Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Boiled Shirt Americanism
American Legion legionaire revisits extremist roots:
Disgruntled American Legion goosestepper Thomas Cadmus declares war on non-violent democractic declarations of dissent. At least those declarations of dissent that he finds unpleasant. By whatever means it takes:
And there's much more -- John McKay also revisits American Legion chief Alvin Owsley's infamous roman salute to Italian fascism (circa 1930's). -- so Read all about it!... via archy: Street fighting thugs.
Another comparison comes to mind here as well. Circa 1938. Head of the American Legion's "Constitutional Defense Committee", one Charles B. Swift, was famous for announcing and organizing meetups and hootenannies and git-to-know-yas in which legionaires might mingle and cavort and generally whoop it up with like-minded fellow far right nativist and pro-fascist gracioso luminaries belonging to such notable outfits as the Silver Shirts, Christian Front, and Knights of the White Camellia.
One such mixer organized by Swift featured Silver Shirt "field marshall" T. Roy Zachary who, in May of 1938, during a joint German American Bund/Silver Shirt rally in Chicago, announced his willingness to assassinate president Roosevelt should no one else step to the plate on behalf of the home team. All of this of course eventually earned T. Roy and his fellow parade ground martial churls a front row seat at the Dies Committee hearings.
Hip hip hoo-ray for the 'W'ing-nutter way.
addendum (Comment note): Bryan, who also comments here frequently, makes the following observation at archy with respect to American Legion damn the Constitution nozzel Thomas Cadmus:
And I think we all know what Munich beer halls were famous for. Too bad "commander" Cadmus, apparently, does not.
And: U.S. Navy vet Bob Geiger has a message for legionaire Cadmus:
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Disgruntled American Legion goosestepper Thomas Cadmus declares war on non-violent democractic declarations of dissent. At least those declarations of dissent that he finds unpleasant. By whatever means it takes:
the group's national commander called for an end to all “public protests” and “media events” against the war, constitutional protections be damned.
And there's much more -- John McKay also revisits American Legion chief Alvin Owsley's infamous roman salute to Italian fascism (circa 1930's). -- so Read all about it!... via archy: Street fighting thugs.
Another comparison comes to mind here as well. Circa 1938. Head of the American Legion's "Constitutional Defense Committee", one Charles B. Swift, was famous for announcing and organizing meetups and hootenannies and git-to-know-yas in which legionaires might mingle and cavort and generally whoop it up with like-minded fellow far right nativist and pro-fascist gracioso luminaries belonging to such notable outfits as the Silver Shirts, Christian Front, and Knights of the White Camellia.
One such mixer organized by Swift featured Silver Shirt "field marshall" T. Roy Zachary who, in May of 1938, during a joint German American Bund/Silver Shirt rally in Chicago, announced his willingness to assassinate president Roosevelt should no one else step to the plate on behalf of the home team. All of this of course eventually earned T. Roy and his fellow parade ground martial churls a front row seat at the Dies Committee hearings.
Hip hip hoo-ray for the 'W'ing-nutter way.
addendum (Comment note): Bryan, who also comments here frequently, makes the following observation at archy with respect to American Legion damn the Constitution nozzel Thomas Cadmus:
And people wonder why I refuse to join veterans organizations.
The guy who made the speech spent his two year draft commitment in a Munich beer hall. He pull[ed] basic in Kentucky and then was shipped to Germany as an Armor Recon Specialist. He was a Specialist 5th, which means he didn't even have to give orders. comment here
And I think we all know what Munich beer halls were famous for. Too bad "commander" Cadmus, apparently, does not.
And: U.S. Navy vet Bob Geiger has a message for legionaire Cadmus:
I hurt every day when I read the names of those who have been killed in Iraq. My loyalty is with them, not with you and your misguided organization, which seems to have decided that the best way to help in the war on terror is to seize the very rights we veterans have always protected and toss them in the toilet. - continued reading at: The Yellow Dog Blog
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