March 4, 2025: 20th & 21st Century Presidents-Good, Bad, Ugly

Voices of Reason continued with our critique of our presidents, this episode focused on the 20th and 21st centuries' presidents.   At the beginning of the 20th Century, Manifest Destiny as originally defined, was complete--the USA now extended from sea to shining sea.  We began this episode of VoR with William McKinley, who presided over the Spanish American War, ignited by the still unknown sinking of the US battleship Maine in Havanna Harbor.  Upon defeating Spain, the USA acquired Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines.  Maybe Manifest Destiny was given a new "raison d'etre."   

During the remainder of the 20th century, the USA used gunboat diplomacy and economic coercion to attain unipolar hegemony, expanding the Monroe Doctrine to the rest of the world, dropping two atomic bombs on civilian populations to demonstrate military might and using guns and dollars to acquire and/or control more territory.  

The 21st century was ushered in by the downing of the World Trade Center and declaration of the War on Terror.  The four presidents during this first quarter century focused military might (invasion, weaponized drone bombing, proxy wars) and economic coercion (blockade, sanctions, free trade and tariffs) to fight the war on terror in the name of "democracy, "USA style."   In the transition from #46 to #47, we seem to be seeing more emphasis on economic coercion, as Trump teaches us "the art of the deal," vs. Biden's proxy war against Russia.  But whatever the means, the goal seems a constant--USA hegemony.

Next week, we focus on Savannah with guest Elder Ned Williams, tenant organizer at Yamacraw Village housing.