16-10-2018, 02:04 AM
It always amazes me when phrases like "professional leftists" are tossed around when analyzing (or attempting to analyze) things like the Vietnam War, or even the JFK Assassination itself.
I, personally, don't feel that it's that hard to analyze even a person like Donald Trump without trying to fit him or his friends into a mold of "true Republican" or "progressive" or "leftist" or "rightist".
Sadly, I know all too many people, even in my extended family who view EVERYTHING through Red State Glasses or Blue State Glasses. They look at political loyalties like some people look at rooting for the Bears or the Packers. They are born Democrats or Republicans because their grandfather was, etc. etc. Or their military service or religious affiliation requires it (the most bizarre reasons of all).
Needless to say, it's hard to say whether George Washington was a "professional leftist" or a "professional rightist" etc. Maybe someone could safely classify FDR as a professional leftist. But what about Dick Nixon? He was deposed by extreme reactionary forces like E Howard Hunt and Hunt's best friend William F. Buckley.
How can one say that the Vietnam War was "leftist" or "rightist" or anything else based on the political divisions of 2018.? These fanatical defenses of or criticisms of JFK based entirely on 2018 political passions represent IMO mental time travelling. This does not lend itself to the search for the truth, be it the truth about Vietnam or the truth about the JFK murder.
There seems to be more outrage stemming from 2018 political prejudice and dogma than outrage about the undeniable fact the Nazis murdered JFK (and were implicitly involved in US-Vietnam Policy).
For the historian, Hitler and Stalin were basically murderers and troublemakers and their personal beliefs and behaviors probably don't fit very well into a discussion about Hilary Clinton, Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders.
In my research and writing effort, I really did not start with any 2018 political agenda at the front of my mind. And my conclusion that Nazis were his killers only convinced me that the Nazis were extremely bad bad people and not because they were either "leftists" or "rightists". They were just plain criminals and that, to me, tells enough of the entire story.
James Lateer
I, personally, don't feel that it's that hard to analyze even a person like Donald Trump without trying to fit him or his friends into a mold of "true Republican" or "progressive" or "leftist" or "rightist".
Sadly, I know all too many people, even in my extended family who view EVERYTHING through Red State Glasses or Blue State Glasses. They look at political loyalties like some people look at rooting for the Bears or the Packers. They are born Democrats or Republicans because their grandfather was, etc. etc. Or their military service or religious affiliation requires it (the most bizarre reasons of all).
Needless to say, it's hard to say whether George Washington was a "professional leftist" or a "professional rightist" etc. Maybe someone could safely classify FDR as a professional leftist. But what about Dick Nixon? He was deposed by extreme reactionary forces like E Howard Hunt and Hunt's best friend William F. Buckley.
How can one say that the Vietnam War was "leftist" or "rightist" or anything else based on the political divisions of 2018.? These fanatical defenses of or criticisms of JFK based entirely on 2018 political passions represent IMO mental time travelling. This does not lend itself to the search for the truth, be it the truth about Vietnam or the truth about the JFK murder.
There seems to be more outrage stemming from 2018 political prejudice and dogma than outrage about the undeniable fact the Nazis murdered JFK (and were implicitly involved in US-Vietnam Policy).
For the historian, Hitler and Stalin were basically murderers and troublemakers and their personal beliefs and behaviors probably don't fit very well into a discussion about Hilary Clinton, Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders.
In my research and writing effort, I really did not start with any 2018 political agenda at the front of my mind. And my conclusion that Nazis were his killers only convinced me that the Nazis were extremely bad bad people and not because they were either "leftists" or "rightists". They were just plain criminals and that, to me, tells enough of the entire story.
James Lateer