Kontan’s Place

WALL-E

I took the girls to see WALL-E yesterday and have to say it was the cutest movie I have seen in a while. It is really surprising how good it was considering dialogue is limited and it is an animated robot love flick.

There are several themes running through this movie and maybe it will help people stand up and take note. I am not exactly what you would call a tree hugger, but I do appreciate the great outdoors and feel that on some level we need to protect the environment, as well as get off our hind-ends and enjoy it. I’m happy to see that it is now cool to be green, but unfortunately the biggest proponents of “green” are hypocrites. Their hypocrisy turns off people who may have the potential to embrace “green” projects. But I digress…WALL-E reveals the world as it could be…covered in trash with people light years away at a space resort lazy, fat, ignorant, and reveling in techno stuff. It really is an indication as to where society is headed and what we embrace.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, either because you haven’t seen the movie or you haven’t been to a movie in so long you have not been overexposed to the WALL-E preview (which was way overplayed), then let me offer a little explanation.

WALL-E is a robot, among many robots, created to clean Earth while the humans are away. Trash took over the land and living on Earth was hazardous. A mega-corporation, BnL, created an army of little box robots programmed to collect trash, compact it into squares, and stack it neatly into skyscraper like piles. For citizens, BnL offered a space resort cruise. Citizens would be waited on hand and foot in a resort atmosphere. There were even seat transporters for those physically unable to walk around and enjoy the resort. Well, 750 years and many captains later, the people on the space resort were all physically unable to walk around the resort and everyone had their own seat transporter. While on Earth the lone WALL-E, and his cockroach friend, had outlasted all the other WALL-E bots and continued toiling away at garbage collection and compaction. WALL-E had also developed a personality. (Think Johnny-5, Short Circuit.)

Axiom, the space resort, had been sending out life searching bots for centuries. Each bot returned from Earth with a report of no life detected…until Eve. Several hundred years after leaving Earth an Axiom captain determined that life on Earth was impossible and the people should never return. This was coded into the resort system to prevent future captains from initiating the return sequence.

Now, when Eve is dropped on Earth WALL-E is immediately infatuated with the beautiful piece of technology. With a good bit of effort he appeals to her good circuits, then offers her a token of his love…a plant that he found under an old refrigerator and had tossed in a boot. Eve was delighted, then went into bot mode where she collected the specimen, notified home base, and shut down. WALL-E was, of course, confused and devastated. He attempted to revive her with solar exposure and carried her with him to various favorite spots only to receive no response. Giving up, he went back to trash collection and compaction, only to frantically rush back to his WALL-E fort when Eve was being collected by the space module.

Since this review surpassed long a paragraph or so ago I will be brief in explaining the rest. WALL-E and Eve spend the remainder of the movie on Axiom attempting to initiate the Earth return sequence by retrieving the stolen plant and helping the captain get it to the teleport thingy, all the while building their personal network connection and falling in love.

The movie is sweet, cute, and has a good message. All this and family friendly too…hard combination to find these days. Another Pixar classic, I have to say two thumbs up.

Gangsta in the House: a review

I recently had to read for school the book Gangsta in the House by the gang guy, Mike Knox.

From his site: The book, Gangsta in the House, is a collection of observations and conclusions made by a fifteen-year veteran police officer from Houston, Texas. The book begins with the prologue which is a graphic fictional account of a drive-by shooting and is based on a compilation of real life incidents.

Gangsta in the House is written with a conversational style, but does include a touch of humor. The subject is, however, very serious and relevant to today’s social environment. The book should take the mystery out of the gang experience and open doors to understanding why these young people do the things they do. An explanation about how gang members perceive the world differently than “normal” people and how that different perception occurs is offered. (more)

OK book and a good start if you are wanting to be more aware of the gang mentality. If you are wanting to know what the signs, tagging and lingo mean then it is of minimal benefit. According to the author it isn’t necessary for educators or the general public to know all of this because they need to focus on the understanding of why gangs are what they are, how teens get caught up in the gang life, and how important it is to remove graffiti within 48 hours. I disagree. I think it is important for educators to understand all the things Knox mentions, but we also need to be aware of what we are seeing. If you have an understanding of the symbols you will look around the school and be absolutely amazed at what is right under your nose. Now, many of the thugs are simply wannabes and there isn’t too much to concern yourself over. However, you do not want their wannabe gang clothing to draw attention to your school. Looking at their notebooks you would imagine they are really talented in the area of abstract art. We need to understand why the student with the blue t-shirt doesn’t ever get along with the student with the red Jordan’s. Not to mention the days that they decide to dress alike. Wow, they must be really good friends…or there is something planned to take place that day. Awareness is important.

The intro of Knox’s book was disturbing. I didn’t realize how disturbing until I dreamed a mall event that involved my child. I tend to internalize my stress. It was the most devastating nightmare I have ever had. I won’t rehash it here because I am trying to erase those images. In fact, that is as far as I will mention on the subject. If you have kids, what is your worst fear? If you don’t have children I venture to say that I don’t think you can understand. You can have an idea, but . . . well I guess it really depends on the person, but still…

One of the cable channels had a gang documentary series that really outlined the proliferation of gang mentality into the mainstream. It was really interesting and rather frightening. Again I say, awareness is essential in battling this societal cancer.

Negatives of the book: It seemed to take a “poor me” stance with the gang protagonists. Gang members have low self esteem. Gang members do not have the support system at home. Gang members feel like their only hope is the gang. For me that equates with parents saying, “Oh, my child has ADD/ADHD/ODD/PAPD/yadda-yadda” and using that as the excuse. Pardon me, not to minimize the issue but all those things are excuses. Funny how many ADD etc… children can focus for hours on something non school related and behave when they want something. IMO there is over diagnosis which minimizes the significance of those who TRULY suffer from the various disorders. (Yes, it is debilitating for some.) Back to gangs…it’s all an excuse. I admit there are contributing factors, but I think society has made it cool to be part of the gang. Listen to the radio. Read the lyrics. Watch TV. Look around. Scary? Yes, a little. However, all those kids with their hat tilted, leg rolled up, color matching, baggy pant wearing, tat tagged kids are not gang members. Some of them are just going for the look. They’ll have their hat tilted one direction and the wrong pant leg rolled because they have no clue what it means. As a result a real gang member will beat the snot out of them because they are dissing. (Dissing, my spell-check didn’t underline. See, that is how much gangs have influenced. Spell checkers do not pick up on the slang as misspelled words!)

Knox points out that gangs have a different mentality. Agreed. Their moral sense is skewed. Do they have a moral sense? Yes, sort of. Think of a dictatorship that is totally intolerant of any behavior outside the expected. Blind loyalty is expected of the society. Blind loyalty to the gang is expected of its members. What are the consequences of not following the dictator or speaking out against the dictator? Death. If your facing death or action that you know to be wrong it will take a significant strength of will to do the right thing. For teens peer pressure is a strong factor in many of their decisions. So what can we do if it is their peers who influence them? I don’t know. We can be the support system that helps them realize how destructive the gang life is and that their IS a way out, and it doesn’t have to be in a body bag. Know described an alternative school program that sounded ideal. Going into that would make this post never ending. Discipline in schools is a major issue that administrators are terrified to address. Shoot, they turn a blind eye to the gang issue. Gangs? In our school? No, no…not at all. We don’t have a gang problem. The few students we might have are simply wannabes. I can not tell you how many times I have heard school thugs referred to as wannabes. Who do you think is targeted for gang membership? THOSE WHO ALREADY LOOK AND ACT THE PART! The wannabes are just as dangerous and arguably more so because they are ignorant of gang protocol.

So what do we do? Quit pretending there isn’t a problem. Quit allowing them to wear their crowns, diamonds, numbers, colors, styles, etc… in the school environment. School is for education, not showing off your apparel. *GASP* are you suggesting unifroms? I don’t have a problem with it. *SHOCK-GASP* but what about self expression? Yeah, is that working? Save self expression for the weekend. I’m concerned about the classroom and education taking place. “I can’t afford to buy uniforms for school.” Yeah, don’t buy the Jordans and there’s two outfits. Next. *Ugh, schools are becoming just like a dictatorship.* Yeah, choose your dictatorship. Bloods, Crips, Folk, People, Low Riders, or school. Your choice. Which has the highest survival rate. Isn’t that a bit drastic? If we don’t get a handle on it then it is going to be even further out of hand. Is it really that big of a problem? Yes.

*This post hasn’t been edited. I have three little girls roaming around trying to get my attention in any way possible. Morning coffee has not been uninterrupted. I would never correct your spelling, grammar, or word usage so please do me the same courtesy. I’ll fix the mistakes later.*

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Relaxing to the sounds of: Jack Johnson - Upside Down
via FoxyTunes

Skinny Dip- A review

After reading this review by Sage I added Skinny Dip to my wish list. I was thrilled to find it under the tree Christmas morning. Carl Hiaasen is an absolute hoot to read. Definitely a writer I will add to my must read list.

We all know someone like Chaz Perrone. You know, the ultimate moron who thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips. Chaz has an ego to make up for any other deficiencies he may have. He conned his way through to a PhD and doesn’t have a bit of knowledge to show for it. In fact, it is his lack of knowledge that ultimately does him in. Thinking he has planned the perfect crime he books an anniversary cruise where he tosses his wife over the side of a ship. One, he forgot his wife was a champion swimmer. Two, his biology study and PhD prep didn’t sink in because he couldn’t recall which way the Gulf Stream runs. Big deal? Yes, if you hope it will carry your dead wifes body away. So proud of his successful murder he plays the grieving husband…or tries too. He’s too busy trying to satisfy his sexual urges.

Why did he throw his wife overboard? Chaz, being the paranoid egomaniac that he was, thought Joey had figured out he was doctoring water samples for his boss who was dumping toxic levels of farm waste into the Everglades. Joey survived the murder attempt by clinging to a bail of pot after exhausting herself from a treacherous dive and extensive swimming. Her rescuer was a retired cop and island dwelling loner. At first he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of not reporting the murder attempt, but the excitement of revenge soon grew on him. Together they managed to really play with Chaz’s paranoid emotions.

The paranoia getting to him Chaz runs to his boss for help and is assigned a body guard with his own set of problems. Tool, with a bullet up his butt, isn’t a guy you want to mess with. Tool manages his pain by stealing fentanyl patches from nursing home patients. The big oaf he was, he did have a soft side. He liked to collect roadside crosses. You know, the ones staked on the side of the road where accidents have occurred. *strange* Overtime, Chaz’s paranoia grows. He eventually tries to off his mistress and then his bodyguard. Fails.

Not to be too much of a spoiler, but Chaz sucks at the murder business and he’s an idiot.

Hiaasen tells a great story and I have no idea how Sage listened to this book on his iPod at the gym and didn’t embarrass himself. It was highly amusing all the way through. If you have an issue with language and sexual overtones this is probably not the book for you. Actually, it isn’t only the overtones…there are some rather overt parts as well. For a better review check out Sage or this guy.

My opinion?

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Relaxing to the sounds of: Earth, Wind & Fire - September
via FoxyTunes

The Last Christmas Ride: a review

The Last Christmas Ride is based on the true story of Edie Hand. While browsing the aisles of SAMS I noticed the rustic cover and picked it up to see if it might be as interesting as it looked. Yes, I’m shallow. I sometimes judge a book by its cover. The “based on a true story” caught my eye. After reading the synopsis I was even more intrigued. The true story took place in northwest Alabama. There is something special about reading books based in your home area. It quickly became a must purchase item.

Now if you have been around here for the last month you know it has been difficult. If you haven’t, check out my first post of 2008. Given the title I knew that there would be tears when I read this book and honestly I had been feeling a little dehydrated. I put the book aside and focused on getting Christmas done. Feeling emotionally stable I picked it back up just after Christmas. It was truly a sweet read.

Cumberland House Publishing has a great summary:
The story begins with the four Blackburn children in an idyllic setting on a northern Alabama farm. Their days are filled with horse riding, wild adventures, elaborate fantasies, and climbing to the top of a nearby Indian mound to dream about their futures. They can hardly anticipate what will happen to them. more…

The Last Christmas Ride is a realistic story of life’s journey. Life isn’t perfect, there will be ups and downs, and we will not always get what we want. I have often used the phrase, what does not kill us makes us stronger. I would like to think this is true. Edie’s story is one of idealism turned realism. Such big dreams were formed as the children played all day, coming home as the light of day fades. They rode together, played together, and dreamed together. As they grow older they begin to realize how life sometimes gets in the way of big dreams. This is especially true for Edie as she has to take charge after the death of one, then another brother. She attempts to achieve her own dreams, then the focus is on the dreams of her son. Time after time Edie receives life’s lesson of self-sacrifice. The final lesson comes when she goes home to care for her last brother, who is dying from a brain tumor. It is during this time of care that Edie helps Terry take his last Christmas ride.

When Terry dies a few days later, Edie realizes that her grandmother was right. Our ride through life has its rough places, but we can do much good along the way if we stay strong enough through faith and rely on our family. She vows never to take life for granted or to be too busy to enjoy the ride in her journey through life.

How many times do we go so fast in our day to day that we fail to enjoy the ride? We have a list of all the important things to accomplish and enjoy, but we get so busy trying to reach each accomplishment that we fail to relish the satisfaction of accomplishment.

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Relaxing to the sounds of: Colbie Caillat - Oxygen
via FoxyTunes

Bitterness and Blame: Prisons and Prisoners of the Civil War

The emotional turmoil of prison life is profoundly identifiable in prison diaries, memoirs, and historical evaluations. In the evaluation of life in the prisons, historians struggle to lay blame and explain how both Confederate and Union governments as well as the citizens nearby seemingly overlooked atrocities of war such as those prisoners of war experienced. There are many commonalities in the historiography of prisons and prisoners of the Civil War period. The prisons, described most often as dens of filth with prisoners suffering from inadequate food and poor sanitation, most scholars agree, were deplorable. Most historians agree prison conditions were atrocious. Conclusions deviate in the tone of writing and with the assigned culprit for blame.
Personal accounts, narratives, and diaries published immediately following the Civil War were much harsher in their descriptions of prison life and treatment. It is the opinion of some historians that the elaborate descriptions of maltreatment were resulting from the need to convince the government those former prisoners of war deserved pensions. Some accounts demonstrated obvious anger for the captors. Union prisoners held by the Confederacy attempted to show how brutal their captors were. Confederates, defending their virtue, portrayed the North as oppressors. These views are rather indicative of the Lost Cause evaluations emerging after the war.
William Best Hesseltine, in his introduction to Civil War Prisons (1997), simply states, “no prisoner loves his jailer”(p6). This statement alone gives explanation to the various tones of writing regarding the Civil War. He further states, “prisoners in confinement and in varying states of illness were in no position to make objective judgments” (p7). When in misery it is easy to declare deliberate the hardships imposed by one’s captor. To some degree, the captor may be at fault for improper treatment, but maybe not always.
Civil War Prisons (1997), edited by Hesseltine, is a collection of essays concerning various Union and Confederate prisons. Papers presented in this work describe life at Andersonville, Fort Warren, Rock Island, Libby Prison, Elmira, and Johnson’s Island. The final chapter deals with the prison diary of Edmund E. Ryan. Hesseltine, a leading Civil War scholar, was before his death president of the Wisconsin Historical Society and professor of history at the University of Wisconsin. He strives to portray the history of this era without bias. Hesseltine declares that records of the Civil War prisons were incomplete and inadequate to use as a determination to place blame. He does not minimize the brutal nature of prison life, but indicates there are more forces at work than mere thirst for power upon the part of captors. The purpose of his work is to illustrate how carefully objective students studying the Civil War prisons need to be in separating truth from propaganda (p8).
Minor H. McLain, former prisoner of war during World War II and later associate professor of history at the State College in Salem, Massachusetts, presents two scenarios in his doctoral thesis regarding how prisoners may react to their captors. In “The Military Prisons at Fort Warren”, included in Hesseltine’s Civil War Prisons, McLain presents the theory that the prisoner will develop a respect, not to be confused with a like of friendship, for his captors; or the prisoner will develop a hatred for his enemy unparalleled on the battlefield (p32). This is easy to discern when comparing diary accounts published in the years immediately following the war and memoirs published twenty or thirty years later. Generally, accounts published just after the Civil War reveal bitterness and uncompromising descriptions of atrocities faced. Such is the case in Beyond the Lines (1864) by J.J. Geer.
Geer’s account, written from the perspective of a prisoner with no respect for his captors, regards Confederates as savages because of their views on slavery. Geer declares he is presenting a “straightforward and unvarnished account of facts”(p3). Declaring slavery repulsive and necessary to expose, Geer’s bias is apparent. The tone of his writing expresses hateful sentiment for his captors and a grand scale view of the Union. He describes Union military personnel as “the noblest men in the nation . . . (suffering) for country’s sake” (p17). Geer’s work is indicative of Lost Cause views. However, his tone of bitterness is probably more the result of resentment than an effort to portray prevailing thought of the period.
The memoir of Ezra Hoyt Ripple’s, Dancing Along the Deadline: The Andersonville Memoir of a Prisoner of the Confederacy (1996), edited by Mark A. Snell, contrasts Geer’s bitterness. Ripple claims to compose his memoirs for posterity’s sake, it is not meant as propaganda. Throughout the work Ripple does not portray anger or resentment toward his Confederate captors. He usually references them with respect, especially those who had actually seen combat. Snell speculates this may have been because of Ripples softening feelings over the years or because of patriotism of the early twentieth century. During this revisionist period there was much recognition of both the good and bad of Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Ripple may not have been intentionally propagandizing his experiences, but to some degree that is the effect. Although little embellishment is obvious in Ripple’s memoir, he does reveal prison officials as victims of circumstance and strives to portray them as such instead of the evil and inhumane characters many had made them out to be. As Hesseltine evaluates in his article “The Propaganda Literature of Confederate Prisons” (1935), embellishments of prison atrocities are tools of propaganda during and immediately after the Civil War.
All historical accounts of prison life during the Civil War are a testament to the devastating life experienced. Hesseltine states in the “The Propaganda Literature of Confederate Prisons” (1935) and Civil War Prisons: A Study in War Psychology (1930), the 13, 000 graves at Andersonville evidence poverty and inefficiency of the Confederate prison system (p59). In review, Charles Ramsdell declares this as the “first systematic and adequate study of the subject” (p480). According the Ramsdell, Hesseltine refutes charges of confederate wanton cruelty.
History of Andersonville Prison (1968), Ovid Futch, attempts no comparison with other prisons. He attempts to present an unbiased account exposing speculations of deliberate abuse and neglect. Futch concludes Andersonvilles’s failures are a direct result of improper planning and poor timing. He declares not only Henry Wirz, prison supervisor, to blame, but also the entire confederate government. Andersonville atrocities were no secret. Even after periodic inspections, few changes took place. With the works of Hesseltine and Futch, the trend toward revisionist ideology becomes obvious.
William Marvel, in Andersonville: The Last Depot (1994), also argues Confederate inefficiency and poverty as being contributors to mass casualties in the Confederate prison at Andersonville declaring the prisons hasty establishment and failure to reach completion before the arrival of prisoners is to blame. Tried and hung for war crimes, Henry Wirz took blame for the death toll and poor conditions at the Georgia prison. Although not a pleasant or likeable character by description, Wirz suffered as a scapegoat for Andersonville sufferings. In reality, he became the victim of indifferent Confederate commanders and the failing Confederate economy. Marvel uses arguments declaring victimization to exonerate Wirz of being solely responsible for the lacking facility and care at Andersonville. Marvel also attempts to blame Union decisions to cease prisoner exchanges for the high death toll at Andersonville. This argument is unsubstantiated in this and other works. In his review of Andersonville: the Last Depot (1994), Walter Edgar, University of South Carolina, declares Marvel’s argument for the Unions deliberate exacerbation of the prison tragedies by suspension of exchanges as unconvincing and properly dismissed (p157). War is not pleasant, nor is prison life. It is not fathomable that the Lost Cause idea of suspending exchanges of prisoners was for creating more propaganda. It is more plausible the cessation of exchanges was due to conflict between Union and Confederate commanders regarding equal exchange of officers and black troops for white troops. To exchange a single black Union soldier for a single white Confederate soldier indicated equality, which the South was not willing to do.
Similar in detail to Andersonville: The Last Depot (1994) and Dancing Along the Deadline, Edward F. Roberts provides descriptions of Andersonville life in Andersonville Journey (1998). Roberts also declares Wirz a scapegoat. The book, divided into three parts, details an aspect of Andersonville in each section. Part one describes life at Andersonville, including the scarcity of food, shelter and clean water. Roberts evaluates attempted reforms to better accommodate prisoners. This section also introduces Henry Wirz. Part two is dedicated to the transfer of prisoners just before the end of the war, but concentrates mostly on the arrest, trial and hanging of Wirz. Part three discusses post-war actions of prisoner care, the establishment of a proper cemetery and remembering those kept at Andersonville prison and its horrific legacy.
Although Andersonville is the most notorious prison of the Civil War, it is not the only prison. Historiography addresses similar issues of inadequacy at other prisons, north and South. James I. Robertson Jr. directs attention to the Andersonville of the North in his essay, “The Scourge of Elmira”, presented in Hesseltine’s Civil War Prisons (1997). Robertson describes conditions similar to that at Andersonville: overcrowding, poor sanitation, and lack of necessities. Michael Horigan does the same in Elmira: Death Camp of the North (2002). Horigan declares the horrendous conditions where and aggressive retaliation policy adopted by Union government in response to known atrocities of prisoner life in the Confederacy. He also connects treatment with the cease of prisoner exchange as an attempt to hasten the end of the war. This connection is plausible if based on the idea that holding prisoners prevents them from strengthening enemy forces. However, it does not release officials from the responsibility of depravity experienced in the prisons.
Benton McAdams, Rebels at Rock Island: The Story of a Civil War Prison (2000), compares a sixteen percent mortality rate at Rock Island to the thirty percent at Andersonville and twenty-four percent at Elmira. Hardships faced at Rock Island pale in comparison to those at Elmira or Andersonville. McAdams declares the poor reputation of Rock Island stems from a propaganda war between the prison commandant, Adolphus J. Johnson, and journalist Joseph Baker Danforth Jr. Danforth, a Democrat opposing the war, using his journalistic forum to expose and embellish prison faults. Inappropriate comments by Johnson indicating a wish to see prisoners starve did not help ease tensions or remove substance for Danforth to elaborate.
Although propaganda offers negative connotations in evaluating literature, it is usually not without some foundation. Michael P Gray dedicates an entire chapter to prison torture techniques in his work The Business of Captivity (2001). Gray describes, in detail, torture methods used such as a seven-foot box known as a sweatbox that kept a punished prisoner enclosed for a few moments that seemed like hours. He also describes barrel shirts worn as a means of embarrassment for prisoners caught stealing from messmates or other smaller infractions. Reserved for severe punishment was hanging by the thumbs or a practiced called bucking and gagging. Bucking and gagging involved restriction of movement and a wooden block, large enough to split the corners of one’s mouth, placed as a gag (125). With such actions as this, it is no wonder historiography of Civil War prisons reveals much atrocity and bitterness.
Some prisoners did not sit idle without protest to their plight. Edited by George L. Anderson, A Petition Regarding the Conditions in the CSM by John Fraser describes inadequate shelter, rations and care received by prisoners in Columbia, South Carolina. Included in the petition is a statement that the petitioners do not believe their captors are recognizing the extent of prisoner sufferings. The next statement requests no retaliation for the petition. This indicates the previous statement was included to ease any tensions aggravated by such a petition.
In another work written during the war, Henry S. White details his three-month incarceration in eighteen letters compiled to the Zion’s Herald, and independent Methodist newspaper. These letters are published and include editor’s notes by Edward Jervey in Prison Life Among the Rebels (1990). Jervey states White’s anti-southern biases are clear and his opinions should not indicate fact (xiii). This statement is in concurrence with the earlier mentioned advice, by Hesseltine, for students to remain objective when evaluating such a sensitive and emotional subject as prison life.
In researching Civil War prison life one will come across terms such as heroism, nobility, horror, evil and cowardice. These are all aspects addressed in Yankee Rebel (1966), edited by John G. Barrett. This work consists of the diary of Edward Dewitt Patterson, a northerner who chose allegiance to the South. He was first kept prisoner at Fort Delaware, then Johnson’s Island. Although he describes the unsanitary conditions and inadequate food in the prisons, like Ezra Ripple, Patterson describes his captors as predominantly respectful. His tone of writing is matter-of-fact, not bitter nor condescending. He writes in a very descriptive style and describes Confederate soldiers as noble, honorable and high-minded. Bias to his adopted home in the South he does not speak poorly of the North. He continuously declares the North as more resourceful, and adopts Lost Cause sentiment in stating the Union knows it cannot defeat the will of the Southerner. Yankee Rebel (1966) is one of few personal accounts that address events of the war outside prison walls. The only outside information addressed in memoirs of Andersonville or Elmira are the rumors of prison exchange. Patterson was obviously more fortunate in obtaining outside information. In his writing as a prisoner of war, there is much reminiscence of days gone by.
In Libby Life: Experiences of a Prisoner of War (1865) General Frederic Fernandez Cavada offers another descriptive account of prison life. The published work, compiled from the frequent writings of Cavada upon newspaper margins and paper scraps, describes Libby prison in elegant detail and creates a mental picture of disappointing prisoner accommodations. Cavada took to writing of his experiences as a means to pass the time. A commonality between prisoners, regardless of where held, is the large amount of idle time they experienced. Unlike other works of this period, such as The Southern Side; or Andersonville (1876), by Randolph Stevenson, Cavada’s is not indicative of a propaganda tool to expand upon the horror or prisons or to illicit anger toward the opposing force.
In ”Libby Prison: A Study of Emotions” (1958), Frank Byrne declares propaganda and anger toward captors North or South, stems from events caused by fear. In his revisionist view, it was fear, Byrne says, not shortages, which caused actions condemned by propagandists. Prison officials feared losing control, therefore overcompensating to regain or keep power. As a means of control, guards used withholding of rations, ball and chains to restrict movement, or stockade confinement.
It is true that guards and prison supervisors feared losing control of their captives. In multiple works, scenarios are described where guards use withholding rations to gain information. Particularly was the case if suspecting a riot or escape attempt. Torture tactics earlier described presented a means of instigating fear, therefore keeping control.
Interpretations in the historiography of Civil War prisons and the life within are the same with regard to filth and depravity. Some prisons were better than others were; yet, none were adequate for quality care. Differences arise in the culprit to blame for atrocities committed in the name of war. The North blames the South and the South blames the North, each condemning the other for neglect.
Memoirs are the works with the most diversity in blame. Those published in the early twentieth century were less harsh in reference to their captors with some authors declaring them victims of inadequate funding and instructions from unaware ranking officials. Although some guards were brutal, others were respectful and described as such. The change from earlier published accounts is partly due to the passage of time and partly to patriotism and the desire to move past Reconstruction era animosity. There is revisionist influence upon writing of the early Twentieth century. Accepted is the fact that prison conditions were poor and prisoners suffered. However, revisionists declare the inability to correct problems was the cause of continued depravity, not intentional brutality. Accordingly, the governments did the best they could with what they had.
Written without obvious bias are relatively few works. The works of Hesseltine and Futch are the most revered by scholars. Before the Civil War ended works were being published and the topic of prisons being discussed among journalist outlets such as Harper’s Weekly and Zion’s Herald. It is only in the late Twentieth century that authors began suggesting that despite all the obstacles, governments were ultimately responsible for prison failures. Still, objectivity is required in any study of history. War is not pleasant and atrocity abounds. In evaluating any historiography, one has the benefit of hindsight to form opinions and evaluations. In the case of Civil War prisons and prison life, Hesseltine was correct in declaring, no prisoner loves his jailer. The evidence supports this. Regardless of the first hand narratives, the death toll speaks for itself. Governments were negligent, as were guards, prison commandants and even the citizens of the Union and Confederacy. Their choices of inaction sealed the fate of many individuals.

Continued: “Roots of Postwar Politics”

Preface: I hate studying politics. It is absolutely the most difficult arena for me…

During and after WWII there were recognizable changes regarding the relationship of business and government. The business sector pursued a positive image to avoid blame for the depression. Business also became more monopolistic. There were also changes in the nature of demagoguery. Whoever appealed most to the anger and frustration resulting from war experienced influence and rise in the political arena. According to Wolfe, business and military were more successful at directing “this sentiment against the New deal than New Dealers were to use it to their own advantage.” Politics in the postwar era became a process of securing business confidence in order to secure voters.

Wolfe explains the emergence of a growth coalition advocating economic expansion through policies of macroeconomics, acceptable to the monopoly sector of the economy. By using surplus, this growth coalition, planned to enable the poor and minorities to take part in the reshaping of cities through domestic policies. Regarding foreign activity, they planned to economic domination with military power to maintain American influence, while incorporating the poor into the growth through aid and developmental assistance. Wolfe states, “the growth coalition should properly be characterized by its dominant belief: the idea that growth at home and expansion abroad could unify the interests of the dominant sectors of the economy with an electoral base that would keep it in power so long as growth continued.” Eisenhower is credited with embracing such growth, therefore legitimizing it.

Wolfe also addresses the changing political vocabulary in the United States. He first defines liberals as “those who believed that the government should play a positive role in correcting the abuses of capitalism by promoting a concern with equality and social justice.” In contrast, he states, “Conservatives argued that business had made America great and that therefore as few reforms as possible should be passed that would undermine its privileges.” As with most political ideas and terminology, the meaning of both liberal and conservative shifted over time. Liberals became those that pursued rapid growth, while conservatives embraced consistent and tempered growth. According to Wolfe, liberals were willing to pursue rapid growth using government and that the result of growth would be a fiscal dividend useful to expansion of welfare benefits. The same principles of domestic expansion, advocated by liberals,were applied to foreign policy with the creation of the national security council. Conservatives were also advocates of growth, but preferred it to occur through the private sector and at a slower pace, in an effort to avoid inflation. Conservatives were also cautious with imperialistic foreign policy.

Fortunately Wolfe summarizes his liberal/conservative growth coalition debate stating the necessity of compromise. He believed the liberals and conservatives were closer on policy than either group would care to admit, stating, “the debates between the parties were real, but they concerned how fast and at what cost growth should be achieved.” To achieve success both groups had to find a middle ground to appeal to voters, therefore issue debates were more concerned with the means of achieving success, not the actual success. According to Wolfe, “the consolidation of this growth-oriented pattern of politics under Eisenhower was the most important consequence of the Republican interregnum of the 1950s.”

The Roots of Post-War Politics: Alan Wolfe

After WWII challenges faced the US regarding government organization and relationships within the world. There was a great push to return to business, while battling communisim and embracing ideals of isolationist policy. There were even some thoughts of continuing New Deal initiatives to a natural conclusion of democratic socialism, American style. (full employment, economic planning, national health insurance, commitment to peace though the United nations)

America chose economics over politics believing if the economy was under control, social issues would follow. Economic expansion was sought at home and abroad.

tbc…..

American Supremacy

“The war had overturned the world, and many American’s believed that they were now on top of it.”
Thomas Patterson: The Origins of the Postwar International System

This is the first of three essays I am looking at to evaluate the impact of WWII on America at home and abroad. This first is very well written, capturing attention with descriptive insight as well as historical foundations. Patterson examines the impact of WWII on politics around the globe and the early attempts of US leaders to guide the rebuilding process of the changing international system.

With the world in shambles, America was forced to shift from total war to peacetime production. Americans were ready to spend some of the money they had been saving during the war years. Women, who had replaced many men in factories and the general work force, were having to shift back to traditional roles as men came home from the war. (This is an intense side note here, but the article does not address so I will have to address it later as I further discuss women and industrialization in America.) Although America celebrated the end of WWII there was fear that the era of prosperity would collapse. The war, not FDR’s New Deal, brought America out of the depression. . . could it’s end send Her back? Although the rest of the world struggled with rebuilding their cities, societies, and governments, Americans were enjoying the excitement of vacations, entertainment, and industrial boom. Wages had kept up with inflation and with nothing to spend on during the war, Americans made up for it afterwards.

Abroad the US accepted the role of superpower. Patterson states, ” more than statistics establish American supremacy. World conditions did so. The United States was powerful because almost every other nation was war weakened.” The US had the opportunity to shape the rebuilding of the postwar system. The greatest concern was who would be on which side. Although devastated by the war, the Soviet Union accounted for a huge rival for American security. Patterson feels, and accurately so, that the major powers in the world exploited the opportunities presented by postwar reconstruction. Smaller nations alligned themselves with one power or another in an attempt to secure aid, independence, and security. Some nations embraced neutrality. In the eyes of the US such nations were either with America or against, believing the neutral nations were an alliance against America. Decolonization was an issue facing all major powers, none were immune. Independence was granted by the US to the Philippines, where the US continued to aid with security. A significant involvement is that of Vietnam. Both the US and Soviet Union competed for allegiance of new governments, Washington backing the French and Soviets allying with the Vietminh insurgents, as Patterson refers to them. Both sides saw the benefits of their alliance in the potential for strategic bases and new markets.

International politics were strained, with the bomb resting in the back of everyone’s mind. It’s power of immense destruction served as a deterrent as well as a means. It presented an arms race on an unseen scale. New problems arose in the post war world, new instabilities. Conflict of interests carried and hardened into a four-decade Cold War.

Morgan: American Slavery, American Freedom

In American Slavery, American Freedom Edmund S. Morgan presents the history of early Virginia, intending to also present the paradoxical relationship of slavery and freedom, and the role of each for support of the other. He contends American independence was purchased with slave labor. Slavery was not the original plan for the American colonies. Expectations were for the natives to welcome the new arrivals and adapt to the colonists proposed way of life. Much to their dismay, settlers underestimated both the climate and conditions of their new habitat, as well as the native reception.

Morgan begins with Roanoke and descriptions of grandeur for future colonial settlements in America. The described reality is not so grand. Differing agendas, natives unwilling to assimilate to the satisfaction of colonists, and little initial capital led to the story of the “Lost Colony” and what Morgan calls, “The Jamestown Fiasco.” Slavery is not part of either story in the beginning. In fact, Morgan maintains the colonists did not wish to enslave, or even force, natives to work. Even through difficult times they continued to desire a Utopian society of interracial cooperation. However, as times grew tougher, and tension higher, there was less cooperation among all participants in the colonial experience.

Although not forcing servitude upon the Indians, settlers did beg, trade, steal, and demand Indian cooperation for settlement survival. Without the native population early settlements would have been considered a dismal failure in the grand scheme of history. Some would find it an arguable point despite the passage of time and successful establishment of an independent nation. Regardless, some form of servitude is characteristic of colonial settlements, despite the early absence of slavery. Morgan describes three types of servitude: tenure, bond, and apprenticeships. To be a tenant was considered most advantageous as they were allowed to receive a portion of profit earned. Bond servants received nothing but their personal maintenance with a master receiving all profits. Lowest on the early servitude scale was the apprenticeship. Apprentices served a term of seven years to the planter paying for them and then another seven years as a tenant. Most servants were tenants. However, as tobacco became more and more profitable the nature of servitude began to shift more to bond labor. Laws were expanded to guarantee extended terms of service eventually leading to the acceptance of slave labor.

No longer wishing for the Utopian interracial society, some natives were enslaved. Later, the profitable nature of African slave labor was discovered by colonists. At first, not wishing to enslave the Africans, colonists bought them from island settlements. Over the passage of time, and increasing profit, the moral dilemma of enslaving another did not seem such a dilemma for colonists. After all, slaves were considered mere pagans and property to be utilized in the most profitable manner.

Upon this argument, Morgan successfully presents the paradox of freedom and slavery, the irony of one society’s freedom built upon the enslavement of another. However, without the benefits of slave labor it is likely that the colonists would not prevail in their struggle to break from English dependency. For such adaptation and acceptance to take place, Morgan describes the shifting prejudice that must occur to morally justify the cultural adaptation. His presentation seems at times to be judgmental of the colonists. By modern standards they do seem morally bankrupt regarding the treatment of fellow man, however their moral outlook is not the same as those of modern society, and modern society is not without its own moral bankruptcy. Morgan’s work is an interesting presentation of the history of Virginia, provoking examination of what he describes as the American paradox. He is rather slow in this provocation, not detailing servitude and slavery until well into the work.

Greene: Pursuits of Happiness

In Pursuits of Happiness, Jack Greene compares the colonies of the Chesapeake region with that of New England, as well as Old England and earlier colonial settlements. Four major goals Greene attempts to assess and reach in his work are to evaluate prevailing assumptions regarding the significance of New England colonial development to other settlements, compare experiences of settlers in various other colonial establishments, determine the emergence of American culture and outline important points, and provide a historiography for further research. Greene proposes to create awareness for the diversity of early settlements and birth of American cultural patterns based not only on one particular region, but a combination of the four broad cultural regions of Chesapeake, New England, the Middle Colonies, and the Lower South. In reaching the goals he outlines, Greene focuses on social development, examines European and African settlement patterns, and attempts to digress from generalities .

Greene describes the dominating characteristics of both Chesapeake and New England settlements. Where Chesapeake was secular, materialistic, and competitive with a high mortality rate, New England was religious with a benign environment of kinship networks and low mortality contributing to rapid growth. New England’s patriarchal system also had strong social institutions contributing to development. Due to the agricultural foundations Chesapeake had a high demand for labor and their disproportionate population did not allow for strong social institutions, but strong individualism was prevalent. Although Greene claims those coming to Chesapeake colonies intended to model Old England, it was not possible due to the harsh environment which would not cooperate with their lofty intentions. The Chesapeake colonies adapted for not only personal gain but necessary survival. It is not realistic to compare two vastly different climates of settlement, Chesapeake and New England, and assume they will successfully model the same area of origin.

Greene negates the assumption that New England colonies were more representative of Old England. In fact, he supports the argument that Chesapeake is more representative due to the nature of settlement and settlers of Chesapeake seeking to improve their economic status and personal growth, striving for economic gain and growth, thereby making society more competitive. Also, the social ladder was not firmly established, one could easily move up and down based upon circumstances. New England colonies were more religious and conformist in their desire for personal perfection, religiously paternalistic with stronger kinship ties.

With the passage of time, the bonds of New England society seemed to deteriorate. Settlers contributed this deterioration to moral and social decline, as well as a rejection of founding goals. Reverse of Chesapeake, New England developed from community to individualism. As the population grew in New England individuals and extended families dispersed attempting to establish their own dream of success. New settlements, semi-independent and somewhat antagonistic of each other, developed. They also experienced a decline in the influence of clergy. Greene argues that it is not a decline of society as they seemed to believe, but mere change and adaptation to the passage of time. Although religion continued to dominate New England society, it did not hold the same preeminence as with original colonial settlement.

Although off to a difficult start, Chesapeake became a more cohesive colony developing an extensive social system. Greene claims a closer relationship between rural Britain and Chesapeake Bay. Important to development was the replacement of indentured servitude with black slaves. Slaves were a free labor source that did not cease after a period of time, and it was self perpetuating. Over time, slavery allowed for economic growth and stability of the region. Chesapeake experienced the growth of a small and powerful elite and the expansion of religious fervor, yet the same dream was driving colonial development, that of independent happiness and opportunity.

Greene establishes that New England was the exception and not the norm. With time, Chesapeake and the lower South struggled from political and socioeconomic strife just as the island and European colonies had. Chesapeake eventually became, at least to a degree, what New England began as. In comparison, New England ntinbecame more like the competitive and individualistic society of early Chesapeake. Rather than developing into vastly different regions, the two gradually became more alike contributing to the development of American culture. Greene’s approach is both analytical and informative, offering a logical comparison of New England and Chesapeake colonies to that of earlier colonies and Old England. However, little information is provided to determine the impact of early colonies upon the development of future American culture.