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Scuba

(53,475 posts)
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:11 PM Mar 2014

Obama Whitewashes World War I

http://www.progressive.org/content/obama-whitewashes-world-war-i


President Obama just went to Flanders Field in Belgium to pay homage to those who lost their lives in World War I. But rather than use the occasion to point out the idiotic hideousness of that war, he whitewashed it, praising “the profound sacrifice they made so that we might stand here today.” He saluted their “willingness to fight, and die, for the freedom that we enjoy as their heirs.”

But this was not a war for freedom. It was a triumph of nationalism, pitting one nation’s vanity against another. It was a war between empires for the spoils. Historian Allen Ruff, who is studying the causes and effects of World War I, was not impressed with Obama’s speech. “With Both NATO and the European Union headquartered in Brussels,” Ruff says, “it would have been a true homage to the dead buried in Belgium a hundred years ago if Obama spoke out against all major power imperial ambition, the true cause of so much slaughter then and since, rather than mouthing some trite euphemisms about the honor of dying for ‘freedom.’ ”

But Obama insisted on repeating the very propaganda that fed that war. Without irony, he quoted the poem from John McRae that was used to encourage soldiers to sign up and civilians to pay for war bonds. Here’s the verse that Obama cited:
“To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”


Yet there was delivering that “old lie” with “high zest,” and the obscenity of it should not escape us, even 100 years on. For the soldiers Obama praised did not die for “freedom,” but for something much more base. They died for the same reason U.S. soldiers died in the Iraq War. As Howard Zinn noted, ten years ago, “They died for the greed of the oil cartels, for the expansion of the American empire, for the political ambitions of the President. They died to cover up the theft of the nation’s wealth to pay for the machines of death.”



I'm very disappointed that the President did not point out the grotesque absurdity of sending our children to die for profit, but chose instead to invoke the illusion of battlefield glory. If we want to honor our service men and women, we should do so by protecting them from rich men's greed.
46 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Obama Whitewashes World War I (Original Post) Scuba Mar 2014 OP
What We Have Here, Sir, Is Some Serious Obama Derangement Syndrome The Magistrate Mar 2014 #1
War is inhuman. Are you for humanity or against it? nt Deep13 Mar 2014 #3
You Ask That, Sir, Of A Man Who Breakfasts On Puppies, In A Light Curry Sauce? The Magistrate Mar 2014 #14
I just want you to know you made my day. Benton D Struckcheon Mar 2014 #26
LOL. nt Cali_Democrat Mar 2014 #30
What the hell is wrong with you?!?! Nuclear Unicorn Mar 2014 #32
With a cold lager, I'd expect. Igel Mar 2014 #37
I was starting to get angry at yet another Obama slam mcar Mar 2014 #34
It still would have been an inappropriate time and place Blue_Tires Mar 2014 #21
Oh really? JackRiddler Mar 2014 #24
And guess what? Had he said something like the writer wanted Blue_Tires Mar 2014 #28
This message was self-deleted by its author JackRiddler Mar 2014 #31
i sometimes get the impression renegade000 Mar 2014 #42
True. n/t FSogol Mar 2014 #6
I swear to god I had to re-read the piece twice Blue_Tires Mar 2014 #11
Poe's Law is relevant to this. -nt Liberal Veteran Mar 2014 #25
Truth Boom Sound 416 Mar 2014 #13
Right? Bobbie Jo Mar 2014 #19
They weren't fighting for freedom... Deep13 Mar 2014 #2
Yeah, no. Imagine the shitstorm if he'd said "What a waste." n/t Loudly Mar 2014 #4
It would have been an interesting week if Barack did that and Michelle told China its schools suck. Liberal Veteran Mar 2014 #12
Fortunately Obama has better manners than to go into a rant OKNancy Mar 2014 #5
Yeah, Obama should have told the Belgians WWI was a sick joke Blue_Tires Mar 2014 #7
You know he was at the American Cemetary there, don't you? Scuba Mar 2014 #10
I know it would have been no less fucked up no matter Blue_Tires Mar 2014 #16
Ah the glories of war ... GeorgeGist Mar 2014 #46
Actually I blame WW1 on Obama himself Cali_Democrat Mar 2014 #8
Look at that, Boom Sound 416 Mar 2014 #15
You be killin it! bravenak Mar 2014 #22
Quick! Someone call Fox News! Liberal Veteran Mar 2014 #23
ofercrissake lamp_shade Mar 2014 #9
Idiotic. No world leader is going to deconstruct this sort of old mythology in a public speech. scarletwoman Mar 2014 #17
I'll rec...I don't blame Obama too much, but he could have talked about joeybee12 Mar 2014 #18
scuba, he ain't responsible for 1916 irisblue Mar 2014 #20
Power cannot tell the truth about war. earthside Mar 2014 #27
True - as long as it's important to maintain the status quo... polichick Mar 2014 #41
The greatest irony of WW1 is that it had no "bad guys". Xithras Mar 2014 #29
I'm sorry, but that is ridiculous... ljm2002 Mar 2014 #33
Weird, 'cause I feel he disrespected them by repeating the old lie. Scuba Mar 2014 #35
So, when Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address he was being disrespectful? blue neen Mar 2014 #36
I'm guessing that if he disrespected them, Blue_Tires Mar 2014 #40
Not the time? earthside Mar 2014 #45
Political history from an alternate universe. kwassa Mar 2014 #38
In Belgium, saying they died for profit, not freedom, would have been very insulting muriel_volestrangler Mar 2014 #39
Wheel. Of. Outrage. JoePhilly Mar 2014 #43
How can you pretend to be progressive in 2014, without actually having to do anything? struggle4progress Mar 2014 #44

The Magistrate

(95,237 posts)
1. What We Have Here, Sir, Is Some Serious Obama Derangement Syndrome
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:16 PM
Mar 2014

And 'proggressive.org' needs to find itself a hobby, and take itself far less seriously....

The Magistrate

(95,237 posts)
14. You Ask That, Sir, Of A Man Who Breakfasts On Puppies, In A Light Curry Sauce?
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:24 PM
Mar 2014

What the hell kind of a question is that?

mcar

(42,210 posts)
34. I was starting to get angry at yet another Obama slam
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:56 PM
Mar 2014

Then I read this post.

Well played, sir, well played. If I had a hat, I would tip it to you.

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
21. It still would have been an inappropriate time and place
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:31 PM
Mar 2014

nevermind the fact that one of the reasons he's even in Europe is to rally support from NATO members just in case Putin wants to press his luck...

 

JackRiddler

(24,979 posts)
24. Oh really?
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:35 PM
Mar 2014

It would have been the most suitable of all places to break with the ritualistic lionization of stupidity and mass violence.

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
28. And guess what? Had he said something like the writer wanted
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:43 PM
Mar 2014

I guaran-fuckin'-tee you that the media in the U.S., Europe and 75% of DUers would have been screaming:

"HYPOCRITE!!!!!!!! WHAT MORAL STANDING DOES HE HAVE TO LECTURE ANYONE ABOUT WAR WHEN HE HAS THE BIGGEST MILITARY AND TROOPS DEPLOYED IN ARMED CONFLICTS ALL OVER THE PLANET!!!!!!"

I bet you any amount of money that's what the reaction would have been...He can barely even say anything about Russia's foray into Crimea without that being thrown back in his face constantly...

Response to Blue_Tires (Reply #28)

renegade000

(2,301 posts)
42. i sometimes get the impression
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 08:36 PM
Mar 2014

that the only safe thing for him to do and say on the world stage is:



of course, you'd have to make a secular version

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
11. I swear to god I had to re-read the piece twice
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:21 PM
Mar 2014

and browse the rest of that site just to make sure this wasn't some kind of twisted satire...

Deep13

(39,154 posts)
2. They weren't fighting for freedom...
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:17 PM
Mar 2014

...they were fighting for specific nation-states, and in the case of the Entente, the right to continue overseas imperialism at the expense of Germany. The Ottomans were fighting for their own defense against Russian, British, and French imperialism. Seriously, while France and Britain were carving up Africa and Asia, the German Empire consisted of a few islands and a sausage factory in Tunis.

Liberal Veteran

(22,239 posts)
12. It would have been an interesting week if Barack did that and Michelle told China its schools suck.
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:24 PM
Mar 2014

Some people just don't have a firm grasp on international relations and diplomacy.

OKNancy

(41,832 posts)
5. Fortunately Obama has better manners than to go into a rant
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:18 PM
Mar 2014

at Flanders Field. There is a time and place for everything.

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
7. Yeah, Obama should have told the Belgians WWI was a sick joke
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:19 PM
Mar 2014

and all those men interred in Flanders Field died for *nothing*...

Yeah, that would have gone down really well with NATO members and the rest of Europe...

I get the writer's general point, but that writer know fuck-all about diplomacy...There's a time and a place for quiet, polite remembrance and a time for political grandstanding to send a message...

Actually, I'm not certain there is EVER a time for political grandstanding while visiting some other nation's most sacred war memorial -- Maybe someone can explain to me how that works...

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
16. I know it would have been no less fucked up no matter
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:27 PM
Mar 2014

which war cemetery he was visiting at the moment...

I also know the scars from WWI generally run a lot deeper for Belgians than Americans -- Especially since not even a week ago two construction workers were killed when they accidentally dug into some leftover WWI ordinance...

I don't know what fantasyland that writer is living in...This whole "whitewashing" accusation is pure over-the-top bullshit, even if that writer completely disagrees with his comments...

scarletwoman

(31,893 posts)
17. Idiotic. No world leader is going to deconstruct this sort of old mythology in a public speech.
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:28 PM
Mar 2014

That's the sort of work for writers like Howard Zinn and Gore Vidal, not for politicians.

The article in your OP is an absurd criticism.

 

joeybee12

(56,177 posts)
18. I'll rec...I don't blame Obama too much, but he could have talked about
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:28 PM
Mar 2014

how, when a nation goes to war, there must be a purpose they must know what they're fighting for, etc....WWI was fought for something most people at the time could not even define. Oh, and let's talk about the land fought for 4 years over and thousands killed while neither side gained an inch of ground.

irisblue

(32,829 posts)
20. scuba, he ain't responsible for 1916
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:30 PM
Mar 2014

I look for and read your posts to learn. However 1916 and that war IS NOT his issue. sorry but no.

Xithras

(16,191 posts)
29. The greatest irony of WW1 is that it had no "bad guys".
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:49 PM
Mar 2014

The only bad guys were the diplomats who crafted the military alliances that allowed one nutjob with a gun to lead an entire continent into war.

Once you get beyond the jingoistic nationalistic crap, the cold, hard truth about WW1 is that there was no good reason to fight it. It was all politics and power plays.

ljm2002

(10,751 posts)
33. I'm sorry, but that is ridiculous...
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 07:53 PM
Mar 2014

...WTH does anyone expect the President to say when visiting the gravesites of soldiers? That is not the time for anti-war speeches. It would be viewed as the ultimate disrespect for the fallen and he -- and the Democratic party -- would never hear the end of it.

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
40. I'm guessing that if he disrespected them,
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 08:29 PM
Mar 2014

the Belgians would have let him know about it in short order...

muriel_volestrangler

(101,154 posts)
39. In Belgium, saying they died for profit, not freedom, would have been very insulting
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 08:27 PM
Mar 2014

Last edited Wed Mar 26, 2014, 09:35 PM - Edit history (1)

Belgium was a neutral country, its neutrality guaranteed by all sides - until Germany invaded it, and carried out a series of murders of non-combatants, claiming they had all been fighting the Germany army, when clearly they hadn't. Nearly all of Belgium remained occupied for the entire 4 years of the war. Germany's aim was to permanently occupy part of Belgium, to give it ports at the entrance to the English Channel, to make it even more militarily dangerous.

To have said "we never should have come" would have been to spit in the face of Belgians.

struggle4progress

(118,041 posts)
44. How can you pretend to be progressive in 2014, without actually having to do anything?
Wed Mar 26, 2014, 08:55 PM
Mar 2014

You can take a firm and decisive stand against WWI!

... Come and lose your eyes and limbs for thirteen pence a day ...



... I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier: I brought him up to be my pride and joy
Who dares to place a musket on his shoulder to shoot some other mother's darling boy? ...



... They're killing us! They're killing us! One respirator for the four of us!
Thank your lucky stars that we can all run fast so one of us can take it all alone ...


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