Political Correctness at the WWII Memorial

e-mail | June 7, 2004 | A fellow activist

[Askel5]

Sorry ... BSCS (does that clarify it? =)

Actually, among other utterly inexplicable post-war actions of the US Government was the spiriting in of Nazi and Japanese eugenicists and practitioners of human experimentation to become esteemed members of our academies, the NIH and boards having oversight of our biology and other public school texts.

The formatting's gone haywire somewhat, but this is a good read in that respect: The Evolution of Genocide

As a Bloodhound, I'm happy to direct you to hard evidence of Colonel Murray Sanders and his commission to suss out and bring home the likes of Ishii, Naito and Kitano who practiced live vivisection, freezing and other horrors on Chinese and other POWs during the war.

Like I said ... utterly inexplicable.

Had the US not been on a "sex sells" spending spree, we probably would have taken note that the worst of the War Criminals were safely esconced in D.C., not Nuremburg, lest the Soviets get a hold of their Valuable Research.

[Askel5]

=)

(anyone glued to the "Election Crisis" ... that's not to say you were, of course. Regards, Mud.)

[Askel5]

=== I liked the part about "Women Stepped Up."

Just curious ... should they have stepped back down once the Crisis was over?

[microgood]

But ... particularly given the way their children and grandchildren have turned out ... it's possible this Generation doesn't and never did give them much thought beyond saturating them with the Material Goods which sorta precluded anyone's learning the sort of lessons privation brings.

There must be some sort of miscommunication here. I do not consider anyone born after 1924 to be part of the WWII generation. I think the generation you are referring to is my parent's, in which case I agree with you. I can assure you my grandmpa and grandma did not shower anyone with Material Goods. They learned from the Depression and were very tight with money right up until they day they died.

[Askel5]

=== I suspect HER opinion is of the "Thank you dearly for your service to our country, but no thanks to your socialism..." variety.


You're correct, of course.

I spent nearly a year looking after my Mom's folks recently. I respect my grandfather very much so never really rocked the boat but I can't tell you how depressing it is to listen to him remark on how comprehensive are his Benefits in social security and medicare yet express puzzlement at my remarking that I have no expectation of receiving any such largesse by the time I'm of retirement age.

Better late than never, I suppose, for some of us to live through a Great Depression. It will be interesting to see how things pan out ... particularly given the current yearning for Tax Cuts amid some of the greatest Give-Aways at home and abroad Uncle Sam's ever doled out.

[Askel5]

=== I do not consider anyone born after 1924 to be part of the WWII generation


Well, the spring chicken of the bunch was born in 1917 so I think we are at crosspurposes, somewhat.

Particularly on the Kansas Farmer side of the family, I have nothing but respect for the hardships which caused them to be some of the most frugal, disciplined, faithful and God-fearing folks I know.

That said ... it still is tough trying to rationalize the hand-out mentality ... particularly where the one side of the family is not needful in the least of any assistance whatsoever.

My grandpa was in the CCC and my book of his poetry has quite a few of his Camp Poet writings. That sort of welfare I can understand. They worked damned hard. But I don't much see the point in feeling you are deserving of handouts ever after simply because the Fates ordained you live through a Great War or two.

Circumstances shouldn't dictate morality and I really do believe the "faith of our fathers" in the welfare state has been the undoing of subsequent generations who took things like Social Security, Medicare or Disability for granted.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Snopes has it here.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/memorial.asp

[Kirkwood]

Essentially all of the religious quotations by our founding fathers have been ripped from our history. You have to really hunt now to find the truth. It is very sad. Many gave their lives for America for religious freedom... maybe as much if not more so than for political freedom.

[itsahoot]

Here is one

Elgin WW II Veteran Given Overdue Medals
Courier News
By Anne Marie Apollo
In 1942, at the age of 16, Schnulle lied about his age so he could enter the armed forces. He served in California and later on Iwo Jima, the site of some of the fiercest fighting in World War II. He also served in Hawaii. When the war ended, he completed his tour of duty in Japan.

I am sure that there were younger men than this, but we may never know, because the DD 214 was used to prove age, therefore voting and of course retirement.

I myself joined the National Guard when I was 15, in 1954. I did correct it with Social Security as they had it wrong in any case, off by 4 year. According to my Birth Certificate, which almost no one I new had.

They would take your word, or an entry in a family Bible, then finally all the hand written birth certificates finally made it to the state archives. Only my younger sister was born in a hospital, rest of us had to make it on our own.

[LurkedLongEnough]

I think in his dedication speech President Bush used "the Almighty" in a speech in place of the word "God".

He's keeping in mind that some people think that they themselves are the almighty I guess. We're going down the PC tubes.

[Jeff Head]

My Dad was born in 1925 and he fought the Japanese in the Pacific, XO and then later CO of a LCI putting marines ashore.. He has passed away now...but you would have had to fight him...and me...to try and say he was not of the WW II generation.

Technically, you should push your age up to about 1929 if you want to be in good coverage of those who fought. Some fought at 16 or 17.

[microgood]

but you would have had to fight him...and me...to try and say he was not of the WW II generation.

OK. 1929. My father was born in 1931 and is clearly not of that generation. I am trying to get a handle on which generation these posters are calling them a bunch of dependency types, which I know if they would have said that to my grandpa, there would have been a fight.

Personally, no matter what any poster says, they are the greatest generation and even though I am not quite fifty, contributed a lot to the WWII Memorial in honor of that generations sacrifice, and I will never agree that they had some kind of you owe me mentality. Never met or talked to one like that.

[itsahoot]

the worst of the War Criminals were safely esconced in D.C., not Nuremburg, lest the Soviets get a hold of their Valuable Research.

Actually I think The Corporal that lived across the street from me was responsible for this, since he was in the foxhole close to the enemy...</sarcasm>

[Jeff Head]

if they would have said that to my grandpa, there would have been a fight.

Same for my grandparents or my parents.

They did not go along with the "New Deal" and kept working and doing for themselves, before, during and after the war. They taught us to do the same.

As a result, they were independent and provided for their own retirement.

Now, they do colect their SS...bu they did not count on it.

Neither do I or any of their children.

My point was that the WWII generation really ended when the 1920's ended IMHO.

[Military family member]

I agree whole-heartedly. I am just saying that since the entire quote is shortened, perhaps nobody noticed the omission.

[timydnuc]

I have heard of this many times, from different sources in the last few days and I feel that it is not an "urban legend". If, as I suspect, it is not then there should be a write in campaign to the President himself to correct the monument. 80 Million emails to the White House, with cc: to the media, and your senators and congresspeople should shake the tree enough. Get pissed and email, it only takes a minute.

When I was in High School I recreated that Dec. 8th speech to the joint session of congress in 1941 for a Dec. 7th program for the entire High School and community. We did a 45 minute program about that "dastardly attack" I was, and I still am, a pretty good impersonator. I borrowed one of my dad's more "conservative" "zut suits from the 40's, I got a pair of my uncle Will's pinch glasses. I combed my hair as close as possible to all the pictures that my mom and dad had of FDR. I had a very special and beautiful lady friend (one of the popular girls in school) that voluntarily taught me how to walk like I had braces and to lean on the podium correctly, for balance (she knew, she had polio as an infant, she did it every day). I worked for 2 weeks, 3 hours a day listening to the speech over and over again. When the time came, the night before, my parents had a few family friends and some of my friends over for a dress rehearsal, brought them to their feet. The program was much the same. We, the Junior & Senior Class had put the program together for the school and the community. I vividly remember those last words, as did all of our parents, and they were...."so help us God", and the program ended with those words.

We were patriotic and thankful for our war heroes in those days, cause they were our moms and dads. Oh yes, we all believed in God.

[Askel5]

=== Actually I think The Corporal that lived across the street from me was responsible for this, since he was in the foxhole close to the enemy...



We're all responsible for this.

Does no good to go around blaming everything on whatever "Evil Clinton" happens to be handy every eight years or so.

Just like Americans are morally responsible for every life -- particularly those of the innocent -- taken in war waged by this nation.

Best offense is a good defense. Our defense have been down around our ankles for nearly a century now.

[quadrant]

Did they add by whom the United States was attacked? or is that politically taboo as well?

[microgood]

Circumstances shouldn't dictate morality and I really do believe the "faith of our fathers" in the welfare state has been the undoing of subsequent generations who took things like Social Security, Medicare or Disability for granted.

We are only one generation off from being in agreement. I just never had that experience with my interactions with their generation or their belief systems. Now my parents generation, the 60s generation, my generation (70s), I would totally agree.

[socal_parrot]

It's an excerpt. A lot of the speech was omitted. I do think it would have been inspiring to leave the part about God in.

George W Bush gave a great speech about the sacrafices of D-day without mentioning Germany.