Story Comments

This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

They're legitimate because McCain told you this? Yeah...He's reliable. ROTFLMAO

3 Replies

This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

perhaps some of you have read the word "weathermen" and not known what it really was. This is from wikipedia:

The Weathermen were initially part of the Revolutionary Youth Movement (RYM) within the SDS, splitting from the RYM's Maoists by claiming there was no time to build a vanguard party and that revolutionary war against the United States government and the capitalist system should begin immediately.

Their founding document called for the establishment of a "white fighting force" to be allied with the "Black Liberation Movement" and other "anti-colonial" movements[2] to achieve "the destruction of US imperialism and achieve a classless world: world communism."[3]

The group's first public demonstration was the "Days of Rage," an October 8, 1969 riot in Chicago that was coordinated with the trial of the Chicago Eight.[4] In 1970 the group issued a "Declaration of a State of War" against the United States government, under the name "Weather Underground Organization" (WUO), and members adopted fake identities and pursued covert activities.

They carried out a campaign consisting of bombings, jailbreaks, and riots. Their attacks were mostly bombings of government buildings, along with several banks, police department headquarters and precincts, state and federal courthouses, and state prison administrative offices.[5][6]

For the bombing of the United States Capitol on March 1, 1971, they issued a statement saying it was "in protest of the US invasion of Laos."

For the bombing of The Pentagon on May 19, 1972, they stated it was "in retaliation for the US bombing raid in Hanoi."

For the January 29, 1975 bombing of the Harry S Truman Building housing the United States Department of State, they stated it was "in response to escalation in Vietnam."[7]

The Weathermen largely disintegrated shortly after the US reached a peace accord in Vietnam in 1973 , which saw the general decline of the New Left.

Today

Widely-known members of the Weather Underground include Kathy Boudin, Mark Rudd, Terry Robbins, Ted Gold, Naomi Jaffe, Cathy Wilkerson, Jeff Jones, David Gilbert, Susan Stern, Bob Tomashevsky, Sam Karp, Russell Neufeld, Joe Kelly, Laura Whitehorn and the still-married couple Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers. Most former Weathermen have successfully re-integrated into mainstream society, without necessarily repudiating their original intent.

A non-violent faction of the Weather Underground continues today as the Prairie Fire Organizing Committee. Their official site reads:

We oppose oppression in all its forms including racism, sexism, homophobia, classism and imperialism. We demand liberation and justice for all peoples. We recognize that we live in a capitalist system that favors a select few and oppresses the majority. This system cannot be reformed or voted out of office because reforms and elections do not challenge the fundamental causes of injustice

7 Replies

This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

Excellent Klarrisa!

I'd like to augment your commentary with additional information.

Perhaps some of you have read the phrase "ad hominem" and not known what it really was. This is from wikipedia:

""An ad hominem argument consists of replying to an argument or factual claim by attacking a characteristic of the person making the argument or claim, (real or invented) rather than by addressing the substance of the argument or producing evidence against the claim.

The process of proving or disproving the claim is thereby subverted, and the argumentum ad hominem works to change the subject."

Examples of ad hominem attacks are ....

--- Trying to link a person to other, commonly discredited groups --- even when there is no evidence.

An example of this might be trying to link a fellow named Barack Obama with the Weather Undergound ... even though this link has been proven to be removed by a generation.

Another example of an ad hominem attack is ....

--- Trying desperately to apply a label to someone .... this is done in a pathetic, sick attempt to dissuade others from listening to a someone's position because the logic of that position might sway well reasoned people.

A common tactic is to label someone you don't like as a 'Socialist'.

However, as we look back on George W. Bush's life, business career, and presidency, it's apparent that labels can be misleading.

It turns out that George W. Bush is probably the most blatant example of a Socialist in our time.

Beginning with his efforts to steal 200 acres from middle class citizens using Eminent Domain .... to his remarkable Vast Transfer of Wealth from the Middle Class to the Wealthy .... to his proposed bailout of America's Richest, Whitest American's who have run into a little bit of financial trouble.

Oh ... and this fellow wants you to accept his plan and have NO say so about it .... NO share in future profits ... and NO oversight .... that is like pure Socialism.

But GW himself is not a pure Socialist.

GW is a FIRM believer in Unregulated, Free Markets .... when they are making profits .... when these unregulated behemoths falter ... as ANY unregulated entity always does .... THEN GW is a Socialist.

A Capitalist when profits are being made .... A Socialist when Losses are incurred.

And that's not an ad hominem attack ... that's the facts.

For additional background on the underpinnings of GW's mindset and motivators .... see my commentary on 'The American Christian Conservative Rich & White Theology' below.

2 Replies

This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »

Well Tang, what I want to know is how McCain got to be worth $40 million when he has spent his whole life on public salaries (military, senate). We should be informed about the decades of corrupt influence peddling and kickbacks.

0 Replies