It was February 9th, in the year 1950, on Abraham Lincoln's birthday, when an unknown Senator from Wisconsin gave a speech that catapulted himself into the national spotlight with the start of what would be an unprecedented rampage of smear attacks, unsupported allegations, and personal vilifications against other Senators, the State Department, the Army, and the law.
On that Thursday afternoon, junior Senator Joseph McCarthy flew from Washington D.C. to Wheeling for the first of his scheduled speeches that would include stops in Wheeling, Virginia, Salt Lake City, Utah, Reno, Nevada, and Huron, South Dakota. He could not know that this day would forever live in infamy for the United States Senate.
Most people outside the Senate and not from his state would have not even known who Joe McCarthy was.
He was greeted by a local congressman, a local civic leader, and one reporter.
Starting his speech a little after 7 P.M., to a gathering of about three hundred persons, mostly from the Ohio County Women's Republican Club and their guests.
"Ladies and gentleman," said the Republican Senator in his low baritone and distinctly gravelly voice, "tonight, as we celebrate the one hundred forty-first birthday of one of the greatest men in American history, I would like to be able to talk about what a glorious day today is in the history of the world."
"As we celebrate the birth of this man who with his whole heart and soul hated war, I would like to be able to speak of peace in our time, of war being outlawed, and of worldwide disarmament."
"These would be truly appropriate things to be able to mention as we celebrate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln."
"Five years after a World War has been won," he continued, "man's hearts should anticipate a long peace, and men's minds should be free from the heavy weight that comes with war."
"But this is not such a period - for this is not a period of peace."
"This is a time of Cold War."
"This is a time when all the world is split into two vast, increasingly armed camps."
He went on to explain how the Cold War had developed between the U.S. and Russia.
Although the reasons were political and economic, McCarthy laid them out as moral and even religious differences.
"Today we are engaged in a final, all-out battle between Communistic atheism and Christianity."
McCarthy warned that America was losing the Cold War "on every front," because of "enemies from within."
He railed against "the traiterous actions of those who have been treated so well by this Nation, who had the finest homes, college education, and the finest jobs in government we can give."
At the end of his speech, he focused in on his target.
" This is glaringly true in the State Department."
"In my opinion, the State Department, which is one of the most important government departments, is thoroughly infested with Communists."
McCarthy charged that there were 205 known Communists at work in the State Department.
With that accusation began the meteoric rise of Senator Joe McCarthy, along with charges of treason and blacklisting, backed up with no evidence against respectable men and women, the passing of the McCarran Internal Security Act which required all Communist and Communist-front groups to register with the attorney general, set up a Subversive Activities Control Board to determine which organizations had to register, broadened the definition of espionage and sabotage, and provided for the detention of suspected subversives in the event of a crisis.
The detention provision, or concentration camp amendment as it was called, was the contribution of such legendary liberals as Hubert Humphrey, Paul Douglas, and Herbert Lehman.
The bill violated every concept of civil liberties, from freedom of speech and assembly to protection against self-incrimination, arbitrary arrest, and indefinite detention.
President Truman had the courage to veto it as unconstitutional and unworkable, but in both houses of Congress liberals and moderates joined conservatives in overriding the veto by wide margins.
Six concentration camps were built to hold 26,500 prisoners. Other sites were prepared for instant activation.
The acquiescence of decent men against the injustices of McCarthyism, made indecent men more bold.
The Senator's methods and life is instructive to what we see going on today in present day politics. For even though his actions were widely vilified by all politicians across the political spectrum; his methods are still utilized to spread fear, confusion, hate and suspicion today.
One has only to look back at the Iraq War, instigated by President Bush, and the neoconservatives led by Vice President Dick Cheney, who orchestrated the acceptability of intelligence reports from the CIA, dismissing reports that did not meet their narrative, to show a clear and present danger of Sadaam Hussein, a former CIA ally, as having Weapons of Mass Destruction or WMDs , which he would look to use against the United States, either in direct combat or by funneling them clandestinely to terrorist groups, which created the environment of fear, that bolstered the support, and approval of the operation, by the American people.
To this present day, there have never been any WMDs found, and it is widely known to have been a lie told to the American people to go to war in the Middle East in support of neoconservative aims, which had designs on the lucrative oil fields, in support of United States and multi-national corporations, and for Israeli aims in the region.
The neocons in President Bush's cabinet were made up of many top ranking hawkish, militarily aggressive, pro-Israeli officials who directed U.S. foreign policy in lockstep with Israeli aims of military expansion in the Middle East region. The neocons laid out in their report their aims to work with Israel in taking over first Iraq, then Syria and finally Iran.
It is also widely known that Israel has a very strong legal lobbying organizations in the U.S., which are fervently backed by evangelicals and radical Republican far right-wingers in the United States, and which exert a powerful influence over U.S politicians. While there is nothing illegal about such lobbying groups, because of the outsized influence and organization of these lobbying groups Americans need to be wary of the United States being led in lockstep with Israeli foreign policy aims.
The continued smearing of the President, and the Secretary of Defense, in regards to the attack on the American embassy in Benghazi, and the political circus now going on, where the murder of our ambassador and soldiers defending the embassy have been used and are still being exploited to score cheap political points is another patented Senator McCarthy move.
Where Republican politicians posit nefarious actions on members of the government and military in responsible positions, in defiance of the facts on the ground, that show them acting on the whole in a professional manner, reeks of McCarthyism. All the hooplah stirred up is for the desire of scoring cheap political points and muddying up the political waters.
The war drums, which are banging loudly now, in support for the war hawks aims to get America involved in Ukraine is reminiscent of McCarthyism in its misdirection.
The main Republican and Democrat reasoning for us to getting involved in the Civil War of that country is, "We must interfere to ensure democracy?"
And the obvious question is Why?
We did not interfere in many other occasions when there were many more civilian casualties?
Darfur in Africa comes to mind. Millions died in that Civil War.
There have been many instances of conflicts abroad that we did not interfere.
Is the Civil War in Ukraine a threat to our national security?
What has been accomplished to benefit Americans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?
How do we know for sure that if we provide weapons to one side, that these weapons will not end up in the hands of the other side, and worse yet in the hands of terrorist groups?
By choosing sides in the Civil War in Ukraine, we talk outwardly of spreading democracy but the real players in the racket, "the insiders", are all multi-national corporations. The vaunted military-industrial-corporate that Eisenhower and JFK warned of quite presciently.
Have not too many innocent civilians and American soldiers been killed already?
Is there enough of them disfigured mentally and physically for the rest of their lives?
The American public must be wary in reference to these new cries for military intervention in Ukraine, as it fits the pattern of the neocons previously stated aims, which have a peculiar tendency to end up in countries with rich natural resources.
Is it just a coincidence that this is the path of military action that we are following?
What other reason is there for the continued military aggressiveness in the Middle East?
Why must we get involved? Why can't we leave it to the Ukrainian people and the Russians to make their own peace?
Is not a public referendum where the people voted 95% in favor of secession a democratic practice? Armchair American civilian consumer "generals" waving their flags aside as if rooting for their local football team?
The American public is tired of these unfunded wars in the Middle East. It has become more than clear that only American and multi-national corporations reap the benefits from the bloody racket.
The racket that is paid for, due to the reduction of taxes on the rich and corporations, disproportionately by average American taxpayers, and "lower class" American blood.
The racket undermines our National Security by fomenting hate against the United States and its citizens.
The racket has foreigners all across the globe, calling us "Imperialists", because of our increasing military actions abroad, and our disregarding of UN laws.
When is enough really enough?
The recent calls by Republicans and Tea Party Members, who harp incessantly on our "deficit crisis," and the immediate need supposedly to fix the problem by cutting "entitlement" programs, at a time when more than 14 million Americans are unemployed, exhibit a ringing tin-earedness common on the domestic front.
Congress does not care about those who are adversely economically affected.
In their Ayn Rand, myopic utopia, reality does not matter.
Only competition and profits.
If you should find yourself devoid of job, money, or home, then you should suffer the consequences; henceforth, until the scourge of slothfulness is purged from your soul.
If you have kids, are elderly, disabled, menatlly ill, veterans, or students with enormous debt, enjoy the ride.
In their Ayn Rand, myopic utopia, reality does not matter.
Only competition and profits.
If you should find yourself devoid of job, money, or home, then you should suffer the consequences; henceforth, until the scourge of slothfulness is purged from your soul.
If you have kids, are elderly, disabled, menatlly ill, veterans, or students with enormous debt, enjoy the ride.
One more example of how they utilize the lessons learned from McCarthyism.
Republicans routinely cry wolf for austerity measures, and cuts to "entitlement " programs, while standing firm against any raising of taxes on corporations and the mega-wealthy.
Even while many economists, such as the Nobel Peace Prize winning Paul Krugman, deride the facts of their case for austerity in detail, and show how austerity measures and the "debt crisis" is something that need not be enacted imminently, they still persist.
Many economic studies have shown instead what would be much more beneficial to the economy in the short term is more government stimulus.
Especially in the areas of infrastructure and education, to get more Americans gainfully employed and educated, which would be the best way to help the economy.
The "debt crisis" could be worked on later, as it is not an immediate problem, not the top priority that jobs are.
You can also see the effects of McCarthyism style politics still being put to use today in the debate over the vast disparity of wealth accumulation between the 1% and the 99%.
With mountainous reams of evidence that plainly point out the hypocritical nature of the Free Market Frankenstein Monster: with its Bankster Bailouts; hyper casino-capitalism on steroids; top-heavy financialization money schems mainly funneling upward to the elite; and its claims to "trickle down" from the "elites" to the general public.
Republicans routinely cry wolf for austerity measures, and cuts to "entitlement " programs, while standing firm against any raising of taxes on corporations and the mega-wealthy.
Even while many economists, such as the Nobel Peace Prize winning Paul Krugman, deride the facts of their case for austerity in detail, and show how austerity measures and the "debt crisis" is something that need not be enacted imminently, they still persist.
Many economic studies have shown instead what would be much more beneficial to the economy in the short term is more government stimulus.
Especially in the areas of infrastructure and education, to get more Americans gainfully employed and educated, which would be the best way to help the economy.
The "debt crisis" could be worked on later, as it is not an immediate problem, not the top priority that jobs are.
You can also see the effects of McCarthyism style politics still being put to use today in the debate over the vast disparity of wealth accumulation between the 1% and the 99%.
With mountainous reams of evidence that plainly point out the hypocritical nature of the Free Market Frankenstein Monster: with its Bankster Bailouts; hyper casino-capitalism on steroids; top-heavy financialization money schems mainly funneling upward to the elite; and its claims to "trickle down" from the "elites" to the general public.
It has not as evidenced by the middle class stagnation in wages and benefits which has not changed since the 1970s, and in many cases has gone down compared to the mega-rich fortunes exploding since the Reagan years since the formation of the Free Market Frankenstein Monster economy.
The recent 2nd Great Depression which saw: middle class jobs, pensions, retirement funds and homes, eviscerated to the tune of trillions of dollars was due to Wall Street and Financial Industry profilgate gambling.
Enabled by a dizzying array of de-regulation, credit agency winks, and greedy mortgage broker ethics,which incredibly wrought no criminal prosecutions.
The key tenet for which the Free Market Frankenstein is supposed to be built on is "competition." Which is to say when a business can no longer operate it is supposed to be allowed to fail and another business will take its place. The replacing of the old business by the new, "competition", is just another way of "the invisible hand of the market" ensuring order and probity, or so the theory goes. Yet this theory was tossed out the window like a pot of burning oil when it was the Banks who got left holding their own bag of blown up gambling losses.
The recent 2nd Great Depression which saw: middle class jobs, pensions, retirement funds and homes, eviscerated to the tune of trillions of dollars was due to Wall Street and Financial Industry profilgate gambling.
Enabled by a dizzying array of de-regulation, credit agency winks, and greedy mortgage broker ethics,which incredibly wrought no criminal prosecutions.
The key tenet for which the Free Market Frankenstein is supposed to be built on is "competition." Which is to say when a business can no longer operate it is supposed to be allowed to fail and another business will take its place. The replacing of the old business by the new, "competition", is just another way of "the invisible hand of the market" ensuring order and probity, or so the theory goes. Yet this theory was tossed out the window like a pot of burning oil when it was the Banks who got left holding their own bag of blown up gambling losses.
In defiance of their most fundamental Free Market ideology economic principle the banks and corporations were bailed out by American taxpayers.
Too Big To Fail.
Led by the corporations and banks governmental lackies, (these Wall Street, Bankster, and Hedgie Fund entities pay big money to their lobbyists to make sure they are always taken care of by the United States Government), a resolution to bail the banks out was approved in no time.
Led by the corporations and banks governmental lackies, (these Wall Street, Bankster, and Hedgie Fund entities pay big money to their lobbyists to make sure they are always taken care of by the United States Government), a resolution to bail the banks out was approved in no time.
Nobody ever paid for the outrageous stealing of Americans hard earned money and posessions.
Indeed not one banking official, Wall Street honcho nor Hedge Fund afficionado was ever brought up on criminal charges.
Instead in classic McCarthy style, the blame was directed towards minorities who were said to have taken out outrageous loans on homes aided by favorable laws passed to help them acquire homeownership through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
Lest we not forget the famous 47% of "lazy lower-class" Americans, made famous by Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the corporate raider, who claimed these do no-gooders were just siphoning money from the American government.
Instead in classic McCarthy style, the blame was directed towards minorities who were said to have taken out outrageous loans on homes aided by favorable laws passed to help them acquire homeownership through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
Lest we not forget the famous 47% of "lazy lower-class" Americans, made famous by Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the corporate raider, who claimed these do no-gooders were just siphoning money from the American government.
And like McCarthy's charges, many believed him, and still do.
No mention was made however of the trillions of dollars that corporations receive annually in corporate welfare thanks to their horde of lobbyists and influence on U.S. politicians.
The same lobbyists who are the center of the current polticians universe. In many cases in direct defiance of their own constituents.
No mention was made however of the trillions of dollars that corporations receive annually in corporate welfare thanks to their horde of lobbyists and influence on U.S. politicians.
The same lobbyists who are the center of the current polticians universe. In many cases in direct defiance of their own constituents.
Neither did we hear of the trillions of dollars in tax breaks that these American corporations receive for moving their companies overseas. The abdication has many debilitating affects on U.S. workers who sacrificed their working careers in helping these corporations attain their immensely wealthy status. Only to see them take away their jobs and give them to foreigners, to save money and fatten their CEOs bonuses, which also has the debilitating effect of lowering wages, benefits, and health care benefits to ordinary American workers. The forced competition against foreign workers, who are not subject to U.S. Labor laws, can be exploited by the corporations, cutting the corporations expenses across the board.
These and many more issues are being exploited today in Joseph McCarthy fashion, by politicians who have learned the art of McCarthyism too well.
Adolph Hitler, in Mein Kampf his autobiographical account of his life, described a phenomenon that McCarthy was to learn from the reviled German leader, that is also studied, and understood, by many of todays politicians.
Hitler wrote, "At the bottom of their hearts, the great masses of a people are more likely to be misled than to be consciously and deliberately bad, and ... they are more easily victimized by a large than by a small lie ... Some part of even the boldest lie is sure to stick."
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