RON WYDEN: Portrayal of One Progressive
by Les Weaver
Clash Daily Contributor
In October 1923, a boy, Peter Weidenreich, was born to a Jewish family in Germany, his mother a concert singer, his father a businessman. History clearly shows that as Hitler began his rise to power, the life expectancy of Jews in Germany became shorter with each passing year. Peter was more than fortunate because at age 13 in 1936; his parents, both Jewish, fled Nazi Germany come to the United States. (Later, Peter changed his last name.) After attending City University of New York, he served with the U.S. Army's Psychological Warfare Division in Europe during WWII. After the war he became a journalist, writing for: the Wichita Eagle; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Newsweek; Saturday Evening Post; and became editor for both McCall's and Ladies' Home Journal. During his career, he authored and/or co-authored numerous articles that were published in major magazines. In 1970 he became a book publisher in New York.
Although Peter died in June 1998, he left two legacies. One is that he authored or co-authored at least 15 books that remain available. His books range from Stella, to: The Bay of Pigs, Hiroshima and the Holocaust. This legacy is a clear display of his deepest thoughts, particularly because he could be classified as a "survivor" of the Holocaust. Yes, Peter left an admirable legacy.
I find his other legacy puzzling; a son born in May, 1949, was named Ronald Lee Wyden. After earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree followed by a Juris Doctor, Ron did some teaching until 1980, when at age 31, he ran for and won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1996 he was appointed to occupy a vacated seat in the U.S. Senate where he resides in a senior position to this day. I and many other conservatives question this one of Peter's legacies.
I am mindful that Ron Wyden would not exist had his then 13 year old Jewish boy not escaped from Nazi Germany, the very year my wife was born into that same Germany. Also I do not lose sight that Ron's dad was a noted author and journalist, much about suppression by governments and government conspiracies. With this, the confusion takes over.
This man that has spent most of his adult life in the U.S. Congress seems to be on a track that is exactly opposite his heritage. He is labeled as a "Progressive". He invariably votes for more government spending and increased taxes to pay for it. (I reference the 1923 Weimar Republic of his father's birth). He does not appear to push back at Obama's treatment of Israel or all Judeo-Christian faiths but rather displays passivity. He strongly promotes "Green Energy" and supports Obama's Global Warming agenda. He supports ObamaCare with total disregard to the statistics of its effect on the middle class that he says he supports. And most important, Ron Wyden displays total disregard for the ever increasing questions by anyone about Obama's legitimacy and mental stability to hold the office of President.
I for one find it shameful and without logic that a person with Ron Wyden's history could morph into what I openly title: a neo-Marxist.
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