A People's History: The "Progressive" Version - making fun of Howard Zinn's version of history

Excuse me while I question your patriotism, progressive comrades. The Fourth of July is coming and you will not be celebrating it — not with the same thoughts and emotions as the rest of your countrymen. If you have been undermining this country for most of the year, why should this day be different?

A critical look at history always helps if it is based on objective reality and an understanding that our age, just like any historical age, is only a flight of stairs in an endless stairwell leading us up, away from barbarism, towards civilization. Trying to cut corners will only bring you down.

Another sure thing to bring you down is the multiculturalist idea that “up” and “down” are morally equal. If that were true, nobody would have risen above his surroundings, because going down is easier and more natural. But humans are different from the rest of the physical world in that in a free state we tend to go up. Moving upwards is in our nature. Leave us to our own devices and watch. “Up” is where we go to pursue happiness - in more ways than one. That brings us back to the Fourth of July and the different ways to look at it.

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Oleg Atbashian - writer and graphic artist from Ukraine, currently lives in New York. Creator of ThePeoplesCube.com, a satirical website where he writes under the name of Red Square.

The Alternative Secret History of the World

By Red Square
7/3/2007

Update:

Howard Zinn Imitates the People's Cube:

http://www.progressive.org/media_mpzinn070106

Just as Pajamas Media published A People's History: The "Progressive" Version that makes fun of Howard Zinn's version of history and begins with the words "Excuse me while I question your patriotism, comrades progressives," a magazine called The Progressive published Howard Zinn's essay Put away the flags that illustrates all the points covered above.

At the same time James Taranto in his Best of the Web Today comments on Howard Zinn's essay (see Pinin' for the Fjords part), ending it with the words, "Finally, someone whose patriotism we can question!"

It's funny how it all came together on the night before the Fourth of July.

Nailed It!

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IMO Taranto's commentary "Clemency for Terrorists" is worthy of a thread of its own. Since it won't (and since this nugget on Pelosi-Galore is too good to ignore) I present for review:

The House voted 311-41 for a nonbinding resolution "expressing the sense of Congress that the President should not have granted clemency to terrorists." All 41 of those voting "no" were Democrats, as were 71 of the 72 members who voted "present" (the other was a self-styled socialist who abjured formal membership in the party).

Nancy Pelosi, now speaker of the House, did not vote. But the Congressional Record reveals that was only because she showed up late;

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, on the last vote, H. Con. Res. 180, I was detained in traffic while returning to the Capitol. Had I been present, I would have voted "no."

Pelosi was unwilling to criticize a president of her own party when he turned loose terrorists convicted of such crimes as seditious conspiracy, possession of unregistered firearms and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. Keep that in mind as you read her statement yesterday:

The President's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people.

The President said he would hold accountable anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak [sic] case. By his action today, the President shows his word is not to be believed. He has abandoned all sense of fairness when it comes to justice, he has failed to uphold the rule of law, and he has failed to hold his Administration accountable.

I don't mind partisan politics - quite to the contrary, I revel in partisan politics. But it takes two to tango, even in partisan politics. A jab requires a riposte. Ideally, the response should be lightning quick, carry deadly aim, and be a notch up the brutal meter. Our offense team is sorely lacking and our response has been dismal.

To the sHrillary's, the Old Gray Tramp, and others we should be saying; "So what of it? It's perfectly legal, and perfectly within the President's prerogative. What are you gonna do about it?"

To the Conyer's and the DUmmies we should be saying "Put up or shut up". Molan Labe. Bring on your investigations and impeachments - if you dare."

"Just remember that, as egregious as the offenses you claim our side may have done, they uniformly pale when compared to the crap you've committed. Beware the scrutiny you seek - it may reveal more than you anticipate."

I was assigned Zinn’s History of the United States as a freshman at Temple University. It was never suggested that this was anything but a mainstream textbook, and to a lot of gullible college freshman, this was our introduction to college level American History 101. No one ever hinted that it was a biased, leftist, hate-filled point of view. It laid a framework in my then young mind that took years and the 9/11 terrorist attacks to fully unravel. How many more are being indoctrinated this way? It sickens me.

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