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The Book of the Week is “And So To America” by Cecil Roberts, published in 1947. Clearly, the author (who was an established British writer born in May 1892) had 20/20 hindsight of WWII at this book’s writing. He threw in the kitchen sink at intervals, of the history of specific people, places and things, of all different centuries.
In October 1939, Roberts began public-speaking tours in the United States to try to alert ordinary Americans to the dangers of taking no action against the Germans, who had already invaded Poland. In 1935, FDR sign the Neutrality Act that took effect in 1937. The Act denied America’s allies any military help in the event they felt they were in need of it. After the horrors of WWI, America had no interest in entering another war, and thought the Atlantic Ocean would offer geographic protection from the violence going on in Europe.
The author claimed the British government initially declined his offer of assistance on the public-relations front, but he did admit that it compensated him for certain services he performed for the British Embassy in America, and the British Ministry of Information.
Roberts also participated in a program that allowed about four thousand children and some of their mothers to move to the U.S. during the time that Britain was getting bombed via warplanes. Generous American families hosted them. Those Britishers’ families had assets in the U.S. that had been frozen by the Treasury. For, Great Britain had yet to pay America back for its WWI debt.
Beginning in September 1939, Republicans in the American federal government voted against three different pieces of legislation (that passed at FDR’s urging anyway) that would prepare the United States for war, through: military spending to rearm, reinstating the draft and repealing an arms embargo (which kind of negated the Neutrality Act).
In 1940, there were two major groups of Republicans, one of which opposed FDR in the presidential election– isolationists and the anti-New Dealers. They viewed his running for a third term, as dictatorial. Besides that, they were also thinking Germany would win the war, so they were preparing to reap the spoils when that happened. They were viciously vengeful against FDR, spouting the meanest, nastiest smears again him.
As is well known, in mid-August 1945, on the world’s various continents, people were homeless, still dying in frightful numbers from disease and starvation, from having participated in the war gone by, occupying the wrong place at the wrong time as an innocent bystander, or from just plain bad luck in not having been born a royal-family member!
Meanwhile, in Newport Rhode Island, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt threw a dinner party for some two hundred guests in lavish surroundings that included fresh pink flowers, two orchestras, and caviar and champagne. The author was there, rubbing shoulders with the elitists, a little disturbed about this cosmic injustice, but not enough to do anything about it.
Roberts also wrote, “In the following years [after WWII] one was very conscious of the India and Palestine questions. It would appear that large sections of the American people were perturbed about the reputed tyranny of Britain in these two places.” Read the book to learn a boatload more history and of the author’s adventures in the lap of luxury in America.
Eighty years later, the overall status of humanity in the world has improved a little, but not much.
For the last 45 years, Republicans in America have:
enjoyed their pet programs (military and security that kick out, keep out, or possibly trample on, the civil rights of, foreigners and poor people) while
been trying to justify eliminating what they consider government handouts (the social safety net that assists older or unlucky people, or those who have made bad life-choices).
Beginning with the George W. Bush era, the Republicans have become hypocrites because they ruined their own reputation for fiscal responsibility– they went on a spending spree that caused the deficit to skyrocket!
Here’s a little song that describes the current political situation in the United States– what the budget-busting Republicans are singing.
SLASH SLASH
sung to the tune of “Splish Splash” with apologies to the Estate of Bobby Darin and to whomever else the rights may concern.
Slash, slash, we’re doing the math,
long about a budget-bill fight. yeah
Snub, snub, just taxing-the Democrats’ club,
favoring everyTHING far-Right.
Well, jack up the deficit. It’s all Biden’s fault.
Open wounds around us, and we rub in the salt.
Well, slash, slash, we went back to the math, well, how were we to know Biden’s brain was all gone?
We’re Biden-bashing, healthcare-slashing,
wheeling and dealing, Dems are stewing and a-suing,
we’re complying with Trump’s lying. Yeah.
Bang, bang, we smear the Liberal gang,
dancing on the Democrats’ graves.
Yeah, no cops, pulling out all the stops.
This bill has the pork we crave.
Well there’s, big MON-ey, for ICE.
Forget the EARTH.
We Reagan wannaBES put America FIRST.
Well- a, we can’t forget about the math. We have to put our fancy PR on. Yay.
We’re polling and steam-rolling, wheeling and dealing,
Dems are stewing and a-suing. Slashing and slashing. Yeah.
Yes, we’re Biden-bashing, we’re polling and steam-rolling.
Yeah, Dems are stewing and a-suing. We’re wheeling and dealing.
We’re polling and steam-rolling. We’re complying with Trump’s lying. Slash slash yeah
mm slashing and slashing, all-time we’re Biden-bashing, whoo-wee, Dems are stewing and a-suing, we’re slashing and slashing…