from wikipedia, labor day page, the "controversies" section:
"The Knights of Labor organized the original parade on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City. In 1884 another parade was held, and the Knights passed resolutions to make this an annual event. Other labor organizations (and there were many), but notably the affiliates of the International Workingmen's Association, many of whom were socialists or anarchists, favored a May 1 holiday. In 1886 came the general strike which eventually won the eight-hour workday in the United States. These events are today commemorated as Labor Day in virtually every country in the world, with the notable exceptions being the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. With the Chicago Haymarket riots in early May of 1886, President Grover Cleveland believed that commemorating Labor Day on May 1 could become an opportunity to commemorate the riots. Thus, fearing that it might strengthen the socialist movement, he quickly moved in 1887 to support the position of the Knights of Labor and their date for Labor Day."
i think it's telling that we are one of four countries in the western world that have kept this celebration a safe distance from its actual intent -- to celebrate the advances everyday people have made in improving their lives through fighting for better working conditions that we enjoy today. do you think the same motivations and values might be behind why we don't sign the kyoto treaty or recognize our own wartime atrocities as terrorism?
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At-least when it comes to wartime atrocities, hardly anyone ever fights fair. it's war that brings out the atrocities to it's fullest extent, which in normal society is generally dismissed as homicide and criminal behavior, when issued a gun and fatigues, it becomes duty. The war on terror wouldn't be the first time our nation has committed crimes against humanity and carried out terrorist attacks during times of war. I'm sure the Boston tea party was just as criminal as blowing up oil fields. I think the point is our naive stance on terror, and why we perceive our golden cities to be untouchable in the eyes of the world. We don't consider ourselves terrorists, because we are acting in the best interests of the world and freedom, so to speak. But what do terrorists call themselves? freedom fighters. Just because our atrocities aren't fed to us through CNN like the September 11th attacks were, it means we are making progress and on the side of good. It disturbs me that thousands believe in fighting for a country simply because your live in it, not because it is moral. If we took a minute to see what we have done in the past to those nations who lash out against us, i.e supplied weapons, not support, during the invasion of the soviet union, left things unfinished once we have defeated our enemies, then we would be more able to see ourselves as terrorists, willing to go into battle whenever we are unchained, leaving nothing in our wake but widows and children, then why wouldn't those sons grow up to be freedom fighters? I can say at-least this for terrorism, when it comes between us and them, at-least they fight for ideals. I imagine they have little doubt about what they are doing, because it's happening right there.
I think that our current denial of things like usa sponsored terrorism stems more from the complete lack of factual information which people are being given. The media is not only censored but is never objective. bush has never told the truth once in the past 8 years, which was the standard practice for his entire cabinent.
it's also possible that maybe we just don't want to admit that america is really no better than any other corporation or any terrorist organizaiton for that matter. it's easy to say that what we do helps "freedom-fighting," because than anything can be ultimately justified if it's for a noble cause. of course the irony is when people in iraq fight for their freedom and try to oust the invaders their insurgents who are undermining the "democracy" we have brought them by controlling them.
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