Dr. Clyde N. Wilson recently posted the tenth in his "The Way We are Now" series. Below are some points related to "I may not be a good American" that I particularly agree with.
"I do not think equality in education and excellence in education are the same thing"
[...]
"I think Rush Limbaugh and all of his imitators are ignorant, vulgar demagogues and a danger to their country." With this I agree completely and discussed as much in a recent post on the evils of "conservative" talk radio.
[...]
"I have never thought that any occupant of the executive mansion in the federal district was “my” president." With the exception of Ronald Reagan - I was a mere teenager then and was beguiled.
[...]
"I am not glad that the U.S. government under the Republican party succeeded in its brutal, fascistic war of conquest of the Southern people." Surely the greatest tragedy in our history; this event was the end of the Republic born in 1792 and the death of the ideal held high by men like Thomas Jefferson - America died in this war.
[...]
"I do feel sorrow and tribulation, however, that fifty-four American women have been killed in Iraq. And for hundreds of young men whose lives ended before they had hardly begun. Not for nothing but for less than nothing. I am certain that a regime in which rich men living in safety send poor women to war is unworthy of allegiance. And nourishes the seeds of its own destruction."
This is a topic that few fully understand. The fact is, men protect women; societies ought to be constructed to protect women, children, the elderly and the infirmed. The notion that millions of American young "men" live free and clear while women, most from the lower economic sectors of society, serve in combat zones is barbaric. Just societies simply do not place women in harm's way, short of extremely desperate circumstances.
This sort of behavior is uncivilized, it is contrary to all of human history, it is contrary to nature. Call me a chauvinist if you will but men and women have different roles in life, noble societies recognize and respect this. We have accepted the feminist garbage to the point where men no longer act like men and society is willing to accept young girl (18 and 19 year old girls) marching off to war. How can that be right on any level of morality, rationality or reasonableness?
[...]
"I don’t think that Boston is the fount of all good things in American history." Faulkner, Lee, Washington, Calhoun, Williams, Poe, Clemens and thousands of others speak of the greatness that is the rest of the story.
[...]
"I am certain beyond any doubt that the domestic slavery of antebellum America was far from being one of the worst crimes in mankind’s long, sad history or even the worst crime in American history."
Man-stealing, slavery, is a sin and a moral abomination. However, compared to other sins in human history and specifically in American history slavery was certainly not the greatest of evils. The treatment of the American Indian was infinitely worse - bondage is certainly a lesser sin than murder. Entire peoples and cultures were destroyed; there is no comparison with slavery and the systematic massacre of entire cultures.
[...]
"I do not think Americans are uniquely virtuous and enjoy the special favour of God."
[...]
"I fear I am a bad American. But I note that commentators on the present war keep remarking that America has never had a war on its own soil. Oh, really? Maybe I am not a bad American but no American at all."
How foolish it is when folks conveniently forget that the South was America too, more America than the Unionist under the Republicans. It was the South that represented the principles of a federal republic. To "forget" that war has visited our shores is to deny what America was and what has been lost.
Johnnie, has talked for almost two years of writing an essay on what an American really is. I have argued that it is currently impossible to define an American in the historical sense - such a creature no longer exists. What current popular culture defines as "American" is devoid of principles and without a true heritage. (If there is a true heritage it is that of the Puritans who have lost their religion. No that is incorrect, the religion of a God not of this world has been replaced by a religion of statism, corporatism and capitalism). Here is another essay from Dr. Wilson on the subject as it applies to Southerners, any small group that still retains any cultural identity could take points from that piece and apply it to the demise of their own heritage into the bland, immoral and principleless Americanism.
I for one am not an American - not as defined by popular culture.
Joshua comments on Dr. Wilson's piece
I too vote third party but not dogmatically. I will only actually voted for one person on my write-in ballot (John Corbin) during this election, everything else is blank. I am like Johnnie and think for the most part voting is stupid but I still vote in very rare circumstances just to make a point and then only for very specific folks.
Perhaps in my young 39 years I have become jaded a bit faster than Joshua on this subject.
"I do not think equality in education and excellence in education are the same thing"
[...]
"I think Rush Limbaugh and all of his imitators are ignorant, vulgar demagogues and a danger to their country." With this I agree completely and discussed as much in a recent post on the evils of "conservative" talk radio.
[...]
"I have never thought that any occupant of the executive mansion in the federal district was “my” president." With the exception of Ronald Reagan - I was a mere teenager then and was beguiled.
[...]
"I am not glad that the U.S. government under the Republican party succeeded in its brutal, fascistic war of conquest of the Southern people." Surely the greatest tragedy in our history; this event was the end of the Republic born in 1792 and the death of the ideal held high by men like Thomas Jefferson - America died in this war.
[...]
"I do feel sorrow and tribulation, however, that fifty-four American women have been killed in Iraq. And for hundreds of young men whose lives ended before they had hardly begun. Not for nothing but for less than nothing. I am certain that a regime in which rich men living in safety send poor women to war is unworthy of allegiance. And nourishes the seeds of its own destruction."
This is a topic that few fully understand. The fact is, men protect women; societies ought to be constructed to protect women, children, the elderly and the infirmed. The notion that millions of American young "men" live free and clear while women, most from the lower economic sectors of society, serve in combat zones is barbaric. Just societies simply do not place women in harm's way, short of extremely desperate circumstances.
This sort of behavior is uncivilized, it is contrary to all of human history, it is contrary to nature. Call me a chauvinist if you will but men and women have different roles in life, noble societies recognize and respect this. We have accepted the feminist garbage to the point where men no longer act like men and society is willing to accept young girl (18 and 19 year old girls) marching off to war. How can that be right on any level of morality, rationality or reasonableness?
[...]
"I don’t think that Boston is the fount of all good things in American history." Faulkner, Lee, Washington, Calhoun, Williams, Poe, Clemens and thousands of others speak of the greatness that is the rest of the story.
[...]
"I am certain beyond any doubt that the domestic slavery of antebellum America was far from being one of the worst crimes in mankind’s long, sad history or even the worst crime in American history."
Man-stealing, slavery, is a sin and a moral abomination. However, compared to other sins in human history and specifically in American history slavery was certainly not the greatest of evils. The treatment of the American Indian was infinitely worse - bondage is certainly a lesser sin than murder. Entire peoples and cultures were destroyed; there is no comparison with slavery and the systematic massacre of entire cultures.
[...]
"I do not think Americans are uniquely virtuous and enjoy the special favour of God."
[...]
"I fear I am a bad American. But I note that commentators on the present war keep remarking that America has never had a war on its own soil. Oh, really? Maybe I am not a bad American but no American at all."
How foolish it is when folks conveniently forget that the South was America too, more America than the Unionist under the Republicans. It was the South that represented the principles of a federal republic. To "forget" that war has visited our shores is to deny what America was and what has been lost.
Johnnie, has talked for almost two years of writing an essay on what an American really is. I have argued that it is currently impossible to define an American in the historical sense - such a creature no longer exists. What current popular culture defines as "American" is devoid of principles and without a true heritage. (If there is a true heritage it is that of the Puritans who have lost their religion. No that is incorrect, the religion of a God not of this world has been replaced by a religion of statism, corporatism and capitalism). Here is another essay from Dr. Wilson on the subject as it applies to Southerners, any small group that still retains any cultural identity could take points from that piece and apply it to the demise of their own heritage into the bland, immoral and principleless Americanism.
I for one am not an American - not as defined by popular culture.
Joshua comments on Dr. Wilson's piece
I think I'm a pretty darn good American. I send in my IRS forms every year and will vote third party in 2008. I do my best to serve as an ambassador here in Korea, if at least to show Koreans that there is more to America than George W. Bush and Sex in the CityYes I pay my taxes too - not because I agree, believe it is legal or support what they do with the money they steal but simply to stay out of their jails. I also completely understand your point about what the rest of the world thinks inhabitants of the United States are all about; having been around the world and seen "ugly Americans" in action is a sad experience. I am not, however, an ambassador for America - I am a representative of what my mother and father taught me and how I was raised. And Joshua is right, there is much more to see and know than the garbage the entertainment industry produces - but the world and most "Americans" do not realize it.
I too vote third party but not dogmatically. I will only actually voted for one person on my write-in ballot (John Corbin) during this election, everything else is blank. I am like Johnnie and think for the most part voting is stupid but I still vote in very rare circumstances just to make a point and then only for very specific folks.
What's left of our landscapes and farmlands is beautiful, as are the old cities and towns.I agree - I hate corporate America for exactly this reason. I am a die-hard capitalist but the notion of giving an artificial entity "person rights" and allowing hegemons to crowd out businesses operated by real people is foolish. Good heritage is tied directly to mom and pop stores, locally owed radio and television stations and family farms.
Perhaps in my young 39 years I have become jaded a bit faster than Joshua on this subject.
Thank you for the mention in this wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteMr. Wendell Berry of Kentucky somewhere said that the simple of act of denying artificial entities "person rights" would do a lot to solve many of our problems.
I wonder if our Libertarian friends would get on board with this.