Meet Boxer's antecedent: (1st Female) Representative Jeanette Rankin

[DerekG]

Today, one senator made a stand against injustice. A woman to boot...and no one should find this surprising. After all, another woman, the first female representative, Jeanette Rankin of Montana, was the sole voice of protest against our entry into the second world war. Many may grimace that such a gesture was made (for many subscribe to the Brokaw/Spielberg/Ambrose glorification of WWII), but it might be important to remember the scorched children of Dresden and Hamburg, and the human guinea pigs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and realize that Rankin said *NO* to this. She said *NO* to the ascending American Empire (she would later express disgust with our Korean and Vietnam ventures). Her dissent was enormously courageous, a stance that caused her to be expelled from the corridors of power, mirroring her expulsion in 1918 for opposing our first plunge into the cauldron of Europe.

Perhaps it does rest with women--the noblest of them, anyway--to save the world that men destroyed.

[elshiva]

1. Good for her!

As a Jew, I think WWII, was necessary but as pacificist I wish it never would have happened. Jeanette Rankin and Barbara Boxer are both very brave women and I admire their stands.
As a feminist, I think women do have a lot to offer to government. Unfortunately, we have women like Kindasleazy Rice, Deborah the Right Pryce, and Liddy Dole in the government proving they can screw things up as much as the men.

[Lenape85]

2. As a non-Jew, I believe WWII was necessary also

I didn't believe that a lot of things we did was necessary, but the people who came out of it were the greatest generation.

[DerekG]

3. I didn't intend for another "Was WWII just or not?" thread

My point, in lieu of Boxer's act, was to point to a parallel, to recognize a lone dissenter of the past.

Note: I mean no disrespect to those who felt WWII was just--I couldn't think of anything more worthy of debate.

[bobbieinok]

4. she voted against US entry into WORLD WAR ONE

http://www.rankinfoundation.org/story.htm

The Story of Jeannette
Pickering
Rankin
1880-1973
Born on a ranch in Montana, and one of the first women in the World to be elected to a parliamentary body, Jeannette Rankin was a suffragist and a lifelong pacifist.

Elected to Congress before Women's Suffrage

In 1914, Jeannette Rankin led a successful drive for women's voting rights in her native state of Montana and in 1916, running in the Republican party, was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives. This was four years before women had the right to vote nationwide. During her first term in Congress, Ms. Rankin helped draft a constitutional amendment to give women the right to vote, and she led a successful floor debate on it in the House. It was later defeated in the Senate, however, and it was not enacted until 1919. Probably as a result of her 1917 vote against U. S. entry into World War I, Ms. Rankin lost her bid for election to the Senate in 1918 and did not run for Congress again until 1940.

....

[Hippo_Tron]

5. She voted against entry into BOTH WWI and WWII actually

She was re-elected in 1940 and was the lone member of congress to vote against US entry into World War II>

[bobbieinok]

6. incredible ...what a legacy

second vote was implied but not explicit in the source

I had always only heard about WWI

[no name no slogan]

7. Had Wilson not fscked up the WWI armistace, WWII may not have happened

Wilson made the mistake of getting the US into WWI. In fact, he was the creator of modern propaganda as we know it today. He set up a special office to incite anti-German furor across the country, and change a largely anti-interventionist country into a raving pack of mad dogs.

He was also in charge of the negotiations that led to the Treaty of Versailles, which exacted extraordinary punishment on Germany-- who, BTW, did not even START the war. This overly harsh treaty made it possible for the German people to support a weasly little army corporal from Austria and his jackbooted thugs-- who not only overthrew the elected German government, but caused WWII in Europe.

Not to mention the several large, American companies who made a fortune off doing business with Nazi Germany. Henry Ford used to give Hitler 35,000 Reichmarks on his birthday. Dubya's granddaddy got rich doing business with the Nazis, too. Hell, even Joe Kennedy was at least a little sympathetic to Adolph.

WWI was completely unnecessary. Had it been settled properly, it never would have led to WWII.

[bobbieinok]

8. who did start WWI.......a German scholar Fischer claimed Germany

bears a lot of the blame

[Hippo_Tron]

12. I think all of the European nations share the blame

Their damn egos led them into one of the bloodiest wars in history that had no purpose and no positive outcome.

[Hippo_Tron]

11. Wilson's 14 points actually might've prevented WWII

If you can say any good thing about the guy, and believe me it's very hard to considering his racism and his violations of the constitution, it's his diplomacy. France and to a lesser extent Britain wanted reparations and forced a democratic government on Germany, these things allowed Hitler to rise to power. Wilson was strongly against these.

The alternative you suggest, America not entering World War I, is also an interesting scenario. Germany most likely would've won the war had America not joined. Had Germany won World War I, Hitler certainly would not have come to power. The question is whether a similar figure would've risen to power in France instead of Germany.

[elshiva]

10. Did she consider herself a pacifist (sp.?)?

[Clark2008]

9. And it was a WOMAN who refused to let white men tell

her and her aching feet to "go to the back of the bus."

It was also a WOMAN who convinced a Tennessee senator to change his vote and vote to ratify the right for women to vote (the woman was the senator's own mother.)

Woman are also charged with continuing our religious and social norms and, to this day and age, with primary responsibility of raising the children.

Proving that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.