The following arrived in my mail anonymously today. I wish I'd writen
it. It doesn't have anything to do with medicine per se, but it
contains so many of the same liberal, witch-hunting, whiney
"blame-humans and Americans-in-particular for all life's problems"
outlook on life, common to some of our paranoid posters, that it's
actually quite relevent to most of the discussions we've recently seen
on this newsgroup. Enjoy. I think you'll recognize the tone
immediately.
How D-Day Would be Reported by Today's Press
NORMANDY, FRANCE (June 6, 1944)
Three hundred French civilians were killed and thousands more were
wounded today in the first hours of America's invasion of continental
Europe.
Casualties were heaviest among women and children.
Most of the French casualties were the result of artillery fire from
American ships attempting to knock out German fortifications prior to
the
landing of hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops.
Reports from a makeshift hospital in the French town of St. Mere Eglise
said the carnage was far worse than the French had anticipated, and
that reaction against the American invasion was running high.
"We are dying for no reason, "said a Frenchman speaking on condition of
anonymity. "Americans can't even shoot straight. I never thought I'd
say this, but life was better under Adolph [censored]."
The invasion also caused severe environmental damage. American troops,
tanks, trucks and machinery destroyed miles of pristine shoreline and
thousands of acres of ecologically sensitive wetlands.
It was believed that the habitat of the spineless French crab was
completely wiped out, thus threatening the species with extinction.
A representative of Greenpeace said his organization, which had tried
to stall the invasion for over a year, was appalled at the destruction,
but not surprised. "This is just another example of how the military
destroys the environment without a second thought," said Christine
Moanmore. "And it's all about corporate greed."
Contacted at his Manhattan condo, a member of the French
government-in-exile who abandoned Paris when [censored] invaded, said the
invasion was based solely on American financial interests.
"Everyone knows that President Roosevelt has ties to 'big beer,'" said
Pierre LeWimp. "Once the German beer industry is conquered, Roosevelt's
beer cronies will control the world market and make a fortune."
Administration supporters said America's aggressive actions were based
in part on the assertions of controversial scientist Albert Einstein,
who sent
a letter to Roosevelt speculating that the Germans were developing a
secret weapon -- a so-alled "atomic bomb."
Such a weapon could produce casualties on a scale never seen before,
and cause environmental damage that could last for thousands of years.
[censored] has denied having such a weapon and international inspectors
were unable to locate such weapons even after spending two long
weekends in
Germany.
Shortly after the invasion began, reports surfaced that German
prisoners had been abused by American soldiers. Mistreatment of Jews by
Germans at
their so-called "concentration camps" has been rumored, but so far this
remains unproven.
Several thousand Americans died during the first hours of the invasion,
and French officials are concerned that the uncollected corpses will
pose a
public-health risk.
"The Americans should have planned for this in advance," they said.
"It's their mess, and we don't intend to help clean it up."