So I plan to write some kind of formal review on the matter, but for now all I can say is go see this movie if you love…
A. Video Games
B. Humor
C. Fighting
D. Love

If you do not like any of these things something is wrong with you…

I have just returned from traversing the American Auto Bahn and I must say I am disappointed. Disappointed enough to not care whether I spelled Auto Bahn wrong. It seems to me there are a large group of things very wrong with people evident on the interstate.

Racers
-These folk are not content with cruising along at 70mph and must seek cheaper thrills by leap frogging from car to car at upwards of 90mph.

Trucks
-Boy do they suck. Either they go to slow and you can’t see around them. Or you pass them and they take it as an insult and try and run you off the road.

The Interstate Itself
-Misleading signs, misleading lanes, and misleading me.

Begrudgers
-Why must people you pass because they are going at grandma speeds decide to speed up only once you have passed them?

Grandmas
-Or Grandpas I am not grandist. When the minimum speed is 65 who goes 40?

Me
-Damn I hope no one ever encounters me on a highway. When alone I tend to yell out the window at passers by, race people, annoy trucks, follow bad signs, chase people begrudgingly, and pass grandparents…

Memorial Day weekend is the time for grilling, kicking back with a cold perspiring beer, and, if you are in the Harrisburg area, visiting Artsfest, a small festival held on the banks of the Susquehanna River. It’s been a staple of my Memorial Day weekend for a few years now and every year I have found it more enthralling, like a great bottle of wine that gets better with age. That is every year except this one.

Before explaining what I felt was wrong with this year’s Artsfest, I must first confess that I was in a bitterly sad mood. I had just been broken up with two days prior to the festival but I was looking forward to Artsfest cheering me up, and to an extent it did. Still, as a whole I did not come away, unlike in years past, feeling like it was a wonderfully executed festival.

For the first time, this year Artsfest was no longer free – you were charged five dollars on entry, and had to wear a bracelet. This actually did not bother me that much – if something is good you will inevitably have to pay for it, that is the American way. What bothered me was that this year the festival was a huge deal smaller than in years past. I understand that the city of Harrisburg is in financial crisis due to their efforts to go green, but they have to understand that if your suddenly charge for a previously free festival people will expect it to be even better than before or they will be disappointed.

That said, my favorite part of Artsfest every year, made my day this year. Darcie Miner, whose new album Loneliness Anoynomous I recently reviewed here, was just as good, if not better as in years past.

Although at the beginning of her set with the four-piece Darcie Miner Band, the sound technician could not seem get anything right, by the third song all the problems seemed to be resolved (but considering it was only an eight song set, this is a big problem). Luckily, guitarist Jimmy Patton stayed crisp through the entire set, and most of the songs sounded even better then on the album, which is something I did not think possible considering how good Loneliness Anonymous is. The guitar filling in for the (absent) synthesizer introduction in the song “Patience” was really interesting and Miner’s lyric “…Faith Flying up near the sun..” had a particularly strong effect on me. The only complaint I have from this performance, is not really a complaint at all. On the song “24″ a lot of emphasis is put on a certain four-letter word that, of course, was impossible to say that at a family-oriented festival. Unfortunately, “24″ builds up to that word with every syllable and without it the song feels like it never really hits the climax that it should. The set ended with “There is No Getting Through”, which is the same song the album concludes on, and just like on the album Patton’s steel guitar sounds vibrant and emotional.

In the end, seeing Darcie Miner live made my day, and meeting her afterward and finding that she remembered and enjoyed my past article, pulled me out of my depressed mood. Unfortunately, the Darcie Miner Band was really the only highlight at Artsfest for me this year. Maybe it was only me, but I just did not get the same vibes from walking around the festival as in years past. Everything seemed rushed and staged and targeted towards getting you to spend money. Art just should not be just about money. Art should be about something higher and deeper and it is conceived simply for money it tarnishes and corrupts the art itself. Look at any current Hollywood remake, or pop song these days and you will see exactly what I mean.

By J.D. Cook
May 11, 2010

Ric Albano’s Imaginary Lines 33 is an epic. Thirty-three songs packed on to two discs are not for the faint of heart, but if you have the courage the experience is rich and rewarding, although far from easy listening. Peter Jackson once said of movies that, “they are never finished, you only reach a point where you feel alright to stop.” This seems to ring extremely true with Imaginary Lines 33, as Mr. Albano clearly reached a point where he had to stop. This leaves a few songs sounding unfinished, but it also makes the more perfected songs, previously released on Imaginary Lines I (2005) and Imaginary Lines II (2007), stand out.

The first eight songs on the album are all new. Janet Rains’ vocals on “Crimson White and Indigo” stand out, but it is not strong enough to be the opening track of this musical odyssey. “Sister Josephine” is an odd songs that borrows from one or two rock classics, but its last line, “And if I ever become human again-And worthy of friends-Could I? – Should I?-Would I ever get to see you again?” is quite profound. This song is followed by “Rubicon”, which is the most perfect of Albano’s new songs. There is nothing negative about this song, but one wonders why it was not at the end of disc one or beginning of disc two serving as a crossing point for the listener.

“Princess of Pearl Avenue” is a fun, upbeat pop song before 999 Escape which has sad sounding keyboards, but ugly affects on the vocals. Track six, “Tommy’s Got a Gun”, oozes Philosophy while “Can’t Get My Mojo Risin’”, “Ashes”, and “The Phoenix” flow together very well.

At this point in the album the listener is thrust back to Imaginary Lines I. The standouts on that 2005 original remain the standout’s still, as very little is changed save some time trimming. “Good Friday”, “Lorelei”, “Anthem”, and “Donovan’s Dread” are the show stealers here, but the rest are all very good and this is easily the best section of the entire thirty three song journey. The bass on “33 Flames for Mary” is quite unique as well.

The second disc begins with the rehashing of the songs from Imaginary Lines II. Unfortunately, the first three tracks sound similar and after already listening to seventeen songs this can be deadly, unless you are smarter than me and don’t listen to both CD’s back to back. Luckily “The Last Man to Walk Alone” saves the day with its western theme song goodness. The next groups of songs are very good. Erik Trabert’s guitar stands out on all of the songs he plays on, but especially on the ending of “Deuce”. Janet Rains makes a brilliant return on “The Old Man and the Sea” and the dueling vocals of “Believe” are very interesting.

Lastly, but far from least, Badlee’s drummer Ron Simasek performs a fantastic job throughout both disks on the collection and fellow Badlee Bret Alexander adds guitars on all the former Imaginary Lines I songs.

The problem with Imaginary Lines 33 is also one of its strong points. It is epic! The work is so great and musically complex it is hard to relate to some of it. Even the lyrics need to be read in order for you to grasp the full philosophy being addressed within any given song.

Overall, the album is like a novel written in a way so that only the writer can fully appreciate it. There is also the problem of an oversaturated keyboard sound on much of the second disc. Yet despite this there is so much musical complexity throughout Imaginary Lines 33 that it will surely appeal more to other musicians then anyone. This epic is certainly worth an ear but be prepared to listen to it multiple times just to grasp minor concepts, and sounds. This album is a solid B, folks.

By Ric Albano
February 11, 2010

Sarah Palin sure is stupid. In fact, she’s so stupid that she can’t even get through a simple little, hour-long speech without looking at some hand-written keywords that she jotted on her own left palm.

Such an act of pathetic ineptitude prompted the brilliant and clever White House spokesman Robert Gibbs to rightfully mock and deride Palin by revealing his own “handwritten” notes during an official press briefing earlier this week.

It was a moment of levity well deserved by this White House which has spent so much time and effort trying to “not let a good crisis go to waste”. Over the past year, they have worked super-duper hard by pushing health care reform, cap and trade, the employee forced choice act, as well as by finding innovative new math to show us how many jobs were actually “saved” in the past year without relying on those pesky, old outdated metrics such as unemployment statistics. Yet, despite all of these noble efforts, nothing has worked. It appears that, like Sarah Palin, the American people are just too stupid to know what’s good for them.

And so it is important that Citizen Sarah be answered, mocked, ridiculed, and discredited at every turn, so that the people see just how foolish is the alternative to the Left-wing agenda. Conventional wisdom says that this strategy will eventually get Sarah to shut up, go back to the sticks, and leave the governing to those born of the proper pedigree, alumni of the proper university, or married the proper prodigy.

But have these experts of conventional wisdom ever heard of a “rope-a-dope”?

In 1974 Muhammad Ali faced George Forman in a heavyweight title fight. Foreman was considered one of the hardest hitters of all time and most analysts and “experts” believed that for Ali to have a chance, he would have to use his speed advantage and stay as far away from Foreman’s massive blows as possible. But Ali employed a different strategy.

For much of the first five rounds Ali simply put his gloves up to protect his head and face, leaned back on the ropes, and let Foreman pummel away at his body. Those watching the fight assumed Ali was losing badly, and Foreman would eventually knock him out. But they didn’t know that Ali had done thousands and thousands of sit-ups in preparation of this strategy which, along with the elasticity of the ropes, helped Ali to absorb much of impact of the punches all while Foreman got more and more tired trying to knock him out. By the start of the sixth round, Foreman was visibly exhausted and was suddenly shocked and demoralized when Ali suddenly sprung to life and went on the offensive. Within a few short rounds, Ali knocked Foreman out and regained the belt.

Up until that historic fight, conventional wisdom in boxing was simply that the man who landed the hardest and most effective punches would win – there was really not much thought involved. Muhammad Ali’s “rope-a-dope” changed all that.

Likewise, conventional wisdom among the Left is that you must destroy your political opponents personally through ridicule, innuendo, or laser-like focus on the faux pas that anyone will eventually make. To them it’s quite simple – politics is about the cult of personality and if you can just generate enough negativity about a political opponent they will surely be knocked out politically – there is really not much thought involved. This strategy has bourn out well for them in recent years as they successfully demonized President Bush and issued in the era of “hope and change”.

But what they seemingly fail to notice is that Sarah Palin is different and each “punch” that they subsequently throw at her has less and less impact as their overall tactic is really starting to tire with the American people. In fact, it is getting downright amusing how seemingly easy it is for Palin the “push their buttons” every few weeks or so and how, once again, she sends them into yet another predictable frenzy. It is as though she holds them in the palm of her hand.

Sarah Palin may never hold political office again and I sincerely doubt she will ever become President of the United States. But she may well be the most important political figure of our time because she is a true pioneer who is willing to take all the “arrows” that come with that role as she is blazes a new path for the generation to come.

I predict that, in the very near future, we may see two or three or five or ten “Sarah Palins” enter the political arena. These will be just regular, common-sense Americans with conservative values, who may not have a huge trust fund or an Ivy League education, but who nonetheless believe they can play an active part in preserving or restoring the America they love and believe in. And with this new group the true “genius” of Mrs. Palin will be revealed. Largely because of her rope-a-dope strategy, an the exhausted and passé Left will no longer be able to convince the people that any of these new folks are just as “stupid” as Sarah is.

Back to Politics Page

A debate between Chris Reimold and J.D. Cook that originated on Facebook, January 28-29, 2010.

J.D. Cook

I love how people universlly think Catcher in the Rye is the best book ever when by doing so they make themselves the exact phonies Holden talked of in the book. Just my thoughts on the passing of another famous J.D. in history.

Chris Reimold

Really? Catcher in the Rye the best book ever? Hmmm that’s definite NO! And hey Howard Zinn died as well! Where are your thoughts on that?

J.D. Cook

I’m not a fan of Zinn’s idea that you can just call something a “People’s History,” and then portray only his side of everything so that it’s not a “People’s History” at all. It is his. I also disagree with most of his ideas in the book. Columbus an evil rapist? The guy died dirt poor without having known he had done anything.

Then his idea that the Revolutionary War was due too an Economic crisis and not to dumb ass British policies just doesn’t make sense to me. Yet, despite all that, I still felt his passing heavily in an adversarial sort of way. I respect anyone who can convince millions that he is for the “people” while making vast sums of money from it. (Sarcasm, lol) I will always be saddened never to have met and debated him.

Chris Reimold

People are always going to publish a history as if it is the only view. For example, was it western expansion or western invasion? Depends on which side you view it from. And dude, just because Columbus died dirt poor doesn’t mean he wasn’t evil – let’s think about this – he enslaved and killed an entire populace. I mean, sure it was not him alone, but he contributed to it vastly. And in some sense you can say the Revolution was an economic crisis, because the British policies were all based off of capitalistic gains. Also, you may think he was not for the “people” but his books (yes there are more than just People’s History of the United States) and views always sided with the people over the government so it would be justifiable name his book the PEOPLE’s history…what we are taught in institution is the Government’s history and it is only taught through Paulo Freire’s “Banking” Concept of Education, where as it should be taught through a problem-solving concept. For example alot of schools are not aloud to use the term “Vietnam War” anymore because if we call it the “Vietnam Conflict” that means we did not loose a war and makes the government seem better.

J.D. Cook

First off, Columbus can not be blamed for what the Spanish did! He sought trade and friendship with people he believed to be the “Indians”. After all he was seeking an easier way to get to India because the Ottoman Empire, and Italy controlled the trade routes to India, and China exclusively. His idea was that by going straight around the Earth he could surpass those two empires, but of course he found America. Now why would he rape and pillage those very same people he sought so desperately to trade with?

Then there is, of course, the simple fact that Columbus didn’t know where the hell he was. How can he be blamed for invading and setting up the invasion of the Native Americans if he didn’t know they were a new people and didn’t know he was at a new place? Maybe we should blame old Amerigo for realizing Columbus’s mistake because that would make more sense then constantly killing Columbus’s reputation.

I don’t think the Revolution had diddly to do with economic gains. The fact was that a Parliament was never going to hold strong over the 13 colonies when an Ocean separated them from the homeland. Not to mention the people that lived in America were of a totally different breed then the English at home. These were people living on the frontier, and looking for adventure, and they weren’t going to be told what to do by a bunch of prima-donnas in red coats who sat drinking tea thousands of miles away.

How can it be a “people’s history” if only one side of everything is told? We are all people, after all. The fact is that Zinn was obsessed with class warfare which has never truly existed in America. Since the country of the United States was founded class had been essentially nonexistent. The poor will always be able to rise and the rich will always be able to fall, and in the middle a happy group will always prosper because that is what makes the country survive. Zinn preaches about the oppressed and the downtrodden when in America most (I believe gay marriage is the last thing that needs to be implemented for our country to be fully fair and balanced) people live without any prejudices or burdens holding them back from reaching the full potential of their own rational mind. Zinn and his socialist views could never understand that workers were only oppressed pre-government intervention or before Teddy Roosevelt laid down the law, if you prefer. Since then workers have been treated great. If Zinn was really a great hero of the working class he would journey to China and India and ask for worker’s rights there.

I love how workers in America complain of health care, dental, or retirement when workers in those countries are worked to the bone for their lives and then die as if they never existed on the earth. Quite frankly, Zinn is just a hypocrite who fought a government that never fought back.

Have you read a history book lately? The last time I did I could detect the slant of it from start to finish and it wasn’t siding with the government. It was without a doubt supporting the (so called) “people”. And as far as the Vietnam Conflict goes, I believe the reason it is not called a war is because Congress never declared war. John F. Kennedy just sent troops in and from there things got hotter and hotter, but Congress never declared war. So its considered a police action.

Chris Reimold

Your thesis is that Columbus didn’t rape and pillage because he wanted so badly trade with them? Usually when a “explorer” went to a foreign land to trade it was because he wanted to control that foreign land…not trade. And in that process the said “explorer” and his men would often rape and pillage. Westerners call this imperialism. Also, it was under Columbus’ commands that that natives be used as slaves. Spanish Historian Vartela says, “Even those who loved him [Columbus] had to admit the atrocities that had taken place.” And even if he was such a benevolent fellow why did he own ANY slaves then? Does society excuse him for that?

The Revolution was obviously and purely economic. The colonists got enraged at taxes that the British imposed on them…taxes, that means it is economic. These taxes were imposed on them to help pay back for the war that the Brits and colonists jointly fought in against the French and Natives. Perhaps you heard of it…it was a little number known as the 7 Years’ War. You also refer to the colonists as “frontiers men”. So the frontier they were exploring the people were extremely open to them coming there? Hmmm because the exploring frontiers men weren’t to nice to them. Ever hear of Indian Industrial Schools (there’s one in Carlisle)? Well, the white would force them into these schools using the quote, “Kill the savage in them, but save the white man.” (which can still be seen on above the doors of the one in Carlisle) Did you know that they often cut the Native’s hair when doing this? You might say so what. Well, to many native’s that is a huge symbol of mourning…this caused many children to take their own lives. Still nice little frontiers men?

Oh yes I have read several history books and political books. Here are some authors I suggest: bell hooks, Emma Goldman, Alexander Berkman, Christopher Browning, Chinua Achebe, Paulo Freire, Toni Morrison, Helen Vendler, amongst others. So since the US was founded class has never existed? That’s why to be able to vote in the early years you had to be a free, white, land-owning male. Obviously class existed if you had to be those things. Obviously class existed if we had slaves and women who were considered a LOWER CLASS. Obviously class existed if immigrants were treated horrible upon arrival and even after naturalization. You also mention Teddy Roosevelt “laying down the law” and since then proletariat’s working conditions have been good…funny thing labor laws weren’t passed until 1938 and declared in 1941, which means labor was pretty bad until then.

So, Vietnam is considered a police action. So, 58,260 men were killed in action another 1,724 went missing in action for a “police action”. Just by you using the term “police action” clearly proves that there has been a class war going on. See, capitalism creates such a division between the rich and the poor that a surplus population is created and the government solution is hiring petty offenses to cage them up. And further more to prove class wars that you say NEVER happened…abolition of slavery, women’s rights, African American rights, gay rights (which you mention yourself, but deny as having to do anything with class), just to name a few class wars past and present. Want some more? Lattimer Massacre would be considered class war (we should know that one) or if you want one on a larger scale one the Philadelphia Nativists Riots.

I do understand that congress never declared war in Vietnam (as they never did in Quasi-Wars, the Barbary Wars, Lebanon Crisis, Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan, or Iraq). However, you cannot deny that they were still wars. Just because congress didn’t official declare them as wars does not mean the atrocities created by funnily enough our loving government did not exist! Here a another funny thing about the army. Who are the majority of the people enlisted in the army? The middle and lower classes, which also proves that there are still classes in America. Also, the reason it is mostly middle and lower class people is because they feel they have nothing else they can do to elevate their lives. Man, all they needed to do is talk to you and they could have clearly raised their status. Which is odd because you say, “since the country of the United States was founded class had been essentially nonexistent,” and then go onto to say,” the poor will always be able to rise, and the rich will always be able to fall, and in the middle a happy group will always prosper because that is what makes the country survive.” Dude, seriously? That is like the biggest contradiction ever. Basically what you said was there were basically no class, but the poor can do this, the rich can do this, and the middle can do this….does that not imply that there are class systems in America?

J.D. Cook

My thesis is that too many people seek to change accepted history. He who controls the past controls the future after all. I absolutely cannot stand for the constant degrading of the United States’ greatest heroes. I believe it is part of an overall much larger movement to destroy the United States by creating apathy and hatred within, and to go farther I would say Mr. Zinn was an integral part of this movement. Essentially what you have is a country that is everything Zinn and his Communist buddies hate. The United States is Democratic, Capitalistic, and Individualistic. As opposed to Communism/Socialism ( Which I’m going to call Com/Soc for the rest of the argument.) which values Feudalism, Central Control, and Collectivism. (Why anyone would want a super-powered government is beyond me considering almost every great atrocity in the world was committed by one.) I guess I should explain Feudalism because it’s not something that is usually attached to Com/Soc. I say that they value Feudalism because that is exactly what they do. They have groups of people who are essentially controlled by one person. (A King of sorts) This King must command his subjects in what is right and wrong and control the economy. I’m sure your familiar with Marx’s idea that in order for Communism to work a Great Leader (King) would need to exist to help transition the world between Capitalism, and Communism. Unfortunately every time the Great Leader of Com/Soc has got into power he has failed to continue the transition to true Communism (the state where people all live in harmony and gum drops fall from the sky and there are no problems but the occasional chocolate milk rain). Instead the Great Leader purges his proletarian friends and commits mass genocide. Between the three great leaders of Com/Soc (Stalin, Hitler, and Mao) there are en estimated 13,000,000 dead citizens who died simply for being. Yet in Russia Stalin is still revered as a hero, and Mao is viewed by our own Presidential staff as a great philosopher (Doesn’t “Power comes from the barrel of a gun” sound like the exact kind of rhetoric an EVIL capitalist would use?) Yet, of course, the United States committed ten times worse Mass Genocide in the twentieth century right?

Now returning to my original point. I don’t like that history is being changer to suite people who’s goal is to destroy my country. Columbus once a simple dumb explorer is now an evil rapist who brought about the destruction of an entire people? Thomas Jefferson is a man who hated slaves and would never want them set free. (When of course it is common knowledge that he fought to keep his original draft of the declaration which was critical of the slave trade) Then there is my personal favorite – George Washington who, if you read about him you realize he was nothing but good, is claimed to have raped slaves and laughed with an evil grin. Let’s not forget Benjamin Franklin who was an incredible statesmen and genius, but according to popular belief today he was just a dirty old man. So that is my problem with the belief that Columbus was evil. Not only did he not do enough to warrant hatred he is part of a movement to destroy American heroes.

Yes, the Revolutionary War was economic in the sense of no taxation without representation and all that, but to say that the founders of the country only rebelled against England to hide the fact that their economy was failing is ludicrous. There were a great deal of reasons for the war and pretending like the war was fought in order to hide something is a great disservice to all the historical men who changed history with there democratic, and freedom-loving ways (except the South, and some of the North until the civil war when that would be rectified, but as you know Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, and a great many of the founders were in anti-slavery leagues.) So to just say they rebelled to hide something is down right stupid, and it is part of Zinn’s goal to discredit the United States as a great Capitalistic, Democratic, and Individualistic country.

As far as the destruction of Native American’s, go I agree with you. The destruction of their culture and people was a terrible thing. Unfortunately, when two new cultures come together the results are often bad. Not to mention the fact that the Native American’s fought against the United States in the Revolutionary War. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Sugarloaf Massacre when a group of Revolutionary soldiers were butchered in their sleep by a group of Native Americans?

I’m not saying what the United States did was right. It was dead wrong but it’s not as if the United States didn’t give the Native American’s many chances to stop and surrender. Unfortunately, after Custer was killed the country went into a frenzy that couldn’t be stopped. We did exactly what Japan did to the Samurai but apparently no one cares about them for some reason. Instead they just harp on the United States ( because we are a bastion of capitalistic democracy maybe?)

Now on to class warfare. I was born poor, yet I am attending college, but since the United States is based on class I should not be in College because I’m poor right? My best friend is poor. Yet he is in college, but that can’t be because he is in the lower class right? My girlfriend is poor, but she is in college, but wait that doesn’t make sense she is a low class how did she get into college?

The fact is we DO NOT have a class system. A class system is something inescapable like England in a Jane Austin novel. The only way to escape being poor was to marry above your class. Class systems haven’t existed in a very long time, and the only places they do still exist are in countries like North Korea. Almost everywhere else allows you to move to what ever class your own mind allow you to move to. Therefore, when I mentioned class before I was referring to an inescapable destiny which many people sought to escape (rightly so) in the early twentieth century via Com/Soc. Thankfully through their efforts the last bastions of class systems were toasted. Unfortunately after they won their class struggle some people continued to fight against the very good their cause had created.

What are you talking about? In our society today there is the smallest gap between rich and poor ever because of a huge and expanding middle class. As far as the civil rights movement goes the fantastic people who fought for their rights may have been held down socially but they weren’t really kept down in any other sense. People like Langston Hughes, Sir Duke, and women like Amelia Earheart still found ways out of being truly poor and broke out of their class. You are talking about a class of people and I am talking of the class warfare referred to by Zinn. The poor against the rich. It is that class struggle that hasn’t truly existed in a century. I’ll end with asking you why you seem to believe only poor people should serve in the military? I personally love any man who serves his country wealthy or not. I don’t believe being poor makes a difference in military service especially since you get college for free after wards.

Chris Reimold

No history is exactly accepted. There is always two sides to every history, the history of the oppressor and the history of the oppressed. So, no matter what texts you read they will always appear to be one-sided. And it is true that he who controls the past controls the future and it is evident that the government (not just in the US, but elsewhere) control the past. In every school the government mandates what is learned, directly and indirectly. It is the government who decides what is important and unimportant for young scholars to learn. Also, the way in which the scholars are taught is a tool of control. The vast majority of teachers use what is known as the banking concept of education, where they are right, the student is wrong, they are knowledgeable and the student is not. They should use a problem-solving concept that allows the student to question what he or she is learning so that thye can develop their own conscience of what is occuring around them and what has occurred.

Now calling Zinn a radical leftist would be fair, but accusation of socialistic intent is a tad cruel of anyone. Remember MacArthur’s witch hunts? I do not believe anyone has the right to condemn his neighbors of any atrocities without verifiable proof…and having opposing political views is not verifiable proof. In sincerity I do believe Zinn was trying to point out the flaws of America in his writing, but only to awaken its peoples so that they could try and resolve such issues not to destroy the nation. Now you mention a king that would have to reign in socialist government to mandate right from wrong. Funnily enough Aristotle proposed such a king known as a “philosophy king” many, many years prior. However, what he proposed is that this “philosophy king” would have to exist culturally not politically. Every culture that is or was has had or has this said “philosophy king” that decides for his people what is right. And our “philosophy king” decided many centuries ago what would be right even if it was wrong…such as idolizing men who commended slavery as Columbus. And if you are implying that Washington didn’t own slaves that is quite blind of you. Now I am not saying that he raped them because I do not know if he did or not, but he did in fact own them and one slave woman managed to escape, but had to always be on the run. Why? Because he spent much of his time up until his death trying to recapture her. Now he may have done other great things, but there were bad things about him too. Its called the duality of man. All people suffer from duality. It is not something we can control.

The Revolution. I do not believe they were hiding anything at all. I believe it was purely economic. We don’t want to pay your taxes. We’re rebelling. The end. Well that’s not really the pure end France was aiding us economically only to enrage Britain. There now that’s the end.

The reason people harp on what the US did to the Indians is in fact because our major status in the world and how we claim to be the “greatest” nation, but in fact we try our best to cover our atrocities. And of course I heard of the Sugarloaf Massacre that’s what I get for growing up in Hazleton. Well, then again most Hazleton locals never heard about the Kelayres Massacre that can be related to government control.

Now not to sound offensive, but I doubt you grew up as poor as you think. I would say we both grew up middle class, maybe lower middle class, but not poor. Remember we went to Height Terrace together (random, but remember that bitch art teacher we had in like kindergarten…can’t remember her name)… and we were also acquainted through Brittany and Marie. Then I lived in a “slummy” part of Hazleton only to move to a trailer park in Hazleton finally ending up in a large Victorian house in Weatherly and too went onto college. So clearly this does indeed show that people can rise. But how far did we truly rise? I wouldn’t say that far…maybe lower middle class to upper middle class.

Poor, as you refer to yourself, friend and girlfriend, I believe describes a completely different class outside of what we grew up in. Poor more so refers to those who live on the streets because of homelessness. Now I have heard many people say just get them a job and then they won’t be homeless. Funny thing is that to get a job you must first have a home…seems like our government doesn’t want them to rise. Also, panhandling is illegal just about everywhere and the vast majority of shelters are overcrowded…so how are they to rise? I believe we rose because we are of a proletariat class, where as anything below that can truly never rise. Find me a homeless man who did not die on the streets, but who rose to riches and I will show you that I was wrong.

“In our society today there is the smallest gap between rich and poor ever because of a huge and expanding middle class.” If there is a huge and expanding middle class this obviously means there is a great schism between the rich and the poor. Civil Right Movement…you say that they were not really kept down except for not having their rights. How do you expect them to rise without their rights?

Lastly, I do not believe that only the poor should serve in the military. Au contraire, it should definitely be the rich as well. More to the point it should also be the family of those who decide that our troops need to go to places that they do not. What I was saying is that our military is mostly composed of middle class and poor individual because they feel there is no where else for them to turn to rise. I too support our troops and wish that everyone man and woman could come back alive, but I do not support what our government has them doing.

Thanks for the compliments and I likewise return them to you. I’m just glad I found someone who cannot debate and not get offended and just yell random bullshit

J.D. Cook

I understand your view that history is written by the victors, and it is true, but it is not the only view. Multiple views on any historical event can be found via internet, or library. It all depends on your level of desire to seek education. Obviously you should not accept the teachings of your school as law, and to do so would be silly. You must question everything. As far as the banking concept I don’t believe that is mandated at all except maybe in elementary school. My High School years were filled with diverse teachers from the open carrying and interesting to the dogmatic, but I never saw them as anything other then guides. In truth everyone must be his own teacher. Lastly isn’t government control exactly what Zinn would want? We certainly don’t need to debate that he was a devoted Big Government man.

Zinn said his goal in writing a “peoples history” was for the worker to take control back of his life. Those are the words of a man lost in struggle that truly died with Lenin, a man I do admire. You see I respect early Socialist’s because they were battling injustice, but after Lenin I’d say the movement became corrupt and died. Stalin, Hitler, and Mao all took Lenin, and to a degree Marx’s ideas and sickened and destroyed them until they became what today’s average lunatic liberal worships. Stalin even killed a great member of his own movement (Trotsky).

Your dead on with Aristotle, but dead wrong too. It was Plato’s The Republic that talked of “philosopher kings”. It is said that that work is the beginning of Socialist thought. I think it is very noteworthy that many great capitalistic and socialist ideas came from the same source. Although I hear it is rumored to have been written by a different person then Plato, but I can not attest to that.

I was not implying that Washington didn’t own slaves just that he was a great man with few weaknesses. He did in fact suffer from the great weakness of the day and I wish he hadn’t but when a man is great in just about every other area of life I guess I can forgive him for doing what so many other fools before and after him did. Perhaps I just lie within the dying breed of Flag Waving Americans who tear up at the Star Spangled banner, but I understand how you can view the Revolution as simply economic, even if I disagree.

You forget, my friend, that before World War I the United States was very low on the economic, and influence scale. I think the reason the U.S. got away with so much was because we were a developing nation, like Japan at the time. Plus, how many Europeans were going to risk their neck for Native Americans? How does not some blame lie on them?

Wow dude! You handed me an easy pitch on your homeless spiel. You must remember to honor your agreement though because I know of one particular homeless man who rose to riches directly from the streets. His name is Chris Gardner look him up if the name does not ring a bell.

Also the number of homeless people is very low at the moment. Thanks to things like Social Security it’s hard to become homeless unless you are mentally ill and then it is sad, but hopefully they will be identified and taken care of. The ones who are not are sad stories, but NO society has figured out how to keep EVERYONE happy and alive, unfortunately.

Lastly, the Military. I did not mean to insult you as we all want the troops home safe. I simply meant to expose the fact that not all troops are poor, and that not all Soldiers do it because they have nothing left to do. I actually don’t know ANY soldiers that joined because they had no where else to go. The military offers some very good things. I actually considered it heavily, but If I joined I would want to be on the front lines, but before I die I’d like to have a child to pass on my genes, and so those two things were at odds. Not to mention I’m just not made to fight. I’m made to write, lol. Yet if my country really needed me I believe I’d be there.

I’m so excited to find someone to debate. Thank you very much for being smart and knowledgeable everyone else I talk to can’t put an argument together if it were handed to them. I salute you!

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