Thursday, August 17, 2017

Setting the Record Straight on General Pershing and the "50 bullets" myth

Surprisingly, President Trump revisited a myth regarding General Pershing's behavior during his tour as U.S. Governor of the Phillipines' Moro Province from 1909-1913 (following the Spanish American War).  President Trump actually used this same story in March of 2016 when running for president.  At the time, the myth was fully fact checked and debunked.

... yet if it were true, it would be even more disturbing, as it involves a mythic use of "pigs blood" as a weapon against muslims.  The kind of anti-muslim stereotype and bias involved in that story, is much like the "blood libel" in that it uses a religious symbol or taboo as the mechanism of attack.  It is a medieval bias in imagery which should never be permitted.

For those who missed it, here is the debunking.

 I post this in the wake of today's horrible attack in Las Ramblas, Barcelona, with the hope that - tweets notwithstanding - facts and analysis can rule the day.


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