An Irish woman's social, political and domestic commentary
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| GUBU An Irish woman's social, political and domestic commentary |
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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Myers on America A popular technique in columns is to list arguments made by opponents and then dismantle them in a crushing withering fashion. But the opponents did not make those arguments at all. They made other one less easily deconstructed. Anyway, here's Myers today. How disappointing for our many American-hating fellow-Europeans to see that people in New Orleans are now returning to most areas of the city. Well we are not American hating just Republican hating. But even as the sound of sniggering still echoed over Europe's capitals, the US army corps of engineers were quietly plugging the supposedly unpluggable breaches in the levees, and simultaneously despatching a sullen Mississippi back to its riverbed, Who said they were unpluggable? They just said they had been neglected because federal funds to keep them in good repair were refused. In fact the army were universally praised because they were the ones who kept saying they wouldn't stick a hurricane. Now, I like and respect John O'Shea of Goal, but he was wholly wrong to have said we should not send anything to help disaster relief in the US. Even a single Army engineer with a bucket would have been a symbol of the brotherhood of freedom, of blood and of history which binds us, and an acknowledgement of the unpayable debt that we owe to the US. Look all John O'Shea said was that America is the richest country in the world. They don't need our money. Africa needs our money. Why should we help them. TOTALLY logical. And they have their own army. What do they need ours for? British forces, without the US, could never have liberated occupied Europe in 1944, or any other year. Worse, it is just remotely possible that the USSR, aided by that supreme bungler, Adolf Hitler himself, might have defeated the Nazis without the assistance of the US - a glorious prospect indeed, with Stalin's tanks within viewing distance of the white cliffs of Dover. So democratic victory 60 years ago was a largely American achievement, and without ever becoming slaves either to America or to history, we should never forget that. I am SICK of this argument. America got into the war AFTER they had war declared on them by that little incident called Pearl Harbour. With the exception of FDR, most Americans didn't give a shit what happened in Europe as long as they were ok. AND then they dithered for years while 20 million Russians were killed on the Eastern Front. The Russians did all the suffering while Ike bullshitted around. Then they weren't too worried at all about democracy and despite Churchill warning them that Stalin was coming for Eastern Europe, the Americans were quite happy to divide up Europe between themselves and Russia, giving up entire countries like Poland. So yes, they were essential to victory but let's have some vital qualifications in there. But I suppose that would ruin the column. I guess I should sympathise. Or take notes. posted by Sarah | 21:02 4 comments
Comments:
I do agree, especially given that 3/4s of all German military casualties were on the Eastern Front
http://www.gavinsblog.com/?p=2156 # posted by
 : 11:28 p.m.
there is a lot of sense in that, regardless of when it was written. So I guess if Myers wrote his column about the Marshall plan I wouldn't have been so annoyed. But you never hear about the yankees bragging about the Marshall plan, they brag about their army. In fact, many on the left tried to persuade the US to lift the sanctions on Iraq so that the people wouldn't be so impoverished. Then they might have time to get rid of Saddam themselves instead of having to figure out how to survive. Didn't Bono say that what Africa needs is a Marshall Plan?
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