A Letter To Gale: Regarding Historical Events March 20, 01

My father and my Uncle Gale have been engaging in political discourse for quite sometime. My Uncle is a very liberal democrat and my father is a Libratarian/Republican. This is a letter my father wrote to Gale in regards to a book he read. I thought it was so interesting that I wanted to share it with everyone. Enjoy!

Dear Gale,

Thanks for the book. I have just finished it and found it to be a very thought provoking.

Though I have read before of all of the facts that he presents, I still found Professor Zinn's writing style enjoyable. I have listen to several hours of Professor Zinn's lectures, and interviews on the local, socialist-Marxist radio station. (The management of the station has gone to some length to inform the listener that "Marxist-Socialists" are now known as "Progressives." Fine by me.)

Unlike the history professors I have studied under, he shows great emotional input when discussing the numerous outrages found in the history of this nation. This is a refreshing approach to a typical reader of history.

If one views the book as a whole, one is left in awe of the greatness of this nation, and the people that make it great. I walk away from Professor Zinn's discourse feeling that I am lucky to be part of the story of these people
called Americans. I am sure you feel the same. Those people that fought for personal liberty, freedom, and private property (commonly referred to as "pursuit of happiness") I call 'men of liberty'.

Rather that an indictment of the history, institutions, and people of the United States, as the book was intended, rather the book chronicles their success. Problems of historic proportions that fell in the path of our
history were resolved. Problems that have led to the destruction of other nations were successfully dealt with by ours. Some of these are as follows:

SLAVERY

I am amused that he points out that from 1766, to 1865 there was an institution of slavery in America. Good grief! Even a fifth grader knows that. Professor Zinn's outrage at the abominable institution is well nigh a 150 years late.

Yes, Americans are the people that lived with slavery longer than most of the world at that time. Yet it was this nation's men of liberty that ended it by prosecuting the bloodiest war up to that time, and remains the bloodiest in
our history. More than half of all Americans that were lost in all of our wars were lost in the great civil war. That war ended government sanctioned slave trade in the entire world.

Slavery is still in existence, however. It is practiced in socialist nations, and the friends of socialist nations in North Africa. You may wish to read the United Nations report on slavery. Not only is it accepted in those nations, the "progressive" Chinese government also organizes it. International corporate pressure is now being applied to end it there. It is astonishing that Zinn and the socialists are not to be found raising a voice
against the real practice of slavery in Red China.

The truth is that slavery is not a very economical system. Because the institution of slavery does not produce enough capital to sustain itself in an economically open society it can only survive in a system that lacks a profit motive.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Though the U. S. has its history of labor violence, it is now the model for labor harmony. Most of Europe has adopted laws similar to, if not copied from, the Taft Hartly act. The U. S. now has more labor harmony than any other industrialized nation.

Speaking as the only member of the family to voluntarily join, paid dues, and carried a union card, I find that the right to strike, (the heart of a union) is well protected in the present time. This protection arose from the great
successful struggle in a free society.

MILIARY AGGRESSION

The U. S. has learned its lesson though several bloody conflicts initiated by imperialist impulse, and internal politics.

The Mexican, Spanish, and Viet Nam wars were clearly aggressive.

The Spanish war was resolved by the U. S. returning the land ceased, with the exception of Porto Rico. Nonetheless Puerto Rico has been granted great local political independence.

The Veit Nam war was resolved in the normal fashion that greets those that practice aggression. The aggressor was defeated. Even though I have suffered loss in that conflict, I am happy that we left, and regret that we didn't leave sooner.

The misuse of military power is still a matter of abuse buy our Government. Our recent liberal president saw fit to bomb innocent peoples on more than one occasion, for no other purpose than to distract the media from his own
personal corruption. You may wish to read the article "Weapons of Mass Distraction" in the Nation magazine, (a prominent liberal publication).

NATIVE PEOPLES

This book shows the hardships and suffering of the native Americans during the "Hundred Year War". The war between the natives of America, and the U. S. army was conducted from the first founding of this nation, till the
beginning of the twentieth century. It began with, and was sustained by the huge migration of Europeans to North America.

The story of the migration of peoples, and cultures is always one of pain and controversy. We have only to look at the modern migration of the Jews to Palestine to realize the violence, and conflict of such a movement of
peoples. Also one realizes the Gordion problem of sorting out the legal claims in such a conflict? Zinn goes to great lengths to demonstrate how abominably, by our present day standards, the whites conducted themselves in the winning of the west. Professor Zinn's history does not, however, address the true blameworthiness of the leaders of the indigenous population that faced the European migration. He fails to point out the total incompetence, ignorance, and
plain stupidity of the tribal leaders. They were not only worthless at their role as leaders they were naive to the point of open-mouthed wonder. One can only be astounded at their incapacity to rise to their office as Chief of the
tribe. Never in the history of world were tribal leaders so inadequate at even the lowest level demands of their office.

This complete failure can not be excused. History is full of incidences where indigenous tribes successfully defended their people and lands. Even though they are without technology they can defeat the invader as was recently seen in Afghanistan.

To place blame on the white people of today for the wrongs of the past is an improper use of historical method. Do we blame FDR for winning the conflict with Japan, or Germany? Do we blame Washington for his success against England? Do we blame Grant for ending the rebellion of slave owning
southerners? Do we blame Russia for defeating Napoleon? No we do not!

Losers are to blame for their defeat. Either they should have planned, trained, and prepared their people for the fight, or used their political skill to avoid the tragedy of defeat. It is popular in the community of the left to accept Zinn's point of view; however, the historical facts paint a far more complicated truth.

THE RICH

Zinn presents the information on this subject from a point of view that has been totally discredited. That is the archaic belief in what progressives call "the accumulation of wealth theory." This theory asserts that there is
only so much wealth in the world and if someone gains a buck someone must lose a buck. Although such a theory was common in the Middle Ages no knowledgeable economist gives credence to it today.

Contrary to Professor Zinn's approach, the nature of wealth is not a "Sum Zero" situation. The truth is unlike the scientific theory of conservation of energy. Wealth can be created where there was none before. Wealth can also disappear without a trace.

Men of liberty have always done well in creating wealth through profit. Free men can invent, improve, and restore the engines of industry more efficiently than any Socialist, Progressive nation. The reason why is that the Socialist nations, with the best of intentions, prevent the development of profit. Without the motive of profit, wealth is not created, and without wealth the Socialist, Progressive Governments inevitably resort to the cruelest forms of coercion to prevent the collapse of their power.

The more the economy is impoverished the more force is needed, the more force, the greater loss of wealth, the loss of wealth creates more poverty. And so it goes until sooner or later there is a total collapse. As in Russia, eastern Europe, and numerous third world nations today. The collapse of a socialist nation produces far greater human calamity than any hardship depicted in his book.

He fails to see the difference between free economies and commanded economies. There is a clear distinction between the wealth of a dictatorial power and the wealth of America. Countless dictators simply steal the wealth
from both rich and poor and do nothing to create wealth in the land, (i.e. Philippines, Iraq, and all of Central America.) In the U. S. the rich get that way normally by investment in industry. Though there are crooks in Wall
Street, they typically end up in our justice system.

I could never buy into the progressive notion that rich people are inherently bad. I fear not the classes, rich or poor.

To prove the point, I ask the following:

Given that the richest man on earth is Bill Gates. Can Bill Gates, with all of his money force me to fire one of my employees? Can he force me to hire a
person I don't wish to? Can he force me to pay for the killing of innocent life in an aspirin factory in a country that has never cause us any harm? Can he force me to wear a helmet, force me to use a seat belt, or force me to
give up my property?

Could Bill Gates prevent me form driving the car I wish, prevent me from living where I wish, prevent me from growing what crops I wish, restrict me from eating the food I want, prohibit me from selling the products I make, enjoing my smoking what I will, or silence me from saying what I want?

Bill Gates can not force me to do anything, or prevent me from doing anything. But there is a power that can interfere with even the most private of my activities. The Government is that power. Now I ask, from whom do we
need protection? Bill Gates, or the Government?

MONOPLOIES

The ability of our institutions to address the problem of the formation of monopolies is a success story unparalleled. The ability of monopolies to impinge on the liberty of our citizens caused those people of liberty to take action. This same action is again needed as the SEC turns a blind eye to the consolidation of large corporations. This trend is reflected in the
consolidation of political power in the hands of the few in Washington. I believe that the two movements are related, and connected.

Our recent liberal president took no step to restrain the economic and political powers form concentration in the few. It is time for the men of liberty to take steps to restrain the Federal Government from further consolidation of political power. One political party now is hell bent on
regulating, that is. Gaining central power over all aspects of our lives. Central Government Planning and control NEVER EVER works!

CONCLUSION

More than any other broad view type history of America, Zinn has shown that this nation was built, developed, and survives upon the human struggle for liberty.

I do realize that the author is a very leftist progressive. He vilifies the "establishment" in the typical leftist claptrap method. He describes the capitalist bogeyman (the establishment) as the top one-percent, or the "rich"
that owns the most. Zinn claims that these rich few control the repression, and exploitation of the remaining 99%. He asserts that he, and his fellow progressives, are the spokesman for this oppressed majority. To me the claim
sounds as those of the discredited so called spokesmen for the silent majority.

Professor Zinn's admission that the progressives are an extreme minority in America appears accurate. The last election proved that only 2% or so are willing to vote that way (those were Nader folks). In explanation he seems
to think that the 99% are just too oppressed, or stupid to agree with the progressive agenda. This is a common foil of the left to counter their minority, radical position. They seem not to notice that the extreme radical right has a similar claim that those that agree with the left are either mislead, tricked, or have been bamboozled.

Though they have made some mistakes, I firmly believe that the majority are not oppressed, mislead, tricked, bamboozled, and certainly are not stupid.

The concept of the "oppressed masses" is nothing more than a fiction used by the left to gain power. One need only spend one afternoon in any third world country to know that the American people are anything but oppressed. Cubans,
Chinese, most Africans are oppressed, not us, by any stretch of the imagination.

Where professor Zinn really fails is the casting of all of the events in his book into the old "class struggle" dialectic. The United State is not a classed society. We have no classes. We have no class of "untouchables" or
"royalty".

There are too many people form Zinn's so called "American Oppressed Classes" that moved up in our society. The richest persons in many fields are women, Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics. So many that one can not referrer to them as
exceptions.

The truth is that we are a successful nation, with a great future ahead of us, so long as we are vigilant to protect our liberty, freedoms, and property. I am sure that there are enough men of liberty willing to give all for those principles, and reject the negative propaganda of the left.

History is not a story of class struggle. History is about mankind working to gain liberty form his fellow man. Governments are not there to level the classes. Nothing of the sort. Government is to protect my liberty, property, and freedoms from my fellow citizens, and foreign nations. To the degree that that is done marks the level of accomplishments of the institutions of any society.

It is not a question of fairness, social justice, (what ever that means?), or welfare. It is a matter of one thing, and one thing only; LIBERTY.

"CSUB Student Gets Naked for the Sake of Art" Feb. 21, 01

By Dana Schilly
News and Copy Editor

---This article originally appeared in "The Runner" on May 24, 2000---


Future high school English teacher Chelsea Harms supplements her modest income the old fashioned way, by getting naked in public.
Harms has worked as a nude model for the California State University, Bakersfield art department for the passed three years. She finds the work fun, fullfilling and flattering.
"I love artistic endeavors, " Harms said. "I don't have the discipline to be an art student, but I do enjoy participating in the artistic process."
Harms was recruited to model by her photography professor when she was a freshman at the college.
"He said I had the personality and the figure to be an art model, " Harms said. "The art department was pretty desperate for models. They only had three weeks left of class and they hadn't had a live model yet."
For the outgoing, unconventional Harms, nude modeling seemed like a perfect fit, though she is not what contemporary fashion moguls would term model-sized.
"I had been told I had a Reubenesque body," she said.
"Art students actually prefer softer curves, not jutting bones. In figure drawing, art students are like doctors; they don't look at a body and go 'whoo hoo.' They're looking at your body in terms of forms, shapes and shadows."
Harms admits she felt uneasy at her fist sitting.
"I was stressed-out and nervous. I had forgotten to bring a robe, so I had to borrow someone's jacket and I stood there for the longest time with it pulled around me. Finally, I just counted to three and let it go. From that moment, there was no turning back."
The professionalism of the artists and the protectiveness of the art department have helped her overcome her initial reticence to pose, she said.
"If any students ever said something, or gave me a dirty look that made me feel uncomfortable, they would immediately be failed or kicked out of the class. I'm doing them a favor, and I'm getting paid for it."
So far Harms has never been confronted by a drawing of herself, au natural, unexpectedly displayed in a public art show. She has, however, asked for and received several drawings from students which she intends to frame and hang in her home, she said.
She has learned to overcome feelings of self-consciousness when she encounters art students outside of the studios.
"I run into students on campus all the time," she said. "They recognize me and we joke about it. They've seen me naked. We're pretty much fast friends after that."
"I still have insecurities, but I go in there anyway. Most of the students are women over 20, so they're pretty mature about it. This is who I am and I've gotten used to it. I have fun with my curves, but I'm actually a pretty modest person. I'm relatively conservative."
Art professor Ted Kerzie has used Harms' services in his drawing courses.
"Some people are uptight. Chelsea is relaxed, so the class is really relaxed," he said.
Harms doesn't see herself pursuing a career as a model.
"I want to be a teacher, a mother, and a groovy wife," she said.
She sees her modeling experience as a valuable contribution to student learning. "I like knowing if I wasn't in the room [the students] would not have improved in their art."
"I like hanging around with artists because they're all a little weird, " she said.
It gives them something in common from which to draw.

Books You Should Read to Be Interesting... 10/30/00

When I was in high school a fabulous teacher (Ms. Jacobs) gave her students an extensive list of important books to read in a life time.

In the same spirit I have made a list of books *I* find important to young people (actually, people of all ages). Some of the books on the list are classics, and some are not. My list might not be as extensive as Ms. Jacobs' but that is because many classics are down right boring. And most teachers would agree.

So, if you want to be interesting (and yes, I know that is totally a subjective term) here are my suggestions.

*NOTE: Because of the webdesign tool I'm using I couldn't underline the books. Please forgive this grammatical error.

-Brave New World- Aldous Huxley
-Marabou Stork Nightmares- Irvin Welsh
-Tales of the City- Armistead Maupin
-The Awakening- Kate Chopin
-The Color Purple- Alice Walker
-Friendman's Fables- Edwin Friedman
-The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald
-The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath
-Like People in History- Felice Picano
-American Psycho- Bret Easton Ellis
-Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
-Odyssy- Homer
-The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Mark Twain
-The 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Fail- Neil Howe,Ian Williams,R. J. Matron
-The Unbearable Lightness of Being- Milan Kundera
-The Red Badge of Courage- Stephen Crane

---
Have I missed one? Disagree? I'd like to hear from you. Please email me your response!