Ole Dirty Rice Dec 1, 2023
Matt Blaze

You could, I suppose, argue that the 20th century produced worse villains than Kissinger, or that his motives were less personally corrupt than those of many of his peers.

But here's the thing. As an American, I must remember that Kissinger's crimes were done at least partly in my name. That the blood he spilled stains my own hands.

We must repudiate his legacy, or we will always remain complicit in it.

Nov 30, 2023 at 11:04pmWeb
Show threadPhil Stevens Nov 30, 2023
@mattblaze If you ever wanted an argument for the existence of a Deep State, unbeholden and unaccountable to democratic society, this man's career is a pretty good case study.
Show threadljeanNov 30, 2023
@mattblaze He had this argument that he was reality-based but in fact where he was most active he did the most harm. Iran's actions today in supporting terror are part of his legacy. His legacy is blood, death, and chaos. This idea that the "hard choices" must be made to engage in destruction instead of destabilization, as if chaos were better than a flawed order, should die with him.
Show threadJargogglesDec 1, 2023
@ljean @mattblaze
This is really important to bear in mind as we pick apart his rotten legacy. Yes, a lot of his crimes, like the slaughter of so many tens of thousands in Southeast Asia, were overt and directly traced to him. But he also wormed his way into the inner workings of regions all over the world, like South America as well, who are still suffering from his poison.
Show threadljeanDec 1, 2023
@jargoggles @mattblaze Thank you. I meant destruction instead of stabilization. Thank you for your patience and your thoughtful response.
Show threadBynkiiDec 1, 2023

@mattblaze he took actions that extended the Vietnam war to get Nixon elected.

Literal treason, that got US service people killed.

He did it all in his own name.

Show threadMatt BlazeDec 1, 2023
@bynkii Perhaps it's comforting to believe that he did it all for himself. But I don't see how that lets us off the hook so easily.
Show threadBynkiiDec 1, 2023

@mattblaze no, it lets no one off the hook. But “he did it for <larger cause than personal power and influence>” makes him sound like he had a good purpose, good ends. He never did. It was all about Henry Kissinger, he saw himself as the cowboy with guns blazing. Said that in an interview.

It was always about him.

Show threadCassandrichDec 1, 2023
@bynkii @mattblaze Yeah, so many of the things he did make no strategic sense, only if you assume he had a visceral desire to see whatever party was more evil in a given situation triumph and inflict suffering...
Show threadCassandrichDec 1, 2023
@bynkii @mattblaze The following around him is more like a cult than a conspiracy, of like-minded awful people who see manipulating political situations as a game of 4D chess with themselves as the would-be masterminds, delighting in the harm to folks who "take it seriously". Like a channer edgelord/gator/etc. ahead of his time.
Show threadRodneyPetersonTalentAgencyDec 1, 2023

@mattblaze

Once you realize and it doesn’t take much digging this so called bastion of freedom is actually a shithole country, it all becomes clear.

Show threadHawkmoonDec 1, 2023

@mattblaze

Let's then remember too that the US faked its way into war in Vietnam and that Kissinger's millions of bombs still lost that war.

He murdered millions and failed.