20th Century

Crazy Trumpites Call For Martial Law, And “Proud Boys” Terrorists/Hoodlums (Brown Shirt Storm Troopers), Promote Violence!

With 46 days until the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we are witnessing, including this author personally with some people he knows, the rise of crazy Trumpites who are calling for Martial Law, suspension of the Constitution and Rule of Law, and refusing to accept Joe Biden’s clear cut victory!

These people are totally nuts, off the wall, and being manipulated by religious extremists of the Jewish and Christian faiths, and are endorsing lawlessness, and violation of civil liberties and civil rights!

And the “Proud Boys”, a terrorist/hoodlum group, brown shirt stormtroopers, is growing that is promoting violence and inciting crazy people on the sidelines to support Donald Trump, as they are acting like the bullies and terrorists of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Soviet Russia in the past history of the 20th century!

It seems likely that Trump will try to stage an alternative event on Inauguration Day in Washington, DC, and not attend the inauguration of his successor, which is the norm.

This could lead to violence and bloodshed, endangering the Inauguration crowd, and making the safety of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris more difficult, and threatening their lives!

Donald Trump needs to be made to understand that any inciting of bloodshed and violence, once out of office, could lead to arrest, incarceration with no bail, and conviction on terrorism charges!

And any alternative inauguration event should not be televised live during the Presidential Inauguration, no split screen, or any attention given by news media to distract from the historic event!

April 12, One Of Most Historic Days On Calendar: 1861, 1945, 1961

Every day on the calendar, historically, has had some interesting event occur, but April 12 is an unusually historic day worth remembering.

Three path breaking events occurred on April 12.

In 1861, the attack by South Carolina on the US fort, Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, occurred, the first shots of the Civil War.

In 1945, the greatest President of the 20th century, and the President who has had the greatest impact on us of any President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, died in Warm Springs, Georgia, thrusting Harry Truman into the Presidency at a time of great challenge, with the Second World War not yet ended, and the challenge to overcome Japan in Asia still ahead of us.

FDR did more for America domestically than any President, and much of what he accomplished is now under attack by the Trump Administration.

At the same time, Truman, despite questions about his competence to become our President, proved his ability to take on the responsibility, and is now rated 5th or 6th among all of our Presidents, while FDR is rated 2nd or 3rd greatest.

And in 1961, exactly a century after Fort Sumter, the Space Age began, as far as manned space exploration, with Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union being the first astronaut to orbit the earth, and now further space exploration is in the offing.

To have the Civil War start on this day; the promoter of the New Deal to cope with the Great Depression, and also the Second World War President, FDR, to die on this day; the accession to power of Harry Truman; and the inception of the Space Age—all on this day, makes April 12 a special day in the historical calendar!

Dr. Benjamin Carson: Stick To Neurology, Not A Warped View Of Politics!

Dr. Benjamin Carson is a renowned, and now retired, neurosurgeon, applauded for his great work with children, particularly for his accomplishment of separating conjoined twins joined at the head. Everyone should applaud his achievements, and his obvious genius, in the medical profession.

However, Carson has become the center of controversy ever since he decided to get involved in politics, and showed an extremist view of reality and public affairs.

Rumored to be thinking of running for President, the African American surgeon has taken stands for the past few years, which put him on the far right of the Republican Party, often sounding like the conservative talk show hosts that have undermined the historic, mainstream GOP.

The Tea Party finds Carson fascinating, and that alone should alarm any sensible thinking person.

Carson now says that progressivism, the Progressive Era, and everything that progressives and liberals believe, is similar to Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler! He also says ObamaCare is the worst thing since slavery!

This has been said before by right wing ideologues, but has no basis in truth and reality!

What Carson and his extremist believers are promoting is that the advancement of women, racial minorities, immigrants, labor, and the environment are a conspiracy against the American people, when in reality, this is simply code language for the exploitation by corporations and the top one percent, in the name of unbridled capitalism.

So the battles of the Progressives, New Dealers, and Great Society advocates of the 20th century against the backwardness and exploitation of the Gilded Age, is back in full swing with Benjamin Carson and others who speak for the ruling class, including the Koch Brothers, and many other multibillionaires, who could not care less about the middle class and the poor, and the oppressed groups among us!

Oliver Stone’s “Untold History Of The United States”: A Challenge To Traditional History Interpretation

Film make Oliver Stone has often been described are weird, controversial, and outside the mainstream in so many ways, including his political views, and his many controversial films, including those on John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and the lives and personalities of Richard Nixon and George W. Bush.

Many, including this blogger and author, have been skeptical about his approach to history and public affairs.

But now, Stone, and co-author Peter Kuznick of American University, have challenged all interpretations and analyses of American history since World War I, through World War II, and the Cold War and beyond, in their book and film series, entitled “Untold History Of The United States”.

They make new heroes and new demons, and turn our basic view of American history upside down and inside out.

They claim many myths exist, and rehabilitate many personalities that they feel have been given short shrift.

They are strong critics of American foreign policy since Woodrow Wilson, and offer a leftist view on the American past.

Whether one accepts or rejects their perspective and interpretation of the American past in the past century, they certainly draw one’s attention to consider re-evaluation of what are seen as standard beliefs about what happened, and who was responsible for the way America has evolved.

Their publication will likely be a best seller, and Showtime is offering ten one hour episodes on Tuesday nights at 8 PM EST, with the second week coming up this Tuesday.

This is a series and a book worth investigating!

1912–Triumph Of Progressivism! 2012–Triumph Of Progressivism!

A century apart, America veered to the left, and we had a triumph of progressivism both in 1912 and 2012!

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Eugene Debs, and even, to some extent, William Howard Taft, promoted an agenda that would set the standard for the future New Deal and Great Society and ObamaCare.

Now, in 2012, we have institutionalized the New Deal, Great Society, and ObamaCare for the future; and we have seen more women elected to the House and Senate than ever before; we have seen openly gay candidates win in the Senate and House and in local races; we have seen the first Buddhist Senator and Hindu House member from Hawaii elected; we have seen labor help elect a whole group of progressive Democratic Senators across the nation; we have seen Hispanics and Latinos play a major role in politics; we have seen a more progressive House and Senate emerge; we have seen Barack Obama given political capital to bring about greater change in his second term; we have seen the Supreme Court preserved as a balanced body for the long term; we have seen the progressive vision of TR, Wilson, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, even Nixon and Ford, Carter, and Clinton preserved and enhanced; and we have seen a repudiation of an interventionist foreign policy , as under the neoconservative influence during the Presidency of George W. Bush.

America is moving forward into the 21st century, just as in 1912, we moved forward into the 20th century. We have repudiated, in 1912 and 2012, returning to the 19th century!