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March 02, 2008
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss
Everyone loves Dr. Seuss. From Horton Hears a Who, right on down to One Fish, Two Fish, we read his stories, and we read them to our children. Even Bob Dylan made an album using his stories.
For the fun of it... the question of the day... "How many words are there in Dr. Suess' Green Eggs and Ham?"
Dr. Seuss was fun, and the best kind of fun, the silly kind. But... Fox in Socks aside, there was a lot more to Theodor Seuss Geisel than just Green Eggs and Ham. Dr. Seuss most certainly had a serious side:
That could have been drawn based on what's happening is Sderot, Israel today. In looking over Dr. Seuss cartoons for this post, I was struck by the similarity in theme from way back when and today. Judging from the message, not much has changed.
Today, we have Cindy Sheehan, back then we had Charles Lindbergh. and back then, they called themselves "The America First Committee." Basically, they were isolationists, and they opposed America's involvement in WWII. They didn't care who died overseas, as long as they had ice in their martinis here in the states.
Change the title to "Saddam the Wolf" or "Ahmadinejad the Wolf" and this cartoon is as applicable to the anti-war movement today as it was in 1941. Sadly, there will always be those among us who are willing to assist evil by closing their eyes and pretending that they don't see, those who would watch the fire from the safety of the other side of the street, those who would hurry past the alley and ignore the screams.
Is evil overseas any less evil because its overseas? To the anti-war crowd, the answer is a resounding yes.
In 1941, America First Committee's Founder, Charles Lindbergh, claimed that America was being pushed into war against Hitler by “the British, the Jewish and the Roosevelt administration.” Lindbergh claimed that the Jews were powerful because of their “large ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio, and our government.”
Of course, Israel was not yet a state but, it sounds familiar, doesn't it?
A little research on The America First Committee brought up an excellent article by Ronald Radosh titled "Isolationism Strikes Again." Written in 2003, it addresses the similarities between peace activists during WWII and today.
The naysayers opposed to the campaign for liberation of Iraq, and the doomsday scenario they laid out, struck those of us with knowledge of history with an eerie sense of déjà vu. The isolationism that was employed to undermine American will and self-confidence in fighting the fascist and militarist aggressors in World War II has been revived, this time targeted against our President and our commitment to the liberation of Iraq.
So much is made of the polls that show that America is weary of the war, and today, the democrats hope to take the Whilte House and surrender in Iraq. In 1941, the polls showed that while 60 percent of the American public favored aid to Britain, less than 13 percent were willing to see the U.S. go to war with Nazi Germany, even if it meant that Britain would lose.
FDR acted against the tide, daring to show true leadership by advancing policies that would deal with the actual threat, while skillfully avoiding the wrath of the isolationist lobby and Congress. Today, George W. Bush shows his ability for comparable leadership, by moving ahead to do what is necessary, taking the nation with him, and ignoring the protestors, the disgruntled opposition anti-war Democrats, and the fierce opposition of the French and German governments.
Its true, the more things change, the more they remain the same.
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But... it is still Dr. Seuss' birthday, and this was supposed to be a fun post, before I got distracted. So... in honor of the occassion, I thought I'd drag this out of the closet:
We Do Not Like Them Uncle Sam
"MREs. Yum. Not!"
A collection of Dr. Seuss Political Cartoons can be found at Dr. Seuss Went to War: A Catalog of Political Cartoons
and... the answer to the question of the day: There are only 50 words in Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham." In 1960 Bennett Cerf bet Geisel $50 that he couldn't write an entire book using only fifty words. Green Eggs and Ham was result.
BTW... Cerf never paid the $50.
I am officially on vacation, the first I've had in several years. Posting this next week might be sporadic.
Posted by LindaSoG at March 2, 2008 06:05 AM
Comments
Linda, I hope our press release didn't blow your cover.
Posted by: Commander S.H.Long at March 2, 2008 09:11 AM
Ah, so THAT is the event you were looking forward to that you talked about nine days ago. I hope you have a good time, and get what you want out of the trip.
Posted by: Kevin K. at March 2, 2008 09:27 AM
Who knew the old liberal was for the war?
As for the MRE's, it needs some rhyme and meter work. How about, "We will eat them in the rain. We will shit them with a strain."
Posted by: Casca at March 2, 2008 12:25 PM
Have fun Linda, and thanks for all the memories on Dr. Seuss' birthday.
Sam-I-am and "green eggs and ham". Oh yeah those powdered eggs.
MRE's, before my time Casca but I get the drift. Have enjoyed K Rats, C-Rats and LRRP's. The infamous Army field ration D or the "tropical" John Wayne bars of chocolate flavored saw dust. Both would give the same effect if eaten too fast.
Posted by: Jack at March 2, 2008 01:17 PM
That Linda SOG that Lindasog, I so do like that Linda SOG! Have a great vacation girl!
Posted by: Greta Perry at March 3, 2008 10:08 PM
When my kids were small and I pulled out all my old Dr. Seuss books to read to them, I was astounded to realize how radical much of his writing was and how influenced by his philosophy I had been. From Yertel the Turtle and the Zax to the Sneetches and the Lorax, Dr. Suess had a profound impact on how I view the world.
I was not so familiar with his political cartoons and am glad to read those thought-provoking snippets from history that still apply today.
Posted by: Janet at March 4, 2008 11:30 AM