Not until our intervention in the First World War had there been sufficient invasions of individual liberties to call forth the formation of special groups and organizations to protect our civil rights. FULL ARTICLE by Harry Elmer Barnes
Source link: http://archive.mises.org/11687/revisionism-and-the-historical-blackout/
Revisionism and the Historical Blackout
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While his early work does merit attention, and some good may come of the whole work of which this chapter is a part, we should bear in mind; he ended his life as a Holocaust denier. He was also a Nazi sympathizer; and fascism is hardly a libertarian doctrine.
The Holocaust is prime evidence of the immorality of the State; to deny it is to deny one of the most powerful arguments for freedom.
Yeah, I think Barnes had “Holocaust Denier” printed on his business cards.
It sure seemed that Rothbard, in his moving obituary for him, thought Barnes had harmed the cause of liberty
Please show me where Barnes denied the Nazis systematically murdered Jews. Questioning details certainly does not count.
Is there a copy of Barnes’ “The Struggle Against the Historical Blackout” online anywhere? I can’t find it anywhere on the Web; even references to it are pretty few. I’d love to read it.
“Not until our intervention in the First World War had there been sufficient invasions of individual liberties to call forth the formation of special groups and organizations to protect our civil rights.”
Perhaps not, but the experience of America and Americans in previous wars should have called them forth. From the French and Indian Wars through the War of Independence, the War of 1812, and, most decidedly, the Civil War, the agents and sycophants of the warring governments engaged in blatant lying and egregious violations of basic human rights. Lincoln’s administration can hardly be distinguished from Wilson’s for the curtailment of civil rights.
War is the single most morally depraved act any human being can engage in, support or endorse. It always entails indiscriminate violence and mass murder. It is evil beyond redemption. Furthermore, it is indubitably an inevitable consequence of initiating force and violence against innocent people in order to acquire our various wants and needs by means of taxation.
Where is the evidence that Barnes was a “holocaust denier” other than hysterical smears from the Israel lobby? The “Good War” myth is used to justify perpetual war whenever the warmongers (the Neo-Cons, the Israel lobby, and the Christian Right) decide that some Arab leader is the “new Hitler” (at one time, this leader was Saddam; nowadays, it is the Iranian president). Of course, this ignores that one government in the Middle East that is truly engaging in genocide against an ethnic minority.
Some of these historical revisionist could indeed do with a standard disclaimer. Same with James J. Martin for example, who wrote some respectable stuff, but in the end is tainted by his association with variable unsavory organizations. I see those some organizations trying to get into the Tea Party movement, which is definitely damaging to the movement’s message (not that I underestimate the damage done by such “double agents” as Sarah Palin).
History is continually being rewritten. As we speak:
Obama stimulus package saved us from another Great Depression
As Michael Caine was fond of saying -”not many people know that”
“Please show me where Barnes denied the Nazis systematically murdered Jews. Questioning details certainly does not count.”
Actually, questioning “details” is the legal definition of Holocaust Denial.
What’s really incredible about all this is the casual acceptance of war. Somehow we are led from this proposition: If someone breaks into my home and attacks my children with a tire iron, I am justified in physically resisting him – to this proposition: I have to go halfway around the world and shoot somebody who is no immediate threat to me, just in case he decides to come to my home and harm me at some future date – and, oops!, his family and neighbors accidentally got blown up too! How regrettable…
The overwhelming power of propaganda is absolutely amazing!
Public opinion of what constitutes racism and bigotry is curious. It is not socially acceptable to use racist words in conversation regarding middle easterners. However, it is perfectly alright for people to advocate bombing their countries. “Political correctness” is a strange disease, indeed.
Is it not disturbing that the American propaganda machine utilizes strategy eerily similar to Hermann Goering’s?
http://www.wisdomquotes.com/001993.html
“Actually, questioning “details” is the legal definition of Holocaust Denial.” – Yeah, this fact is so sure, so detailed that it needs a law to be protected to stay intact. In my point of view, whenever a fact becomes guarded by law, that fact is degraded by this action itself.
In czech republic, we have a law, that Edward Benes (president before and after 2nd WW) have a merit of Czech state. This very law made me sure, he made a damage to us.
The charge of “holocaust denial” is a perfect example of why historical revisionism is so important. I remember when it was a self evident truth that the National Socialists had made human fat soap and human skin lamp shades. To say otherwise would get you a stint in prison in parts of Europe. Today, those stories have been completely discredited. Likewise, the official death figure for Auschwitz has been dropped from 4,000,000 to 1,100,000; you would think that the total Holocaust death count would thus have dropped from 6,000,000 to 3,100,000. No. Proclaiming a count of 3,100,000 will still get you a stint in prison. Our “historical facts” even trump basic math. If the truth is important, we must be willing to re-examine our beliefs, especially those toward which we have the strongest emotional bias.
Victors write history and then protect it ruthlessly. This is not something peculiar to the Soviet bloc.
“If the truth is important, we must be willing to re-examine our beliefs, especially those toward which we have the strongest emotional bias.” Jase, I’m sure I read an interesting article, possibly on LRC, that posits a study that determined that ‘emotional bias’ actively suppresses an intellectual ability to coolly examine “…just the facts, ma’am, just the facts…” (Dragnet;-). So, those people steeped in GummintProp simply can not bear to hear ‘facts’ and descend into platitudes and negation. I’ve seen it happen time & time again when I attempt to discuss a Libo perspective here in Australia. You might say I try to blow their minds & they just try to (figuratively) BLOW ME AWAY. In any case, what a great essay. Regards Greg.
http://www.excite-webtl.jp/world/english/web/?wb_url=http%3A%2F%2Fd.hatena.ne.jp%2FCloseToTheWall%2F20100625%2Fp1&wb_lp=JAEN&wb_dis=2&wb_submit=+%96%7C+%96%F3+
Japanese ｒevisionist, Azuma Hiroki is here.
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