jOE'S daILY u.s. hISTORY LESSON -- mARCH 12

MARCH 12 1947 – Truman Doctrine is announced. With this doctrine, President Harry S. Truman would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external and internal authoritarian forces. According to the Office of the Historian, The Truman Doctrine effectively reoriented U.S. foreign policy, away from its usual stance of withdrawal from regional conflicts not directly involving the United States, to one of possible intervention in faraway conflicts. It would aid Greece and Turkey in order to slow down communist domination of the two nations. Many Historians today believe this marked the official beginning of the Cold War. Since the end of WWII, rebels in Greece had been staging a coup against the government, and in Turkey, the strategic area of the Dardanelles was being threatened by the Soviet Union. This was Truman’s big chance to take a stand against communism. 2003 – Natilie Maines sets fire to to her band’s career, and the Dixie Chicks backlash begins. The comment took place at the Shepher’s Bush Empire in London when she said onstage to a huge British audience in regards to her opinion of the Iraq War: Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence. And we’re ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas Maines, Maguire, and Robison’s home state].” And just like that, one of America’s most beloved bands became the most hated band. They were expelled from radio, giant piles of their cd’s were bulldozed, and a band member’s house was vandalized. President Bush said, The Dixie Chicks are free to speak their mind. They can say what they want to say. The shouldn’t have their feelings hurt just because some people don’t want to buy their records when they speak out. Meanwhile, Toby Keith performed in front of a backdrop that showed a gigantic picture of Natalie Maines next to Saddam Hussein. Things weren’t looking good for the band. No problem, they’ll bounce back, right? Wrong. As of 2013 according to a CNN poll, many former Dixie Chick fans still weren’t receptive to the band and a third answered in the negative when asked if the band should be forgiven. 1882 – The Chinese Exclusion Act. We can thank President Chester Arthur for this embarrassing one. It was the first major law restricting immigrants based on a certain ethnic group to become United States citizens. After the gold rush, Chinese immigrants came to California by the boatloads and became laborers getting paid little more than what a slave would earn at the time. Even though the Chinese helped to build America’s first transcontinental railroad, they were seen by Anglos as inferior. The law was designed to last ten years, then was extended to twenty years, then extended permanently. Not until 1943 when American needed China’s help against Japan during WWII was the law repealed entirely. I know how appallingly racist that law sounds, but back in those days that’s just how things were. I don’t know what else to tell ya. 1972, Creedence Clearwater Revival split up Following the failure of their most recent album, 'Mardi Gras'. After limited success as a solo act and some legal hassles with Fantasy Records, John Fogarty would have two big hits in 1985, 'Center Field' and 'Rock and Roll Girls'. John's brother Tom Fogarty died in September, 1990 and the surviving members have been touring as Creedence Clearwater Revisited.