As I watch the news of the day, today, I am taken with the notion that never before in this country’s history, have we had to fight a battle within the country before we could win the battle outside of the country. I try to picture the kind of “resistance” which in reality is nothing more than anti Americanism, occurring during World War two, and find I cannot.
What does this say about the antiwar left in this country? For one thing, it suggests to me that the opposition is not to the war. Rather, it is to the political party in power. That the war is being used by them to gain political power domestically.
The pattern isn’t all that hard to detect; Given the support of the Iraq war early on, from the Democrats, who jumped in line with everyone else, and then the sudden, nonsensical change of heart, (assuming they have a heart ) shows that this entire opposition to the war nonsense, is nothing more than political opportunism. This idea would seem to be furthered by the continuing noise [1] occasionally being made by presidential candidates from the left, who make an occasional nod to reality [2].
Yet, we have seen this kind of pattern before. That ‘opposition’, for example, is partially how we ended up with Jimmy Carter as a president.. a man who has revealed in ever increasing amounts since his presidency, his desire for America’s defeat, Israel’s defeat, and his embracing of Islamo- fascism.
Yet, there are those who would deny that that historical link exists. For example, I see where Slate’s Jack Schaefer is going to great lengths, trying to establish that the spitting, and punching attacks war veterans of Vietnam, is something of a “urban legend”. One assumes, that the effort involves the more recent reports of such incidents, particularly last weekend in Washington.
After all, it’s difficult at best to pursue any movement claiming to be nonviolent, while its proponents are being violent. Further it’s difficult to complain that they support the troops but not the war, when they treat the troops so very badly , so very publicly. if nothing else, their actions, give lie to their statements.
Jason [3] correctly points up:
The lefties tired of the sins of the fathers cramping the sins of the sons, and one look at Google establishes how desperately they are struggling to erase those incidents from our collective memory. [4]
Which perhaps is why government schools are so lacking in the correct teaching of history, in context. Historical references, being what they are, humans are somewhat less likely to make a mistake a the second time. without such teaching, in context, following the mistake in road that the left column souls, seems to make a great deal of sense. At least, to the uninformed.
As to the effort of denial itself Jim Lindgren [5] points up that…
…Bob Greene, a former Chicago columnist, wrote a column in the 1980s saying that it was a myth. He received so many stories of spitting that he interviewed the purported victims and wrote a book concluding that many such stories were probably true.
We see incidents like this all the time. Usually, the initial “it’s a myth” assertion, is based on the news reporting on the subject that the time. Once people start truly researching it, as opposed to relying on the press of the day, attitudes tend to change. Then again, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise, given the ideology espoused by most in the press, both then, and now. playing the game of “if it wasn’t in the press it didn’t exist ” given those conditions, seems less than fruitful a path, if finding the truth is the object.
The truth of the matter is, that the left in this country is rather heavily invested in America’s defeat. Their political position cannot withstand an American victory in Iraq. They are desperate to prevent such a victory. Every action they take, every claim they make, is aimed at that one goal…. Defeat for America, and the west.
The left won, as regards Vietnam. America lost, there, because of them. The question is, will we learn from that history? Will we prevent them from defeating us again?