American Anti-imperialism, modeled after the reformist movement originating shortly before the mark of the Twentieth Century
The following is provided by Citizens For A Better Veterans Home; an organization founded in 1998, working to ensure veterans receive the social services promised to them… AMERICAN ANTI IMPERIALISM, 1898 STYLE
“There was a broad based, centrist, moderate, reformist United States anti-war effort right before 1900. This Original Populist Era organization was run under similar structure to 21st Century Populist movement’s cooperative involvement in the 2000s Anti Iraqi Occupation ground swell.
The American Anti-Imperialist League that organized over nine decades before George H. W. Bush invaded Iraqi occupied Kuwait was broad based.
Political groups outside of the two party duolopoly spoke up in opposition to the proposed illegal annexation of the Spanish Philippine Islands at the ‘other’ turn of the century. This group of Non Republicans and Non Democrats was formed over a century before the current American occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq.
First meeting on June 15, 1898, in San Francisco, California. Its members included Andrew Carnegie, THE Billionaire Steel Magnet and Philanthropists; Mark Twain (Samuel Longhorn Clements); William James, Philosopher, Writer, Educator; David Starr Jordan; and Samuel Gompers, Union Legend.
George S. Boutwell, former secretary of the treasury and Massachusetts U. S. senator, served as first and only president of the League.
On December 21, 1898, United States President William “Big Bill” McKinley issued his Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation, unilaterally and quite illegally ceding the Philippines to the United States. He also was secretly instructing the American occupying service members to use force, as necessary, to impose American sovereignty over the Philippine Islands. This second criminal act was informal and unlawful. It was issued even before the nation obtained formal Senate ratification of the (’Paris’) peace treaty with the global Spanish “Iberian” Empire.
As we fulfill our lives in this 21st Century doesn’t it seem that the more things ‘change’ the more they seem to ‘re-invent’ themselves. Like Ho Chi Min City and Baghdad, Americans were originally hailed as liberators in Manila! These same United States troops were later fired upon and then bombed with make shift materials by local patriots. To add injury to insult, the Imperial Japanese Empire mimicked the United States of America by ‘liberating’ Manila from it’s second group of light skinned European based over lords on December 7th, 1941. The Philippines were FINALLY an independent, unoccupied territory in 1946, almost half a century after the American Anti- Imperialism League.
Citizens For A Better Veterans Home, not just more lethal, politicized, uncaring programs that create hack patronage jobs, spend taxes in constituent communities, while doing little or nothing for real veterans, their real families, with their real problems……
One Response to “American Anti-imperialism, modeled after the reformist movement originating shortly before the mark of the Twentieth Century”
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As well as Mark Twain and other anti imperialists, the 21 st Century populist movement also needs to reach back into the past for its every day icons. The main line ‘reform’ movement refuses to do this.
They still praise Ross Perot. [This guy did gain nearly 20% and 10% of the popular vote in 1992 and 1996, but his actions suggest he was mainly interested in shaking the duopoly for more and better government contracts for his computer processing services.
The main line reform movement [and its many splinters] uses a full eagle and eagle head very similar to the VETSparty. [Their platforms are very very similar also!] This is like ’standing out by blending in’! And what other organization[s] uses the Eagle and the Eagle Head as much?
Let’s see. Fascism comes from ‘Fasci’! These are parade markers and Eagle topped flag poles and banner bundles of the corrupt and terriorizing ancient army of Rome. Lots and lots of Eagles and Eagle Heads in 20th Century Italy and Germany—and Spain and Austria!
Domesticly THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE uses a stylized ’swooping’ eagle and eagle head! Oh my! This is not enough to get our juices running! In fact it seems to send a conflicting message for a rebelous colony striving to achieve egalitarianism and some limited democracy! Pretty poor Public Relations?
At least the so called American Reform Party has the American Bison (Buffalo) as its animal mascot. Too bad they do not see reform farther back in history than Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura. The solitary Independence Party affiliates also ‘do’ the shaggy prairie beast. There half a dozen IPs and New York State even elected a representative to Albany!
There are almost a dozen anti establishment movements in our nation’s comparitively short life. Beginning with Ben Franklin and Thomas Paigne and the ‘Founding Generation’ —up to labor unionists [May Day and Labor Day and the Eight Hour Day and the Forty Hour Week are totally All-American innovations], women’s rights, abolishionists, free soil types, anti-imperialists, trust busters, muckrakers, reformers, urban progressives —-and of course their [originally rural, Grange based] POPULIST cousins!
Why the Veterans Party USA does not have Medal of Honor winner Theodore Roosevelt, the only 20th Century President on Mount Rushmore, as their personality icon —we do not know! He is also a great [but imperfect] fit for the reformers, the Greens, the Constitutionalists, and anti establishment groups of every stripe.
POPULISTS and Progressives under any other banner or trade mark can get a million hours of free propanda every year by adopting TR [his Direct Democracy guru and Bull Moose running mate California Governor Hiram W. Johnson], the teddy bear and the bull moose as party symbols. Every school year, especially in Hiram W. Johnson’s west coast, ‘Civics’ class room teachers go over the ‘Bull Moose’ era of a hundred years ago.
From now until the hundredth year anniversary of his death in 1920, there will be one thing after another in the news on Bull Moose related activities. Hello, hello, hello. [Yes, occationally life does offer a free, public domain, no costs 'Lunch'!]
Every year ‘Civics’ class room instructors spend a couple of minutes, usually totally at tax payers expence, on the Democratic Party, its history and Donkey mascot. Every year ‘Civics’ class room instructors spend a couple of minutes, usually totally at tax payers expense, on the Republican Party, its history and the Pacaderm mascot. Maybe non Democans and non Republicrats just are not smart enough to make head way in the Public Relations arena!
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