Alexandra (who has a beautiful blog) sends out a call for a list of the ten worst Americans. Too much fun for me to refuse.
A few qualifiers for my list: No comtemporary political figures, no matter how contemptible. No serial killers, either. Even if he killed hundreds he can't match the harm done by someone with good intentions and bad ideas. This list by no means definitive, as I'm trying to include some people many wouldn't consider.
10. Walter Duranty1. Saw democide up close and chose to ignore it, to further his own ideology. And for being named Walter.
9. Carrie Nation. Didn't care for liquor or property rights much.
8. J. Edgar Hoover. Turned the FBI into his own fiefdom and stayed there for decades while ruining the lives of countless others and expanding the powers of the federal government. Exactly the kind of person we don't need in that kind of office.
7. Woodrow Wilson. Returned racial segregation to the federal government, caused massive income tax increases, and imprisoned anti-war protestors. As if getting the country into a bloody and unnecessary war wasn't enough.
6. Nathan Bedford Forrest and William Simmons*. Founding fathers of the KKK, the US's most prominent terrorist organization. Favored gun control, to keep Blacks from arming themselves.
5. Horace Mann. The father of the public school system, a bigot who sought to reform Irish Catholic immigrants by instilling Protestant values through compulsory schooling. His work laid the foundation for many later social engineers who use the school system as an indoctrination tool.
4. Brigham Young. Created a religious government complete with secret police.
3. William Randolph Hearst. Probably the worst abuser of the Fourth Estate. Instrumental in igniting the Spanish-American War. Fascist sympathizer. Demonized marijuana in a successful effort to outlaw hemp and boost his timber interests.
2. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. President for life. Stacked the SCOTUS with justices who could explain away the Constitution and enable his expansion of the federal government. His faults are popularly ignored because he was on the right side of the big war.
1. Jefferson Davis. Bottom line, he was fighting to save slavery.
I've noticed others' lists contain Jeffery Amherst. While he might have been a perfectly despicable fellow, he was English. Your own suggestions for this list are welcome.
*So I cheated and put two people in this slot. Put me on your own list.
1 Duranty may also be English. If anyone can confirm that he never became a US citizen I'll drop him from the list.
Posted by Walter at December 30, 2005 02:52 PMAll Things Beautiful TrackBack A Challenge To The Blogosphere: 'The Ten Worst Americans' List
As a post Christmas/Hannukah Challenge, I invited the Blogosphere to name 'The Ten Worst Americans'....Walter In Denver puts forward his list here.
"Alexandra (who has a beautiful blog)"
A beautiful picture which is put forth to represent herself, at least.
If she's actually that hot, stopping many male hearts, and other body parts, is definitely in order. But I'd need to see more pictures, in good light. I'm sure this is a male, sexist, notion, that only socialistically inclined males would ththink.
The blog tends to be somewhat less coherent; though, for the record, the last encounter she and I had did not go smoothly. I don't feel this was entirely my part, but I'm always an optimist for the future. Mostly.
Meanwhile, sometimes she says smart things, and sometimes she says moronic things. No different from me, to be sure.
Posted by: Gary Farber at January 8, 2006 12:49 PMI am wondering if this is Walter Chaw's blog?
Regardless, Would like to note P.G. O'Rourke's comment about F.D.R. being wheeled up the handicapped access ramp to hell.....what list of the past century's most evil semi-humans would be complete without F.D.R???
Good list and thanks for including Mann.
Too many people forget him.
LVM
No Chaw here. I think he's a professional writer, while I've maintained my amateur status.
Plus, I think he lives in Littleton.
Posted by: Walter at January 9, 2006 02:18 PM