The president and the assassin

Boston Globe ^ | 9/7/03 | Eric Rauchway

[William McKinley]

A century ago, terrorists struck at the heart of America. Our leaders hit back hardand also began addressing the country's real problems.

LONG BEFORE SEPT. 11, 2001, Americans learned how to live with the fear that a formless global collusion of madmen and thugs wanted to kill us just for being who we are. Tony Blair is wrong when he tells us that ``history provides so little instruction for our present day.'' Just as Islamist terrorists stalk us now, so the communist specter haunted our parents and anarchists ambushed our grandparents. We have lived with this dread for as long as anyone can tell.

[William McKinley]

For obvious reasons, this article caught my eye. Much of the political leanings hinted at by the author strike me as wrong headed- there is a lot of 'we are to blame for them hating us' in here. And the whole "addressing the country's real problems" line is gibberish. Yes, there was corruption that had to be reigned in. But just as much, the nation had to wake up to the fact that violent subversives were a real threat that had to be dealt with, not just ignored. The author seems to think they needed to be appeased, and seems to think that Roosevelt did just that by addressing the root cause of their hatred. I think this is nonsense, and clearly Roosevelt's presidency did not endear him to anarchists. The author seems to buy into the notion that by appeasing those who hated capitalism, Roosevelt was working to prevent the spread of terror. In reality, Roosevelt was very aggressive in spreading American influence throughout the world, which would have had the opposite effect if the author's premise was correct. Roosevelt also had a different idea on the correct way to handle the terrorists- he wanted them prevented from entering the country, he wanted those who were immigrants here with the same views as the terrorists deported, and he wanted the networks of the anarchists smashed. In other words, he did not believe in satiating them, he believed in removing and destroying them. His views on trusts stemmed not from a desire to stop the spread of anarchism, but from his own politics (for better or for worse).

But it was worth posting, if just to agree with John Gray's line:

``Al Qaeda's closest precursors are the revolutionary anarchists of late 19th-century Europe''

[freedom moose]

But it was worth posting, if just to agree with John Gray's line: ``Al Qaeda's closest precursors are the revolutionary anarchists of late 19th-century Europe''

I assume he's only comparing the terrorist acts, because AQ certainly has no interest in abolishing centralized government.

[Myrnick]

If he had only been born 100 years later, Mr. Czolgosz could have avoided his life of crime by being a film-maker and author. "Bowling for Columbine" or "Stupid White Men" ring any bells?

[LS]

Just a few years earlier, an anarchist named Berkman broke into Henry Clay Frick's office and shot Frick twice. The outraged Frick lunged over the desk and proceeded to pummel the would-be assassin. An astonished VP, sitting near Frick, also joined the scuffle when they noticed the assassin had put something in his mouth. Frick pried his jaws open and extracted a capsule of fulminate of mercury. By that time, some police arrived and carted Berkman out.

Frick then had the company doctor come in and extrac the bullets sans anesthesics, guiding the doctor as to the location of the bullets. Then the doc sewed him up.

Frick finished his business day, then wrote a letter to his mother. After discussing the week's business, his personal life, at the very end he wrote, "Was shot today, twice, not seriously. Henry."

McKinley had nothing to do with the "conditions" in which terrorists like Berkman arose. TR's response to terrorists, like the Filipinos, was to KILL THEM.

[GOP_1900AD]

While corporations are not nearly as in control of the current disruptions and displacements as the Left wants to protray, I blame them explicitly for the ongoing pressures against strong national sovereignty, weakening military strength, lack of resolve vis a vis the PRC and a number of other geopolitical and national security trends. What we need now is a cracking of the whip to eradicate all the naive, globalist, border breaking suicidal behavior. If the corporations will not manage themselves in these regards, they need to be overarchingly mandated to become supporters of Borders, Language, Culture and an irrefutably pro Western, anti Communist and anti Islamist foreign policy. That's true conservatism straight from the Burkian Rightist book.

[William McKinley]

I agree with you, 100%.

[twigs]

I knew that Frick survived the assassination attempt on him, but I didn't know the details. What a man! Thanks for sharing this piece of history.