I always enjoy posting Greg’s great articles. Here’s another dandy
By: G. Maresca
It was not a favorable week for some iconic childhood stalwarts. It began with the castration of Mr. Potato Head who is now just another vegetable with feigned expressions making it the ideal co-host for The View. No matter how odd life is there are some folks overtly concerned about the gender of a plastic toy potato.
Who’s next, Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken?
Never mind.
Then the woke mob came for Dr. Seuss, an inside job if there ever was one. Branding this famed author of classic children’s literature, a racist was the foundation tasked with preserving his own legacy. They did so on the Read Across America Day that recognizes children’s literacy that also happens to be the anniversary of the author’s birth.
The foundation quashed publication of six of Dr. Seuss’s books that “portray people (blacks and Asians) in ways that are hurtful and wrong.” No doubt removal of those titles will have a substantive impact on our societal prejudices. Apparently, the foundation is oblivious to the violent video games children have glued to their hands and with rap music and its racist, sexist, and drug glorifying lyrics.
Once upon a time in America, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved several resolutions praising Dr. Seuss. In 2015, First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed the Cat in the Hat to the White House. That same year, President Obama told interns that “Pretty much all the stuff you need to know is in Dr. Seuss.”
Two years later the National Education Association (NEA) would reduce its emphasis on Dr. Seuss to encourage diversity. The NEA recommended replacing Dr. Seuss with “Julián is a Mermaid,” about a boy who wants to be a mermaid, and “The Prince and the Dressmaker,” about a cross-dressing prince.
A political cartoonist during World War II, Dr. Seuss was a frequent critic of racism, and anti-Semitism – strong convictions that were lacking in his time.
While Amazon banished the six Seuss titles in question, the public responded by moving Dr. Seuss’ other works into eight of the top 10 on Amazon’s best-sellers list. Internet behemoth, eBay also put the kibosh on Dr. Seuss, but still makes available for purchase Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and Chairman Mao’s “Little Red Book,” not to mention a plethora of pornography.
Is Curious George, Winnie the Pooh and Charlie Brown next in the cancel crosshairs? To say nothing of the Weebles, who reinforce obesity, as they wobble but never fall down.
Not allowing a crisis to waste away, New York Times columnist Charles Blow chimed in saying the cartoon Pepé Le Pew perpetuates “rape culture” and Speedy Gonzalez does the same with “corrosive stereotypes.” No word on what Blow thought about Popeye whose legacy is that men are strong and there are some women who actually welcome a strong and humble man.
Being offended everywhere you look is vanity disguised as virtue. What the woke crowd understands is how most will concede in the name of expediency. Make no mistake, these tactics are not uncalculated. Marxists exploit our freedoms to divide and seek to usurp the American ethos without firing a shot. The real question is whether Americans truly comprehend the threat and possess the will to push back.
The easiest way to make your bones as a leftist is to attack the accomplished work from eighty years ago of a dead white male. Dr. Seuss’ whimsical imagery stands as a testament to morality, while his portrayals of blacks and Asians were acts of inclusion in an era when there was little.
Tyrants understand the education of children is the key to obtaining and maintaining power. Marx, Hitler and Stalin all knew that indoctrinating children was their avenue to domination and that is why Marx included public education as the final plank of his Communist Manifesto.
With apologies to Dr. Seuss and compliments of a Wall Street Journal blog:
The Left is acting like a vulture.
When they impose their cancel culture.
If they don’t like your point of view,
You’re fired. You’re banned. Shame on you.
So now, in the manner of an empty-headed goose.
They have successfully canceled Dr. Seuss.
I won’t stop reading Green Eggs and Ham.
I am pro First Amendment, oh yes, I am.
Theodor Seuss Geisel (AKA Dr. Suesspassed on 24 September 1991
YONKERS, NY – MARCH 1: Theodor Geisel attends Dr. Suess In-Store Appearance on March 1, 1986 at Caldor in Yonkers, New York. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Who knows what will be next. Maybe Jack and Jill since we know they went up there to fetch a pail of water, right? But what did they do while there? Hmm. What did Jill do to cause his disaster and get her whipped. Standby, for they may be next.
Originally posted 2021-03-13 13:29:30.
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BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA – Revelations that the insurrection at the US Capitol included many former and current members of America’s armed forces have been met with alarm. And yet, as a 35-year veteran and retired commandant of the US Marine Corps, I saw the events of January 6 as the predictable culmination of a growing disconnect between the US military and civilian society.
Once home, many veterans joined organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, where they were surrounded by like-minded people who had served, suffered, and sacrificed together. Jobs were plentiful, and Americans took pride in their country and their military.
Similarly, in the Korean War less than a decade later, though America was never “all in,” it nonetheless had clear strategic goals. As in WWII, US servicemen and women did a remarkable job and came home to an appreciative country.
But then came Vietnam, where most Americans never really knew what their country was fighting for. When the conflict finally came to its ignominious end in April 1975, there was no victory to celebrate (and it certainly was not fireworks that flew from the roof of the US embassy in Saigon). Unlike previous generations, those who fought in Vietnam were not honored for their service and sacrifice. Equally important, the public backlash against the war led to the end of military conscription, which fundamentally transformed the relationship between the military and the American people. The rift created by the shift to an all-volunteer military has grown wider ever since.
After Vietnam, America’s next major war was Desert Storm, in 1990. Again, clear strategic goals were met in a dramatic fashion, and US servicemen and women returned to a proud country – on the cusp of becoming the world’s only remaining superpower with the collapse of the Soviet Union the following year.
Yet by the end of the Gulf War, globalization and technological change had already begun to reshape American society. Old-line industries were being upended, and many manufacturing jobs were disappearing. Although immigration had only a minor effect on the big economic picture, it became a hot-button political issue for those who found themselves out of work. At the same time, a new wave of social-justice issues also started gaining momentum during this period. As a microcosm of America, the US military was not immune to these political dynamics.
It was against this political, social, and economic backdrop that America embarked on its “long war.” Much like Vietnam, the “War on Terror” lacks clear strategic goals and has lost public buy-in over time. Many of those who have fought it subscribe to the apocryphal refrain that while the military was at war, America was at Walmart. After serving multiple tours in Iraq or Afghanistan, servicemen and women who sacrificed years of their lives have received little recognition.
In his 1973 book, The American Way of War, the historian Russell F. Weigley quoted US General George C. Marshall as saying, “a democracy cannot fight a Seven Years’ War,” because any protracted conflict eventually will lose the support of the electorate. The longer a war runs – particularly when it becomes cross-generational – the greater the disconnect between the typical citizen and the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who serve.
he War on Terror is an abiding case in point, helping to shed light on the unrest and extremism that burst into public view at the Capitol. A small minority of alienated former and active service members have concluded that something is wrong in the America for which they fought and sacrificed. The past two presidential elections have fueled this discontent and convinced some that they have a duty to confront perceived domestic “enemies.” Political leaders, meanwhile, have exploited these sentiments for their own advantage.
The COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to a perfect storm. As the economy shed jobs – particularly at the lower end of the income distribution – face-to-face interactions were no longer possible. With deepening social atomization, it has become more difficult to experience solidarity. Angst or boredom have afflicted many, and some have found refuge in online communities espousing extremist ideologies. The 2020 presidential election brought the situation to a boiling point. A sitting commander-in-chief openly sought to overturn a free and fair election with lies and intimidation, and a small minority of his acolytes answered his call to action. Really?
But Americans should have faith. Notwithstanding a few outliers, the US military is unwavering in its support of, and dedication to, the US Constitution. Those in its ranks who harbor extremist views will be discovered and dealt with appropriately. Looking ahead, recruitment methods will be strengthened to weed out extremists. Recruiters will have to look not only at candidates’ social-media activity but also at their “body paint” (tattoos) and other potential indicators of extremist or racist sympathies. Interviews will need to be more pointed, and education for active members improved.
While the troubling trajectory of US military-civil relations has created fertile ground for some members to be radicalized, it is important to remember that the insurrectionists represent an exception. The US military has defended American democracy for centuries and will continue to do so, in keeping with our noblest traditions. Yes, I agree general, you can bet on it!
CHARLES C. KRULAK
Writing for PS since 2020
4 Commentaries
In sum, I categorize this fellow in the same company as Mattis, Allen, and all the other Kool Aid drinking generals viewing the military through their woke eyes and ears. Krulak says the recruiters will take care of this supposed problem. LOL What does he know about recruiting — Nothing!