The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-12-28
Observations
General Irked
AT Way Country
Runs Itself
By HELEN ESSARY

The general hau ueeA 4h'A'ou ~
cocktails. But on his way 10 the
living room he passed the open
library door snd the staring keys OF
a typewriter.
Excuse me" he said This is
where ! stop. This is my chance
Hastily turning squads right" he
marched 20 the desk. Pulled out
q chair. sat himself down and start
cd TO peck away at the keys. Il
simply must 90 this, I've got TO
the point where / have 10 explode
about the way this damfool country
OF ours is committing suicide. How
about giving me a couple Of para
graphs to tell what | think I've
cot 10 blow OF steam. I'm not e1'
actly a columnist. But II in any
way can make people-eyen two
Z. three people-see that instead
OF holding the position we had in
June, 1915. when We were the most
important nation on earth, We are
running down 10 about a iifth-rate
power. A hfth-rate power tell
YOU! Why, OF all the idiots, we
Americans are the worst We
we
With an ease-inspired by indig-
nation no doubt-that surprised
me. the general went TO work. The
typewriter table shook with the
pounding OF his fingers. His words,
as | read them later. actually were
milder than his manner. This IS
what he wrote
The United States is wickedly
sQuandering its great power. We
are. breathing up our Army. Our
Navy. our air power. We are Civ
ing away money. We are destroy
ing a billion dollars worth Of ships,
planes. Throwing away munitions,
food. Leaving supplies OF all kinds
10 rot in foreign dumps.
"Our only thought is: We don't
want TO hear any more about war.
We're sick OF war. Get rid OF
the things Of war. Melt down the
guns. Scrap the ships and planes.
Get the men out OF uniform. Scrap
everything II could write a
national theme song, I'd call IL
Scrap II, Scrap It.
And Scrap It. would hit a more
topical note than The Star Spangl-
ed Banner.
While we're saying Scrap it,
out Of one side OF the mouth, were
whispering out OF the other side
about the next world war. We keep
saying that the Russians, the Ar
gentinians, the Fiji Islanders and
most Of the other peoples OF the
world are itching TO fight us. Does
this make sense? l ask you-doesS
this even begin TO make sense?
How do we expect to combat
these enemies we insist are at our
doorstep II we disband our Army,
blow up our Navy, sink our -mer-
chant ships which are cargo ships,
and give away our money?
I'm convinced we are the most
Inconsistent human beings ever
put on this earth. didn't want the
United States to get into the world
war. They thought this country
should mind its own affairs. Stop
making excursions Into the devious
rabbit warrens OF European poll.
tics.
We Americans are NOT success
full meddlers. However, once we
begin to NEEDLE. We should be pre-
pared to see the thing through
You can't see the thing through
abroad now without an army 20
back IN your words. Yet when
some disgruntled soldier appears
before Congress and says that the
Pentagon Boy Scouts are keeping
men in service because the officers
want to hold their wartime rank,
the uproar starts again. Get the
boys home"
1T wouldn't hurt 10 keep some OF
those new draftees away from
mamma and the girls for another
year longer.
but we aren't doing that. We
are leaving our gains unprotected,
at the mercy Of any marauder. Six
months ago we were the world
authority on peace and war. We
could go where we wanted to 20.
Crate what we wanted TO create.
Our voice was respected. Our fav-
or sought. Soon we shall have
no Air Force No Army No Ma
w TO back IN our international de.
mands. Well be where France Is.
Nobody seems 10 mind. but Wash.
ineton is slipping on more than the
ice which covers her Streets"
washington is indeed a funny
place. For suddenly our anger
over the country's Scrap II" pro-
gram vanished. All OF us were
launching over orr own amusing
wavs ard thanking heaven that
since all human beings were idiots
we had the good luck to be the
American kind.