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Originally posted by Ned
This "assumes" the failure. In 1972, when Kerry stabbed America in the back, South Vietnam was very much a going concern.
This "assumes" the failure. In 1972, when Kerry stabbed America in the back, South Vietnam was very much a going concern.
Yeah, sure it was.
In the same way a terminally ill patient is a going concern until the moment they actually die.
Re: the Filipinos- I do suggest Ned, that you try and read some history from the point of view of those who were occupied and plundered, and those who see Aguinaldo as a hero and not a rebel.
Unfortunately all you've probably read is the sanitized American version which refers to the Filipino-American War as an insurrection (funny, how a war of liberation from the Spanish becomes a colonial war of occupation so quickly), an 'insurrection' which lasted longer and was more bloody than the supposed war of liberation.
Of course, given that the Americans had never actually conquered all the Philippines, I find it difficult to see how anyone could honestly describe it as an 'insurrection' but perhaps I'm being too pedantic.
I mean, good heavens, markets and profits were at stake!
Like I always say with American foreign policy and neo-colonialism, follow the money:
'The treaty had to be ratified by the U.S. Senate before it could take effect. It, however, met opposition, mainly against the annexation of the Philippines. An Anti-Imperialist League was formed to rally American public opinion against the annexation. Some prominent Americans, such as former President Grover Cleveland, Andrew Carnegie, and Mark Twain, also opposed the ratification.
One of the reasons why the United States should not acquire the Philippines was that the Filipinos themselves were fighting the Americans in the Philippines. Such an act, they said, showed that the Filipinos did not want to be under American rule. They also reasoned that it was inconsistent for the United States to disclaim—through the so-called Teller Amendment—any intention of annexing Cuba and then annex the other Spanish colonies, such as the Philippines.
Annexation Fever.
There were also many in the United States who saw the advantages of taking over the Philippines. Many missionaries, for instance, favored annexation. So did people who feared that Germany might get the Philippines if the United States did not. Some favored annexation to give America a “foothold” in the populous markets of Asia. '
Oohh, is that Henry Cabot Lodge I hear, decades before he made his speech about the importance of Viet Nam?
Sure sounds like it.
'The Filipinos were outraged when they learned that Spain, which no longer controlled the Philippines, had ceded the country to the United States.'
It would have been rather like Great Britain ceding the American colonies to France....
'The mission of the United States was described by McKinley as one of “benevolent assimilation.” In the same proclamation, General Elwell Otis was named the commander of American ground forces in the Philippines, which was to “extend by force American sovereignty over this country.” '
Now it's getting clearer. Extend by force. We all know what that means, don't we?
'Talk about war being “hell,” this war beats the hottest estimate ever made of that locality. Caloocan was supposed to contain seventeen thousand inhabitants. The Twentieth Kansas swept through it, and now Caloocan contains not one living native.'
Um, I'm getting the picture. Would these dead natives be the ones with fond memories?
No, must be these Filipino 'bandits':
'There occurred the hardest sight I ever saw. They had four prisoners, and didn’t know what to do with them. They asked Captain Bishop what to do, and he said: “You know the orders, and four natives fell dead.” '
Describing their adventures in Malabon, Anthony Michea of the Third Artillery wrote:
"We bombarded a place called Malabon, and then we went in and killed every native we met, men, women, and children. It was a dreadful sight, the killing of the poor creatures. "
Let freedom ring, hallelujah!
That awkward fellow, Mark Twain, whom you don't appear to have read on the subject:
"What we wanted, in the interest of Progress and Civilization, was the Archipelago, unencumbered by patriots struggling for independence; and War was what we needed. We clinched our opportunity. It is Mr. Chamberlain’s case over again—at least in its motive and intention; and we played the game as adroitly as he played it himself. "
To the Person Sitting in Darkness, North American Review 172 (Feb 1901).
This has a familiar ring:
'The Pacification of Samar.
Due to the public demand in the U.S. for retaliation, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the pacification of Samar. And in six months, General “Jake” Smith transformed Balangiga into a “howling wilderness.” He ordered his men to kill anybody capable of carrying arms, including ten-year old boys.
Smith particularly ordered Major Littleton Waller to punish the people of Samar for the deaths of the American troops.
His exact orders were: “I want no prisoners. I wish you to kill and burn, the more you kill and burn, the better you will please me.” '
Joseph Schott: 'The Ordeal of Samar'
(The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc./Howard W. Sams & Co., Inc., Publishers, Indianapolis, Indiana, Copyright 1964).
I bet those ten year old boys look back with real delight on American rule, don't you?
'The civil government, composed of 6,000 men, was established. It was, however, led by American officers and former members of the Spanish civil guards. '
My goodness, it's post-war Viet Nam, Vichy France and Japanese troops all over again. How uncanny.....
'A war that was in part fueled by the American public desire to end the alleged abuse of Cuban natives, would in the end result in three territorial conquests for the US, tens of thousands of Spaniards and Cubans killed, and the extermination of a quarter of a million Philippinos. '
But then, as with all the figures I quote, you'll say (all evidence to the contrary) that it's exaggerated, and probably only 3 Filipinos died, from self-inflicted wounds, or influenza.....
I do enjoy your version of American history, Ned- it's like real history, except without the genuine motivations, nasty parts, and, oh yes, reality.
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