Posted on 05/05/2017 9:07:09 AM PDT by seanmerc
Night after night, I stay up late watching documentaries about World War II. I’m obsessed with it. Not surprising, since it was the biggest event in the history of the human race. My father was in the Navy during the war, though to this day, I am not sure what he did. My father-in-law served in combat under Patton and was awarded the Silver Star for combat gallantry, before he was 22 years old, fighting hand to hand against the toughest of the tough, Hitler’s S.S., near Zeitlen.
The documentary I am watching right now is The War by Ken Burns. It came out ten years ago or so. I love every part of it. What I love most, though, is the portrayal of a nation totally united behind the goal of securing freedom and defending the Constitution. From every hill and hollow, every tenement and mansion, men and women fought, sacrificed, worked to defeat the incredibly powerful Nazis and Japanese. The pain and struggle that the men, women, and children of this nation went through to preserve our freedoms was literally fantastic.
I watch the men dying in Italian valleys, shot out of the sky above Schweinfurt, and tortured in Japanese prison camps, and I go to sleep deeply saddened. These wonderful people bled and died and cried for our freedom — and now we are throwing it away with both hands at what should be the bastions of freedom — the universities.
The nation’s universities have become no-go zones for people who do not hew to the one-party, anti-American, anti-police, anti-business attitudes of the violent brownshirts.
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
Stein has jumped the shark more than a few times. I no longer trust him.
Stein is wrong on them defending the Constitution.
Under FDR, delusions aside, they were defending the government, the territory, and themselves ... but FDR had cast aside the Constitution and governance by constitutional means for governance according to what those who govern think government should be able to do.
Eisenhower COULD have chosen to restore governance by constitutional means but he didn’t. He didn’t even try to get the ball rolling on amendments to make FDR’s high handed lawlessness lawful. He was fine with Arbitrary government as achieved so far even if he sought to slow or stall more lawlessness on top of that and in being so was the precursor of the ever more useless Republicans whose only advantage is that they don’t suck as hard as the (ever eager to expand lawlessness) Democrats.
I suspect the truth is that folks everywhere, at all times and places, have pretty much wanted to just be left alone with their families to be as happy as their circumstances will allow and be free “to pursue...”. What has been called “negative liberty”. The problem is, as soon as you join forces with other like minded folks you become an agent of “positive liberty” which ALWAYS becomes the thing you opposed. You must resort to the behaviors you revolted against in order to achieve your goal. (Meet the New Boss).
So, while this is our goal, you literally cannot get there from here.
Ben Stein would have the USA de industrialize for the sake of globalism and cheap labor. He is not a friend of the USA.
In my opinion the real mistake FDR and his buddies made is the underlying assumption that gummint could be a force for good. Never has been, never will be. The one tool gummint has the franchise on is violence. It is like trying to put a shine on feces. It can’t be done.
Sad, but true. But it’s not just fascist students and faculty, it’s also the press, most of them anyway.
I think his one fault is thinking that he or somebody like him can be smart enough to figure a way out of the mess we are in.
Black Death killed more people, as a percentage, than WWII.
> I suspect the truth is that folks everywhere, at all times and places, have pretty much wanted to just be left alone with their families to be as happy as their circumstances will allow...<
A quote from Hermann Goering, Hitler’s right-hand man:
“Of course the people don’t want war. But after all, it’s the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it’s always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it’s a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.”
Exactly. All one must do is convince folks there is some “promised land” where they can all be happy and they will join forces to do literally ANYTHING.
After spending months praising Hillary and Bernie, Stein seems to have endorsed Trump, but also said, “I don’t think Trump knows a g[...]d[...] thing about economics.”
Stein is part of the problem.
I have to agree with you - he’s got a screw loose.
My dad fought in WWII and got the bronze. It was no big deal to him and nothing to brag about. It now is in the possession of his grandson.
Not surprising, since it was the biggest event in the history of the human race.
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Really? What makes Ben say that? There have been far more bigger events. With far greater casualties.
I guess he means biggest WAR event.
Interesting observation. For the time being, true, as well. I am sure.
Unfortunately the same was said about WWI and every other global calamity. Until the next one. WWI killed how many millions and folks were so horrified they had to conclude it was the last. For twenty years they were right.
I suspect the next war will be a real doozy. How many deaths will it take to surpass the total of that time period? Think about it. Mao killed maybe 40 or 60 million. Stalin another 10 or so just in the Ukraine. 100 million deaths may not be an exaggeration. How many in the next? A billion? More? 7 Billion? I guess to beat your comment would require the death of one third of humanity so the number is about 2 billion give or take. Gruesome to consider.
What?
As Ben should know, Burns slants his documentaries with a leftist POV.
See post 9. PghBaldy made the point I was going to make.
“All one must do is convince folks there is some “promised land” where they can all be happy and they will join forces to do literally ANYTHING.”
Ha! Except when it comes to standing up to democrats to defeat thier anti-American psycho agenda. Republicans couldn’t unite to abandon the Titanic. They’d drown arguing about the damn rowboats. This is what Trump has to deal with. What a freaking shame.
Dems know they’re all weird as hell, yet all push in the same direction and here we are today. With the damn Republicans throwing everything away despite having more momentum then they’ve had in years.
The problem is that they are inside the wire and, unfortunately, in charge of key institutions. In short, for the most part, liberals ARE the Establishment now.
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