[Peace-discuss] July 4 parade

Wed May 20 13:32:13 CDT 2009

If we restricted it to post-WWII US presidents, we could illustrate Chomsky's
remark, "If the Nuremberg laws were applied, then every post-war American
president would have been hanged."


E. Wayne Johnson wrote:
> Here is one of my ideas for a float.  A bit subtle perhaps, but with a little
> work it could be made more overt....
> 
> 
> A float depicting several famous American warmongers hanging in effigy....
> 
> An Arch on the front displaying the words "Behold! Amerika's War Criminals"
> 
> *"Honest Abe" Lincoln* in a prominent position as the first in a long line,
> followed in succession by several other racist and warmongering tyrants 
> (banner over them "Lincoln's Real Heritage")
> 
> wrapped in a scrolls of their most damning and damnable lies...
> 
> notably some examples (there are others...and perhaps more satisfactory 
> quotes...)
> 
> *William McKinley, * ("We could not leave[the Filipinos] to themselves - they
> were unfit for self-government")
> 
> *Woodrow Wilson* (Segregation is not a humiliation but a benefit, and ought
> to be so regarded by you gentlemen. "We must make the world safe for
> democracy")
> 
> *FDR* ("We must be the arsenal of democracy")
> 
> *Bill Clinton * ("We continue to promote independence and democracy")
> 
> *George W. Bush* ("...spreading democracy in parts of the world where people
> just don't believe it can happen.")
> 
> *Barack H. Obama* ("We should be more modest in our belief that we can impose
> democracy on a country through military force.")
> 
> ******
> 
> Towering over the mess, Liberty in robes of "code" Pink wields the sword of
> Judgment.
> 
> The edges of the float are emblazoned with the words "Sic Semper Tyrannis -
> Thus Always to Tyrants - Sic Semper Tyrannis -..."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 5/20/2009 11:49 AM, Ricky Baldwin wrote:
>> I think some of those first quotes that Carl listed, judiciously edited as
>> he suggests, would maximize the potential of AWARE's entry to undermine the
>> current politics of war - which I think is usually our goal.
>> 
>> The longer and more complex historical 140-odd year-old debate, I think,
>> works better face-to-face or even better over email - and I think we don't
>> all agree about these issues, either, whereas I think we do all agree with
>> the sentiments expressed in the Lincoln quotes Carl dug out for us ...
>> 
>> Ricky Baldwin
>> 
>> "Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." - Maggie Kuhn
>> 
>> 
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
>> *From:* E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag> *To:* C. G. Estabrook
>> <galliher at illinois.edu> *Cc:* Peace-discuss <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>;
>> Karen Medina <kmedina67 at gmail.com> *Sent:* Wednesday, May 20, 2009 8:11:29
>> AM *Subject:* Re: [Peace-discuss] July 4 parade
>> 
>> For those who don't know me, I had better clarify that I do not subscribe
>> to Lincoln's racist notions. I send this as clarification that "Honest
>> Abe", as they called him, was motivated by political expediencies not
>> egalitarian principles.
>> 
>> It has been suggested that Lincoln should have been Prosecuted as a War
>> Criminal rather that Idolized as some sort of Hero.
>> 
>> Some have gone so far as to enumerate the accounts against Lincoln---
>> 
>> * Violation of the Constitution and his oath of office by invading and
>> waging war against states that had legally and democratically withdrawn
>> their consent from his government, inaugurating one of the cruelest wars in
>> recent history. * Subverting the duly constituted governments of states
>> that had not left the Union, thereby subverting their constitutional right
>> to "republican form of government." * Raising troops without the approval
>> of Congress and expending funds without appropriation. * Suspending the
>> writ of habeas corpus and interfering with the press without due process,
>> imprisoning thousands of citizens without charge or trial, and closing
>> courts by military force where no hostilities were occurring. * Corrupting
>> the currency by manipulations and paper swindles unheard of in previous US
>> history. * Fraud and corruption by appointees and contractors with his 
>> knowledge and connivance. * Continuing the war by raising ever-larger
>> bodies of troops by conscription and hiring of foreign mercenaries and
>> refusing to negotiate in good faith for an end to hostilities. *
>> Confiscation of millions of dollars of property by his agents in the South,
>> especially cotton, without legal proceedings. * Waging war against women
>> and children and civilian property as the matter of policy
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 5/20/2009 6:46 AM, E. Wayne Johnson wrote:
>>> Another Lincoln quote:
>>> 
>>> /“I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing
>>> about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black
>>> races - that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or
>>> jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to
>>> intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that
>>> there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I
>>> believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of
>>> social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while
>>> they do remain together there must be the position of superior and
>>> inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the
>>> superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I
>>> do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior
>>> position the Negro should be denied everything."
>>> 
>>> /-  Charleston IL September 18, 1858
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 5/19/2009 12:17 PM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:
>>>> The problem is that he probably didn't say it...
>>>> 
>>>> Karen Medina wrote:
>>>>> "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the 
>>>>> people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all
>>>>> of the time." Abraham Lincoln, (attributed) 
>>>>> _______________________________________________ Peace-discuss mailing
>>>>> list Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net 
>>>>> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>>>> _______________________________________________ Peace-discuss mailing
>>>> list Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net 
>>>> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________ Peace-discuss mailing
>>> list Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net 
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>>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
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