With the Iraq adventure now on the brain, we must ask: Is it possible that the success of westward expansion produced a natural disposition toward external conquest—and, worse, the tempting belief that such civilizing missions were easily accomplished?
One has to wonder whether the collective American mind began to imagine that all further attempts at foreign conquest would be as fruitful as the original.
5 comments:
Writerfella here --
All of such claims are negated by a pro-National Guard movie music video currently being played in theatres. 3 Doors Down performs their rock song, "Citizen Soldier," over shots of the group intercut with reconstructed battles in the Revolutionary War, World War I, WWII, the Korean Conflict, Viet Nam, Gulf War I and Gulf War II and Afghanistan, with other footage of National Guard deployment for US disasters. But NOWHERE in the video are shots from the Indian Wars, Kent State, the 1968 Convention in Chicago, or Wounded Knee 1973, as 'citizen soldiers' were there as well. Talk about revisionist history! If this video is to be believed, then there most definitely is a jump in such purported negative continuity that otherwise cannot be explained...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Writerfella here --
POSTSCRIPTUM --
writerfella forgot to include the WWI veterans' march on Washington and the isolationist riots just prior to the US entry into WWII. Oops, as the 'citizen soldiers' were there shooting and killing, as well...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Writerfella here --
POSTSCRIPTUM 2 --
Once again, writerfella forgot the US Civil War...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
That National Guard video was a preview to I Am Legend, which I saw last week. More pro-military propaganda, obviously.
Conflating the government-supported National Guard with the government-opposed Minutemen was the video's biggest joke. George Washington's troops would've fired on those who, like the National Guard, served the dominant government.
In the Indian Wars, Indian leaders like Crazy Horse and Geronimo were the Minutemen: fighting for freedom from an unjust government. And the US Army was the Redcoats: fighting to preserve their autocratic power.
If the US wants to honor "citizen soldiers," it should honor the Indians. But don't expect to see that in a government-sponsored video anytime soon.
Writerfella here --
Wow, Rob! The black helicopters just may be about to land in YOUR backyard! Now, that is courage!
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
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