Wednesday, August 5, 2020

The Whiskey Rebellion, George Washington And Genocide... And A Movie Recommendation: "Flowers Of The Forest"

From his headquarters in Middlebrook, New Jersey , Washington authorized the "total destruction and devastation" of the Iroquois settlements | made w/ Imgflip meme maker
In the painting above, I imagine George is praying for the extermination of the Iroquois nation.

Thanks Tom!

I had no idea that George Washington was the largest distiller in North America and that the whiskey tax was uniform across the entire population of distillers, regardless their net worth. 

Make no mistake. The deck is ALWAYS stacked on behalf of white capitalists, particularly those who are willing to sign off on the murder (and accelerated demise) of dark-skinned peoples.

Your email reminds me...

Having grown up in Seneca country, I am particularly sensitive to the following campaign of cold-blooded murderousness by General George Washington.

General George Washington Orders "Complete Destruction" Of Iroquois Settlements


The Bonus Round!

The Origin Of White Supremacy: "An Indigenous People's History Of The United States"
On Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 10:54 AM TM wrote:

For years historians took the Federalist Papers at face value when, in fact they were largely propaganda; Hamiton was incapable of crossing his mentor, King George; Madison obviously viewed the world from a slaveholder's perspective; and John Jay, slave owner until 1800, was invested in the slave trade, and only became an abolitionist as Governor of NY in 1801. The fear of a standing Army was argued most vigorously by our slave states. They wanted to be armed and they did not want a federal force to disarm them. The image of Washington as CinC leading a US Army to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion reinforced the fears. BTW - the excise tax over which farmers rebelled was a uniform tax per still. At the time Washington was the largest distiller in North America and he paoid the same tax on his massive, commercial stills as the farmers paid for their five and ten gallon stills. It is the first and maybe the most egregious emolument until Trump upped the bar, They had already agreed to end the slave trade in 1805 and actions against slavery by the British was a major motive for the RevWar. No, I'm pretty sure that both the prohibition of a standing army and the provision for militias were argued for and benefited disproportionately the slave states.

t
_________________
 TM

"No more dynasties, no more celebrities, and no more damned oligarchs in public office."

On Tue, Aug 4, 2020 at 5:58 PM Alan Archibald <alanarchibaldo@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Tom,

Thanks for your thoughtful email.

Your Transvaal statue reference is eye-opening.

I don't doubt that the suppression of slave insurrections played a role in formulating the 2nd Amendment.

However, there is a sizeable body of historical information that points to the importance of the 2nd Amendment as an alternative to a standing army.

Without a regular army and police force (which in England was not established until 1829), it had been the duty of certain men to keep watch and ward at night ...
Feb 22, 2018 - 2. The amendment's primary justification was to prevent the United States from needing a standing army. AD.
Dec 22, 2018 - The militia envisioned in the Second Amendment was a means of avoiding a large, powerful standing army, which the framers feared could ...

It is also clear (as you point out in your reference to the War of 1812 that there came a time when advances in shipping, military technology and strategy, coupled with creation and maintenance of increasingly sophisticated supply lines required standing armies.

I am happy to hear that you and Diane will be watching "Sunset Song."

I look forward to your review.

Pax

Alan 

On Tue, Aug 4, 2020 at 5:10 PM TM wrote:

I will take issue with a thing or two. The Second Amendment was intended to ensure that slave state militia, the pattirollers would stay armed for the suppression of servile insurrections. As the War of 1812, a militia force was wholly insufficient to resist an invasion by a professional military.

As the country is now on the verge of a serious reconsideration about what should be memorialized, I couldn't agree more about Smedley Butler. He needs to be remembered with the same intensity the DCV brought to their boys in gray. Side note: after the Boor War there was a rush to erect statues to the brave boys and there were discounted bronze statues available. So, now if you visit towns in the Transvaal you will see young men with muskets atop plinths, and their belt buckles all say CSA.

t

_________________

 TM

"No more dynasties, no more celebrities, and no more damned oligarchs in public office."


On Tue, Aug 4, 2020 at 3:31 PM <alanarchibaldo@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear F and Jimbo,

Friend Marsh (below) is a very smart, insightful fellow - a Christian activist (and accomplished intellectual) in “the Plowshares circle.”

On his recommendation alone, I plan to watch “Sunset Song.” 

How about you?

In addition to being a good flick, it looks like it would provide us with excellent conversation material.

For decades, I have referred to the practice of indoctrinating our young “in the ways of war” with this comment: “Get them while they’re young and dumb” and can still confuse their youthful idealism with the jingoistic conniving of old men promoting war for personal gain.

Although it will not happen in my lifetime, veterans’ groups (and others) should advocate for a national holiday dedicated to Marine Commandant General Smedley Butler, Who in his day was the most highly decorated soldier ever. 

Just having the issue “out there” for ongoing discussion would be profoundly illuminating.

And since it may be useful background information, I will also mention that the “Founding Fathers” staunchly opposed any “standing army.”

Indeed, it was for this reason that they devised the Second Amendment as a way to ensure enough armed citizens who could be mustered quickly into a military force on rare occasions when such force might prove necessary.

And finally I recall Lincoln’s comment that the United States would never suffer existential threat from an invading foreign power. Rather if we destroyed ourselves, it would be from within. 

Love

A(‘bald)  

PS Here is a review of “Sunset Song” from Roger Ebert‘s website. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sunset-song-2016
Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:
From: MH
Date: August 4, 2020 at 1:37:28 PM EDT
Subject: Flowers of the Forest
Gotta recommendation, perhaps the greatest antiwar film ever, "Sunset Song" on Tubi (free w/ only few commercials). The Scottish is thick, so you'll need CC on. (O och aye, th' flowers o' th' forest sure are a' wede away.) The film not only shows the obvious losses of war but the brutalizing effects of just being trained for war.

That song, played as a slow march by pipes and drums, is never played in the British Army now except for important funerals, so great were the losses of WWI. To get its importance, you might Google "Flowers of the Forest" to see its lyrics and various performances.


  --  M. B. H
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