Radical Roots

Dismissing an Urban Legend, and yet Maintaining a Radical Foundation

Perhaps the most famous story about Hillary that is passed around is her connections to the Black Panthers during her time at Yale. Today I plan on focusing on this documented piece of history which is often exaggerated by the far right, but can not be discounted. It is demonstrative of certain character traits that still define the polished politician we believe to know today.

Hillary and the Black Panthers: The Real Story

Disclaimer: This article borrows from unauthorized biographies of Clinton, which I suspect were written largely in part by people who were not "fans". This aside the associations listed are documented history.

Of note from article: "At Yale, Hillary found a new Svengali in the form of left-wing law professor Thomas Emerson, known around campus as "Tommy the Commie." Emerson recruited Hillary and other students to help monitor the trial of the New Haven Nine for civil rights violations. Hillary took charge of the operation, scheduling the students in shifts, so that student monitors would always be present in the courtroom. She befriended and worked closely with Panther lawyer Charles Garry."

The point to be observed here is that Hillary "monitored" this trial but was not an active participant. As the Wikipedia page detailing the trial (New Haven Black Panther Trial) says:
"Along with other Yale law students, future US Senator and first lady Hillary Rodham volunteered to monitor the trial for violations of civil rights, for the ACLU. Years later, during the U.S. Senate elections in 2000, a widely circulated urban legend would erroneously ascribe responsibility for "getting the defendants off" to her, as well as to future head of the Clinton U.S. Justice department's Civil Rights Division, Bill Lann Lee, who was a Yale undergraduate at the time."

This particular piece is especially relevant: "A series of hard-Left mentors introduced Hillary to the brass-knuckle realities of revolutionary activism. As a Wellesley undergraduate, she met and interviewed radical organizer Saul Alinsky, whose Machiavellian tactics she admired. Hillary's senior thesis supported Alinsky's call for class warfare."

Saul Alinsky's Wikipedia page says: "Alinsky was a critic of a passive and ineffective mainstream liberalism. In Rules for Radicals, he argued that the most effective means are whatever will achieve the desired ends." (sounds very Clintonesque... and dare I say much like the techniques for accomplishment that our current administration employs.)

Another piece from the article: "Indeed, Hillary's work for the Panthers won her a summer internship at the Berkeley office of attorney Robert Treuhaft in 1972. A hardline Stalinist, Treuhaft had quit the Communist Party in 1958 only because it was losing members and no longer provided a good platform for his activism. "Treuhaft is a man who dedicated his entire legal career to advancing the agenda of the Soviet Communist Party and the KGB," notes historian Stephen Schwartz."

Robert Treuhaft's Wikipedia page says: "The son of Hungarian immigrants, he worked for labor union and radical left causes much of his life. From the early-to-mid-1940s to 1958 he and Mitford were members of the Communist Party USA." And yes, Hillary is mentioned on this page as having worked for his law firm.

Simply youthful radicalism? Hillary's Marxist leanings are a thing of the past? I'm not so sure, and I plan to build that case with continued posts.

Non Political Related Stuff in George's Life

Kate made a nice supper tonight which was essentially steamed chicken with potatoes, carrots and onions. Kudos to the cook! I made up some garlic bread while Kate finished cooking the main course.

Tonight walking home I had a bit of a scare. I was walking down Pleasant St./ Washington Ave between Oak Grove and my apartment, and just past the DMV two big wild looking collarless dogs walked across the street RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. When I saw them I just froze, because if they decided to come my way there would be no way I'd outrun them. I was a bit nervous because I heard a rumor of a coyote attack in Melrose last year. I grew up seeing coyotes in Maine, but honestly they were usually mangy and small, and these looked like Alaskan Malamutes with grayish hair. They were within 20 yards of me, but they didn't seem to find me interesting and walked off behind the old Mills by the train tracks.

I couldn't help but think of an email Scotty sent me recently with the following article.
Rogue Wolf Kills Dozen Sheep in Massachusetts
The thing that gets me is these coy/dogs whatever they were seemed to be at least 60-70 lbs if not more. They were much taller than say a golden retriever or a lab. I suppose with my shock of seeing them that close, in the middle of the city, that I may have exaggerated their actual size in my mind. I would think if wolves have migrated down south... perhaps because of the extreme amounts of snow in Canada, and even in NH, VT, and ME, that there will be more instances such as the one described in the article, especially in Massachusetts.