January 1941 FDR's 4 freedoms: of speech, of worship, from want, from fear

[Mountainman]

I'm reading "No Ordinary Time" by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It is about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the home front during WWII. The contrasts with Roosevelt’s administration and Bush’s administration are overwhelming.

We were facing the threat of real war in 1941 and yet the Roosevelts felt it was very important to protect the rights and freedoms won by the New Deal. Today we are facing fabricated wars and this administration believes we must give up our freedoms and rights in the name of "security."

In his State of the Union speech in January 1941, FDR talked about the growing danger of the war in Europe, yet he also talked about his idea of the four freedoms, Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

In Bush's State of the Union in 2003, he lied about dangers that he said we faced from Sadam and the need to go to war with Iraq. He also said we had to give up freedoms and rights to have security from terrorists. This administration has taken away freedom of speech from his detractors. It’s pushing a fundamentalist kind of religion on the country, denying many of us the freedom to not worship if we want. He has created more unemployment and poverty over the last three years and wants to take away any safety nets to help those in need. This administration constantly tries to put fear in the hearts of Americans so that they will surrender their lives to the neocon plans of world dominance.


Here is an excerpt from Goodwin’s book, "No Ordinary Time". It talks about FDR's 1941 State of the Union speech.

"As the country committed itself to national defense, he went on, it must never forget the goals for which it was fighting: equality of opportunity, jobs for those who could work, security for the needy, the ending of special privilege for the few, the preservation of civil liberties for all. Leaning forward in her seat, Eleanor smiled broadly as she heard these works, and the smile remained on her face as the president presented his vision of a new world founded on four freedoms. Since the beginning of the war, she had challenged her husband to recognize that the concept of a genuine national defense also encompassed better housing, work training, equal opportunity, and expanded health programs. Now, as the president gave eloquent voice to the ideas about democracy that were uppermost in her mind, she was elated."




The conservative's worldview is just the opposite of the Roosevelts’. We must get rid of the conservatives in our government soon or all that FDR and Eleanor fought for will again be non-existent.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. "No Ordinary Time" is an excellent book!

You're right about Franklin & Eleanor's legacy being attacked. There's been a concerted effort by the neocons to discredit anything related to the New Deal or the Hyde Park Roosevelts themselves. David Horowitz, a well-known conservative hack, wrote a book ten years ago called " THE ROOSEVELTS - An American Saga." From cover to cover, it slammed FDR for everything from his intellect to his children's activities as adults, while portraying TR as a larger-than-life figure without talking about TR's imperialistic tendencies.

The whole Reagan dime thing is merely another front of this attack on the Hyde Park Roosevelts...

FDR is one of my heroes and I'll be damned if I'll let any neocon try to rob the Roosevelts of their proper place in history!

[jpgray]

2. The obvious exception would be internment

Something unfortunately familiar to us, in these days of "enemy combatants".

[rasputin1952]

3. I have spoken to many about the internment of the...

Japanese Americans during WWII. In a nutshell, this is what I have come across:

There was a real fear in the US that '5th Columnists' were rampant across the US at the time. This fear, basically unfounded, was none the less, very real.

There was a large following in this country of the Nazi Party. This was becoming a powerful force in this nation. On 7 Dec 41, all that changed instantaneously, and the American Nazi Party dissipated, with portions of it going underground.

The Japanese Americans were an easier target, in fact, many Chinese Americans were mistaken as Japanese at the time. There also was, a small factor that was dedicated to Japan and the Emperor. There were several agents in HA that were reporting to the Japanese gov't, and there were a few on the West Coast as well.

But the wholesale round up and internment of the Japanese Americans was never a 'good' idea. The only thing that came out of it that was 'good', were the 100th and 442nd RCT's. These Japanese Americans fought for the country they loved, and became the most decorated of all the units in WWII. They also suffered the highest casualty rate.

Fear is born of ignorance, and this country and it's citizenry, are not exempt from ignorance.

Apparently, we haven't learned all that much since then, and citizens of Middle Eastern descent, bear the brunt of Americans and their prejudices to this day, even though, the majority of people from the M-E are a decent and good people.

But the fires of fear are fed by lies and preconceived notions. Those of us that are a little saner, and more enlightened, need to douse those fires, regardless of the cost.

O8)

[ElsewheresDaughter]

4. " A chicken in every pot"...George..that is true compassion!!! not "pray"

that God gives you a chicken

[Gin]

6. and not a hamburger.

:)

[PVnRT]

5. Conservatives need fear

They need to propagate fear to keep people to afraid to counteract the militaristic bullshit that they want to pull off. They know people have no stomach for wars that are seemingly fought for little reason. Especially when the bodybags start coming in.