Revisionist History of the US....:( (fwd)

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

Responding to msg by chen@intuit.com (Mark Chen) on Thu, 1 Sep  
4:47 PM

>This country's 
>"progress" is  really just a series of grudging 
>concessions made by authoritarian  power structures to 
>various nearly catastrophic crises.
>
>Good observation about periodicity, Jim, but I'd say 
>that the typical  span is much shorter than 100 years.


Jim and Mark,

Sound remarks about domestic upheavals.

Parallel to these, it should be added that internal strife has 
declined as US foreign interventions have increased.  From 
Teddy Roosevelt forward, whenever domestic strain builds, there 
just happens to be an urgent matter somewhere else that needs 
patriotic attention to our "national interests".

Soothing, addictive, social and economic bribes flow from 
warmaking -- industrial growth, jobs, education, research, 
technological advances.

A bitching citizenry is a happy citizenry where domestic 
Government affairs are concerned, but the most obedient people 
are those united against a foreign foe.  Lesson 1 of world 
affairs leadership.


John