Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger, 1916, Ch.9
R..,
Looks as if US is intent on keeping with policies of old. Dissenting voices ignored again. Now the question is what will be the cost on US soil? My thoughts are that the warriors are already in place, just as were the others. Only thing increased security(?) measures are doing is to inconvenience the innocent and bring police state to US a little closer. Think it is soon to be a hot time in the old town tonight,
what do you think.?
CB
AND I ANSWERED:
CB,
Thanks very, very much for this eloquent verity from america's greatest writer, Twain
(sad, so unappreciated in his time). Never heard it before but it is somewhat heartening
to realize that a person of such insight with human character, plus personal integrity,
perceived and realized America was behaving that way, and that the people were
reacting as he courageously notes.
Reacting then in the same unquestioning, historically ignorant manner as now: never
asking the most important question a human can ask regarding conflicts, "WHY". But, as
you know, that's the same way Americans reacted in the wars decimating your people, in
the Seminole Wars (against Blacks equally), in the Mexican-American War (which
Senator Lincoln called "...an illegal war" and General Grant called "...an immoral war"); in
the Spanish American War (a number of commentators, then and especially more
recently, have described it as our first step to move our racist and murderous land-
grabbing neo-colonialism from the domestic scene to the international sphere.
Of course, good history books (there are few the public ever see) - one of the best being
General Smedley D. butler of the USMC (a mustang and the most decorated US
soldier, including 2 medals of honor, in "Three Generals on War", plus his essays -
describe the almost continuous invasions we perpetrated from 1989 until the biggest and
most deadly and most lying and most inhumane war we've started, Vietnam.
Would love to know if the public at that time read Twain's book and what the reaction
was.
It is a real gem, so true and, sorrowfully, so true still today. Amazing, even with some
6,000 innocent workers killed in the WTC: hardly any American media or letters to editor
or interviewees, etc. (except the few courageous Peace demonstrators), have been
shocked enough by such slaughter to sit back a moment and simply ask, "Why US?
Why have we done to the Islamic peoples to make so many of them hate us so much?"
( except the rich Princes who sell us Petroleum, or course). The reason being the first
thing in their minds is not waking up to the long historical reality behind the attacks but
rather to think Revenge, first and foremost to go after anyone that would dare attack their
homeland. Forgetting the historical fact that we have sent our military into foreign
countries over 230 times since 1776, 180 of which, approximately, times unilaterally,
mostly for keep economic control of a Third World countries and/or maintain political
dominance.
But the educators, politicians, church leaders, etc. won't let the children read the true
histories out there, like Zinn, Herman, Chomsky, Parenti, etc. Men with moral courage
such as these fellows make the cliche thinkers and talkers afraid, so they denounce
honest thinkers, afraid they'll lose their power over the sheep to those honest men whom
they label 'Leftist' or 'radical' or 'weirdo' etc., cliche phrases they use to scare the
unthinking consumer into pure emotional reactions.
What is also amazing over here, even to me who has heard the other side for many
years, is just how many people are both so sad about the loss of life and so against
bin Laden's fundamentalist carnage while in the next breath they add something like, "Well
America has been too arrogant for a long time." And, "Well America made the Arabs hate
them by unjust support for Israel". These too conclusions sum the majority sentiment I've
heard, both French and the many other europeans living in this very cosmopolitan area of
France.
I wish I could foresee hope that America will awake to their real history, and just how much their reputation has fallen since WW-II.
Another interesting result, economic this time: Bush has decided that the taxpayers will
pay the bill for bailing out BOTH the airlines and the insurance companies who have lost
money. Just as they did with the 500 billions to resolve the Savings and Loan Bank
frauds; and the multi-millions bailout of the Conn. money market speculator not long ago.
And this is the "Free Market" we preach to the world. As we protect our biggest
industries, banks, insurance, airlines, farmers and the entire Military Industrial Complex
living off the taxes of the middle class (corporations now pay only 28% of tax revenue, the
rest mostly coming from salaried workers.
Would like to forward this on to others, outside just my closest people. Is that OK with
you?
r......
R,
Sure, whatever you decide
CB
A CROATIAN FRIEND, VERY WELL EDUCATED AND EXPERIENCED, READ AND COMMENTED:
nothing new dear dick, only children are new.
during the rise of hitler in mid 30' a classical german philosopher max weber stated: "if
moral of victim (someone else to blame for my misery) prevails over moral of
responsibility or guilt, it will lead to catastrophy (second WW)".
in the same way yugoslavian nations have been tricked by their leaders - other nation is
reason for your suffering. result: disintegration, war, war crimes, broken families...
immoral leaders in islamic world are doing the same thing to their poor bastards. in saudi
arabia it is still the most classical practice of slavery, all foreigners are slaves, rich or
poor. pakistani or bangladesh workers are OWNED by their masters... how come no one
in arab world finds this practice inhuman, humiliating, abusive?... palestinian people in
saudi arabia have been telling me over and over again how in jerusalem they are treated
much better by israeli authorities than in jordan by jordainan government... but no,
palestinian people do not turn against their arab abusers, they hate those who are
OTHER. who are different.
same shit is going on in (god bless) america. poor bastards are being manipulated by
their elected leaders who always find OTHER groups, nations as culprits.
I am not denying lack of morals in american politics, i am just stating that the same
morals apply to everyone, it is in human nature.
what differs is the efficiency by which certain groups or countries execute thier plans, as
did hitler in war or todays leading countries in "piece".
no cynicism, just objectivity...
janko
AND I REPLIED:
Janko,
...yes new, sweet, cuddly, etc. for such a short time, though, then comes the turning of
them into copycats of the limits around, especially all the fears and myths and lies the
adults pass along...., and so the problems continue, with the rare child able to rise above
to find the strength to copy the desire to love we all maintain but are usually too afraid to
exercise unless getting some or more in return...
...sort of amazing, in a naive way, that that pattern of being tricked and misused seems
to follow everywhere.
...the basic teaching of the male superiority complex: obey me or the other will get you,
whether it's the devil or a communist or people from another religion or tribe or ideology.
The 3 abrahamic religions, especially Christianity, have been the worst i think.
...that's america's history consistently from Jamestown and Plymouth Rock landing right
through to the WTC attacks - almost no americans realize the history of just how racist
we westerners, especially UK and US, have treated Arabs for over 80 years as we
cheated and belittled them.
...America supposedly has lots of moral talk and buildings where the gods are installed to
preside as tools for the bosses (as de Toucqueville noted), but when the europeans
came to find their Arcadia in the 'new' world, they merely repressed all the evils europe
had been practicing, to finally take out on the Natives atrocities similar to why they had
escaped the 'evil' old world...,
….like battered children who grow up to batter once again..., the repressed history of bad
education resurfaces.
......ethics is more important than morals, for it is more universal, but no one teaches
that... especially in US and europe. Confucian teaching made it important, and Buddhist
teachings made it supreme, and that's one of the main reasons why Buddhism was
made illegal in both India and then China during different periods of conflict; and why
Japan after WW I installed Shintoism as supreme, because it taught strict loyalty to
emperor as 1st cause whereas Buddhism taught personal ethics in thinking, words,
actions and work as supreme for each individual, above all, even the nation. the japanese
bosses were afraid of that, just as in old India and China
...and don't agree that it is this old cliche of 'human nature' which is basic cause - rather
it is the male superiority complex using ignorance and fear and greed to control the
'other', even his own race others, through false education, especially false religious
teachings, esp. about the reward in heaven awaiting if you only obey and don't question
the bosses.
....is it really just efficiency, like hitler's excellent example, or is it those fears instilled in
the young? am not sure but certainly the ignorance taught the young is so universal.
...you're not cynical at all, just realism from history.
r.......