Monday, May 27, 2013

In Honor of Memory



For commemoration of this holiday, I offer the following.  These are articles previously posted here at this site, some additionally at LRC.


In this post I examine the Second World War from two angles:

1)      Lies, deception, treachery, genocide, and potentially treason.  Can anything associated with such actions be called “good”?
2)      I propose the underlying objectives for the war: The U.S. replaced Britain as the tool for the elite to work through for continued global domination; the communists were strengthened, creating a credible enemy for perpetual war; the wealth of two productive nations was made accessible to the elite.  These three outcomes were realized.



This, one of the many posts I wrote covering Herbert Hoover’s wonderful volume, Freedom Betrayed, describes war as it is – not romantic, but costly:

Some people (tragically too few) count the cost of war. Cost in lives, cost in injuries both physical and mental, cost to the family, cost in wealth destroyed. But what of the cost of the unseen? We are regularly told that those who go overseas to fight the wars are the best and the brightest of America’s youth. If so, what of the cost of what those same youth are NOT producing while fighting overseas – or worse, if they are killed or permanently injured?

In this post, I link to a most wonderful scene from The Americanization of Emily.  If you have not seen it, I strongly recommend it.  When Mrs. Barham exclaims that after the war, it will be all the generals and statesmen writing books saying how it could have been avoided, Charlie explains that he doesn’t blame the generals and statesmen. He blames the mothers! The mothers make heroes out of their dead sons; they are the first to walk in the parade. Charlie explains that his own mother did this regarding Charlie’s brother. And now Charlie’s youngest brother can’t wait to enlist.



The hypocrisy by political leaders, especially Roosevelt, before, during, and after the Second World War made such immoral practices acceptable in future generations

They know they are lying when they are lying.  This cannot help but be seen by the public at large, and it cannot help but lead toward the moral decay and cynicism of the society at large.  I do not know if this turning point was as significant as Chamberlin states – I have not looked into this question at all.  However, there is little doubt that the hypocrisy of Roosevelt and then Truman was complete and thorough when cost is measured in all aspects.  I believe it is safe to say never before was the country lied into such a horrendous calamity.

This is one of the greatest costs of the war and of Roosevelt’s (and Truman’s) actions.  It is a cost that continues to plague America and the world today. 

I have written much more on the subject of war, but for today, this is enough.

2 comments:

  1. 'war is the health of the state' - r. bourne - and
    explains much: war on poverty, war on drugs, war on terror, war on obesity, etc, etc, etc.

    the unnamed war, the real war, the war against the freedom of we, the people, is at the core of all the other 'wars' the leviathan state is involved in. it is our freedom they disdain, have targeted and are acting, daily, to remove.

    the nature of America has changed from the individual being supreme to the present state of group supremacy. the collective is supreme. that is our present plight.

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    Replies
    1. Your observation is correct in my view. Call something a "war" and it allows for executive domination.

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