The Physics guys know it best that for ‘ Every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. Well, I guess those who lead us don’t know a rat’s ass about things like that. Let’s look at the end of WW1 and what transpired to aid in the growth of the Nazis. In a nutshell, for purposes of this column, Germany was actually flat broke after losing the war. So, what did the Allies do but create an actual disaster for the Germans with the Versailles Treaty, better known as the Versailles Diktat! That peace treaty put too much economic pressure on Germany in the form of reparation payments and loss of territory. As the years went on and Germany got deeper down the financial and economic rabbit hole, Mr. Hitler and his minions became more and more popular. He was one of the first politicians to rail against the Diktat and the disgrace of losing so much vital German land and resources. You should know the rest children.

Let’s go back in time to the end of our Civil War. The Union armies remained in the entire South for over one year. Then a smaller force of them remained during what was termed ‘ Reconstruction’, but not enough to quell the white racist attacks on freed blacks. By 1877 all Union troops left completely, allowing the continued ‘ Near slavery’ treatment of blacks. While the US army had remained in the South at least a percentage of this tragedy was repressed. So, the action of Secession, followed by the reaction of the North winning the peace… followed by a reaction to losing the war as mentioned above.

Henry Wallace was FDR’s VP (1940-45). Wallace wanted to maintain good economic and diplomatic relations with the Soviets after the war. The grandparents of today’s Republican Party right wing wanted no such thing. There were many right wingers within the Democratic Party as well, especially on foreign affairs. So, the action taken was to not allow Wallace on FDR’s 1944 reelection ticket at the Democratic Convention. The early Neo Cons in the party schemed to get Truman in to replace Wallace on the ticket. FDR was very ill and was influenced too much by Senator James Byrnes, who helped to usurp Wallace from the ticket. This was the same Byrnes who influenced the newly appointed President Truman to drop those two Atomic Bombs. Nice guy this Byrnes. Getting back to Wallace and the Soviets, once the Neo Cons took control ( again with the puppet Truman) we had ourselves a Cold War, which segued into the Korean War and finally into the Vietnam War. Instead of trading with the Soviets and working together to rebuild Europe, we then marched into the McCarty Era with ‘ Check under your beds for a Commie’ and all the other repressions of civil liberties etc.

On the subject of Vietnam we need to remember Ho Chi Minh. He fought against the Japanese who  had occupied his country during WW2. Once the war ended the French returned to keep Vietnam as one of their colonies as had been the case since the late 19th century.  Minh wanted President Truman ( the puppet, remember?) in 1945 to help to recognize his nation and orchestrate elections, and get the French the hell out! Truman and our Neo Con government said No Dice. Connect the dots folks and see how the Vietnam War would never have happened if Ho Chi Minh got the elections he desired if the US told the French to leave. Remember that in 1945 France was finally liberated from German occupation and was surely NOT in any financial or military power position. How many of my neighbors came home in wooden boxes due to our imperial notions saddens me.

Wherever you look you see Action Reaction. Please note that Saddam Hussein was actually supported into power in Iraq by none other than the CIA working for our Neo Con government. Bush Sr. instigated Iraq War 1 by first telling Saddam he could do what was needed to protect his oil reserves, the major source of Iraq’s revenue. Kuwait, Saddam complained to US Ambassador April Glaspie, was angle drilling under the water and stealing Iraqi oil. Glaspie was instructed by the Bush crew to tell Saddam that this was no one’s business as to what he decided to do to stop Kuwait…so he attacked them. When Saddam did that Bush Sr.’s reaction was IRAQ WAR 1! After 9/11 when all the ‘ Adults in the room’ told Pappy Bush’s son Bush Jr. that Iraq had nothing to do with it, the war drums were already being banged here. By the way, right before all of this Saddam had decided to sell his oil in Euros and no longer in dollars. The Big Oil whisperers in Dick Cheney’s ear said No Way and this only exacerbated the need for invasion. THIS  ILLEGAL AND IMMORAL PRE-EMPTIVE ATTACK ALONE WAS THE MOST PREIMINENT ACT THAT HAS HELPED TO BRING AMERICA DOWN IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD ( ALONG WITH OUR PRESENT GAZA POLICY OR NO POLICY). The over $ ONE TRILLION  that went from taxpayer’s hands into those of the Bush/Cheney corporate donors to reconstruct the place we totally destroyed is mind boggling.

In 2016 the movers and shakers of the Democratic Party, the new Neo Con Party, decided to put Miss Hilary on the top of the ticket. She was as phony as her husband… in spades! Hillary Clinton was the one who influenced Mr. ‘ Hope and Change’ to use NATO to bomb the shit out of Libya, allowing the gangster warlords to take over the country. Libya had been a place where the citizens there had a better life: No electricity bills at all; interest free bank loans; housing as a human right and education and health services FREE to name but a few things. All gone now, as are most good things after any imperialist country forces its way into another sovereign state. Thus, a Type A narcissistic megalomaniac like Trump rode into office with his populist BS and savaged our republic for four years. Let me be candid Ok? If the Democrats in 2016 ran Donald Duck for President they would have defeated Donald Trump.  Currently, with Sleepy Joe listening to his handlers in regard to Ukraine and Israel, millions of our educated young Americans may not even vote in November. Sad how this ‘ Action, Reaction’ thing works ain’t it?

PA Farruggio
May, 2024