The canard that the US military should have fought WWII in Europe on behalf of the Jews has been around a long time. Edward Murrow speaks one line on radio, and it's taken as proof the US knew of the death camps. Since the death camps were only operational in 1942, although less efficient methods had been tried in 1941, Murrow's accusati…
The canard that the US military should have fought WWII in Europe on behalf of the Jews has been around a long time. Edward Murrow speaks one line on radio, and it's taken as proof the US knew of the death camps. Since the death camps were only operational in 1942, although less efficient methods had been tried in 1941, Murrow's accusation of murder seems prescient. Perhaps he read Mein Kampf and believed it. Certainly, Jews were kept out of the United States before the war broke out. I did not know about Otto Frank, but I certainly knew about the ship of Jewish refugees that was denied entrance to any country it tried, including the US. As emotional as this all is, wars are not intellectual exercises in what if. They are very real, very bloody. And they're not that easy to win.
The US did what had never been done before - we won two major wars on separate fronts. And a lot of Americans died. More came home injured and/or traumatized. Most Americans didn't even know where Germany or Japan was located, but they stood in lines to sign up once Pearl Harbor was bombed. They signed up to save America. And they trusted the military to safeguard their sons, fathers, and husbands as much as possible. Our soldiers were gone for as long as five-six years. No weekend passes back to the USA. I just want to know how you would explain to an Iowa housewife why her son died, if not for the US? Once you explain that, you can explain exactly how you think the European war should have been fought. Did American planes carry enough fuel to reach the denizens of Warsaw from England, and return? If not, where do you think they should have refueled? They say wars are won by boots on the ground. How do you think American boots could get to even Dachau from England? The US Army landed in North Africa in November 1942. My Dad was supposed to be there, but was waylaid by an injury. He said the troops were referred to as cannon fodder. No one expected a lot from those guys. My uncle was at the landing at Anzio. He was a newly minted doctor who came back to the US with white hair and a permanent despondency. The fighting up Italy's backbone was fierce and bitter. And they did eventually get to Dachau, by fighting German troops foot by foot up the length of Italy. But that's how wars are won. By real men in real battles.
I believe the actual reason Ken Burns made this film and considers it so important is that he has accepted the great lie that Trump is a modern day Hitler and we, his cheering supporters, are all enthusiastic fascists. What a joke! Liberal Democrats see an exhuberant rally and think Nuremburg. They've apparently never been to a high school spirit day or a college football game. Masses of people cheering and having fun - without doing drugs - must all be fascists. I can only assume that Ken Burns is now in hiding, being careful not to stay in one place too long, since he's uncovered the great fascist plot. Or at least that he was until Smilin' Joe set him free. In the meantime, those idealistic Antifa goons who appear at night to riot, set fires, intimidate the locals - those are Anti-fascists. Any similarity to the Brown Shirts is purely imaginary. Sure!
If this effort of Ken Burns does anything, in my opinion it lays bare the weakness of intellectuals, who are subject to the same group think as others. It is a compilation of half-truths and misconceptions that basically argue for the proverbial ivory tower. So disappointing.
The canard that the US military should have fought WWII in Europe on behalf of the Jews has been around a long time. Edward Murrow speaks one line on radio, and it's taken as proof the US knew of the death camps. Since the death camps were only operational in 1942, although less efficient methods had been tried in 1941, Murrow's accusation of murder seems prescient. Perhaps he read Mein Kampf and believed it. Certainly, Jews were kept out of the United States before the war broke out. I did not know about Otto Frank, but I certainly knew about the ship of Jewish refugees that was denied entrance to any country it tried, including the US. As emotional as this all is, wars are not intellectual exercises in what if. They are very real, very bloody. And they're not that easy to win.
The US did what had never been done before - we won two major wars on separate fronts. And a lot of Americans died. More came home injured and/or traumatized. Most Americans didn't even know where Germany or Japan was located, but they stood in lines to sign up once Pearl Harbor was bombed. They signed up to save America. And they trusted the military to safeguard their sons, fathers, and husbands as much as possible. Our soldiers were gone for as long as five-six years. No weekend passes back to the USA. I just want to know how you would explain to an Iowa housewife why her son died, if not for the US? Once you explain that, you can explain exactly how you think the European war should have been fought. Did American planes carry enough fuel to reach the denizens of Warsaw from England, and return? If not, where do you think they should have refueled? They say wars are won by boots on the ground. How do you think American boots could get to even Dachau from England? The US Army landed in North Africa in November 1942. My Dad was supposed to be there, but was waylaid by an injury. He said the troops were referred to as cannon fodder. No one expected a lot from those guys. My uncle was at the landing at Anzio. He was a newly minted doctor who came back to the US with white hair and a permanent despondency. The fighting up Italy's backbone was fierce and bitter. And they did eventually get to Dachau, by fighting German troops foot by foot up the length of Italy. But that's how wars are won. By real men in real battles.
I believe the actual reason Ken Burns made this film and considers it so important is that he has accepted the great lie that Trump is a modern day Hitler and we, his cheering supporters, are all enthusiastic fascists. What a joke! Liberal Democrats see an exhuberant rally and think Nuremburg. They've apparently never been to a high school spirit day or a college football game. Masses of people cheering and having fun - without doing drugs - must all be fascists. I can only assume that Ken Burns is now in hiding, being careful not to stay in one place too long, since he's uncovered the great fascist plot. Or at least that he was until Smilin' Joe set him free. In the meantime, those idealistic Antifa goons who appear at night to riot, set fires, intimidate the locals - those are Anti-fascists. Any similarity to the Brown Shirts is purely imaginary. Sure!
If this effort of Ken Burns does anything, in my opinion it lays bare the weakness of intellectuals, who are subject to the same group think as others. It is a compilation of half-truths and misconceptions that basically argue for the proverbial ivory tower. So disappointing.