I’ve been too preoccupied with lame and time consuming photo assignments and papers to post much of late. Figured I’d put something old up. I wrote this paper sophomore year for my high school World History class a few years back. Yeah, it’s crap. But it serves as a useful reference. A lot of the required “embellishments” were cut out because they were lame (ex – we had to tell how our ancestors have impacted our lives today, etc.). I’m posting this here so I can link it to my TN photos as a sort of explanation. This was originally on an older blog of mine, but I think I’ll start storing all my stuff here instead. Consistency.
There is a potpourri of European ethnicities in my genetic background. However, focusing on my dad’s line, the main ethnicity is Scottish. The early Scots were invaders who traveled overseas from Ireland and settled on the west coast of Dalriada. They later gave their name to the whole country, forming Scotland. A variety of ethnic groups resided within Scotland. As a result, conflicting ideas were present and invasions and feuds were a constant occurrence.
Many Scottish people resided in neighboring Northern Ireland. The two countries were almost intertwined because of their close location and common background of Vikings and Nomads. Culturally, the kingdoms were very similar, but as time progressed separation developed. Kenneth MacAlpin – first of the Scottish kings – united the Picts, Scots, Britons and Angles. This helped form the diverse kingdom of Scotland.
In 1124 AD King David I ascended the Scottish throne. During his reign he introduced the Anglo-Norman feudal system to southern Scotland. He also reorganized the Scottish church, conforming it to English and continental standards. After David’s death, succeeding king – Malcolm IV – lost the northern counties of Scotland to the powerful Henry II of England. Once Henry died, Scotland underwent an era of independence. In 1263 AD, Alexander III defeated Norway and reaffirmed Scotland’s status as an independent kingdom. Shortly after, The Treaty of Perth was established. As a result, the Western Isles and Isle of Man were declared official parts of Scotland – released from the Norse control.
Although independent, Scotland was not free of the battles and conflicts that would ensue. Many different clans developed – each with different beliefs and values. Feuds between the English and Scottish were especially common. A truce was established in 1438. That would only last for ten years. Kings from England constantly had their eyes on the lush land of Scotland. In several incidents, the English succeeded in their efforts and conquered the kingdom. Eventually – after periods of persecution – another truce was made and Scotland regained independence.
John Knox was a key contributor to the culture of Scotland. He arrived in the land around 1544. The protestant reformer proceeded to convert the Scots. Protestantism soon became a main religion and the The Presbyterian Church of Scotland was established. Preceding this, the Treaty of Boulogne, developed in 1550, helped restore peace between England and France. As a result, the English left Scotland and the Scots were free to continue their practices.
Scotland is definitely a kingdom with a diverse background. However, despite the many ethnicities that contributed to its formation, the Scots maintain a keen sense of pride and independence. John Anderson – my grandfather ten times removed – resided in the land between northern England and southern Scotland. This area, called “the Borders,” was known for its frequent warfare, cattle thieving, and an overall ‘ungovernableness.’ In the early 1600’s, King James created the “Ulster Plantation,” a program which forced the border Scots to move to a designated area in Northern Ireland. King James believed that the Scottish – despite their rebellious nature – would be more governable than the fierce Irish lords.
Persecution was rampant. The English were adamant that the Protestant Scots convert to the official Church of England. They refused to recognize Presbyterian marriages and heavily taxed all Scottish people. The discriminative high taxes and rent left the majority of Scots on the edge of starvation. Further problems were caused when the Irish refused to give their land to the newly arriving Scottish. Feeling rejected and mistreated, the Scots decided to find new land where they could have freedom and equality.
In 1735, John Anderson, his wife Margrita, and their four sons voyaged from Northern Ireland to Philadelphia. In 1728 they joined the earliest settlers – the Stauntons – in Virginia.
Many Scottish settlers, such as the Andersons, were extremely poor. They were referred to as “Scots-Irish” by easterners who recognized their background. Despite their circumstances, the Scottish carried themselves with pride and dignity. They were fearless and tended to ignore the authorities. They also thought very poorly of the aristocracy and disdained the rich, platonic society. The early Andersons joined the American fever and fought in the French & Indian war. They even served as church and civic leaders in Shenandoah Valley. Their children developed hunting and military skills and were well acquainted with the backwoods of Virginia.
On May 5, 1750, Capt. John Anderson was born to William (Son of the first John Anderson) and Elizabeth Anderson. At the age of nineteen he joined one of the earliest explorations of Holston Valley. Around the same time Daniel Boone journeyed into Kentucky, John ventured into the wilderness south of the New River. His expedition was cut short, however, when he and his party of eight men ran into a large group of Native Americans. John loved the adventure and his previous encounter inspired him to move to the edge of the frontier in the Holston region. In 1774 attacks by the Shawnee Indian tribe escalated significantly. John helped defeat the tribe in the Battle at point Pleasant on October tenth of that year. John’s reputation as a fierce fighter grew. He was recommended to the Virginia Militia by William Campbell. John proceeded to take part in many battles and skirmishes against Indians on the frontier. He even served with Daniel Boone during his early days as a leader. Boone was in charge of the Blackmore fort in which John was stationed. The two undoubtedly became acquainted.
John fought in many more battles throughout the years. He gained the title of Captain after serving as a colonel in his late career. John’s accomplishments are still apparent – even after his death. The blockhouse which he constructed in Natural Tunnel State Park, Virginia, has recently been reconstructed and is a protected historical site.
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE:
SOLDIER FROM SKIRMISH AT BLACKMORE -
“Thursday ye 6th. Ins. At Blackmores one Deal Carter was killed and Scalped withing 55 steps of the Fort. Mr. Anderson who had a man with him, fired at the Indian as he was scalping the Man killed, while the other Man shot at another Indian. The Indians fired several shots at Anderson & the other, when they [the men in the fort] fired off the Bastion at them. The Indians had liked to done Anderson’s job [nearly killed him], having struck into the stockade just a few inches from his Head.”
JOHN’S SON ISSAC IN LETTER WRITTEN IN 1846 -
“On examining some more papers of my father, I find that he must have settled at the blockhouse in they year 1775. His first excursion to this country was in the [year] 1769 in company with one James McNair, Col. Gilbert Christian, and John Sawyers. They traveled as far as Big Creek in Hawkins County where they found Indian sign so… they thought it most prudent to return back and did so.”
JOHN’S LETTER TO ARTHUR CAMPBELL SENT FROM THE BLOCKHOUSE -
“Dear Sir: I wrote to you a few days ago, wherein I informed you respecting Mr. Wallen’s being driven from home. I seen a certain Mr. Joseph a few hours since, who informed me that on the 15th instant he had his family, which consisted of his wife and eleven children, all killed and taken except two. He found his wife and youngest child about three quarters a mile from his house… They burnt his house, and there he found the bones of one of his children in the ashes. The others he allowed they took prisoners… I am surprised to think that we guarded our frontiers in the time of the late war, when we were attacked on both sides, and now we can get no help…”
THE ANDERSON BLOCKHOUSE (as described on rootsweb.com) -
The Blockhouse on the Holston was one of the most widely known places on the Wilderness Road. It stood in Carter’s Valley on the outer edge of the Holston River settlements, about four miles southeast of Moccasin Gap, in Scott Co., VA. It seems to have been the only Blockhouse within the area, insofar as available data reveals, the other forts consisting of log cabins and stockades.
The Blockhouse was built by John Anderson sometime prior to 1782. It had two rooms, a lower and upper floor. The walls of the upper floor had the usual port holes, and the upper story extended out wider than the first floor. During the period of greatest travel over the Wilderness Road, John Anderson, as proprietor of the Blockhouse was host to literally hundreds of people who stopped over on their way to Kentucky and elsewhere.
When danger of Indian attack had passed, John Anderson built nearby a larger two story house with log kitchen, into which the family moved, and the old Blockhouse was converted into a “loom-house.” It was continued in this use until 1876, when it, together with the newer house was consumed by fire.
Dr. William A. Pusey, of Chicago, author of “The Wilderness Road to Kentucky,’ had a monument erected on, or near the site of the old Blockhouse, the inscription which reads as follows:
“This Tablet Marks The Site of the Blockhouse the meeting point of the pioneer roads to Kentucky from Virginia and North Carolina, and the gathering place of pioneer travelers at the entrance to the wilderness. Erected by a descendant of William Bowen who recorded that, ‘We waited hereabouts near two weeks and then set out for the Wilderness, with 12 men and 10 guns, this being Thursday, 18th July. (1782)’”
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• An Interesting Site: John Anderson, Daniel Boone and the Wilderness Trail
• Personal Pictures: Set (w/ descriptions) or Slideshow
This is kind of a “Part II” to my previous post, about Otto Krueger, Americans, sacrifice, and experience. As I mentioned, his wife, Johanna, survived Ravensbrück Death Camp. Absolutely amazing woman. She passed away last August. Her story is quite captivating (more so if you hear it in person), so I thought I’d put this out there. There is so much more to her that is not included in this brief biography. But even this small amount of information shows a life of depth. I wish I had gotten a chance to meet her.
Johanna Maria Krueger, age 79, passed from the second stage of her life into a new time known only to God on Friday, Aug. 11, 2006, at the Don and Marilyn Anderson HospiceCare Center in Madison. After brain cancer surgery and being diagnosed with lung cancer, she bravely disproved the grim prognosis of three – six months life expectancy by carrying on in HospiceCare for more than three years during which she set a standard for smiling in spite of all. Johanna was born in Rotterdam, Holland, on June 5, 1927. Traits to manifest during the later stages of her life developed in her early years as a bright and spirited young Dutch girl. Schooling was suddenly cut short in June 1940. Sitting with her class at school, bomb shrapnel tore through her desk as the German Luftwaffe commenced the day-long bombing of Rotterdam. The heart of the famous old city was destroyed, including her school and her home. She was quickly drawn into efforts of the Resistance and later the Dutch Underground. Relatively innocent-seeming assignments began, such as delivering underground papers and posters. Later on, waiting hours in line to get ration coupons for “fake” Dutch families, the coupons were then used to obtain food for Jews in hiding. Still later, bicycling miles into North Holland to retrieve weapons dropped to the Resistance by British aircraft, then returning to Amsterdam through German patrolled countryside with a satchel of guns and ammunition tied on her bike. Ultimately, she became fully involved with the Dutch Underground aiding Allied airmen shot down over Holland. But in January 1944, only 16 years old, she was betrayed to German authorities as she escorted three Allied airmen to a “safe house.” She was arrested by the German S.S. Solitary confinement and a long and tortuous journey then commenced ending at the infamous Women’s Concentration Camp, Ravensbruck, near Berlin. Fourteen months of starvation, beatings, torture and forced labor ensued. Barely alive on April 30, 1945, the day Hitler committed suicide, with the other “Women of Ravensbruck,” Johanna was liberated by Russian troops of Zhukov’s Army. Many more months passed, however, before she could make her way to the American Zone, where she finally received sorely needed care, food and treatment from a U.S. Army Hospital. It was there that Johanna first met American Red Cross nurses, setting the stage for a subsequent life-long association. After lengthy rehabilitation, she was assigned as a translator working with U.S. authorities during Nazi War Crime trials, additionally working with “displaced persons” as they sought to return to their homes across Europe. Many years later, she was formally honored for her World War II service by the Wisconsin Chapter of “American Ex-POW’s,” and made an Honorary Member. Finally, Johanna returned to her own beloved Holland, where she commenced nurse’s training. Her ultimate goal was to become a U.S. Citizen. After graduation, she immigrated to the United States in 1948. Her initial employment was at Palo Alto General Hospital, as a delivery room nurse. When Sequoia Hospital was opened in Redwood City, Johanna and her room mate, also a delivery room nurse, accepted an invitation to set up the new OB ward. On her day off from work on Feb. 5, 1951, she met Ensign Otto E. Krueger, a navy pilot assigned to a fighter squadron at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California. Nineteen days later on Feb. 24, 1951, Johanna and Otto were married in the Navy Chapel at NAS Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco, where they first met, thus beginning a life-long love affair of nearly 56 years. While Otto’s squadron was later deployed for Korean War duty aboard the USS Princeton, Johanna lived with his parents in Estes Park, Colo. There her nursing skills were quickly put to use during a major polio epidemic. Driving daily to Fort Collins, she worked with polio patients at Larimer County Hospital. Johanna’s first formal association with the American Red Cross began there. Her experience with polio was needed again in December 1952. Just before her husband was to deploy for a second Korean War tour, he was stricken with polio. Much of the success of his subsequent full recovery in 1954 was attributed to her actions at the onset of the disease. A major event of her life came in 1955 while stationed at NAS Denver, Colo. There, a baby girl was adopted who they named Kathleen Ann, so wanted and so loved. Johanna traveled with her husband and daughter to subsequent Navy assignments and duty stations across the nation and overseas, moving 17 times during his career. Included were duty stations at Norfolk, Jacksonville, Newport, Lemoore and San Diego, Calif., Harvard University, and London, England. Johanna moved with her daughter to Holland in 1960-61, during NATO and Mediterranean cruises, living there, traveling widely to meet, whenever possible, her husband as his carrier put into various ports of call. Her nursing background was put to use again while stationed in London. Following a closing of the nearest Air Force medical facility, she volunteered to help staff a small Navy dispensary in the U.S. Embassy, at the time the only remaining medical facility for U.S. personnel in the greater London area. The American Red Cross for years was a major part of Johanna’s life in a diverse number of ways and places from coast to coast and in between. In 1973, building on her prior experience, Johanna was employed as Director of Nursing and Health Services by the Badger Chapter, American Red Cross in Madison, Wis. After leaving that position she shifted her attention, continuing as a Disaster Services Volunteer while increasing her commitment of time and effort. She became well known for her dedication and extensive experience in disaster assignments of nearly every kind across the nation; from floods, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes, to local emergencies and national disasters. She was among the first Red Cross Disaster Volunteers called to New York City immediately after the World Trade Center Disaster of September 11. Over the years, Johanna repeatedly was asked to accept promotion within the Red Cross organization, requests that she steadfastly declined, valuing so much more the direct personal contact with people who needed her help, than she valued her own personal status. Finally, in 2004, she was honored as “Hero of a Lifetime” for Red Cross service extending over more than half a century! Johanna was universally known for her lively personality, her gentleness and her genuineness. The true empathy she brought to and shared with disaster victims had its base in her own experiences. That rare quality was in large measure responsible for her effectiveness and for the great respect in which she was so widely held. On the personal side Johanna loved cooking and was a splendid cook. She avidly read her collection of several hundred cookbooks as others read mystery novels. Downhill skiing was her favorite sport. She and her husband were members of the Madison Ski Club, and owned a winter ski home in Bessemer, Mich., where they spent the winter months, with occasional trips to western U.S. ski areas and Europe. Johanna is survived by her husband, Captain Otto E. Krueger, U.S. Navy (Retired); her daughter, Kathleen Ann Krueger of Waukesha, Wis.; two grandsons, Kristopher Patrick Allen and Matthew Earll Allen; and by a sister-in-law, Vera B. Krueger of Littleton, Colo. A Memorial Service will be held at CRESS FUNERAL SERVICE, 6021 University Ave., Madison, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2006. There will be a visitation for family and friends on Wednesday from 5 p.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home. Inurnment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
She was turned in to the German authorities by her own mother. She then lived through the death camps, walked across an entire country by foot – surviving on acorns and sugarbeet, protected a friend from rape and death by taking out a soldier with a chair… the list goes on. She was grateful for everything in America, and often marveled about the wonder of all the luxuries to her husband. Clean sheets, food, clothing NOT made out of parachute silk… we really have it all. I, for one, don’t wake up in the middle of the night after a nightmare with scars on my palms from clenching my fists.
Last Friday I had the privilege of flying to Madison, Wisconsin with my dad to spend the day with Otto E. Krueger, retired U.S. Navy Captain. Madison is a very nice place if you ignore the fact that it’s loaded with nut-cases. Mr. Krueger is one of the few men there with an understanding of sacrifice… and so many other concepts that most Americans today are simply unable to come near grasping.
Some quick background: Otto served with VF-23 and VF-831 during the Korean War from 1950 to 1952. From 1960 to 1961 he flew A-4B Skyhawks with VA-106 aboard the USS Shangri-La. He spent two Vietnam tours as Executive and Commanding Officer, flying A4Cs aboard the USS Ranger and USS Enterprise (no, not Star Trek Enterprise), from 1964 to 1966. In fact, he was the first pilot launched into combat from the USS Enterprise on December 2, 1965. After his time on the Enterprise he served two Vietnam tours as Air Boss (USS Ticonderoga) from 1966 to 1968. From ‘68 to ‘69 he commanded Fleet replacement Squadron, training all A-4 pilots and crews for the US Pacific Fleet. He retired in 1976.
It was interesting to later juxtapose his personal account of life in the Navy with old newsreels and documentaries on the USS Enterprise and his Squadron. One particularly interesting March of Time newsreel on the Enterprise provided a lot of footage of Otto and his men. Although it had (for the most part, at least) a happy and airy tone to it, life on an aircraft carrier – during war – was not easy. There were many storms, strong winds and other obstacles that made the jobs these men preformed extremely intense and dangerous. Many lost their lives. To be a Navy man – especially a pilot – required more guts, brain, and brawn than most could ever the dream of having. There were times when Otto couldn’t tell if he was upside down or right-side up, climbing or falling. The artificial horizon becomes everything, a difference between life and death. If that malfunctions… you’re in trouble. The following video demonstrates the skill required to be an A-4 pilot (or any fighter jet pilot). Just imagine trying to land in stormy conditions… AT NIGHT. It’s multi-tasking taken to a whole other level. Not only do the pilots have to align with and land on the carrier, the carrier has to stay on course and take into account the jet’s navigational capabilities while BOTH crafts are fighting the elements. Otto provided many stories that depicted the intensity they faced on a daily basis, but this is the best example I can provide:
It’s extremely easy to loose your cool in situations like that. All it takes is one slip. Add hostile conditions and it’s even more exciting.
I realize I’ve rambled a lot about aircraft carriers, but my point in all of this is to show that there are men (and women) out there with more experience and emotion under their belts than most have. After talking to Otto about his experiences in war and hearing about his wife, Johanna, a Dutch woman who survived Ravensbrück Death Camp… it’s just mind boggling. Seriously think about it: have we ever had our values and well-being threatened, ripped out from under us? Most likely the answer is no unless you come from elsewhere. Have we ever watched our close friends and family die by the hands of men with no values? Have we ever lived under extreme brutality? Again, NO. Sure, you hear about it on the news, but that is nowhere near the same as experiencing such circumstances. How would your priorities change if you went through the fire, so to say? How would your view of the world change? Freedom isn’t a nonchalant luxury. You can’t sit back and watch it grow and thrive. Men aren’t like that, the world isn’t like that. Freedom will ALWAYS have to be defended and fought for. This is not to say that every ‘violent’ action taken has necessarily made freedom ‘grow.’ But I do believe that many underestimate the impact that taking action against what is obviously wrong does have. It’s very amusing that some believe America would be a better nation if we had sat out of all the wars (post-civil). Nazis? Oh… let someone else handle them. Communists? They can do their own thing. Frankly, I don’t give a rip if America had hidden political motives when they went in the war. The fact of the matter is we have stood up against unfair and immoral systems and accomplished a lot of good in the process. A former classmate of mine worded and elaborated on what I am trying to say much better:
I was reminded of something when I watched “We Were Soldiers” last week. It nagged at me until I finally found it and read it, twice. In it, it read something along the lines that we, as a people and a nation were unworthy of our fighting men and women. And, watching “We Were Soldiers,” even though it’s just a movie, I realized that our men and women in unform are above and beyond any other citizen of this great country.I wish I could properly put this into words, so I’ll try.
The American public is completely unworthy of her soldiers. They go out and fight and die for us and yet we never seem to live up to what they fight for. I believe that they don’t fight simply because some politician in Washington decided that so-and-so was a national threat. No, I believe they fight because they believe in something that trancends the political identity of our nation. They fight to better themselves and in doing so, they bring somethings to our nation that often is lacking: courage, humility, sacrifice, determination, fellowship. They pay the price of freedom for us and we have never and shall never repay the debt.
Our nation was founded on a set of principles that recognized the value of every human being. Patriots died for that in the Revolution and still we continued to condone slavery and chauvanism. We later amended the consitution to specifically recognize the humanity of every person and Americans on both sides died for that in the Civil War and still we lynched coloreds and disenfranchised half of our country. In World War One American boys died in the “war to end all wars” and yet World War Two came as no surprise to anyone who was paying attention. World War Two cured many evils, but it ushered in a new era of fear and persecution, an era that would breed numerous “brush fire” conflicts, some which grew to the scale of Korea and Vietnam. The list goes on…
Never in history has the American people finished what her soldiers have set out to do. Why? I don’t know. Perhaps it’s a collective case of ADD or the belief that “someone else is doing the job so I can go to Disney.” Whatever the reason, America has never been derserving of the lives of the her soldiers, let alone their deaths. I pray that one day she might be.
At the end of “Saving Private Ryan,” a dying Capt. Miller tells the saved Private Ryan to “earn it… earn this,” the sacrifice of Miller’s squad for Ryan’s life. Even then, while visiting Millers Normandy grave site, Ryan has to ask his wife if he’s lead a good life and been a good man. Maybe we need to ask this of our country. Have we earned it? Have we lived up to the sacrifice of our service men and women?
So the question is, can “this” be earned by sitting back and letting everyone do what they want? Is it possible for evil men to stop their evil ways? Would the phenomenon of “peace” occur if all warring ended? The answer is no. Warring will never end because evil will always exist. This is not a pessimistic view – it’s realistic. Some would argue that if everyone was non-confrontational, then eventually a better world would emerge from the ashes. The problem is there is always going to be corruption. We can sit and leave the corruption alone, hoping that it will fizzle out if we don’t ‘provoke.’ But guess what? Humans don’t work that way. No confrontation and no standards = freedom for them to continue their (hypothetical ‘they’ – could be any group of people) unjust ways with vigor and determination. No boundaries, no enforced standards, and complete ‘freedom’ (ironic, yes… but freedom to do evil is WRONG) indeed causes less freedom and worse circumstances.
So if you haven’t been beaten by a woman known as “the snake” in a death camp, watched guards play soccer using a newborn baby as the ball, or been oppressed and brutalized because of your ethnicity, beliefs, or mere existence – you really have no ground to stand on when it comes to making judgments against the troops who personally fought against such injustices. I cringe when I think about the possibility of an apathetic nation who no longer finds it necessary to take a strong (ill thought out or not) stand against these intolerable actions. Politics are politics. They do not cancel out all the other elements involved. And I’m worried that many value politics over the raw stuff, the kind of ’stuff’ that really matters when it comes down to life and death, right and wrong.
Within a day of the Va. Tech shootings, websites and forums were already festering with claims of the disaster being ‘another’ government black-op. Intelligent ‘proof,’ mirroring that of the main “9/11-was-an-inside-job” arguments, is popping up everywhere. Here is just one example that I found on the web:
“they install a system with loud speakers , just for things of this nature… but they didn’t use it until HOURS later?
what happened to all the security they had there all week for the bomb threats they were getting?? conveniently on the day of the shooting… all the special operations units were GONE?naw.. things don’t add up quite right..
usually if something seems suspicious its because it IS suspicious.”
There are a plethora of articles about this on infowars.com – a site which I have no respect for due to its’ shoddy research and paranoid ‘journalists’ who will take a crumb and run. One of the articles, Virginia School Shooting: Another Government Black-Op?, suggests just what the title says – that this is a potential government operation carried out so that the masses will be further stifled and controlled in all aspects of life. Wow. We Americans are so oppressed…? What babies. I’m not even going to get started on 1) Why we aren’t oppressed, 2) Why theories like this are bull, 3) Why pointing fingers at the government really doesn’t require a lot of thought like some argue. Wow. I can’t say I was surprised when I saw all of these articles. My first reaction was to laugh. Now I’m just extremely irritated.
Every time a catastrophic event occurs (non-weather related, of course), the easiest place to point a finger at is the government. They’re in power therefore they will be blamed. They have the ability and means to do almost anything… therefore they will be blamed. Circumstantial ‘evidence’ (weak evidence at that) exists, therefore they will be blamed. GIVE ME A BREAK. I’m sure there are government agents creeping around everywhere, looking for depressed and mentally disturbed individuals to do their dirty work. Not. This may be a shocker, but there really ARE corrupt individuals in the world aside from those in the gov’t. Sure, when an incident like this one occurs someone usually is going to benefit whether it is in economics, policy, etc. That’s just a given. But oh… I’m sure our evil, blood-loving government decided they’d massacre 30 plus individuals so they could justify mass gun control. No, mass gun control could not be carried out diplomatically. They had to go to a college and shoot down a bunch of students and staff. Semi-ironic considering that the only real benefit of gun control, according to its’ advocates, would be less death. Anyway, if you’re a conspiracy lover, this would be a fun train to jump on. Does the government really care that much about regulating every aspect of American’s lives that they would go this far and risk a huge public uprising? That’s for you to decide. This is not to say that the government hasn’t used events such as these as a springboard for pushing their policy. Of course they have/will. As for me, even if the State is exceedingly obsessed with having it their-way-or-the-highway (taking into account that not everyone in the gov’t has the same views and goals… who knows how they’d get past each other in carrying out such plots), I still know this theory is the most screwed up and unrealistic one I’ve heard in a very long time. Responsibility is taken off the citizen’s shoulders with beliefs like this – and that is a dangerous realm to enter.
“Bernard Harrison, a philosophy professor at the University of Utah, has done something unusual. In today’s climate of fearful academic inquiry, which often wavers between conspiracy theories and a refusal to acknowledge harmful trends, Harrison has written a sane, balanced book on the growing anti-Semitism in Left-influenced liberal circles.”
( Read the full review here )
Amen, amen, amen. Some very good points are made. Before people start freaking out and say I’m calling all liberals evil/buying into an unfair categorization and finger-pointing ploy, read the full review. Maybe even think about it. I will be posting an embellishment on this thought/issue later. If I’m brainwashed and buying into a politically motivated belief, we all are. Even if you claim to be an objective thinker. (By the way, why is maintaining an objective mindset about everything considered to be “right”? You have to make up your mind at some point.) I might just have to get this book. I am so sick of reading wishy-washy, watered down, masked-as-being-objective-but-really-has-an-agenda, “philosophical thinking,” garbage. So much fence-teetering these days. Am I the only one who is sick of all this crap? I don’t think so, but I do feel like I’m in the minority.
Will be posting some blogs that I actually spent time thinking about/writing in a week or so. I’ve been swamped with college and other joyous institutions of life as of late. All I’ve had time to do is stare at everything in horror and vent about it in my head.
