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--- Begin Message ----Caveat Lector- "A Warning for the Past"Exclusive Submission to Portside By Stewart Acuff, National AFL-CIO Organizing Director "Driven by these provocations and frustrations, there is the danger that America may be tempted to exert all the terrible power she possesses to compel history to conform to her own illusions. The extreme, but by no means the only expression, would be the so-called preventive war." "Such historians must have learned that virtue has never been defined by national or regional boundaries, and that morality and rectitude are not the monopolies of factions or parties. They must reveal the fallacy of a diplomacy based on moral bigotry, as well as the fallacy of one that relies on economic coercion through the fancied indispensability of favored products. Their studies would show the futility of erecting intellectual barricades against unpopular ideas of employing censorship and repression against social criticism, and of imposing the ideas of the conqueror upon defeated peoples by force of arms." Sound like Michael Moore or Howard Dean in 2004? It may sound like them, but neither of them wrote it and it wasn't written in 2004. No, these wise words were written in 1952 by C. Vann Woodward, one of America's most esteemed historians as a warning during the Cold War, in his book "The Burden of Southern History." They could not, however, be any more timely than they are today. The lies, falsehoods, and fallacious braggadocio of this President are unequalled by any other in our nation's history. Woodward wants America not to use its power to compel history to conform to its illusions. That is precisely why the neo-conservatives in the Bush Administration wanted to make war in Iraq, to force the Middle East to conform to this illusion. While a wise man 50 years ago cautioned the nation to avoid preventive war, George Bush has based our country's latest foreign policy doctrine on preventive war. Woodward's warning serves as an indictment of Bush. Bush has prosecuted a preventive war that is unnecessary, unjust and evil. He has used moral bigotry against all who don't subscribe to his narrow, provincial and biased morality. With Rumsfeld's dismissal of old Europe and the U.N., Bush and his people think virtue rests with us. Bush and his followers have scoffed at and scorned all who disagree with them, causing huge police overreaction, ever creating temporary police states during demonstrations at the FTAA summit last November in Miami and at the Republican Convention in New York City. And in Iraq, they are right now trying to impose their will and ideas in a country by force of arms, even going so far as to try to use CIA covert operations to "help" favored candidates. Iraq is going terribly, horribly wrong. Over 1,000 Americans have died and as many as 20,000 Iraqis have died. Bush lied about the reasons to go to war. He has and continues to lie repeatedly about how it is going. He has obscenely gloated while people are dying. And with his cocksure, "Bring 'em on," he has invited more attacks and encouraged the insurgents. While we study the polls and second guess the Kerry- Edwards campaign and strategy and hope the debates move voters, a great American historian speaks to us from 50 years ago about undying truths and lessons learned the hard way throughout history. _______________________________________________________ portside (the left side in nautical parlance) is a news, discussion and debate service of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism. It aims to provide varied material of interest to people on the left. For answers to frequently asked questions: <http://www.portside.org/faq> To subscribe, unsubscribe or change settings: <http://lists.portside.org/mailman/listinfo/portside> To submit material, paste into an email and send to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (postings are moderated) For assistance with your account: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To search the portside archive: <http://people-link5.inch.com/pipermail/portside/> www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
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