing blowhards.
Right wing media had a field day with the Monica Lewinsky scandal during the Clinton administration, which finally led to Clinton's impeachment and eventual acquittal in the Senate. If they acknowledged the good economy at all, right wingers claimed it was due to the benefits of Reaganomics that allegedly were just beginning to manifest themselves.
It would have seemed logical for Al Gore, Clinton's vice-president and the Democratic nominee in 2000, to win the presidency. Gore was qualified, had no real personal scandals, and had worked for an administration that produced a good economy and avoided war. But the right wing media was busy making scandals out of thin air again.
Gore supposedly claimed credit for inventing the Internet, for instance, while his opponent, former Texas governor George W. Bush, was a good old boy you would want to have a beer with.
By any logical measurement, Al Gore won the election. But we have this thing called the Electoral College. Republicans were able to use the Electoral College and a few good buddies on the Supreme Court to steal the 2000 election.
More to come
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 35
The economy turned sour just as it always does with Republican administrations. It has been a pattern and you would think people would notice. We had recessions under Eisenhower. We had recessions under Nixon and Ford. We had a horrific recession at the beginning of the Reagan administration. We had another recession under George H. W. Bush.
Bill Clinton ran for the presidency using the mantra "It's the economy, stupid," and Bill Clinton won the election. If you can't cheat your way into the White House, the Republican way is to create scandals out of thin air and dominate the discussion with the alleged scandals.
With Bill Clinton it was a land deal called Whitewater. And Clinton, who already had a reputation as a womanizer, played into the hands of his enemies by having a fling with Monica Lewinsky. Right-wingers went after him more for alleged perjury than for the actual affair. The party of "family values" also enlisted Ken Starr and Starr published a sleazy account of Clinton and Monica that would make many people blush.
Republicans also didn't vote for Clinton's budget. We know that the economy prospered under Clinton, who had raised taxes on the rich, and certainly not to an astronomical level. Clinton also kept the country out of major military involvements.
More to come
The economy turned sour just as it always does with Republican administrations. It has been a pattern and you would think people would notice. We had recessions under Eisenhower. We had recessions under Nixon and Ford. We had a horrific recession at the beginning of the Reagan administration. We had another recession under George H. W. Bush.
Bill Clinton ran for the presidency using the mantra "It's the economy, stupid," and Bill Clinton won the election. If you can't cheat your way into the White House, the Republican way is to create scandals out of thin air and dominate the discussion with the alleged scandals.
With Bill Clinton it was a land deal called Whitewater. And Clinton, who already had a reputation as a womanizer, played into the hands of his enemies by having a fling with Monica Lewinsky. Right-wingers went after him more for alleged perjury than for the actual affair. The party of "family values" also enlisted Ken Starr and Starr published a sleazy account of Clinton and Monica that would make many people blush.
Republicans also didn't vote for Clinton's budget. We know that the economy prospered under Clinton, who had raised taxes on the rich, and certainly not to an astronomical level. Clinton also kept the country out of major military involvements.
More to come
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 34
I suspect most Americans didn't understand the full complexities of the Contra scandal and how it represented major breaches of the law by the Reagan administration. Reagan left office with high approval ratings and has since been deified by the right wing in the United States.
Reagan's successor was George H. W. Bush. Bush had served as Reagan's vice-president and prior to being vice-president held a variety of posts, including Director of the CIA.
Bush is most remembered for his war against Iraq. There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein was a despicable dictator, but he had been an ally of the United States not long before. The justification for the first Gulf War, like the one launched by George W. Bush in 2002, was highly questionable. The first Bush was successful in assembling a coalition of allies. After all was said and done, Saddam Hussein was still in power in Iraq when the first Gulf War ended.
More to come
I suspect most Americans didn't understand the full complexities of the Contra scandal and how it represented major breaches of the law by the Reagan administration. Reagan left office with high approval ratings and has since been deified by the right wing in the United States.
Reagan's successor was George H. W. Bush. Bush had served as Reagan's vice-president and prior to being vice-president held a variety of posts, including Director of the CIA.
Bush is most remembered for his war against Iraq. There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein was a despicable dictator, but he had been an ally of the United States not long before. The justification for the first Gulf War, like the one launched by George W. Bush in 2002, was highly questionable. The first Bush was successful in assembling a coalition of allies. After all was said and done, Saddam Hussein was still in power in Iraq when the first Gulf War ended.
More to come
Monday, November 25, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 33
Lots of people tend to die under right wing administrations. Lots of human rights abuses also occur. On October 23, 1983, when Ronald Reagan was president 241 U. S. Marines were killed in a bombing at Beirut Airport There is strong evidence that the bombing was in reprisal because Reagan had used the U.S. Navy to shell Lebanese villages for several months.
We know, of course, about the attacks in the United States in 2001 when George W. Bush was president. We had the attack on the Oklahoma City Federal Building by right-wing nutcase Timothy McVeigh during Bill Clinton's administration.
The biggest scandal, among a myriad of scandals, during the Reagan years was the Iran-Contra scandal. It was a classic case of money laundering to circumvent the law. The United States sold arms to our avowed enemies in Iran and used the profits to divert money to the right-wing contras who were waging a guerrilla war against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.
Representatives of Amnesty International determined that a variety of human rights abuses were committed by the contras. The abuses included executions, mutilations, torture, and kidnappings.
More to come
Lots of people tend to die under right wing administrations. Lots of human rights abuses also occur. On October 23, 1983, when Ronald Reagan was president 241 U. S. Marines were killed in a bombing at Beirut Airport There is strong evidence that the bombing was in reprisal because Reagan had used the U.S. Navy to shell Lebanese villages for several months.
We know, of course, about the attacks in the United States in 2001 when George W. Bush was president. We had the attack on the Oklahoma City Federal Building by right-wing nutcase Timothy McVeigh during Bill Clinton's administration.
The biggest scandal, among a myriad of scandals, during the Reagan years was the Iran-Contra scandal. It was a classic case of money laundering to circumvent the law. The United States sold arms to our avowed enemies in Iran and used the profits to divert money to the right-wing contras who were waging a guerrilla war against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.
Representatives of Amnesty International determined that a variety of human rights abuses were committed by the contras. The abuses included executions, mutilations, torture, and kidnappings.
More to come
Sunday, November 24, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 32
We now have the greatest level of inequality in the United States since the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was that halcyon time, according to right wingers, when the "achievers" could really do their stuff. They didn't have to deal with troublesome things like taxes, unions, minimum wage laws, and a variety of regulations. It was the age of J. D. Rockefeller and J. P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. Most people were poor and had absolutely no social safety net except for private charities.
We can thank Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush for a Gilded Age 2.0. Reagan's administration was the first not to raise the minimum wage. People living below the poverty line went from 11.7% in 1979 to 13% at the end of Reagan's administration.
Reagan's devotion to deregulation led to the savings and loan crisis. Taxpayers shelled out $160 billion to bail out over 700 failed savings and loans. That began a pattern that we saw repeated when the economy crashed in 2008 under George W. Bush.
Based on the number of indictments, Reagan also led the most corrupt administration in U. S. history. One hundred thirty-eight Reagan administration officials were convicted, indicted, or subject to official investigations.
More to come
We now have the greatest level of inequality in the United States since the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was that halcyon time, according to right wingers, when the "achievers" could really do their stuff. They didn't have to deal with troublesome things like taxes, unions, minimum wage laws, and a variety of regulations. It was the age of J. D. Rockefeller and J. P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. Most people were poor and had absolutely no social safety net except for private charities.
We can thank Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush for a Gilded Age 2.0. Reagan's administration was the first not to raise the minimum wage. People living below the poverty line went from 11.7% in 1979 to 13% at the end of Reagan's administration.
Reagan's devotion to deregulation led to the savings and loan crisis. Taxpayers shelled out $160 billion to bail out over 700 failed savings and loans. That began a pattern that we saw repeated when the economy crashed in 2008 under George W. Bush.
Based on the number of indictments, Reagan also led the most corrupt administration in U. S. history. One hundred thirty-eight Reagan administration officials were convicted, indicted, or subject to official investigations.
More to come
Saturday, November 23, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 31
In 1980 Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in the presidential election and fulfilled the dreams of right-wingers throughout the country. Some big businessmen even celebrated with a cake in the shape of the U. S. Capitol building. They inscribed the word "Ours" on the Capitol dome on the cake.
Reagan quickly began the process of transferring wealth to the rich and big business. He increased military spending dramatically and it wasn't long before the combination of tax cuts and military spending exploded the deficit. Right-wingers typically try to defend Reagan by blaming Congress. But it is the president who submits the budget and the president who signs bills into law. Moreover, Congress was only carrying out the agenda of Mr. Reagan and his administration.
Right wingers tend to obsess about inflation and early in the Reagan administration the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to stratospheric levels. High interest rates depress economic activity in the housing sector and all kinds of borrowing for such things as automobiles. We had a whopping recession. Recessions tend to hit working class people the hardest because they invariably lead to high unemployment. High unemployment doesn't tend to bother right-wingers because they are already financially secure and high unemployment creates a cheap labor market.
More to come
In 1980 Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in the presidential election and fulfilled the dreams of right-wingers throughout the country. Some big businessmen even celebrated with a cake in the shape of the U. S. Capitol building. They inscribed the word "Ours" on the Capitol dome on the cake.
Reagan quickly began the process of transferring wealth to the rich and big business. He increased military spending dramatically and it wasn't long before the combination of tax cuts and military spending exploded the deficit. Right-wingers typically try to defend Reagan by blaming Congress. But it is the president who submits the budget and the president who signs bills into law. Moreover, Congress was only carrying out the agenda of Mr. Reagan and his administration.
Right wingers tend to obsess about inflation and early in the Reagan administration the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to stratospheric levels. High interest rates depress economic activity in the housing sector and all kinds of borrowing for such things as automobiles. We had a whopping recession. Recessions tend to hit working class people the hardest because they invariably lead to high unemployment. High unemployment doesn't tend to bother right-wingers because they are already financially secure and high unemployment creates a cheap labor market.
More to come
Friday, November 22, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 30
I remember this day 50 years ago. I was young and in grade school, but it made an indelible impression. President Kennedy had been shot and killed in Dallas while on a campaign trip. I've seen all the horrific images and read lots of the theories about why that ghastly event occurred and wondered how things might have been different had JFK lived to serve a second term.
I'm not naive enough to think we would have enjoyed utopia. We had problems in the New Frontier just as we've had problems since. But there was an excitement and an idealism during the Kennedy years that have never existed since. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, JFK called on the better angels of our nature. Our major purpose in life wasn't to be drones in some soul killing job or be consumers or feast on stories about the rich and famous. It was about a higher commitment to our country and to our planet.
Stephen King wrote a very good time travel novel called 11/22/63 that I consider one of the best books I've read about the Kennedy years. I didn't care for the ending, but the rest of the book is absorbing. Lots of things were worse in the early 60's than they are now, but lots of things were better too. I guess the strongest emotion I feel from that time was hope and hope has retired now to some other place. Now it's just about muddling through day to day and wondering what the latest outrage will be.
More to come
I remember this day 50 years ago. I was young and in grade school, but it made an indelible impression. President Kennedy had been shot and killed in Dallas while on a campaign trip. I've seen all the horrific images and read lots of the theories about why that ghastly event occurred and wondered how things might have been different had JFK lived to serve a second term.
I'm not naive enough to think we would have enjoyed utopia. We had problems in the New Frontier just as we've had problems since. But there was an excitement and an idealism during the Kennedy years that have never existed since. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, JFK called on the better angels of our nature. Our major purpose in life wasn't to be drones in some soul killing job or be consumers or feast on stories about the rich and famous. It was about a higher commitment to our country and to our planet.
Stephen King wrote a very good time travel novel called 11/22/63 that I consider one of the best books I've read about the Kennedy years. I didn't care for the ending, but the rest of the book is absorbing. Lots of things were worse in the early 60's than they are now, but lots of things were better too. I guess the strongest emotion I feel from that time was hope and hope has retired now to some other place. Now it's just about muddling through day to day and wondering what the latest outrage will be.
More to come
Thursday, November 21, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 29
The Iranian hostage crisis, a failed rescue attempt, and high oil prices made Jimmy Carter's re-election problematic. He also ran against a professional snake oil salesman in Ronald Reagan.
Reagan, who built his career as a "B" movie actor, took his acting skills, such as they were, and adapted them for politics. Politics is frequently more fantasy than reality. People want to believe in magic solutions to their problems and Ronald Reagan came along with promises of tax cuts and a strong military that would show the Soviet Union who was boss. Many Americans felt the Iranian militants had kicked the proverbial sand in our faces and they wanted a tough, no nonsense leader.
George H. W. Bush, who ran with Reagan as his running mate, called Reagan's economics "voodoo economics" during the campaign, but conveniently forgot his criticism when he ran for vice-president.
There is strong evidence that Reagan's campaign sabotaged the negotiations to free the American hostages in Iran. It's difficult to say if an earlier release would have resulted in Carter's re-election, but the failure to gain their release certainly sped Reagan on the way to the White House.
More to come
The Iranian hostage crisis, a failed rescue attempt, and high oil prices made Jimmy Carter's re-election problematic. He also ran against a professional snake oil salesman in Ronald Reagan.
Reagan, who built his career as a "B" movie actor, took his acting skills, such as they were, and adapted them for politics. Politics is frequently more fantasy than reality. People want to believe in magic solutions to their problems and Ronald Reagan came along with promises of tax cuts and a strong military that would show the Soviet Union who was boss. Many Americans felt the Iranian militants had kicked the proverbial sand in our faces and they wanted a tough, no nonsense leader.
George H. W. Bush, who ran with Reagan as his running mate, called Reagan's economics "voodoo economics" during the campaign, but conveniently forgot his criticism when he ran for vice-president.
There is strong evidence that Reagan's campaign sabotaged the negotiations to free the American hostages in Iran. It's difficult to say if an earlier release would have resulted in Carter's re-election, but the failure to gain their release certainly sped Reagan on the way to the White House.
More to come
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 28
It has become fashionable in right-wing circles to demonize Jimmy Carter's presidency. I guess you have to find some way to distract from all the corruption and misery caused by Republican administrations, so you demonize one of the most moral men to occupy the Oval Office.
Jimmy Carter was an idealist and right-wingers do not care for idealists. Right-wingers consider themselves grounded in the "real world." It's the world of dog-eat-dog and winner take all. You can put aside all those silly notions about human rights and the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is something you claim to support on Sundays and shove aside as impractical the rest of the time.
President Carter had the misfortune of being in office when the oil-producing nations in the Arab world started to assert themselves. The oil-producing countries suddenly realized they had an energy addict in the United States. OPEC could jack up the prices and the United States had very few options but to pay.
President Carter also inherited a rotten economy from the Nixon and Ford years. We had a situation called "stagflation." It was a combination of high inflation and high unemployment. According to classic economics, those situations were never supposed to occur simultaneously
The worst blow to the Carter presidency was the Iranian hostage crisis. The nightly news reminded us every day of the length of their imprisonment by Iranian militants and the Carter administration wasn't militant enough for some. You have the feeling that some right-wingers would have preferred we attack Iran even if it meant killing all the hostages. It would make the United States look "tough."
More to come
It has become fashionable in right-wing circles to demonize Jimmy Carter's presidency. I guess you have to find some way to distract from all the corruption and misery caused by Republican administrations, so you demonize one of the most moral men to occupy the Oval Office.
Jimmy Carter was an idealist and right-wingers do not care for idealists. Right-wingers consider themselves grounded in the "real world." It's the world of dog-eat-dog and winner take all. You can put aside all those silly notions about human rights and the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is something you claim to support on Sundays and shove aside as impractical the rest of the time.
President Carter had the misfortune of being in office when the oil-producing nations in the Arab world started to assert themselves. The oil-producing countries suddenly realized they had an energy addict in the United States. OPEC could jack up the prices and the United States had very few options but to pay.
President Carter also inherited a rotten economy from the Nixon and Ford years. We had a situation called "stagflation." It was a combination of high inflation and high unemployment. According to classic economics, those situations were never supposed to occur simultaneously
The worst blow to the Carter presidency was the Iranian hostage crisis. The nightly news reminded us every day of the length of their imprisonment by Iranian militants and the Carter administration wasn't militant enough for some. You have the feeling that some right-wingers would have preferred we attack Iran even if it meant killing all the hostages. It would make the United States look "tough."
More to come
Sunday, November 17, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 27
Now we come to the presidency of Gerald R. Ford, as white bread as any president we've had. At first, Ford seemed a refreshing change from the paranoid and criminally-inclined Richard Nixon. But mostly what we got during the brief Ford administration was an ineffectual government.
We had WIN buttons to combat inflation. We had a swine flu vaccine that appears to have caused more harm than good. We had Chevy Chase on "Saturday Night Live" doing pratfalls as a parody of Ford's perceived clumsiness.
The most significant event in the Ford presidency was the pardon of Richard Nixon, which came before Nixon was even charged or tried. I don't know if there was a deal between Ford and Nixon, but you have to think it was part of the process in getting Nixon to resign the presidency.
Ford managed to get the Republican nomination for president in 1976 despite a challenge from the very right-wing Ronald Reagan, whose political star was on the ascendancy. Then Ford committed a major gaffe in the presidential debates with Jimmy Carter when Ford made the astounding claim that the Poles did not consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union.
The Vietnam war came to its inglorious end. I remember video footage of people trying to grab on to helicopters leaving the U. S. Embassy in South Vietnam and seeing helicopters pushed over the sides of ships into the ocean.
More to come
Now we come to the presidency of Gerald R. Ford, as white bread as any president we've had. At first, Ford seemed a refreshing change from the paranoid and criminally-inclined Richard Nixon. But mostly what we got during the brief Ford administration was an ineffectual government.
We had WIN buttons to combat inflation. We had a swine flu vaccine that appears to have caused more harm than good. We had Chevy Chase on "Saturday Night Live" doing pratfalls as a parody of Ford's perceived clumsiness.
The most significant event in the Ford presidency was the pardon of Richard Nixon, which came before Nixon was even charged or tried. I don't know if there was a deal between Ford and Nixon, but you have to think it was part of the process in getting Nixon to resign the presidency.
Ford managed to get the Republican nomination for president in 1976 despite a challenge from the very right-wing Ronald Reagan, whose political star was on the ascendancy. Then Ford committed a major gaffe in the presidential debates with Jimmy Carter when Ford made the astounding claim that the Poles did not consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union.
The Vietnam war came to its inglorious end. I remember video footage of people trying to grab on to helicopters leaving the U. S. Embassy in South Vietnam and seeing helicopters pushed over the sides of ships into the ocean.
More to come
Saturday, November 16, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 26
The United States has an unsavory history of taking territory from others or backing corrupt regimes that will support the interests of big business in the United States.
Early in our history we had slavery. We waged constant war against the indigenous Indian tribes to take their land from them. We had a war against Mexico and got California, Texas, and other territory. We waged war in the Philippines to make the Philippines a colony of the United States. We had no problem with a dictator named Batista when he ruled Cuba, but big problems when the anti-capitalist Fidel Castro assumed power.
In the 1950's we helped the Shah of Iran when we orchestrated the overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddegh.
The United States helped overthrow a democratically elected government in Guatemala because of threats to American business interests. In the Nixon years we helped install a vile dictator named Augusto Pinochet in Chile and overthrew the government of socialist Salvador Allende.
More to come
The United States has an unsavory history of taking territory from others or backing corrupt regimes that will support the interests of big business in the United States.
Early in our history we had slavery. We waged constant war against the indigenous Indian tribes to take their land from them. We had a war against Mexico and got California, Texas, and other territory. We waged war in the Philippines to make the Philippines a colony of the United States. We had no problem with a dictator named Batista when he ruled Cuba, but big problems when the anti-capitalist Fidel Castro assumed power.
In the 1950's we helped the Shah of Iran when we orchestrated the overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddegh.
The United States helped overthrow a democratically elected government in Guatemala because of threats to American business interests. In the Nixon years we helped install a vile dictator named Augusto Pinochet in Chile and overthrew the government of socialist Salvador Allende.
More to come
Friday, November 15, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 25
I remember the night Richard Nixon announced his resignation. He looked haggard, perhaps more haggard than usual, as he told the country he would leave the presidency the following day and that Gerald Ford would be sworn in as president. Nixon saw the handwriting on the wall when he lost his case before the Supreme Court. The Court said that Nixon had to turn over all his tapes in the Watergate matter and there was no doubt that Nixon had participated in a cover-up and suborning of perjury.
The next day Nixon gave an emotional speech before the White House staff and the country and talked about his mother. He boarded a helicopter, gave his characteristic "V" signs, and headed for California.
Upon assuming the presidency Gerald Ford declared that, "Our long national nightmare is over." That was fantasy, of course. Nixon had left behind a trail of abusing the power of the presidency, creating a major distrust of the federal government, and thousands more dead in the Vietnam war that he failed to end.
More to come
I remember the night Richard Nixon announced his resignation. He looked haggard, perhaps more haggard than usual, as he told the country he would leave the presidency the following day and that Gerald Ford would be sworn in as president. Nixon saw the handwriting on the wall when he lost his case before the Supreme Court. The Court said that Nixon had to turn over all his tapes in the Watergate matter and there was no doubt that Nixon had participated in a cover-up and suborning of perjury.
The next day Nixon gave an emotional speech before the White House staff and the country and talked about his mother. He boarded a helicopter, gave his characteristic "V" signs, and headed for California.
Upon assuming the presidency Gerald Ford declared that, "Our long national nightmare is over." That was fantasy, of course. Nixon had left behind a trail of abusing the power of the presidency, creating a major distrust of the federal government, and thousands more dead in the Vietnam war that he failed to end.
More to come
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT DESTRUCTION PART 24
Richard Nixon was a cocktail shaker mix of neuroses. He probably would be a psychiatrist's dream. He exhibited signs of paranoia and a persecution complex. The Nixon administration's creation of an enemies list was very disturbing.
He had his interesting quirks, of course. He reportedly liked eating ketchup with cottage cheese. He liked to sit inside the White House with a roaring fireplace and the air conditioning turned up full blast. He took walks along the beach wearing dress shoes. He is shown in numerous photos with his fingers in the "V" sign. It is said he didn't hold his liquor well and some White House aides advised people to be careful in implementing some presidential orders because the president might be drunk.
His paranoia led him to create the White House taping system that ultimately was his downfall. He once revealed a great deal when he said, in essence, that nothing the president did was illegal. He surrounded himself with people who shared those beliefs.
He took the totally wrong approach to the Watergate scandal and the scandal engulfed his administration.
More to come
Richard Nixon was a cocktail shaker mix of neuroses. He probably would be a psychiatrist's dream. He exhibited signs of paranoia and a persecution complex. The Nixon administration's creation of an enemies list was very disturbing.
He had his interesting quirks, of course. He reportedly liked eating ketchup with cottage cheese. He liked to sit inside the White House with a roaring fireplace and the air conditioning turned up full blast. He took walks along the beach wearing dress shoes. He is shown in numerous photos with his fingers in the "V" sign. It is said he didn't hold his liquor well and some White House aides advised people to be careful in implementing some presidential orders because the president might be drunk.
His paranoia led him to create the White House taping system that ultimately was his downfall. He once revealed a great deal when he said, in essence, that nothing the president did was illegal. He surrounded himself with people who shared those beliefs.
He took the totally wrong approach to the Watergate scandal and the scandal engulfed his administration.
More to come
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 23
Merle Haggard recorded "Okie From Muskogee" mostly as a joke, but it became a kind of anthem for many who thought the country was in big trouble in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
The Nixon administration started talking about the "silent majority," the people the administration said quietly supported the administration in contrast to the loud protests of the administration's opponents. Vice President Spiro Agnew led a war against the media and termed many in the media establishment as "effete snobs."
The war dragged on, but Nixon began a process of what was called "Vietnamization" of the war. It was intended to gradually reduce U. S. involvement in the war and turn the war over to the South Vietnamese.
Nixon went to China, which was probably his greatest foreign policy achievement. We had the Pentagon Papers controversy when the behind the scenes story of the Vietnam war was revealed and the Nixon administration tried to suppress publication of the information.
There was what Nixon called a "third rate burglary" at the Democratic Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel, which was to have major ramifications.
More to come
Merle Haggard recorded "Okie From Muskogee" mostly as a joke, but it became a kind of anthem for many who thought the country was in big trouble in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
The Nixon administration started talking about the "silent majority," the people the administration said quietly supported the administration in contrast to the loud protests of the administration's opponents. Vice President Spiro Agnew led a war against the media and termed many in the media establishment as "effete snobs."
The war dragged on, but Nixon began a process of what was called "Vietnamization" of the war. It was intended to gradually reduce U. S. involvement in the war and turn the war over to the South Vietnamese.
Nixon went to China, which was probably his greatest foreign policy achievement. We had the Pentagon Papers controversy when the behind the scenes story of the Vietnam war was revealed and the Nixon administration tried to suppress publication of the information.
There was what Nixon called a "third rate burglary" at the Democratic Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel, which was to have major ramifications.
More to come
Sunday, November 10, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 22
Richard M. Nixon entered the White House in a time of tremendous disillusionment. The 1960's had been a turbulent decade. We almost had a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. We entered a proxy war in Vietnam instead. In 1969 we fulfilled JFK's vision of landing men on the moon and returned them safely to the earth.
For a time it appeared the 1960's would take the United States and the world in a new direction. The young generation preached about making love, not war. But the election of Richard Nixon and running mate Spiro Agnew was a decisive endorsement of the establishment.
We didn't know then that the Nixon campaign probably sabotaged attempts to end the Vietnam war. Had LBJ succeeded in finally ending the Vietnam nightmare, there is a good chance Hubert Humphrey would have been president. The country had been prosperous in the Kennedy-Johnson years. We had fulfilled a dream of all mankind in going to the moon. The possibilities were boundless.
But Richard Nixon, who won the election largely because of Vietnam, made very little effort to end the war. He even expanded the war into Cambodia. Protesters at Kent State University and Jackson State were gunned down by the National Guard and by the police, respectively. Exercising the right to freedom of speech suddenly was a deadly exercise.
More to come
Richard M. Nixon entered the White House in a time of tremendous disillusionment. The 1960's had been a turbulent decade. We almost had a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. We entered a proxy war in Vietnam instead. In 1969 we fulfilled JFK's vision of landing men on the moon and returned them safely to the earth.
For a time it appeared the 1960's would take the United States and the world in a new direction. The young generation preached about making love, not war. But the election of Richard Nixon and running mate Spiro Agnew was a decisive endorsement of the establishment.
We didn't know then that the Nixon campaign probably sabotaged attempts to end the Vietnam war. Had LBJ succeeded in finally ending the Vietnam nightmare, there is a good chance Hubert Humphrey would have been president. The country had been prosperous in the Kennedy-Johnson years. We had fulfilled a dream of all mankind in going to the moon. The possibilities were boundless.
But Richard Nixon, who won the election largely because of Vietnam, made very little effort to end the war. He even expanded the war into Cambodia. Protesters at Kent State University and Jackson State were gunned down by the National Guard and by the police, respectively. Exercising the right to freedom of speech suddenly was a deadly exercise.
More to come
Saturday, November 9, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 21
The Vietnam war became a kind of flypaper and the United States couldn't extricate itself. The growing opposition to the war forced President Johnson from the presidential race and persuaded Senator Robert Kennedy to announce his candidacy.
The country was polarized. Kids burning draft cards and protests against the war got major media attention. But there was also a backlash from people who considered themselves patriots and who continued to support the Vietnam war.
Martin Luther King, who had always advocated non-violence, was the victim of an assassin's bullet when he went to Memphis, Tennessee, to support striking garbage workers. Just weeks later Robert Kennedy was shot down in Los Angeles after winning the California primary.
There was more than a little irony in Richard Nixon getting the Republican nomination for president. Nixon, who represented himself as a law and order candidate, would become the first president to resign from office a few years later. Hubert Humphrey, who served as vice-president for Lyndon Johnson, got the Democratic nomination for president. Humphrey was saddled with the Vietnam war and Nixon promised to end the war.
The country was appalled at the violence in the streets at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It represented a clear demarcation between people who considered themselves loyal to the establishment and the opponents of the war. The Chicago violence also hurt Humphrey in the presidential race.
Humphrey came surprisingly close to winning the election when you consider the baggage he was carrying. Had the Johnson administration succeeded in ending the war, Humphrey might have won the election. But operatives for Richard Nixon, from all appearances, sabotaged the peace talks.
More to come
The Vietnam war became a kind of flypaper and the United States couldn't extricate itself. The growing opposition to the war forced President Johnson from the presidential race and persuaded Senator Robert Kennedy to announce his candidacy.
The country was polarized. Kids burning draft cards and protests against the war got major media attention. But there was also a backlash from people who considered themselves patriots and who continued to support the Vietnam war.
Martin Luther King, who had always advocated non-violence, was the victim of an assassin's bullet when he went to Memphis, Tennessee, to support striking garbage workers. Just weeks later Robert Kennedy was shot down in Los Angeles after winning the California primary.
There was more than a little irony in Richard Nixon getting the Republican nomination for president. Nixon, who represented himself as a law and order candidate, would become the first president to resign from office a few years later. Hubert Humphrey, who served as vice-president for Lyndon Johnson, got the Democratic nomination for president. Humphrey was saddled with the Vietnam war and Nixon promised to end the war.
The country was appalled at the violence in the streets at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It represented a clear demarcation between people who considered themselves loyal to the establishment and the opponents of the war. The Chicago violence also hurt Humphrey in the presidential race.
Humphrey came surprisingly close to winning the election when you consider the baggage he was carrying. Had the Johnson administration succeeded in ending the war, Humphrey might have won the election. But operatives for Richard Nixon, from all appearances, sabotaged the peace talks.
More to come
Friday, November 8, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 20
As the Vietnam war escalated, so did the dissension here at home. There was increasing resistance to the military draft and protests against the war. The protests occurred both because young men were being sent to Vietnam for questionable reasons and because of the death and destruction rained on the Vietnamese people.
It was a good time for the military-industrial complex. It meant big profits in providing war material. We got introduced to new products, or at least previously little known products, such as Agent Orange and napalm. One of the most noted and searing photos of the Vietnam war shows a young girl whose clothes have been burned away by napalm. She is running down the road in terror.
Vietnam was going to be the premier issue in the 1968 presidential campaign. The political establishment thought that President Johnson would seek reelection. Senator Eugene McCarthy mounted a campaign that was largely in opposition to the war and did surprisingly well in the New Hampshire primary.
After Robert Kennedy left the Attorney General's office, he won election as Senator from New York. He was under enormous pressure to run for president in 1968, but resisted because a campaign would be incredibly divisive for the Democratic party. But President Johnson changed the equation when he announced he would not seek reelection.
More to come
As the Vietnam war escalated, so did the dissension here at home. There was increasing resistance to the military draft and protests against the war. The protests occurred both because young men were being sent to Vietnam for questionable reasons and because of the death and destruction rained on the Vietnamese people.
It was a good time for the military-industrial complex. It meant big profits in providing war material. We got introduced to new products, or at least previously little known products, such as Agent Orange and napalm. One of the most noted and searing photos of the Vietnam war shows a young girl whose clothes have been burned away by napalm. She is running down the road in terror.
Vietnam was going to be the premier issue in the 1968 presidential campaign. The political establishment thought that President Johnson would seek reelection. Senator Eugene McCarthy mounted a campaign that was largely in opposition to the war and did surprisingly well in the New Hampshire primary.
After Robert Kennedy left the Attorney General's office, he won election as Senator from New York. He was under enormous pressure to run for president in 1968, but resisted because a campaign would be incredibly divisive for the Democratic party. But President Johnson changed the equation when he announced he would not seek reelection.
More to come
Thursday, November 7, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 19
Lyndon Johnson assumed the presidency after JFK's death and immediately adopted a more vigorous commitment to Vietnam. The force we sent went from a few thousand "advisers" to a major military commitment, which continued to grow over the next few years.
Johnson succeeded in passing some major legislation in civil rights and in getting Medicare passed. Ronald Reagan was busily warning the country about the evils of Medicare. We had racist diehards such as Governor George Wallace proclaiming the evils of the federal government enforcing civil rights and encroaching on states' rights.
Johnson ran against the very right wing Senator Barry Goldwater and crushed Goldwater in the presidential election in 1964. The Warren Commission was appointed by President Johnson to investigate the assassination of President Kennedy and the Commission concluded that the very strange and previously nondescript Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin. The Commission's report didn't satisfy many people and questions still linger fifty years later.
Vietnam turned quickly into a quagmire. The military kept telling us that light was at the end of the tunnel, but the war expanded and increased in ferocity. Lots of American boys, mostly poor boys, were coming home in body bags.
More to come
Lyndon Johnson assumed the presidency after JFK's death and immediately adopted a more vigorous commitment to Vietnam. The force we sent went from a few thousand "advisers" to a major military commitment, which continued to grow over the next few years.
Johnson succeeded in passing some major legislation in civil rights and in getting Medicare passed. Ronald Reagan was busily warning the country about the evils of Medicare. We had racist diehards such as Governor George Wallace proclaiming the evils of the federal government enforcing civil rights and encroaching on states' rights.
Johnson ran against the very right wing Senator Barry Goldwater and crushed Goldwater in the presidential election in 1964. The Warren Commission was appointed by President Johnson to investigate the assassination of President Kennedy and the Commission concluded that the very strange and previously nondescript Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin. The Commission's report didn't satisfy many people and questions still linger fifty years later.
Vietnam turned quickly into a quagmire. The military kept telling us that light was at the end of the tunnel, but the war expanded and increased in ferocity. Lots of American boys, mostly poor boys, were coming home in body bags.
More to come
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 18
The world breathed a sigh of collective relief after resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK and Khrushchev agreed to install a "hot line" so they could reach other immediately in the event of a crisis.
As the country moved into 1963, things appeared to be going in the right direction. There was a lot of work to be done. We needed to find a way to resolve problems in Vietnam. We needed to find a way to address poverty in the United States. We needed meaningful and workable civil rights legislation.
Just weeks before his assassination, JFK gave a speech at American University laying out the stark reality of the nuclear world we live in. His speech impressed the leaders in the Soviet Union because it wasn't the usual bellicosity, but a realization that people the world over are pretty much the same. Most of us want to live our lives happily, enjoying our families and friends, performing work that matters to us, and making contributions to our communities, our country, and our planet.
The year 1964 was an election year and JFK had to start thinking about the next presidential campaign. Texas was going to be an important part of that election. Splits in the Democratic Party in Texas were a concern and JFK decided on a trip to Texas to do some fence mending and lay the basis for the 1964 campaign.
The rabid right wing in Texas hated JFK. On the day of his assassination handbills were in circulation stating that JFK was wanted for treason. After the news of his death, some people actually cheered.
It is impossible to know how history diverged on November 22, 1963. But JFK's death was a victory for the right wing in the United States and a tragedy for the rest of us.
More to come
The world breathed a sigh of collective relief after resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK and Khrushchev agreed to install a "hot line" so they could reach other immediately in the event of a crisis.
As the country moved into 1963, things appeared to be going in the right direction. There was a lot of work to be done. We needed to find a way to resolve problems in Vietnam. We needed to find a way to address poverty in the United States. We needed meaningful and workable civil rights legislation.
Just weeks before his assassination, JFK gave a speech at American University laying out the stark reality of the nuclear world we live in. His speech impressed the leaders in the Soviet Union because it wasn't the usual bellicosity, but a realization that people the world over are pretty much the same. Most of us want to live our lives happily, enjoying our families and friends, performing work that matters to us, and making contributions to our communities, our country, and our planet.
The year 1964 was an election year and JFK had to start thinking about the next presidential campaign. Texas was going to be an important part of that election. Splits in the Democratic Party in Texas were a concern and JFK decided on a trip to Texas to do some fence mending and lay the basis for the 1964 campaign.
The rabid right wing in Texas hated JFK. On the day of his assassination handbills were in circulation stating that JFK was wanted for treason. After the news of his death, some people actually cheered.
It is impossible to know how history diverged on November 22, 1963. But JFK's death was a victory for the right wing in the United States and a tragedy for the rest of us.
More to come
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 17
After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, JFK berated himself for putting too much faith in the CIA and in the generals who advocated the invasion. That experience may have saved the world from nuclear war in 1962.
In October, 1962, United States reconnaissance planes detected Soviet missile installations in Cuba. JFK didn't feel he had any alternative but to respond to the missiles being installed so close to our own shores. He was also aware that Soviet Premier Khrushchev was being pressured by hardliners in the Kremlin.
The strategy of a naval blockade of Cuba was a compromise. Some people in the Pentagon thought the United States should launch a full fledged invasion of Cuba. Some generals were not even dissuaded by the threat of nuclear war.
The naval blockade posed risks of its own. A miscalculation on either side could have sparked a nuclear war. The Soviets were finally persuaded to take their missiles out of Cuba in exchange for a removal of U. S. missiles in Turkey.
Even after coming so perilously close to annihilation, many on the political right have advocated for bigger militaries and huge nuclear stockpiles. We have had other close calls such as an incident in 1983 when the Soviet Union misinterpreted war games by the United States and Britain as an imminent attack.
More to come
After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, JFK berated himself for putting too much faith in the CIA and in the generals who advocated the invasion. That experience may have saved the world from nuclear war in 1962.
In October, 1962, United States reconnaissance planes detected Soviet missile installations in Cuba. JFK didn't feel he had any alternative but to respond to the missiles being installed so close to our own shores. He was also aware that Soviet Premier Khrushchev was being pressured by hardliners in the Kremlin.
The strategy of a naval blockade of Cuba was a compromise. Some people in the Pentagon thought the United States should launch a full fledged invasion of Cuba. Some generals were not even dissuaded by the threat of nuclear war.
The naval blockade posed risks of its own. A miscalculation on either side could have sparked a nuclear war. The Soviets were finally persuaded to take their missiles out of Cuba in exchange for a removal of U. S. missiles in Turkey.
Even after coming so perilously close to annihilation, many on the political right have advocated for bigger militaries and huge nuclear stockpiles. We have had other close calls such as an incident in 1983 when the Soviet Union misinterpreted war games by the United States and Britain as an imminent attack.
More to come
Monday, November 4, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 16
The communist-led government of Cuba was a major preoccupation in the early 1960's. Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Batista had been a right-wing ally of the United States.
Business interests inside the United States were unhappy about the appropriation of their properties in Cuba and the loss of profits in the new communist regime. The outgoing Eisenhower administration began planning to overthrow Castro's government.
As unbelievable as it may seem, the CIA even enlisted the aid of the Mafia in their plans to oust Castro. The Mafia enjoyed major profits in Cuba during the Batista years and those profits were gone after Castro took power.
The idea behind the Bay of Pigs was that Cubans would be aroused by the invasion to rise up and overthrow Castro. But it didn't happen. President Kennedy wanted the invasion disassociated from the United States. He was concerned the Soviet Union would retaliate by attacking West Berlin. He received heavy criticism for not providing enough support to the invading forces and engendered considerable hatred among right-wingers in the United States.
More to come
The communist-led government of Cuba was a major preoccupation in the early 1960's. Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Batista had been a right-wing ally of the United States.
Business interests inside the United States were unhappy about the appropriation of their properties in Cuba and the loss of profits in the new communist regime. The outgoing Eisenhower administration began planning to overthrow Castro's government.
As unbelievable as it may seem, the CIA even enlisted the aid of the Mafia in their plans to oust Castro. The Mafia enjoyed major profits in Cuba during the Batista years and those profits were gone after Castro took power.
The idea behind the Bay of Pigs was that Cubans would be aroused by the invasion to rise up and overthrow Castro. But it didn't happen. President Kennedy wanted the invasion disassociated from the United States. He was concerned the Soviet Union would retaliate by attacking West Berlin. He received heavy criticism for not providing enough support to the invading forces and engendered considerable hatred among right-wingers in the United States.
More to come
Sunday, November 3, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 15
The United States and the world were in ferment as we entered the 1960's.
We were ready to expand our boundaries technologically and scientifically. We were ready to finally embrace civil rights for African-Americans who had been denied their full constitutional rights for one hundred years. The Cold War took on a new dimension with a proxy war in Vietnam. The United States supplied aid to South Vietnam and the Soviet Union supplied aid to North Vietnam.
But the very real Cold War, the kind that employed nuclear weapons, was a Sword of Damocles hanging over the human race. Both the United States and Soviet Union had weapons sufficient to destroy the entire human race several times over.
John F. Kennedy brought glamour, wit, and idealism to the White House. Important social safety nets such as Medicare got seeded during the Kennedy years and finally passed into law during the subsequent Johnson administration.
The realities of the Cold War were symbolized by construction of the Berlin Wall. Berlin was ground zero for a possible nuclear standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union.
We saw the rise of Martin Luther King as a major civil rights leader and we saw the ugliness of entrenched racism in the United States on display. Civil rights workers were attacked and killed in the South. Martin Luther King was arrested and wrote his famous Letter From Birmingham Jail. Opponents of civil rights brought up the old doctrine of states' rights to justify segregation.
President Kennedy stated the goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. It was another form of proxy war because the "space race" was intended to show the superiority of the American system over the system in the Soviet Union.
More to come
The United States and the world were in ferment as we entered the 1960's.
We were ready to expand our boundaries technologically and scientifically. We were ready to finally embrace civil rights for African-Americans who had been denied their full constitutional rights for one hundred years. The Cold War took on a new dimension with a proxy war in Vietnam. The United States supplied aid to South Vietnam and the Soviet Union supplied aid to North Vietnam.
But the very real Cold War, the kind that employed nuclear weapons, was a Sword of Damocles hanging over the human race. Both the United States and Soviet Union had weapons sufficient to destroy the entire human race several times over.
John F. Kennedy brought glamour, wit, and idealism to the White House. Important social safety nets such as Medicare got seeded during the Kennedy years and finally passed into law during the subsequent Johnson administration.
The realities of the Cold War were symbolized by construction of the Berlin Wall. Berlin was ground zero for a possible nuclear standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union.
We saw the rise of Martin Luther King as a major civil rights leader and we saw the ugliness of entrenched racism in the United States on display. Civil rights workers were attacked and killed in the South. Martin Luther King was arrested and wrote his famous Letter From Birmingham Jail. Opponents of civil rights brought up the old doctrine of states' rights to justify segregation.
President Kennedy stated the goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. It was another form of proxy war because the "space race" was intended to show the superiority of the American system over the system in the Soviet Union.
More to come
Saturday, November 2, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 14
John F. Kennedy was a vice-presidential candidate in 1956, but lost out to Estes Kefauver. It may have been one of the biggest breaks of Kennedy's career. Had he run with Adlai Stevenson in that election, he may have been blamed for the massive loss Stevenson suffered to Dwight Eisenhower. Kennedy's Catholicism was considered a major negative.
Despite his Catholicism, Kennedy won the 1960 Democratic nomination. In his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention Kennedy proclaimed the start of a "New Frontier" and "New Frontier" was the name attached to the years of the Kennedy administration.
Kennedy was matched up against the experienced and better-known Richard M. Nixon. Nixon had served for eight years as Dwight Eisenhower's vice president. Nixon had strong anti-communist credentials after his pursuit of Alger Hiss and his "kitchen debate" with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Kennedy had to overcome the idea that he was too young and too inexperienced to take on the tough and wily Soviet Premier.
Kennedy and Nixon had a series of presidential debates that proved Kennedy could stand toe to toe with the Republican nominee. Nixon's television image did not serve him well. He appeared haggard and looked shifty and dishonest.
The election was one of the closest in United States history and Kennedy squeaked out a victory. It was the harbinger to come of the tumultuous 1960's.
More to come
John F. Kennedy was a vice-presidential candidate in 1956, but lost out to Estes Kefauver. It may have been one of the biggest breaks of Kennedy's career. Had he run with Adlai Stevenson in that election, he may have been blamed for the massive loss Stevenson suffered to Dwight Eisenhower. Kennedy's Catholicism was considered a major negative.
Despite his Catholicism, Kennedy won the 1960 Democratic nomination. In his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention Kennedy proclaimed the start of a "New Frontier" and "New Frontier" was the name attached to the years of the Kennedy administration.
Kennedy was matched up against the experienced and better-known Richard M. Nixon. Nixon had served for eight years as Dwight Eisenhower's vice president. Nixon had strong anti-communist credentials after his pursuit of Alger Hiss and his "kitchen debate" with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Kennedy had to overcome the idea that he was too young and too inexperienced to take on the tough and wily Soviet Premier.
Kennedy and Nixon had a series of presidential debates that proved Kennedy could stand toe to toe with the Republican nominee. Nixon's television image did not serve him well. He appeared haggard and looked shifty and dishonest.
The election was one of the closest in United States history and Kennedy squeaked out a victory. It was the harbinger to come of the tumultuous 1960's.
More to come
Friday, November 1, 2013
A SHORT HISTORY OF RIGHT WING DESTRUCTION PART 13
Many people remember the 1950's with a fond nostalgia. They think of the Fifties as a version of the television show Happy Days. Television shows from the time such as Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best show well-adjusted and white middle class families thriving in the post-war era.
Rock and roll music gained popularity with talents such as Elvin Presley, Buddy Holly, and Rick Nelson among the most prominent entertainers.
But racism still prevailed. The Cold War was a very real and present danger. The economy stalled and went into recession. In 1960 the U. S. government was caught in a lie when U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Russia.
The seeds for dramatic foreign policy maneuvers were planted during the Eisenhower administration. We first started military involvement in Vietnam. It was a small involvement at first. President Kennedy inherited the situation and sent around 16,000 "advisers." After Kennedy's death, Vietnam became a major military involvement and one of the worst foreign policy debacles in United States history.
The planning for the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba was also started during the Eisenhower years.
There was the infamous "Kitchen Debate" in 1959 between Richard Nixon, who represented the wonders of capitalism, and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who proclaimed the virtues of the communist system. Khrushchev had warned in 1956 that, "we will bury you."
Although Senator Joseph McCarthy was repudiated, the charge of being "soft on communism" was still a potent weapon used by right-wingers. It was part of the thought process that ultimately led to the major calamity in Vietnam.
More to come
Many people remember the 1950's with a fond nostalgia. They think of the Fifties as a version of the television show Happy Days. Television shows from the time such as Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best show well-adjusted and white middle class families thriving in the post-war era.
Rock and roll music gained popularity with talents such as Elvin Presley, Buddy Holly, and Rick Nelson among the most prominent entertainers.
But racism still prevailed. The Cold War was a very real and present danger. The economy stalled and went into recession. In 1960 the U. S. government was caught in a lie when U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Russia.
The seeds for dramatic foreign policy maneuvers were planted during the Eisenhower administration. We first started military involvement in Vietnam. It was a small involvement at first. President Kennedy inherited the situation and sent around 16,000 "advisers." After Kennedy's death, Vietnam became a major military involvement and one of the worst foreign policy debacles in United States history.
The planning for the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba was also started during the Eisenhower years.
There was the infamous "Kitchen Debate" in 1959 between Richard Nixon, who represented the wonders of capitalism, and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who proclaimed the virtues of the communist system. Khrushchev had warned in 1956 that, "we will bury you."
Although Senator Joseph McCarthy was repudiated, the charge of being "soft on communism" was still a potent weapon used by right-wingers. It was part of the thought process that ultimately led to the major calamity in Vietnam.
More to come
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