...it's not dark yet, but it's gettin' there...
Just over fifty years ago (like, fifty years and two-and-a-half weeks ago) the United States in general, and the United Nations in particular, did nothing while a country in Eastern Europe tried to throw off the yoke of Soviet oppression.
I don't remember much more than that--it's been quite awhile since I've taken a history class. If the teacher told us what the mood of the U.S. was after the failed Hungarian Revolution, I don't remember.
But, based on the following poem by e.e. cummings, I suspect a portion of the country felt the U.S. could have done more.
THANKSGIVING (1956)
a monstering horror swallows
this unworld me by you
as the god of our fathers' father bows
to a which that walks like a who
but the voice-with-a-smile of democracy
announces night & day
"all poor little peoples that want to be free
just trust in the u s a"
suddenly uprose hungary
and she gave a terrible cry
"no slave's unlife shall murder me
for i will freely die"
she cried so high thermopylae
heard her and marathon
and all prehuman history
and finally The UN
"be quiet little hungary
and do as you are bid
a good kind bear is angary
we fear for the quo pro quid"
uncle sam shrugs his pretty
pink shoulders you know how
and he twitches a liberal titty
and lisps "i'm busy right now"
so rah-rah-rah democracy
let's all be as thankful as hell
and bury the statue of liberty
(because it begins to smell)
(The Wikipedia entry discussing the 1956 Hungarian Revolution is here.)
This is especially interesting because just the other day my father, talking about an upcoming trip to Hungary, mentioned two students that showed up in his college class around this time. ('56 or '57) They had managed to get out and were convinced, because of their resistance, that they would have been jailed and possibly much worse had they stayed.
Posted by: Mike C. on Nov. 22, 2006Hmm, almost exactly what happened in Iraq in the 90's before guys like Jim Baker said to abandon the shias and head home...And now they want to listen to Baker again, which will result in selling out the forces of democracy in Iraq again...all JUST so that the perceptions among the diplomatic set will favor the bush's, because quite frankly the Bush family lives in their world. i think that bush is running this war like an elitist, he's trying to curry the favors of elitist cronies in the diplomatic set because they are family friends and business associates...and instead of these manicured assholes, we just plainly need to kick some ass on the ground and kill the traitors in the security forces/gov't. and kill fucking moqtada al-sadr. damn't that's an ugly man.
I've no idea why the greatest fighting force in the world is under this perception that it can't win against a bunch of 3rd world suicide bombers, that its trapped even though our losses are nothing like previous wars. its probably the head cold i have...but why the fuck didn't we take it to them with all we had earlier, when it was presumably easier to do? We could've stemmed some of this Shia-sunni rage by taking out some of the bad elements when the war initially started.
Why do the Bush's and their advisors keep doing half-ass jobs in Iraq? Its seems as if, at the outset of this engagement, they ruled out using all the options at our disposal. Bush I fucked it up originally by abandoning the shias and kurds, and now it seems junior, refusing to go at it hard militarily, is fucking it up in much the same manner. So much is invested in useless diplomatic perceptions with the Bush war strategy...if we just fuckin' unleashed our arsenal and ruthlessly...damn't i don't know. fucking hindsight. i'll blame it on the head cold.
Posted by: Scof on Nov. 22, 2006Okay, that's just a bit too close to home.
Posted by: TBinSTL on Nov. 22, 2006Sounds like ee cummings has described the Left in America of 2006.
Posted by: Mark on Nov. 23, 2006Joy and fun, wish fulfillment and blessing, come to your home this Thanksgiving, and I wish you a very special Thanksgiving Day for you and your family.
Happy Thanksgiving Annie!
I come bearing gifts: for you, your female posters and Strawman!
Posted by: Radical Redneck on Nov. 24, 2006