"The Greatest Poet of the 20th Century", on LBJ

[Andric Perez]

I'd like to share an excerpt of a poem written in 1966 by the 1971 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Pablo Neruda, referring to Lyndon Johnson. This is the english translation of the Spanish original.

"We could say of this Trujillo

(judging by the things we know)

was the most evil man in this world

(If Johnson didn't exist, of course).

http://www.cielonaranja.com/neruda2.htm

Biography.com says: "Pablo Neruda was a Nobel Prize–winning Chilean poet who was once called "the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language." http://www.biography.com/people/pablo-neruda-9421737#awesm=~oEEdUupOb0GXvQ

Edited May 18, 2014 by Andric Perez

[David Josephs]

Another from the famed man... United Fruit... scary topic

LA UNITED FRUIT CO.

Text by Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), Canto general, 1950

Set by John Mitchell (1941-), op.95, no.4 (1993

When the trumpet sounded
everything was prepared on earth,
and Jehovah gave the world
to Coca-Cola Inc., Anaconda,
Ford Motors, and other corporations.
The United Fruit Company
reserved for itself the most juicy
piece, the central coast of my world,
the delicate waist of America.

It rebaptized these countries
Banana Republics,
and over the sleeping dead,
over the unquiet heroes
who won greatness,
liberty, and banners,
it established an opera buffa:
it abolished free will,
gave out imperial crowns,
encouraged envy, attracted
the dictatorship of flies:
Trujillo flies, Tachos flies
Carias flies, Martinez flies,
Ubico flies, flies sticky with
submissive blood and marmalade,
drunken flies that buzz over
the tombs of the people,
circus flies, wise flies
expert at tyranny.

With the bloodthirsty flies
came the Fruit Company,
amassed coffee and fruit
in ships which put to sea like
overloaded trays with the treasures
from our sunken lands.

Meanwhile the Indians fall
into the sugared depths of the
harbors and are buried in the
morning mists;
a corpse rolls, a thing without
name, a discarded number,
a bunch of rotten fruit
thrown on the garbage heap.

[David Andrews]

See also One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1967), the acclaimed novel which features the infamous massacre of a village by United Fruit.

[Tom Hume]

See also Richard Case Nagell’s seemingly out of context public declaration as he was intentionally having himself arrested on September 20th of 1963:

“Capitalistic Swine!”

[Thomas Graves]

I like T. S, Elliott.

--  Tommy

[Michael Walton]

Off topic of course but if ever a photo spoke a million and one  words, it's that winking photo. I tend to transpose it to an event today and then ask yourself "could you see it happening in that event?"  An example is Biden winking to a crony if Obama has been murdered and both men standing next to Michelle who has blood all over her. I just cannot see it happening like the LBJ one.

[Joe Bauer]

M. Walton I don't think the Albert Thomas-to-LBJ winking photo is too off topic regards the subject of  LBJ's level of corruption.

I also consider this photo one of the three most disturbing ( to a sickening and disgusting degree ) I have come across in my JFK assassination historical interest quest.

Isolated Zapruder film frame 313 is of course the most disturbing image of all. The autopsy full facial and naked body one of JFK on the slab or table perhaps the second most.

These images are the stuff of nightmares. One's that millions of us have all probably had.

But to see the almost indescribable facial expression anguish of Jackie Kennedy in the wink photo juxtaposed with Thomas's  smiling, winking, almost celebratory " Atta Boy Lyndon - you did it Baby!" one just  shakes and wrenches my gut feeling suspicion regards LBJ's ( and those close to him ) corrupt , even evil nature.

 

Edited May 21, 2017 by Joe Bauer

[Michael Walton]

I agree, Joe thanks.

[Joe Bauer]

Whenever I see the Albert Thomas-To-LBJ smiling and winking photo, I feel anger.