Dodging the bullets

Some folks watch TV, others play solitaire on their computers. I love to read and yesterday I went on a quest.  It's the kind of thing I enjoy, learning a little more each day and living to tell about it.  The little knowledge I have is not all inclusive on any subject.  It is not an "every little detail" textbook kind of thing but more like an encyclopedia entry.  Tidbits.  Sometimes there is a need for a little more depth than I possess and yesterday was one of those times.

I was looking for the sources of political change in our country during and shortly after the depression years.  I wanted to know what groups were on the leading edge and clamoring for something different from that which was. Turns out there were many different sources of discontent, almost everyone wanted change.  Students, Socialists, unions, the unemployed, academics, the marginalized and the hungry.  As a country we needed change and were ready for a savior. This was not unique to America.  The whole world was looking for change.  People everywhere were tired of going to bed hungry.  They were tired of not having a job.  They were tired of being oppressed, of having their hopes and dreams smashed and could not understand why they were allowed to suffer so much while their leaders lived in luxury.  Rioting, militarization, and the overthrow of existing governments or the parties in power was the norm during that time.

Although our citizens suffered almost beyond belief, our government was among the most fortunate of countries in that era.  Our savior, Franklin D. Roosevelt, was duly elected to that position.  Our government worked.  There were many governments in South America, Europe and Asia that didn't make it. Even though we managed to keep an orderly transfer of power during these difficult times, it was a close thing.

There was a demagogue, a man loved by the common man in his home state, who had much higher ambitions.  He had the charisma and the charm to hypnotize crowds.  He was our Hitler and all that saved us from him was an assassin's bullet.  Who knows what would have happened had he come to power here.  His changes brought vast improvements to the lives of ordinary citizens in Louisiana.  But, those changes were made possible by corruption, coercion and cronyism.  The three "C's" that define a dictator.  The bullet that brought him down was the bullet this country dodged.  Our government survived.

I also wanted to try to relate the events of the 30's to what is going on today, and what I found scares the daylights out of me.

Almost two weeks ago I posted "Tucson and Tunisia."  I pointed out a phenomenal  event, a revolution, that was occurring in North Africa.  The media press was wringing it's hands over a congresswoman  who had been shot and completely ignored what will prove to be one of the most significant events of the year.  Uprisings just do not occur in this area of the world and it should have made the front pages of every daily in the country.   Of course, we don't get news in this country, we get entertainment.  We don't hear about it until there are picures of fires and people throwing things at the cops.

Now, the revolution in Tunisia is spreading to the rest of the Arab states.  Right now it's confined to those with close ties to America and I think this is a result of the relatively more liberal policies of these countries.  After citizens of the more repressive Islamic countries see that change is possible I believe the riots will spread to all the Arab states in short order, and from there to more southerly regions of Africa (watch Senegal in this area) and then, as the price of oil skyrockets, to the rest of the world.  Chaos.

People everywhere are suffering the same conditions now as they did in the 30's.  Once again the world is suffering from an economic downturn that is going to cause governments around the world to fall.  Our citizens and country are not immune from this pending disaster.  Our condition is the same as that of the Arabs now rioting in the streets of Africa but, being a more prosperous nation, we have not yet felt the full effect of this malady.  We will.  The sad part of this is, using history as a guide, the people that most need change are least likely to get it.  They will instead get an even worse government. 

Likey as not all these changes will lead to another world war.  That's what happened the last time.  As Admiral Josh Painter remarked, "This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it."

We have another bullet to dodge.  I hope we're up to it.