Some More Notes

by Cliopatria

Retired Major General John Batiste on the Geneva Conventions. He is clear, persuasive, and tough. The Congress and the Administration needs to hear him. Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the tip.

The 7th Asian History Carnival is up at Mutantfrog Travelogue. Roy Berman has offerings on History Wars, History Finds, and History Lessons.

Susan J. Douglas,"Plagiarists: Catch Your Own Clue," In These Times, 1 September, brings us up to date on the latest developments in plagiarism. It isn't encouraging. Thanks to Arts & Letters Daily for the tip.

Jon Dresner sends along this gem:"GOP Senator says that with Better Intelligence the South would have won the Civil War," Raw Story, 18 September. Yah hardly know where to begin with my state's senior Senator. Does he know less about the War on Terror or about the Civil War? Or you could parse it with Bill Clinton's maneuver:"It depends on what the meaning of ‘intelligence' is." If Southern white leadership hadn't been so &%!#@ stupid about the realities of geography, human resources, industry, and transportation, the South might not have lost the war, because it could have avoided secession. Mark Grimsley: Over to you.

If an anonymous blogger decided to reveal herself to the world, what would make a larger splash than doing it in USA Today? Right? In Greg Toppo's"Teachers Speak Out of Turn," USA Today, 17 September, Cliopatria's friend, elementaryhistoryteacher, of American Presidents Blog and History is Elementary, unveils herself as Lisa Cooper, one of my neighbors here in Atlanta. The article re-enforces some of the things that I've recommended about blogging: discretion and prudence. Don't follow my example. I can afford to be indiscrete or imprudent, occasionally, because I'm not trying to get or keep a job. Congratulations, Lisa, and thanks to Miland Brown of World History Blog for the tip.

Finally, don't miss: Tim Burke,"The Secret of My Success," Easily Distracted, 18 September.

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Jonathan Dresner - 9/22/2006

"maneuvers" aside, it raises the question, in my mind at least, as to where his loyalties lie.

Ralph E. Luker - 9/22/2006

The Clinton maneuver again: depends on what the meaning of "we" is.

Jonathan Dresner - 9/22/2006

No, but a representative from Confederate Georgia certainly would have been.

Ralph E. Luker - 9/22/2006

Excuse me. The notion that the United States Senate, by reason of Confederate victory, would have been meeting in Richmond rather than Washington, DC, is ludicrous. Even the most visionary Confeds had no ambition to annex the states of the North into a Confederate States of America, with its capitol located in Richmond.

Oscar Chamberlain - 9/22/2006

I agree with you. A Union loss at Gettysburg would not have negated the Union's considerable advantages, unless Lee could have moved on toward Washington quickly. Even then, the Union ought to have triumped, unless morale collapsed.

All I was saying is that the statement, standing alone, does rely on some understanding of the facts and, thus, does not deserve ridicule.

Ralph E. Luker - 9/22/2006

You're welcome to the judgment, Oscar, but I'm still inclined to think that, given the vastly superior power of the Northern economy, the only way that the South might have won the war would have been to seize and hold Washington, DC, very early in the war. Until much too late in the war the South never conjured with the fact that attempting to man a mass army would drain its plantation economy of the manpower that supervised slave workers.

Oscar Chamberlain - 9/22/2006

The Senator's office claims that this was what he said: ""If Gen. JEB Stuart had had better intelligence, we’d all be meeting in Richmond right now."

For those who see Gettysburg--the clear reference--as the War's turning point--that statement would have some validity. Standing alone it does not deserve ridicule.

However, if it was being used to justify torture, then it deserves scorn for being an unbelievable weak defense. Short term battlefield intelligence is not the same thing as the deep information the use of of torture has been justified for. Nor, to my knowledge, was Stuart guilty of torture. He did not need it.

elementaryhistory teacher - 9/19/2006

Thank you very much. I consider you a great friend of History Is Elementary as well.