A Little Bighorn

[H2O Man]

“.... I would argue that what the country needs today is a little serious disrespect for the office of the Presidency; a refusal to give any more weight to a President's words than the intelligence of the utterance, if spoken by anyone else, would command ...”
--Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.; The Imperial Presidency; 1973; page 411.



Tomorrow, I'm taking off for four or five days, to visit some relatives and to relax in a cabin with my wife and daughters. One of my favorite activities is reading books, and so earlier today, I picked up three new ones to take with me.

The first one is James Donavan's “A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn” (Back Bay; 2008). Obviously, it's not “new,” but rather a fairly recent publication that will go well with my other books on that topic. One of the best, in my opinion, is Stephen Ambrose's “Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors” (Meridian; 1975)

My oldest daughter was with me when I bought the books. She thought this one looked most interesting, in part because she took a college course over the summer, which including reading Dee Brown's “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.” (The second required reading was Howard Zinn's “A People's History of the United States,” interesting reading for someone who is technically entering her junior year in high school.)

I showed her Ambrose's book when we got home. It raised a number of questions for her – starting with the title's comparison of Custer and Crazy Horse. I explained that both were unique characters, in the context of their cultures. Both were brave, bold, and frequently reckless. And, up until the famous battle at the Little Bighorn, each held a similar position in their respective societies. More, when one strips away the myths surrounding each one, the stories of their lives are intensely related in fascinating ways. (Their deaths, of course, were very different.)

The other two books are both about President Obama. As I've noted in other posts on this forum, I like to read a wide variety of view points, including works that I strongly disagree with. Hence, one book is pro-Obama, and the other is extremely anti-Obama.

Jonathan Alter's “The Promise: President Obama, Year One” ( Simon & Schuster; 2010) is certainly the better of the two books. While I do not share opinions with Alter on a number of issues, I have respect for his thinking – as well as his skills as a journalist. He notes that history is a never-ending argument, and that good reporting is at best a “second draft” of the historical essay.

I've glanced at parts of the book, and it looks interesting. He states that he is attempting to cover both the positive and negative aspects of the first year of Obama's Presidency. I noticed that he has a section on President Obama's having a confrontation with the top dogs from the Pentagon, and I'm curious what he reveals in the book. (If I wasn't trying to finish two other books tonight, I'd definitely have started this one already.)

The other book is “The Blueprint: Obama's Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency” (Lyons Press; 2010), by Ken Blackwell and Ken Klukowski. I have glanced at this book, too. It is bizarre. The only question I have at this point is if these fellows really believe the things they wrote, or if they are purposefully lying. I suspect that it is some combination of the two.

My daughter questioned why I would read “trash” like this. I explained that I have long attempted to read a wide variety of writings, including some by people such as Ken Blackwell, who I know is a liar, a crook, and has moral scurvy. For example, I have a number of Richard Nixon's books. She asked me if there was a risk of being contaminated, in the sense that those who watch Fox News are. I said that if one reads with an open mind, they are generally safe. It takes a closed mind to read and accept Blackwell and Klukowski's rants.

There are times when, reading this forum – including some opinions regarding President Obama – that I think this type of approach is helpful. Obviously, actual forum members (not the trolls) are not to be confused with the rabid right-wing. But there are some pretty strong opinions on President Obama. Some folks are pleased with his efforts thus far, and others feel that he hasn't lived up to his promise. Depending on our personal point of view, we see the same President, and are aware of the same actions, but interpret them in very different ways.

I do not see Barack Obama as either Custer or Crazy Horse. I agree with his positions on some issues, and disagree with him on others. In some cases, that agreement or disagreement is very strongly felt. I also understand that he took over after Bush and Cheney took aggressive and criminal steps to destroy our Constitutional democracy, and I appreciate that any positive efforts on his part have been and will be met with serious resistance from far too many weasels in Congress.

This is a peculiar time in both our nation's and the world's history. Any democrat who isn't concerned with the way things are going has their head buried in the sand. We simply do not have the luxury of “business as usual.” We need serious change – now – both in Washington, DC, and in the cities, towns, and rural regions across the country. One can believe that President Obama is doing his best to create that change, or be convinced that he has become part of the system that makes change almost impossible, and be intelligent and sincere in those beliefs. However, if one believes that we do not need significant changes, one can only be sincere, though definitely not having an intelligent grasp of where we are today.

In my own opinion, the Obama campaign in 2008 created a large, powerful, and positive energy that had the potential to institute real change. However, after his election, far too many people felt that it was a case of “mission accomplished.” This created a vacuum, which was filled by the negative energies of ignorance, hatred, and fear, that we call the “tea bag” movement. The machine in Washington, DC, which has five sides, runs on that fuel.

I'm not concerned with anyone's beliefs on the November elections. I trust everyone here to make the correct choice for themselves. Donate to, and campaign for, those you want to. Vote for the candidates you really support. Have the courage of your convictions. You might support a candidate that I don't care for, and you might not agree with who I support. That's fine.

But be active. Work with the positive parts of the machine, or rage against the machine. Both approaches have merit. As long as you are an active participant. Fill that void that is sucking the life out of this country.

Peace,
H2O Man

[lamp_shade]

1. Yea... Peace!

Great... great post.

[H2O Man]

8. Thanks!

Much appreciated.

[dflprincess]

2. One of the Mpls Star Tribune's writers did a column on the Little Big Horn last Sunday:

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/100657699.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:U0ckkD:aEyKUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUr

CROW AGENCY, Mont. -- I first visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument 25 years ago, when it was not much more than a shrine to the myth of one man: George Armstrong Custer.

Today, there are still remnants of the Custer "massacre" myth (the gift shop in the visitor center sells prints of the ludicrous 1884 Anheuser-Busch painting of "Custer's Last Fight"), but the myth has lost control of the rolling bluffs where the troops of the Seventh Cavalry lost their lives in 1876 and where the battle is now called a "hotly contested fight" between cultures, not a massacre.

The monument's name was changed from Custer Battlefield to Little Bighorn Battlefield in 1991. Recent improvements include a monument to the Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux warriors who died (as many as 100) and red-granite markers that have been placed on the field to show where some are known to have fallen. Gone are most of the Custer hagiographies that once dominated the shelves in the still-too-small visitor center, replaced by books on Plains Indian culture. And in place of the died-with-their-boots-on stereotypes that trivialized the grievances of the Indians whom the Army was under orders to round up and move to reservations by any means necessary, there is a one-size-fits-alls interpretation:

"We commemorate all who fought here," intones the narrator at the conclusion of the 28-minute video that plays at the battlefield visitor center. "Prisoners of their own times, they fought as they had been taught to fight -- to protect their own people and beliefs. All were patriots in their separate worlds of belief and ways of life."

The current interpretation of the battle and the long war between free-living tribes and a land- and gold-hungry government that wanted to break the Indians' will is far better than the old one. But it still gives short shrift to many of the more troubling -- and still relevant -- causes of the conflict: Virulent racism that justified inhuman treatment of native peoples; the pernicious idea of a "Manifest Destiny" that gave white Americans a divine right to expropriate lands, and government-endorsed war-fighting tactics in which women and children were rarely spared.

[H2O Man]

9. Interesting.

Thanks for posting this!

[truebrit71]

3. Cool! I am going to visit Little Bighorn on my way to Yellowstone..

..which of the books about the battle and its' backstory would you recommend to someone that has only a cursory knowledge of the event?

I have read Ambrose's D-Day material and like his style, would that be a good one to pick up too?

[H2O Man]

6. Either of the two

are good choices. Donovan's includes interpretations based on recent archaeological studies.

[alsame]

4. Have a

wonderful trip, H2O Man :hi:

I look forward to reading your comments about the books when you return.

K&R

[H2O Man]

10. I'm likely to start

one of them by sun-up. It's hard for me to sleep when there are good, unread books nearby.

[Solomon]

5. I like to read opposing books too. The problem I have been

having the last few years is that I refuse to contribute to the coffers of right wing hacks no matter how bad I want to peep their books. So unless I can get it free at the library, I just can't pay for them. I won't do it. No matter how tempted I am.

[H2O Man]

11. It's hard for me

to pay for these books. Quite a few of the ones I've got are from library book sales. But I have to admit that I have bought some.

[Ignis]

7. K&R, with a side of jealousy.

Five days relaxing in a cabin in the woods with your family?

You are a fortunate man, sir. :toast: Have a great time.

[H2O Man]

12. Yeah, I am

definitely looking forward to that. Also, I have an uncle and aunt near where we are staying. My uncle has served as my children's grandfather, since my Dad passed away. So we'll be hanging out near the lake with them some of the time.

[mmonk]

13. Go reflect at your cabin. That is what I do at my lake house.

Last summer on a trip out west, I went by Little Big Horn. Tomorrow and the days ahead, I'll do what I can to work for change.

Peace

Let us know what you think of the Alter book.

[H2O Man]

15. I'm looking forward

to reading the Alter book. The guy is intelligent, and a talented writer. I find him to be one of the most honest people in the corporate media; he says and writes some solid things that few others dare express, but because he is rather laid-back, he gets away with it.

[malaise]

14. Thoughtful post - as usual

Enjoy your holiday and your reading
You chose well.
:hi:

[H2O Man]

16. Thanks.

I need to get rested up, because I have a few social-political projects to work on when I get back.

[Binka]

20. Wonderful Journey Pat

I am a voracious bibliophile and books are always my late night down fall. Damn why isn't reading a job?

Safe travels and hug your kids tight. I know they are older than Peyton but damn it make them give you a kiss.

[bleever]

17. "Moral scurvy"!

I like that, except perhaps for the possible implication that Blackwell is redeemable, by citrus fruits or any other means.

Best wishes for a relaxing vacation.

[H2O Man]

23. The guy has a

heck of a lot of nerve, attecking anyone as a "threat to democracy." I read a few pages last night, and it is worse than I anticipated.

[bleever]

29. He doesn't know that he's useless.

Back in the crazy days after the 2004 "election", before it was certified, I wrote this ode to Mr. Blackwell's role in the theft of Ohio for Bush:


The Walrus and the Architect (with apologies to Lewis Carroll)


The Walrus and the Architect
Were talking over tea,
Of Buckeyes of a voting age,
How numerous they be,
And how the Walrus ought to bear
This great responsibility.

The Architect, his eyes grew moist,
He said, “My dearest friend.
Though there be ballots by the millions,
Still we can depend
That you will safeguard each last one
Until the very end.”

“Alas,” the Architect went on,
“We know some might be lost.
And what a pity it would be
Were we to bear the cost.”
The Walrus stroked his papers
Where his title was embossed.

“I must concur,” the Walrus said,
“No sadder circumstance
Than ballots lost, a somber thing
We cannot leave to simple chance.”
With tears and great affection
They did heartily shake hands.

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“For many a serious thought
Of how to place this year’s machines;
Alas, we underbought.
Thank goodness for the lessons that
The last election taught.”

“Dear Sir,” the Architect replied,
“Your tender care for such details
Should not be spared from any part
Of this most sacred of travails.
I trust the final counting, too,
Will not be left to ‘heads’ or ‘tails’.”

“I’ll bore you not with TRIADS,
Or with hired thugs or GEMS,
Provisionals, or absentees,
Or other strategems;
But not one small discrepancy
Will benefit the Dems.”

“Splendid!” cried the architect,
“Let’s celebrate our noble pact.”
And bread and wine and cheese
Upon the table soon were neatly stacked.
The walrus’s new mansion, in his mind
Appeared as real as fact.


Folding up his napkin,
The architect he sighed,
The work of the dear Walrus
He now surveyed with pride.
And Walrus tasted oh so well
With wine and cheese upon the side.

[steve2470]

18. a great post as always, k & r nt

[H2O Man]

24. Thanks.

DU is still the best forum on the internet for progressive and liberal democrats. Glad to be here, on the same team with you.

[Me.]

19. Lately When I Think Of The President, A Paraphase From The Movie On The Waterfront Comes To Mind

Over and over I find myself thinking...:He could've been a contender"...for one of the greatest presidents ever. But unless he makes a sharp pivot he won't win the title. He still has time but an admin that hires one of the Kagans makes that seem a dim proposition.

Have a great vacation!

[H2O Man]

25. I think that he

still can be a great president. I think there is about a 1 in 10 chance that he will. In the past, we've discussed types of leadership -- traditional, systems, and charismatic. Obama the community organizer and US Senator majored in charismatic, and minored in systems. That does not imply that he was weak in systems, however; but it is the flip of H. Clinton, who majored in systems, but has a significant minor in charisma.

The problem with this administration that I see involves a combination of leadership style and the fact that, as Schlesinger pointed out, all presidents attempt to increase the power of the executive branch ....and with a broken Congress, that entails risks for long-term damage to the balance of powers. Too often, President Obama appears to fight on Congress's terms.

Our mini-vacation has taken a twist: my youngest daughter has a close friend who, after the recent death of her father, has moved in with her mother. It's an unstable, violent house, and this little kid is suffering as the result. Long story short: we've had a "third daughter" living here recently, and she's coming on vacation with us. When I get back, I have a series of essays outlined in my rather large skull, that focus on my thoughts about the conditions that children face in America today.

[Lost4words]

21. K & R!

[H2O Man]

26. Thanks!

Much appreciated.

[Dr.Phool]

22. A book by Kenneth Blackwell should indeed be strange.

I've been reading "Moyers on Democracy" at the gym lately. He's always inspiring, and puts things into perspective.

[H2O Man]

27. "Moyers on Democracy"

is an important book. I'm doing last-minute packing now, and sense that I will be tempted to leave Blackwell's rant home, and take Moyers book to re-read. He is an outstanding thinker with solid skills in communications.

[Tsiyu]

28. Great post

I read this earlier this year and loved it:

Custerology: The Enduring Legacy of the Indain Wars and George Armstrong Custer by Michael A. Elliot.

It's an academic take on Custerphilia. Having been to Little Bighorn, I have also been touched by fascination with the battle there and the history and myth surrounding it. I was there when they were holding a competition for the memorial for the Sioux who died on the Greasy Grass. I actually picked up an application to try a design, but never sent mine in. This book has a chapter about the process and the controversy surrounding the new monument.

And:

Selling Your Father's Bones: America's 140-year War Against the Nez Perce Tribe by Brian Schofield. This is a gut-buster I couldn't put down.


Have a safe journey. I'm taking my daughter up to school today, and having a much worse time of it than I thought, the nest being now completely empty, but I am trying to focus on all the time for uninterrupted writing and reading to come....in between sobs lol

I thought I was tough, Ha!


See ya H2O Man :hi:

[Joe Fields]

30. Thank you!

As always, well spoken and customarily well thought out.

[bertman]

31. Since you're obviously into the Indian Wars and some of the main

participants, I suggest "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S. C. Gwynne. A fascinating read about the Comanches primarily and their "empire" of the Great Plains and its collision with the burgeoning American Empire. It covers a lot of ground and tells the stories of some of the most instrumental players on the Indians' and white men's side, many of whom most Americans have never even heard of.


"Any democrat who isn't concerned with the way things are going has their head buried in the sand. We simply do not have the luxury of “business as usual.” We need serious change – now – both in Washington, DC, and in the cities, towns, and rural regions across the country." Truer words were never written.

I hope all goes well with your new family member, H20 Man. Enjoy your visit.

[ChiciB1]

32. Great Post, Enjoyed It... As For Voting, This Time Around I Will Pass

voting in our primary here. Or may just do a write in. Still am one very upset citizen these days! Not that I haven't been in the past, but rarely miss voting! Have pretty much made up my mind who to vote for in the General, as so many other Democrat here have too!

It is what it is and something I never felt I would do!

I wish my cynicism would fade away into the sunset, but I stay hyper-vigilant because of the lack of trust I feel more and more as time goes by. And I'm no novice to politics and fought many battles, but now few very helpless!!