The reaction to my September 23 article, “A Fairy Tale Version of World War II is Being Used to Sell the Next World War,” has been significant. Many people expressed praise and appreciation for the article, while many others expressed fury and denunciation. Much of the fury and denunciation seems to derive from the supposition that I’m only discussing this topic in the first place because my ultimate purpose is to undermine support for interventionist US policy in Ukraine. As such, a large portion of critics have started with the premise that I am personally “bad” — and then reasoned backward from there.
Such an interesting follow up to a very interesting original article. Forget Katz, let’s do more comparisons to WWII and Ukraine. Would really like to read more on this in the future. I must confess that in all my years very little of this is actually taught or spoken about, particularly from this angle.
Nice job Michael - this Katz guy is one deranged POS.
Watching you have to cite minute detail after minute detail, simply to defend your integrity, is painful to watch. I feel like many of us are living that life, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Every day, I see our media tell outright and obvious lies ... I see leftists friends hear it ... and I see that embraced as the 'new truth'. Even though it's not true. And if right-thinking people simply attempt to actually correct them, we are called Nazis ... called racists ... called homophobes ... etc, etc, etc.
There is no 'fair or honest' public dialogue in this country anymore. The Authoritarians in the media, high tech, academia, and Hollywood control the narrative, and tell people to believe their leftist view of the world. And anyone who disagrees is called names, and told to take their 'Nazi-like views' elsewhere. You just wrote a 3,000 word article just to set the record straight (an article which will be ignored, btw). Most of us don't have the energy to do it. I applaud your commitment to honest journalism.
There was a famous exchange between Hermann Goering and an American psychiatrist sent to evaluate him. Goering pointed out that the average man has nothing to gain from war and can hope for nothing better than to return to his previous station in life intact. The government need only insist that the country is in danger and anyone opposed to the war is a traitor to overcome this natural reluctance. The shrink replied that in a democracy, people could use their votes to oppose war but Goering replied that the government could use the same strategy in a democracy. How correct old HG was.
Excellent piece!! I applaud your patience and willingness to engage people who disagree with you, even vilify you!! Once again we are being dragged into a war that is not our interest or fight. Funny how the war mongers hate those of us seeking peace.
A politically hobbled president - like Biden - is a threat to world peace. Analyzing Biden’s recent speeches provides evidence that being a desperate man, he is committed to doing desperate things.
Without question, Biden destroyed Nord Stream 1 & 2 simply to bolster his sagging position in the public’s eye, and he is willing to spill the blood of Americans to do it.
Call me a “Putin puppet” as you must, but I commend Vladimir for not responding in-kind.
Michael, it's a shame you have to spend this much time dealing with Twitter idiots. Both of these pieces are great - excellent detail and context. You can't please everyone. I'm old enough to recall a time when people could disagree without making things personal. Sigh.
This is a great follow up to your initial article. A good defense of your observations and a level-headed and highly satisfying rebuttal of Katz's histrionic reaction to your work. Thank you for speaking out against the warmongering insanity that has taken hold of our country.
I think what really annoys this Katz guy is that they'll never get their Ministry of Truth with people like you around. These apparatchiks know what they are doing, they are just relying on the plebes being too stupid or lazy to do the footwork of corroborating everything.
‘’Vladimir Putin has threatened nuclear reprisal in relation to the Ukraine war’’
That seems like a big deal. I don’t think we should just ignore Putin’s threat and hope it goes away. When madman Saddam threatened the mother of all wars he couldn’t back it up but this is different. The fact that Putin is supposedly a madman doesn’t mean we can ignore his ravings because this madman has more nuclear bombs than anyone else on the planet. To ignore him would be madness and yet that’s what’s happening. By the way who exactly is bombing nuclear reactors and gas pipelines? Is the madman Putin blowing up his own stuff and his own troops? He’s insane so it makes total sense right? Pay no attention to the nazis. Why the fuck are we on the same side as fucking nazis? If the Ukrainians want help they should get rid of the nazis. If there are too many nazis to get rid of thats not a good excuse.
The problem is that there is no obvious solution to the Ukraine war aside from diplomacy and that’s been ruled out for mysterious reasons we’re not allowed to know about or talk about.
As far as WWII goes I think it is good for Europeans that the US entered, but I am impressed with this article and the last and the attempts to engage in debate. If we can’t debate WWII then how can we debate any other war? If an article stirs up controversy it’s a good thing. When everyone says the same damn thing without exception and everyone else agrees with it then something is very seriously wrong not to mention it’s boring. It’s like when a dictator holds an election and wins with 100% of the vote. Obviously a fraud.
Like today, the American people in 1940 had no political vehicle to oppose war because both parties were all in for war. The Republican candidate that year was a stiff named Wendell Wilkie, whom British intelligence controlled by threatening to reveal his relationship with a woman not his wife (i.e., his mistress). So both candidates were pro-intervention.
You are correct that poor to Pearl Harbor Americans were absolutely against entry in the war. This fact is the foundation of the conspiracy theory that FDR allowed Pearl Harbor to happen in order to cajole the public’s perception toward going to war.
Curious to see if anyone else noticed that the Polish guy of the "Thank you, USA" tweet in regards to NS2 is MARRIED to Anne Applebaum. These people are beyond whatever caricature my deepest cynicism could imagine.
Such an interesting follow up to a very interesting original article. Forget Katz, let’s do more comparisons to WWII and Ukraine. Would really like to read more on this in the future. I must confess that in all my years very little of this is actually taught or spoken about, particularly from this angle.
Your patience is remarkable and commendable. Thank you so much for this very interesting follow up.
The excellence of your work on this extremely important issue has made a paid subscription very worthwhile.
Thank you so much, and please keep up the great work.
Nice job Michael - this Katz guy is one deranged POS.
Watching you have to cite minute detail after minute detail, simply to defend your integrity, is painful to watch. I feel like many of us are living that life, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Every day, I see our media tell outright and obvious lies ... I see leftists friends hear it ... and I see that embraced as the 'new truth'. Even though it's not true. And if right-thinking people simply attempt to actually correct them, we are called Nazis ... called racists ... called homophobes ... etc, etc, etc.
There is no 'fair or honest' public dialogue in this country anymore. The Authoritarians in the media, high tech, academia, and Hollywood control the narrative, and tell people to believe their leftist view of the world. And anyone who disagrees is called names, and told to take their 'Nazi-like views' elsewhere. You just wrote a 3,000 word article just to set the record straight (an article which will be ignored, btw). Most of us don't have the energy to do it. I applaud your commitment to honest journalism.
There was a famous exchange between Hermann Goering and an American psychiatrist sent to evaluate him. Goering pointed out that the average man has nothing to gain from war and can hope for nothing better than to return to his previous station in life intact. The government need only insist that the country is in danger and anyone opposed to the war is a traitor to overcome this natural reluctance. The shrink replied that in a democracy, people could use their votes to oppose war but Goering replied that the government could use the same strategy in a democracy. How correct old HG was.
Excellent piece!! I applaud your patience and willingness to engage people who disagree with you, even vilify you!! Once again we are being dragged into a war that is not our interest or fight. Funny how the war mongers hate those of us seeking peace.
A politically hobbled president - like Biden - is a threat to world peace. Analyzing Biden’s recent speeches provides evidence that being a desperate man, he is committed to doing desperate things.
Without question, Biden destroyed Nord Stream 1 & 2 simply to bolster his sagging position in the public’s eye, and he is willing to spill the blood of Americans to do it.
Call me a “Putin puppet” as you must, but I commend Vladimir for not responding in-kind.
Yet.
Michael, it's a shame you have to spend this much time dealing with Twitter idiots. Both of these pieces are great - excellent detail and context. You can't please everyone. I'm old enough to recall a time when people could disagree without making things personal. Sigh.
This is a great follow up to your initial article. A good defense of your observations and a level-headed and highly satisfying rebuttal of Katz's histrionic reaction to your work. Thank you for speaking out against the warmongering insanity that has taken hold of our country.
I think what really annoys this Katz guy is that they'll never get their Ministry of Truth with people like you around. These apparatchiks know what they are doing, they are just relying on the plebes being too stupid or lazy to do the footwork of corroborating everything.
‘’Vladimir Putin has threatened nuclear reprisal in relation to the Ukraine war’’
That seems like a big deal. I don’t think we should just ignore Putin’s threat and hope it goes away. When madman Saddam threatened the mother of all wars he couldn’t back it up but this is different. The fact that Putin is supposedly a madman doesn’t mean we can ignore his ravings because this madman has more nuclear bombs than anyone else on the planet. To ignore him would be madness and yet that’s what’s happening. By the way who exactly is bombing nuclear reactors and gas pipelines? Is the madman Putin blowing up his own stuff and his own troops? He’s insane so it makes total sense right? Pay no attention to the nazis. Why the fuck are we on the same side as fucking nazis? If the Ukrainians want help they should get rid of the nazis. If there are too many nazis to get rid of thats not a good excuse.
The problem is that there is no obvious solution to the Ukraine war aside from diplomacy and that’s been ruled out for mysterious reasons we’re not allowed to know about or talk about.
As far as WWII goes I think it is good for Europeans that the US entered, but I am impressed with this article and the last and the attempts to engage in debate. If we can’t debate WWII then how can we debate any other war? If an article stirs up controversy it’s a good thing. When everyone says the same damn thing without exception and everyone else agrees with it then something is very seriously wrong not to mention it’s boring. It’s like when a dictator holds an election and wins with 100% of the vote. Obviously a fraud.
This is very important work you are doing. Keep it up.
Beautiful. Just a clinic on refuting propaganda.
Thank you for your courage in speaking truth.
Like today, the American people in 1940 had no political vehicle to oppose war because both parties were all in for war. The Republican candidate that year was a stiff named Wendell Wilkie, whom British intelligence controlled by threatening to reveal his relationship with a woman not his wife (i.e., his mistress). So both candidates were pro-intervention.
As Bugs Bunny would say, "He's a maroon."
You are correct that poor to Pearl Harbor Americans were absolutely against entry in the war. This fact is the foundation of the conspiracy theory that FDR allowed Pearl Harbor to happen in order to cajole the public’s perception toward going to war.
Curious to see if anyone else noticed that the Polish guy of the "Thank you, USA" tweet in regards to NS2 is MARRIED to Anne Applebaum. These people are beyond whatever caricature my deepest cynicism could imagine.