Margaret Sanger, Heroine of the 'Progressive' Left a Racist.

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by earthlyfather

This idea of the decoupling of 'reprehensible' someone's thought action/thought/speech from alledged good deeds is interesting. Is there a period of time that has to pass before someone's 'bad' activity can be minimized, or even disregarded? When I ask that I am thinking of the WV Senator Byrd (KKK past)and, of course MS' senator Trent Lott (praise of Strom Thurmond). Your take on those two, or any others will be interesting to hear.

The idea of being able to discern someone's bad deeds from someone's good deeds is a matter of maturity. Appreciating that people are capable of both is knowledge that most acquire around the age of six or so.

As for your tongue-in-cheek questions, no one's bad activity ever needs to be minimized or disregarded. I don't really care who you are thinking of, and I feel no compelling need to respond to your examples. You don't get to frame the discussion, nor to frame my replies.

We are all flawed creatures. And we are all capable of wondrous things. Mrs Sanger's battle to legalize contraception was a tremendous achievement. Her flaws as a person do not diminish her achievements.

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by ovcatto

1914!!!

Libya 1801-05!!

Mexico 1846

Japan 1853

Chile, and Haiti 1891

Nicaragua 1984

China 1894-95

Korea 1894-96

Panama 1895

Nicaragua II 1895

China II 1898-1900

Cuba 1898

Philippines 1898

Samoa 1899

Panama II 1901

Honduras 1903

Dominican Republic 1903

Prior to that was too busy spreading its continental empire.

Now that's just military interventions, if I were to point out all non-military foreign policies from the Civil War to the first Roosevelt administration we would be here all year round. Now I know for the most part the period between the Civil War and the first world war are largely a mystery to most Americans, you might take some time to acquaint yourself with the period, there is a lot more to it than covered wagons, cowboys and gunfighters.

Libya was a minor skirmish over pirates. Mexico was next door, not across the globe, and was coming onto US territory (one of few times that ever happened.. I think it has only been 4 times in US history--1812, Mexico, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11).

Japan 1853 I confess ignorance...you might have me there. The others were post 1895 and thus within the start of the progressive era.

All that said, good post, and perhaps I have some re-thinking to do.

[DT113876]

Most people here don't know what an ad hominem is. It's a logical fallacy. Most anti-Planned Parenthood posts here are engaged in an Assosciation Fallacy:

1) Margaret Sanger advocated for birth control through Planned Parenthood
2) Margaret Sanger was a racist
3) Therefore Planned Parenthood is racist.

But Planned Parenthood is merely assosciated with Sanger, that doesn't mean it also shares Sanger's racist views necessarily. So this reasoning is fallacious.