H.A.
and our allies in Congress were able to kill the May-Johnson bill [that would have
maintained military control over atomic research – A.S.]. This month, H.A. was able to pass his
legislation, the McMahon bill [Connecticut Senator Brien McMahon a
Democrat]. This legislation allows
H.A. to create a five-member civilian atomic energy commission [appointed by
the president] and encourages civilian application of atomic energy. It also permits the international
exchange of scientific information and supports the concept of United Nations
control. Dr. Edward U.
Condon, an eminent physicist who H.A. appointed to head the National Bureau of
Standards, helped write the bill.
This is one step in containing the atomic monster we have created.
The
United Nations Commission on the control of atomic energy was created at
the Foreign Minister Meeting in Moscow this month. Not just the U.S., but the entire world must work together
for the peaceful use of atomic power. The meeting also produced an agreement with the Soviet Union to create a Joint Commission to make
recommendations on how to unify Korea.
We and our Soviet ally have divided the peninsula in half at the 38th
parallel. In another divided
nation, the Soviets have also agreed to withdrawal their troops from Iran. British and Soviet forces had divided
up the country during the war to oust their Nazi friendly leader [Reza Shah Pahlavi] and protect oil
and rail lines there. Stalin was
been dragging his feet on removing his forces, but I believe now that he knows
he has an honest partner with H.A. he will come through on this promise. H.A. is fighting very hard
against the anti-communists here in America to give Stalin the chance to be a
friendly player in the world community.
I don’t trust Stalin, but I hope for everyone’s sake that he uses this
opportunity to demonstrate that the Soviets can continue to be our ally.
Speaking
of old sores, I’ve made a complete recovery from last month. Two little bits of metal and a short
wire decided that they needed liberating from my body. It’s uncomfortable, ugly, and messy,
but my doctor says I don’t have to worry.
Nothing inside me is life threatening. He says this will happen occasionally until the last bits of
Spain escape my body.
On
the domestic front, H.A. is working with his allies in Congress to revamp the
tax structure to give economic incentives to businessmen willing to “expand
production and create new industry.” He is also proposing to federalizing incorporation law
to prevent “charter mongering” by states with weak statutes like Delaware. In addition, he is seeking to reform
the patent system so it would not “be used as a weapon of oppression by large
aggregates of wealth.” These
changes will provide national leadership to allow innovate industries to thrive
and advance our economy, prevent states from competing against one another in
race to see who will provide the most giveaways to big business, and allow
small businesses to compete against big business. H.A. is seeking to create a culture were businesses are
active and productive members of our society, not greedy entities that seek to
maximize their profits at the expense of our citizens, communities, and nation. Although I disagree with him, H.A. says
capitalism itself need not be scraped.
H.A. argues that the “perversion of its instruments” must be remedied. He says, there “are other ways to cure
a headache than by decapitation.”
H.A.
is finding that big business is not giving up on its perversions easily. They are sending, in historic numbers,
lobbyists to Congress. These
lobbyists are providing tremendous largess to the members who support them and
threats to those who are opposed, or who are even slow to embrace their
demands. The threats are not
idle. The next Congressional
election is just a little less than a year away, but candidates are already being
recruited to run against members of Congress who do not succumb to the big
business agenda. Money is also
flowing to the Whiskey Rebels who are becoming more visible in our lecture
halls and public spaces. They are
also taking more and more space in newspaper columns and radio programs. This infusion of cash is allowing
them to become more organized and visible and this visibility is attracting
more and more adherents. I fear
the shrillness of their attacks against anyone who supports H.A.’s efforts
could drown out meaningful debate on our issues. We must do better to rally our supporters to counter the
Whiskey Rebels and big business.
© 2012 Ron Millar
