The
US Constitution is more than a document. It is a profound statement of who we
are and where we came from. Liberty
and justice for all is a fair summary of where we stand as a nation. However,
the noble phrase is also a warning. If we violate the principles of liberty and
justice for all, we do so at our peril.
To me the most stunning similarities of the last century's wars and including Afghanistan were
the failure to allow free speech. It affected the so-called leadership and the
ordinary citizens. In the course of each war the participants learned nothing.
In the American Civil War the defense held sway. Hard-charging infantrymen
proved no match for Gatling guns and extensive breastworks. The First World War
quickly dissolved into trench warfare. Both sides developed miles of earthworks
separated by a no man's land. After a heavy but ineffective bombardment the
attacking soldiers moved forward with nothing to protect against machine gun
bullets and artillery shells. The casualties mounted into the 100's of
thousands. They measured their gains in yards.
Millions died a whole generation.
Admiral
Yamamoto reportedly said. "I have visited America. Their industrial might is
awesome." Nobody dared to tell the Emperor he would lose the war.
Likewise, Lyndon Johnson could not tolerate the restraining hand or the
dissident voice. Bob MacNamara after the Tet Offensive claimed his fellows had
made mistakes, but the basic strategy was sound. Bob waited until 2007 to tell
Bob Woodward America's
security interests were not at stake in Vietnam. Military leaders waited
eight years and a change of administration before they admitted they were
losing that war.
The World War I Origins of Corporate Communism
As Woodrow Wilson prepared the military build-up necessary to participate in World War One, he ran into considerable public hostility. The citizens opposed the growth of central government and the Federal intrusion into their lives. The war brought about the end of decency and fair play.
1914
1915
The Wilson Administration gained control by repressing the Constitutional Rights of citizens; upwards of 150,000 of them were sitting in prison for questioning government policy and entry into the war.
A woman wrote to a newspaper. "I am for the people and the government is for the profiteers." For her dangerous sentiment she received a sentence of ten years.
A number of corporations and their political hacks utilized the sedition laws to suppress and to disband labor unions.
Federal Agents tied up the motion picture "The Spirit of '76." They claimed the film showed the British redcoats in an unfavorable light. The film producer got ten years in jail for his effort.
Source: The United States and World WarI by John J. Dwyer
Since Ireland and Germany had long been at odds with England, the Brits initiated a ton of propaganda against German and Irish American citizens. This inspired thuggish beatings and crimes against property. The Feds closed ethnic newspapers and forbade the teaching of the German language. They banned public performances of music composed by Beethoven, Wagner and other illustrious Germans.
The Wilson Administration persecuted rival voices in the Congress. They vilified the famous Wisconsin Representative Robert D. LaFollette. He had faulted the great military expansion that had enriched the millionaires who had profited from the European War. Although a committee formed to put him in prison, they failed to prosecute him.
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