Rummy Says the "War on Terror" is Just Like World War Two

August 31, 2006

Rummy Says the "War on Terror" is Just Like World War Two

On August 29, 2006, in Salt Lake City, Secretary of Defense, Donald Henry Rumsfeld, claimed in his address to the 88th Annual American Legion National Convention that the "War on Terror" is just like World War Two. Here are some historical differences to consider between the two:
1. There is no federally funded day care for children of working mothers in industries vital to the war effort;
2. There has been no expansion of the public health care system to take care of workers in the industries vital to the war effort;
3. There is no Supply Priorities and Allocation Board to oversee the allocation of resources for the war and adjusting domestic consumption;
4. There is no Office of Price Management checking the threat of inflation with price caps;
5. There is no National War Labor Board to mediate disputes between management and labor in industries vital to the war effort;
6. There is no War Manpower Commission designed to mobilize military and civilian services for the "War on Terror";
7. There is no Office of War Mobilization to oversee and coordinate all of the other agencies;
8. There is no Senate Subcommittee explicitly designed to investigate waste and fraud in the awarding of military contracts;
9. There is no War Production Board to put the economy on a war footing;
10. There is no "Food for Freedom" program urging farmers to expand production for the war effort;
11. There are no "Victory Gardens" encouraging people to grow their own food;
12. There is no campaign targeting "Mrs. Stay-at-Home" and criticizing her for not becoming "Rosie the Riveter." ("Instead of cutting a cake," one newsreel explained, "this woman [factory worker] cuts the pattern of aircraft parts.");
13. There is no welcoming of Mexican immigrants to the US to harvest crops similar to the 200,000 who entered under the bracero program enacted during World War Two;
14. There is no National Housing Agency building over 2 million low-cost residential units financed by the federal government;
15. There is no "Share Your Home" campaign encouraging families to open up their homes to friends, relatives, or strangers to ease the housing crunch caused by the movement of populations due to the war effort;
16. There is no tax increase on the wealthy to help pay for the war, (but tax cuts instead);
17. There is no military draft;
18. There are no shared sacrifices asked for;
19. The enemy has no technology that can compare to the US;
20. There is no real "Axis of Evil";
21. There are no real "Allies";
22. There are no war bonds being sold;
23. There are no scrap metal or rubber drives;
24. There is no sugar, meat, cheese, butter and gasoline rationing;
25. There is no major developed nation on the side of the enemy;
26. There are no farmers being asked to grow "Hemp for Victory";
27. There is no call for GM, Ford, etc. to stop churning out cars and SUVs, and start producing tanks and Armored Personnel Carriers;
28. There is no contribution to the actual fighting from the rich (there is no equivalent of a JFK or George Herbert Walker Bush now serving);
29. There is no unity of purpose that bridges ideological, class, and racial lines for the higher cause; (In World War Two, even Gore Vidal and Howard Zinn served);
30. There is no great leader calling for us to pull together as a nation.
Except for the above differences, Secretary Rumsfeld is totally correct: the "War on Terror" is exactly like World War Two.