Remember Walker's fake National Guard threat? - let's go back to Blair Mountain 1921

[underpants]

Battle of Blair Mountain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain

The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest open class war in United States history and was the second largest overall armed insurrection next to the American Civil War. For five days in late August and early September 1921, in Logan County, West Virginia, between 10,000 and 15,000 coal miners confronted an army of police and strikebreakers backed by coal operators in an effort to unionize the southwestern West Virginia coalfields. Their struggle ended only after approximately one million rounds were fired,<1> and the United States Army intervened by presidential order.



By August 29, battle was fully joined. Chafin's men, though outnumbered, had the advantage of higher positions and better weaponry. Private planes were hired to drop homemade bombs on the miners. A combination of gas and explosive bombs left over from the fighting in World War I were dropped in several locations near the towns of Jeffery, Sharples and Blair. At least one did not explode and was recovered by the miners; it was used months later to great effect during treason and murder trials following the battle. On orders from the famous General Billy Mitchell, Army bombers from Maryland were also used for aerial survaillance, a rare example of Air Power being used by the federal government against US citizens.

Following the battle, 985 miners were indicted for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, accessory to murder, and treason against the State of West Virginia. Though some were acquitted by sympathetic juries, many were also imprisoned for a number of years, though they were paroled in 1925. It would be Bill Blizzard's trial where the unexploded bomb was used as evidence of the government and companies' brutality, and ultimately resulted in his acquittal.

[Major Hogwash]

1. Wow. I never heard that story before. Killing American people seems to be a GOP tradition.

Man, that story is harsh to swallow.
We've always been a warmongering, hateful, gang of thugs!
Damn.

[Scruffy1]

2. The true nature of "free enterprise".

I am constantly amazed how little people know of labor history in America. Of course the Ministry of truth has been working overtime for fifty years polishing the turd of international crapitalism while most of the really evil shit has been moved out of sight offshore. Whether it women sewing Walmart jeans for a penny in Pakistan, child labor making Nike's or the ecological damage caused by palm plantations and the oil business world capitalism has reached truly barbaric proportions.
I think that the reason that American workers were allowed to organize at all was to ensure a bastion for international capitalism propped up by a willing populace. This is why the Republican Party and many Democrats are rediculous on the point of spending cuts. The pentagon is never touched. Neither will aid to any willing despot who allows unbridled access to cheap labor and resources. Without robbing the rest of the world The USA would not be able to provide enough bread and circuses to prevent unrest at home. The Pentagon is just an extension of the multinational corporations.

[Major Hogwash]

4. Isn't that what Smedley said?

The military was just a corporate arm of the government.

[lonestarnot]

5. international crapitalism alright! Interesting OP!

Thanks. Now I really do have to go to bed. :hi:

[eleny]

3. k&r