Wacko of the Day -- 07/03/07

I have no idea who -- or what -- a "Howard Zinn" might be. Presumably, he is some sort of "social commentator" and, since he writes for an organization that styles itself "progressive," I'm guessing he is a member of the socialist/communist left-wing wet-brain squad.

As such, he apparently felt compelled to present his take on the Fourth of July here:

"On this July 4, we would do well to renounce nationalism and all its symbols: its flags, its pledges of allegiance, its anthems, its insistence in song that God must single out America to be blessed.

Is not nationalism -- that devotion to a flag, an anthem, a boundary so fierce it engenders mass murder -- one of the great evils of our time, along with racism, along with religious hatred?

These ways of thinking -- cultivated, nurtured, indoctrinated from childhood on -- have been useful to those in power, and deadly for those out of power.

National spirit can be benign in a country that is small and lacking both in military power and a hunger for expansion (Switzerland, Norway, Costa Rica and many more). But in a nation like ours -- huge, possessing thousands of weapons of mass destruction -- what might have been harmless pride becomes an arrogant nationalism dangerous to others and to ourselves.

Our citizenry has been brought up to see our nation as different from others, an exception in the world, uniquely moral, expanding into other lands in order to bring civilization, liberty, democracy.

That self-deception started early...."

Here's a newsflash for you, Howard baby: there are a few countries where you'd feel more at home. Cuba, maybe. Venezuela? North Korea, for sure. Definitely Iran. When Vladimir "The Poot" Putin finishes rebuilding the old Soviet Union, you'd get a hero's welcome, beyond a doubt. Leaders in those countries feel the same way about the U.S.A. as you do.

No, wait. Those countries revere their flags, consider themselves superior to all others and, in some cases, have their own weapons of mass destruction.

Guess there's nowhere for you to go, Howie. You'll just have to stay here. You may hate this nation, but it's the only one that would tolerate the kind of vile drivel you spew.

Since I dislike using certain words in a public journal no matter how well they apply -- "a******," for one -- I'll simply name Howard Zinn, one of the very, very small evils of our time, Wacko of the Day.