On Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 1:59 PM, Michael Smith <mjs at smithbowen.net> wrote:
> On Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:30:34 -0400
> Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> > Like I say, I'm no fan of Jefferson. But he's pretty important to
> > the evolution of American politics, no?
>
> He little knows of 'Murrca
> That only 'Murrca knows.
>
> Seriously, I was being unserious -- well, semi-serious. What's
> taught as "American history" in America is such a sad gallimaufry
> of propagandistic nonsense that the poor kiddies would be better off
> reading Marvel comics; almost any change would be an improvement,
> under the law of regression to the mean; best of all would be to
> ignore the subject altogether; and in *Texas*, well...!
>
> But to pursue the subject semi-seriously -- one of the core
> nonsensicalities of 'Murrcan history as she is taught is what
> you might call "American originalism" -- the idea that the Founders
> were mighty thinkers who had so many new bran-new ideas every day
> they had to have slaves to keep track of 'em. If the kiddies are
> going to be reading anybody, better they should read people who
> actually were important thinkers.
>
> Now qua politician, Jefferson is certainly an important figure. Why,
> he gave us the Democratic Party! There's reason enough to dig him
> up and give him the Oliver Cromwell postmortem honors.
>
> --
>
> Michael J. Smith
> mjs at smithbowen.net
> http://stopmebeforeivoteagain.org
> http://fakesprogress.blogspot.com
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>