[sono]

Nonetheless, comprehending how fanaticism’s roots lie in alienation from society, hopeless living conditions, and a desire to advance an ideological, romantic or religious fantasy--and how attractive it is for people swept up in a secret world, especially young men, to commit crimes--is relevant to understanding and fighting terrorism.

Perhaps the most telling weapon in the GWOT is W's relentless push for Democracy in the Middle East. This is why OIF is so crucial to our future.

[Little Bill]

My family were in the West during the depression, the depression started there in the Mid Twenties, farm, mine or starve, there was no choice.

Why did they and a lot of the people, original settlers, move to the right. The people in Utah, Idaho, and Eastern Washington and Oregon, draw a line in the sand after the initial New Deal, I haven't got a clue.

[CBart95]

All of it irrelevant. Murder is murder.

So is treason.

Steve U gets an A for dredging up 50-year old quasi- sympathetic silliness to somehow place criminal depredation in an understandable framework.

[Cicero]

Interesting article. But it puts too much emphasis on poverty, want, and alienation.

Billions of people in the world are poor, but only some of them turn to violence as an answer.

Many of the fellow travellers of that time were children of the rich and privileged.

The real poison is Communism. Or Islam. Or any similar system designed to seize power and control others, conceived by evil human beings. If you like, the real problem is original sin and human perversity.

But one thing that certainly needs to be pointed out is that bringing Muslims into western societies doesn't necessarily make westerners out of them. It may just as easily make them feel alienated and oppressed. And it may expose them to that sick mixture of Communism and greed that they can learn from western societies.

Pol Pot was educated in Paris. Lenin learned his ideas from German revolutionaries. Mao also learned some of his worst ideas from the sicknesses of western intellectuals.

[nopardons]

bttt

[Dan(9698)]

Bump

[ARA]

substitute Democrat for Islam.... it's all the same...

C

[MarkL]

Even if he could have afforded the tuition, Barr, like most of his classmates at City College of New York, would probably not have been accepted at elite colleges because they had unwritten but strictly enforced quotas on Jews.

Never mind that the Soviet Union always oppressed Jews, and not by just placing entrance quotas to colleges. But I'm sure that sort of thing was never mentioned in the CPUSA newspapers. Just like none of the other incredible human rights violations that these "useful idiots" claimed to be against, were reported, either in the CPUSA papers, or for that matter, the NY Times, as would be seen later, in the lies and propaganda of Durante.

Mark

[RedBeaconNY]

BTTT

[WilliamofCarmichael]

If there were a Capitalist Party wouldn't that attract members?

Rich and poor joined the Communist Party / Communist front groups because there was something in it for them. It was an organized path to something. It was something that they had and you did not.

Stupid capitalist workers just worked, produced, advanced on their own. Wouldn't a Capitalist Party be nice to join and be on the inside from the beginning? "Power to the Board!"

[backhoe]

Old post:

The Rosenberg Case- Spies, Scapegoats, or something inbetween?

[Baraonda]

"Nonetheless, comprehending how fanaticism’s roots lie in alienation from society, hopeless living conditions, and a desire to advance an ideological, romantic or religious fantasy--and how attractive it is for people swept up in a secret world, especially young men, to commit crimes--is relevant to understanding and fighting terrorism."

Yes, it is indeed relevant to understand today's terrorism as Barr and Rosemberg's struggles were first and foremost religious struggles intent on destabilizing Christian societies, just as today's the jihadists' struggles are religious ones. The weapon of choice then was communism and pseudo economic alienation. Todays's weapons are different, but the struggles continue unabated. This truth is written on every American wall for anyone to see.

To know and accept the truth is to free oneself and their future progeny.

[Cacique]

This article is tripe. Poverty or desperate situations is an excuse, not the cause of fanaticism. Nor does it explain the fact that most of the 19 hijackers on 911 and leaders of the terrorist movements come from well to do families. Marx was no pauper and certainly nor was Engels who was born wealthy. Lenin was from the lower nobility of Russia and Mao was from the "rich peasant" class of China. Castro, Che Guevara, the list goes on. No, only some of the "dupes" come from humble beginings but revolution is and laways has been the province of the pampered, spoiled upper Burgoisie.

[Casloy]

Possibly the most profound book on the subject is WITNESS by Whitaker Chambers. He is not only one of the great American writers, but he has a deep understanding of what motivated those Americans to spy for the Soviets.