There is a book - I DID NOT WRITE IT.

[Joe for Clark]

I don't know the guy that wrote it, either. It is called "Generals in Bronze". His name is Styple. This guy recorded the "off-the-cuff" comments of our greatest generals from the time.

An innocuous title. I have read it several times now. I love Civil War history. Nothing new for me. The sickest things you ever entertained about "politics" - all true.

But the stuff in that book sets this history on its heels, too. And it is causing a tizzy fit in such circles. Good reasons.

If you asked me, a well read civil war historian, who were the two greatest presidents I would have answered Lincoln and FDR - in that order before I read that book. No more.

Just FDR now.

There was this "condition" about getting command of the Army of the Potomac - that Lincoln get reelected - as a condition of the employment. And confirmed by a number of other generals. Wade, Porter, etc..

In a way, makes you as sick to your stomach as you come away knowing the rightness of your parents in 1941-42. They do appear so much smarter than we. Isn't it?

It was clearly a special generation that brought us into this world. How is it they knew better?

We better have listened. Those lessons were paid in blood.

Joe

[Shortyfuse]

1. when was it written.

Huh

[acmejack]

2. September 1, 2005

[Joe for Clark]

3. Yes.

I got my copy late fall.

It is one hell of a thing.

Joe

[acmejack]

4. It looks very interesting, I may have to pick it up.

I am busy reading about the Philippine-American War of 1998-1902 at the present. An episode of pure, unvarnished imperialism.

[pretzel4gore]

5. in reality, they got hoisted on their petards again and again and again

reading back, and remembering that the writers of the histories were upper class twits for the most part, who hid uncomfortable truths and bullhorned outright lies whenever necessary....bruce catton's civil war series tells one whatever needed about the background to lincoln's career, and the civil war-lincoln never became wealthy; indeed he was murdered after guiding the union through shoals that should have wrecked the usa as a country (and maybe that would have been better for all, but that's hindsight...) the wars that wracked europe saw the upper class twittery in the form of landed aristocracy lose their position decade after decade and largely the conflicts were the result of the upper class twits trying to steal more from the people....the russian revolution was provoked by the upper class twits, as was every revolution that's ever happened. The more one knows about history is that it's written to protect the upper class twits who fukked with things and got caught in backlash (hitler was sponsored in power, as was regan, bush, caligula, ghenhis khan, stalin, robespierre, mao and geebush junior, by greedy fools who thought, 'now we eat for free!'
the greatest generation was responsible for insane crimes; making paranoid psycho stalin so afraid he killed millions, establishing hitlerism in germany and spain, the holocaust, the nuking of civilians at hiroshima/nagasaki, and killing tens of millions in the 2nd world war. they were the greatest generation only in that they got caught, and many of them were killed by the blowback. and the upper class twits in usa were involved in every kinda vicious depravity (they thought no one notice, cuz the kept most everything from being published, but a pattern of truth has emerged) and geebush has really made it stand out. the men who run the world are goofballs; hell, let's pick a name outta the phonebook and get someone 100 percent better...

[Joe for Clark]

6. Re read it man.

60,000,000 people died - DEAD.

The sick thing, it could have been worse.

Dad was there when Buchenwald was liberated. Has pictures. It happened - the holocost was very real.

Jesus Christ - that was going to happen here in the states.

I am not a bleeding heart person. Hiroshima and Nagasaki was necessay to save a million or more of our kids, and god knows how many Janapesse kids.

AND the differnce is - and a big difference - they knew when the stakes were worth war - they knew.

Why don't we??

Yes, I think they really were the greatest generation - I really do.


Joe

[pretzel4gore]

7. japan tried to surrender before hiroshima....

the usa upper class twits wanted to throw some red meat to the people because of pearl harbour, so they ignored the fact japan was trying to surrender until after hiroshima/nagasaki. iow hiroshima and nagasaki saved not one life, not even one.... and hitler was sponsored into power, by, among others, the dulles brothers and prescott bush, the fukker who spawned geeb junior's old man....
i respect your goodwill and trust of what you've been taught, but i'm an old cynic who has seen a very good thing (our progressive civilization) mislead until we find ourselves today misled by a dope who thinks his 'war' gives him dictatorial powers, and if anyone's to blame for this mess, it's the smelly old men who creeps like tom brocawcaw calls the 'greatest' generation', when in fact they were fundamentally dishonest, and it is the chickens of their dishonesty that have come home, to roost...

[Joe for Clark]

8. No, they didn't.

I have seen the shows agruing differently.
Our forces gathered in the Pacific to attack and they prepared. It was going to happen, alright.

Best argument was that the Russian invasion of Manchuria a week before convinced Japan to surrender. Pretty good argument - except - They didn't surrender.

Best estimates at the time - prepared under Marshall - is we should expect to lose a million boys on the beaches in southern Japan.

Do you have any idea how many of us would not be here to today if that happened??

This had to happen - that war had to end.

Joe