20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Infinitely Relevant Book, October 1, 2008
This review is from: We Who Dared to Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now (Paperback)
I heard this book discussed on Lew Rockwell's podcast, and purchased it. As I began to read through it, I was amazed that no matter the date or the particular circumstance that instigated the individual treatise, each was relevant to contemporary events. The same lies today's war party uses to pervert and exploit citizens' inherent patriotism have been used by the purveyors of endless conflicts throughout United States history.
I will leave an in-depth review to those more qualified, but I was pleasantly surprised by Alexander Campbell's "Address on War", William Jennings Bryan's assailing of imperialism, everything about Randolph Bourne's famous dissecting of the State's need for perpetual war, and Helen Keller's wisdom. The entire book is filled with extraordinary quotes from these and many other clear-headed individuals from our storied past.
Regardless of the various authors' backgrounds, political ideologies, etc., there is a unbreakable thread of moral/intellectual valor that permeates this compilation. These men and women, "in heart and conscience free," with integrity, fought against daunting odds. They often suffered for speaking the truth. We who oppose war today for religious/moral reasons or political pragmatism (or both) have been given their writings as an invaluable heritage. Many thanks to Murray Polner and Thomas Woods, Jr. for editing this book, for making these articles accessible to the greater public, and for preserving these priceless gems of wisdom for other generations. We look forward to a sequel!
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Review of Those Who Dared to Tell the Truth, November 6, 2008
This review is from: We Who Dared to Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now (Paperback)
THOSE WHO DARED TO SAY NO TO WAR is a collection of essays edited by Thomas Woods (a conservative whatever that term means) and Murry Polner who is supposed to be a "leftest." These essays were written by thoughtful men and women who spanned the political spectrum. Some of these essays were written by devout religious men and women. Some were written by pacificists while others were written by career military men who were officers. Readers should note that each section of the essays has an introduction written by the editors helping to explain the historical background the these essays.
The first essays dealt with the War of 1812. Danial Webster's speech opposing military conscription to fight the British is an eloquent defense of individual liberty and a serious attack on military conscription which Webster argued was slavery and outright murder. Webster carefully diagnosed military conscription as a means of separating husband and wife, father from children, etc. Webster was not shy in explaining that to conscript men to invade Canada, or anywhere else for that matter, was a clear violation of freedom and an advance toward slavery. Webster proved prophetic in this speech.
The second section of this book dealt with essays that expressed opposition to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). An interesting item in these essays was the later Pres. Abraham Lincoln's speech opposing the U.S. unprovoked invasion of Mexico in 1846. William Goodell's essay that the Mexican-American War was a war for the expansion of slavery is true. Contrary to standard shallow textbook accounts, Goodell is bluntly clear that the Mexican authorities made no move whatsoever to start hostilities with the U.S. Goodell cited others whose investigations came to the same conclusion.
The following section dealing with the Civil War. Two essays are from clergymen from the Confederacy and the North who opposed the Civil War and suggestions that members of the cloth should not serve as chaplins. One essay contained a plea to Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, to honor the pleas of conscientious objectors to not participate in the armies of the Confederacy. The best essay was written by Lysander Spooner, a peaceful anarchist, who was clear in his assessment of the actual causes of the Civil War. Spooner argued that Northern bankers and industrialists were never opposed to slavery as long as the Southern plantation class cooperated with tariffs, Northern banking interests including loans for slaves, and other Northern economic and political schemes. However, once the Southern leaders said no to these Northern intersts, the Northern elite suddenly opposed slavery. One should note that Spooner was an active Abolishionist.
The following section contained selections opposing the U.S. provocation of the Spanish-American War. One very interesting essay was written by William Graham Sumner who argued that the Spanish ultimately won this war even though their military performance was disasterous, and the early fighting ended in less than a year. Sumner's thesis was that the new imperialists, the Americans, were becoming like the Spanish imperialists of the 16th. century in that the Americans were becoming the new imperialist forgetting their past political tradition of a Constitutional Republic. Another short but intersting piece was written by an unidentified mother from Kentucky titled "A Lament from Kentucky." American mothers should read this essay. The essay titled "The Pesky Anti-Imperialist" was a good retort to those who whine that those who oppose military intervention are somehow un-American. Wendall Garrison, who wrote this essay, effectively argued that his use of his First Amendment Rights was as American as could be. He also stated that his reminder that Americans were to have a limited republic based on the U.S. Constitution was as American one could be. His one comment deserves repeating when he wrote, "...Anti-Imperialism is only another name for old-fashioned Americanism..."(page 99).
The essays re World War I were prophetic. Robert La Follette delivered prophetic remarks about Pres. Wilson's insanely idealistic reasons for U.S. entry into this war. La Follette was blunt when he stated that those who did the fighting, dying, tax paying, etc. were not the same wealthly men who profitted from the war or any war. La Follette's statement that the taxes that paid for the wealthy bankers' loans would exponentillay increase, and if enough folks became alert,there could "be hell to pay." La Follette excorated those who claimed Wilson was one the side of freedom. The Russians were ruled by an authocracy while the British had a hereditary monarch. Wilson claimed he wanted to spread freedom and justice while the Americans were subjected to high-handed violations of Freedom of Speech and lynch mobs murdering dissenters. This was certainly something that Wilson and the American should never have been proud of in "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." One of the essays following LaFollette's remarks was written by Ralph Bourne who coined the phrase, "War is the health of the state." Bourne stated simply and clearly that war gives power to governments to violate rights and use rigid compultion at the expense of most Americans.
The essays re World War II begin with Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy who was chief of Staff to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman. This brief quote expressed Adm. Leahy's opposition to the use of nuclear weapons against the Japanese when they were already begging to surrender. The MacArthur (Gen. MacArthur)Memorandum, sent to the President in February of 1945, stated the Japanese wanted to quit which was relayed by the Soviets to MacArthur who in turn sent this suggestion to the President. The essays begin with Jeannette Rankin who was the only member of Congress to vote against the U.S. declaration of War during World War I and II. Rankin was aware that U.S. entry into W.W. I was due to fears of American bankers that should W.W. I end in a stalemate that these bankers would get the money they lent to the allies which was never paid anyway. The essay, taken from the journal LIBERATION in 1958, was perceptive. Rankin reported the documents of conversations between Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Pres. Roosevelt promised he would put such economic pressure on the Japanese that with British and Dutch help would goad the Japanese into firing the first shot to start U.S.entry into World War II. As an aside, a vast literature has been written that has been thoroughly documented. The essay titled "ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE WAR" was very perceptive. The usual assumptions that love, freedom, etc. would ensue were false illusions. Big Communist vastly expanded as did communist concentration camps and mass murder regimes.
Two of the essays worth noting re the Cold War were written the late Sen Howard Taft and his severe criticism of Pres. Truman's assertion that the President could send U.S. Troops anywhere without a congressional war declaration or approval. Sen. Taft detailed the problems and possible disasters that could result from such a carte blanche grant to the President or anyone else in power. This essay was followed by Pres. Eisenhower's Farewell Speech in which Eisenhower warned Americans of the dangers and expense of "The Military-Industrial Complex." The sad fact is that too many Americans have such short memories that this serious warning has been neglected.
The essays re the Vietnam War are just as important. One good essay was written by General David M. Shoup who was the former Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. He argued that U.S. authorities should mind their own busness. The other essays argued that the nonsense that the U.S. should have supported the South Vietnamese elite in the name of freedom. This was farce when the reality that there was no freedom in South Vietnam. The fact is the Vietnam war was a small civil war due to U.S. refusal to honor the terms of the Geneva Accords made in 1954 when the French were forced to leave Vietnam.
The essays dealing with "The War on Terror" and the disasters incubating in Iraq and Afghanistan are good. The arguement that U.S. policy makers have squandered American good will due to stupidity, international ignorance, and insane hubris makes historical sense. These essays state clearly that U.S. policy makers have made enemies out of allies and have underminded U.S. foreign policy and economic well being for a long time. Hopefully, the American citizenry will become alert to all of this.
This is a book worth the time. The essays were written by diverse men and women who know what war does to people. One minor criticism is that the editors, who did a good job of writing and editing, should have included Gen. Smedley Butler's book titled WAR IS A RACKET. Smedley Butler was the first American to be awarded the Medal of Honor twice, and he also received France's highest military honors during World War I. The book is long, but the introductory essays are helpful to understand the historical context of the collections of essays. Thoughtful readers will gain insight to the possible disasters that could befall the U.S.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely brilliant, July 29, 2009
This review is from: We Who Dared to Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now (Paperback)
Agree with the pacifist position or not, this book has compiled a number of brilliant and convincing essays and speeches against the wars in which the United States has been involved from 1812 to today. Although the editors are libertarians, the focus on the book is more on the antiwar writings of the contributors than on any conservative/libertarian agenda. For example, one of the most compelling speeches included was by Eugene Debs, the Socialist candidate for president (and vehement opponent of World War I) at the beginning of the last century. The thing that I found to be of most value was the fact that the underlying arguments against war -- whether the American Civil War, either of the World Wars, or today's current conflicts -- are the same: war is immoral, war is expensive, war doesn't permanently solve any problems (let alone bring peace), and, at base, war is simply wrong.
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