Supporting Nixon, and Regretting It

ITS A TOUGH JOB, but somebody's got to do it. Somebody's got to tell the truth about the United States of America, and about American history. Every country, every culture, likes to think well of itself, so humans tend to teach their children that the group into which they were born is entirely vituous, the best of all possible groups. My senior year in high school I helped organize a "Reelect Richard Nixon" movement, and I entered college imbued with the belief that my country (U.S.A.) was utterly virtuous. Oh, I had my doubts and questions. I had long since turned against the Viet Nam war, but dared not admit it. I also remember "rooting" for Martin Luther King, and all the other black "troublemakers" as my people called them, at my great personal risk. (I rooted secretly). America was entirely virtuous. Now, of course, I know better. Hell, at sixty, its about damned time! American historians and educators, much to their credit, have been deciding, over the past couple of decades, that we need to teach more of the truth, and less of the feel good fiction. Of course, this is creating all kinds of anger among our conservative, feel good brethern and sistern, because American conservatives like to prance around spouting extreme patriotism, in order to feel virtuous. They cling to the feel good fiction. The trouble begins as Columbus nears the new world, and tricks one of his sailors out of the prize money for seeing land first. Then, he murders millions of people. Flash forward to 1607, and you have English speculators and profiteers landing in Virginia, looking for slaves, gold, and silver, with no intention of doing a lick of work themselves. Instead, they find starvation, and start running off into the woods to live with the Indians. Those who stay at Jamestown demand their runaways be returned by the Indians, who are happy to comply. Problem is, the runaways themselves have no deisre nor intention of returning to English "civilization". They have had that all their lives, and have seen what it has brought them, and have had enough, and, well, among the Indians they are well fed, healthy, and happy, because the Indians are just plain nicer people. But that aint what we're taught in school in America. Its more like: "the brave pilgrims of 1607 Jamestown bravely built a new civilization, and brought Christianity, culture, and happiness to the poor heathen natives." But maybe, at long last, we are starting to come clean. I just wish I hadn't supported Nixon in seventy two...