Redoing History

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Wednesday November 25, 2015 · 8:24 PM PST

2015/11/25 · 20:24

I don’t often write blogs and I am sure I am not as eloquent as many gifted writers on this site. I just read the article concerning Princeton Students wanting to rename buildings and remove a statue of President Wilson. While I understand the justification I believe we are getting off point. But I have one question. Where is the outcry about the antisemitism practiced during the Franklin Roosevelt administration. If we are going to right everything lets take down the most famous progressives statues and memorials as well. Of course I am not serious about that. The state department had policies back then aimed at Jews. They turned back the St. Louis which resulted in Jewish deaths etc… Antisemitism existed for a long time and their are white supremists and even neo-nazis who still exist. Militia groups as well dot the landscape. Go to the Wiesenthal site or visit in LA and look at the map of where and how many. This country for a long time treated Jews and blacks the same. The KKK was not a friend of the Jews. Jews also couldn’t drink from a public water fountain. I am not trying to make this a Jewish issue or demean persons of color and what is occurring today. Hispanics, Muslims as well as Blacks are being demonized and profiled an I am sure receiving the same treatment from various Police personnel. It is criminal what is happening with how police are acting today! But please realize we need to fix the present and future. Muslims are whipping boys these days and refugees are turned away by government policy. It is not about covering up the past. If anything statues should remain as a reminder of where we unfortunately came from. Write books, blogs, put up protests about it. Make people remember when they look at the names what they did both good and bad. The solution needs to address all racism and terrorism in America and people dying needlessly!

Missing the Point

stevelichtenstein01

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Wednesday April 29, 2015 · 1:39 PM PDT

2015/04/29 · 13:39

I grew up in Baltimore in the 60's and 70's. I have watched the inner harbor and its surrounding area being built up and corporate serviced based corporations replacing blue collar work. Gentrification is a fine thing to revitalize areas in cities but one must wonder where do the folks who lived in those areas go. For many years people in the areas where the riot took place have been waiting to be able to take part in economic equality, new jobs and self worth that permeates the new parts of the city. Instead they have received violence, anger and a blind eye to justice! See justice is a nice word but when you do not receive any and are held to be blamed for the neglect, it festers. And in this country we are very good at looking at symptoms and not root causes. So we abuse and lock away the down trodden so we never have to address the cause. Yes the majority of people in those areas are african americans and race is one issue. But it misses the whole point to narrow it to that, as the media often does. We have come from Lyndon Johnson's vision of the great society to punishing the poor and widening the inequality of wealth, health and learning. Barack Obama said it best when he said we can change things but do "we" want to? "We" of course means those who cannot see beyond their blindfolds to see that budget cuts, ripping apart the fabric of the Voting Rights act, getting more guns on the street, and boosting corporate welfare and dismantling education have aided, if not directly caused the conditions in which these people live. If they feel the need to create wars to create a free world in the image of our country then they should consider what the world sees when riots erupt and this democracy resembles their country. I love the city of Baltimore and was at least heartened by all of the groups working together to repair the after affects of the riot. That is the Baltimore I know. These are the good citizens who take pride in their city. But once the rubble is clear, the stores that can reopen do, and the neighborhood is nothing more than area to be passed by without stopping, who will see to it that these same people are lifted up? You see once again this proves it really does take village!

Running in Reverse

stevelichtenstein01

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Monday March 14, 2011 · 12:26 PM PDT

2011/03/14 · 12:26

I believe as many us do that we have not learned from history. That corporate power plays and sheer greed have over taken common sense and the will to better humankind. After all it is not as if we haven't seen before what this country is like when workers have no rights to better their lot, or the myriad of governmental departments, saftey nets, rules, regulations, and strong middle class did not exist. The reason, in fact, they do exist is because generations over 2 centuries fought for them. So then why do so many vote against their own interest and become sacrifical lambs?

I humbly offer my own theory not steeped in statistics or hours of research on written material that others on this site are more adept at then I. But rather from observation, reading and questioning.

People are subjected to continual threats of terrorism, natural disaster, diseases, a warming climate, divergent cultures, an ever complex economy, technological explosions among others, day in and day out. None of which they comprehend or control. So quite ironically at a time when we are living longer lives with more at our finger tips...many are quite simply scared of our mortality, and quality of life.

They are in fact, running in reverse. As Chris Berman on ESPN would say they are going "back, back, back"...to whatever perceived time that was easier, better, and they were in control. They are fed constant imagery of that better place and time by the Republicans who can package it over and over and mix it up with loyalty, patriotism and the 'we'll take care of you' attitude. Not to mention of course that they can strip the knowledge of history from the up and coming generations.

Run...run...run until they out run time. Trampling every advance that has been gainedr over time because it's just to scary to look ahead. Back, back, back until we have no where to run.

But there is hope in the nobel fight we fight in the Wisconsin's of the world! But let's remember you also need to win the hearts and minds of others as we learned in such places as Afghanistan. If we only fight and do not address the retreaters fear and assure them that they are inlcuded and have the power of a better future up ahead then running in reverse will only become faster and faster.

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