Month: June 2009

Today In History: 08 June

Two days ago we observed the invasion of Europe during WWII at the beaches of Normandy.  I got to thinking that there are other situations and occurrences that we do not normally celebrate but are somehow equally important.

I have included three (3) posts on historical events that have occurred on this day; one is the death of Thomas Paine and two on the attack on a US ship by the military of Israel in 1967.

There are somethings that need to be observed because it is the right thing to do….and not all are happy little successes.

Thank You, Thomas Paine

We as a people and a country could NEVER thank this patriot enough for his contributions! He is truly the “Father of the American Revolution”.

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Thomas Paine (June 8, 1809). The English pamphleteer, revolutionary, radical, inventor, and intellectual. He lived and worked in Britain until age 37, when he emigrated to the British American colonies, in time to participate in the American Revolution. His principal contribution was the powerful, widely-read pamphlet Common Sense (1776), advocating colonial America’s independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and of The American Crisis (1776–1783), a pro-revolutionary pamphlet series.

The strength of Common Sense was not in the originality of its ideas, but rather in the simplicity of its style.[ Paine was a pioneer in a new style of political writing suitable to the kind of democratic society he envisioned. Common Sense rendered complex ideas intelligible to average readers, with clear, concise writing unlike the formal, learned style favored by many of Paine’s contemporaries.

He was, in my opinion, the first blogger. He is also a largely forgotten Founding Father. History has not been kind to this extraordinary man. Without Paine’s input with his pamphlet “Common Sense” the revolution that the rich elite had started would have failed. Paine made it understandable to the masses, thus they became the power behind the revolution. He took the abstract theories and made them simple and easy for the normal colonial to understand. Without his capability of the written word all would have been lost in the revolt against England. All those wealthy land owners would have been hanged and the rule of the day would have stayed around for many more years.

When I was a young boy of about 12 years old, my grandfather gave me a copy of Common Sense, and to say that it changed my life would be an understatement. At first, it was just words, but as time moved on I started seeing what Thomas Paine was saying and from about 14 or 15 I became the radical independent I am today. His style of writing inspired me in my later years to try and write in a style where normal, average Americans can understand complicated political theories. I have refused to cloud things up with words no normal individual would use, that is Paine’s influence.

The United States cannot do enough to thank this patriot for his contribution to the establishment of this country. But for some reason he has been left out of the history books, with the exception of his “Common Sense”. I have even gone so far as to suggest that Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence from notes given to him by Paine. I do not think that Jefferson was capable of writing such a document on his own.

On this day, the day of his death, all I can really say is THANK YOU, THOMAS PAINE! We owe you so much and gave you so little….I am sorry.

Another Day Of Infamy

Today is 8 June and an anniversary of sorts.  This is excerpts of an article written for LewRockwell.com by Eric S. Margolis:

On the fourth day of the 1967 Arab Israeli War, the intelligence ship ‘USS Liberty’ was steaming slowly in international waters, 14 miles off the Sinai Peninsula. Israeli armored forces were racing deep into Sinai in hot pursuit of the retreating Egyptian army.

‘Liberty,’ a World War II freighter, had been converted into an intelligence vessel by the top-secret US National Security Agency, and packed with the latest signals and electronic interception equipment. The ship bristled with antennas and electronic ‘ears’ including TRSSCOMM, a system that delivered real-time intercepts to Washington by bouncing a stream of microwaves off the moon.

At 0800 hrs, 8 June, 1967, eight Israeli recon flights flew over ‘Liberty,’ which was flying a large American flag. At 1400 hrs, waves of low-flying Israeli Mystere and Mirage-III fighter-bombers repeatedly attacked the American vessel with rockets, napalm, and cannon. The air attacks lasted 20 minutes, concentrating on the ship’s electronic antennas and dishes. The ‘Liberty’ was left afire, listing sharply. Eight of her crew lay dead, a hundred seriously wounded, including the captain, Commander William McGonagle.

At 1424 hrs, three Israeli torpedo boats attacked, raking the burning ‘Liberty’ with 20mm and 40mm shells. At 1431hrs an Israeli torpedo hit the ‘Liberty’ midship, precisely where the signals intelligence systems were located. Twenty-five more Americans died.

Israeli gunboats circled the wounded ‘Liberty,’ firing at crewmen trying to fight the fires. At 1515, the crew were ordered to abandon ship. The Israeli warships closed and poured machine gun fire into the crowded life rafts, sinking two. As American sailors were being massacred in cold blood, a rescue mission by US Sixth Fleet carrier aircraft was mysteriously aborted on orders from the White House.

An hour after the attack, Israeli warships and planes returned. Commander McGonagle gave the order. ‘prepare to repel borders.’ But the Israelis, probably fearful of intervention by the US Sixth Fleet, departed. ‘Liberty’ was left shattered but still defiant, her flag flying.

The Israeli attacks killed 34 US seamen and wounded 171 out of a crew of 297, the worst loss of American naval personnel from hostile action since World War II.

Less than an hour after the attack, Israel told Washington its forces had committed a ‘tragic error.’ Later, Israel claimed it had mistaken ‘Liberty’ for an ancient Egyptian horse transport. US Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, and Joint Chiefs of Staff head, Admiral Thomas Moorer, insisted the Israeli attack was deliberate and designed to sink ‘Liberty.’ So did three CIA reports; one asserted Israel’s Defense Minister, Gen. Moshe Dayan, had personally ordered the attack.

If you want a Day Of Infamy, then 8 June 1967 ranks up there with another you may choose.

I also interviewed sailor that was on board the Liberty and will post it in my next section.

USS Liberty Incident

USS Liberty Incident

Recently I visited a local Naval Retirement Home with the hopes of interviewing some WWII vets and to get some interviews for a piece I was working on about the feelings the vets had after the war was over and if there were any problems readjusting to civilian life.  There were 4 vets at the home, two were away visiting family, 1 was in the hospital and the last did not want to talk.

My try was a bust!  I was sitting in the on property “food court” having a sandwich and coffee and trying desparately to think of another topic to write on.  About halfway through my meal a guy approached me and asked me what ship I served on.  Well, I was surprised at first and then told him I had served in the Army.  Then jokingly ask me, “what the hell is a grunt doing here?”  I smiled and told him about my idea for an article.  He thought for a few minutes, then said “that’s bullshit, boy”.  “Ever heard of the USS Liberty attack?”  I thought and thought, but could not come up with a good answer other than no, when was that?

He started his story and told me to take notes.  I did as I was told.

The gentlemen had been a bridge officer on the USS Liberty, a sigint ship.  A ship used to intercept signal intel and process it.  The date was 8 June 1967 and the ship was in international waters off the Sinai.  On 8 june the ship was flown over by Israeli recon planes and according to the officer when the crew on deck saw it was Israeli they began to wave and as the plane flew over it dipped its wings in recognition.  Next they were approached by several Mirage III jets, the French jets that only Israel flew at the time and they fired on the ship and then the ship was attacked by three Israeli gunboats with torpedoes.  The ships leadership did not fire back and the ship was flying a large American flag and has its ship’s ID clearly posted.

The gentleman told me that 34 sailors had died and that the crew recieved orders to not discuss the situation or the attack under threat of courtsmartial.  He said that the inquiry into the attack had found that it was an accident and was regrettable.  He laughed and said, “The SOBs knew exactly what they were doing and the bullshit about being missed ID as an Egpytian ship was an outright lie.”  I ask him what about the other ship.  He said the ship in question was about half the size of the Liberty and had Arabic ID, not in English.

He told me to this day he hated Israel, not because of some religious bullshit (his term) but because the assholes (his term) killed some very good friends and good sailors.  He said the sooner someone squashes the worthless fuckers (his term),  the better he will sleep.

We talked a bit more and he gave me two websites he said for me to check out and then make my decision.  He then aburptly stopped talking and said “gotta go, the ladies are waiting”.

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/ussliberty.html

http://www.usslibertyinquiry.com/index2.html

http://www.uss-liberty.com/

This is an extremely interesting case–I have read as much as I could digest on this attack and I prefer to believe the sailors that experienced the horror.

But I say check it out for yourself and decide who is right and who is wrong.

22/12/04

Postscript–I thought about this piece and decided to show it to the gentleman I had talked with;  when I went to talk with him I was told he had died from a stroke.  The Naval Home was destroyed by hurricane Katrina in ’05 and the residents were dispersed thus I lost a possible source of other people that knew the gentleman.  I spent most of January 07 deciding whether to publish the story or just let the whole thing go.  I decided to tell the part that I got from the aged sailor and let the reader decide for themselves.

Maine Attraction

If you want a really good cup of coffee then Maine is your best bet.  Why?  Topless baristas!  But it maybe a short lived thing if the prudes have their way.

Prosecutors will review a complaint that a waitress from a Maine topless doughnut shop was outside the business without a shirt on.

The Central Maine Morning Sentinel says a state trooper was sent to the Grand View Topless Coffee shop on Saturday after someone called in a complaint. Police say no one was charged, but the matter has been turned over to the district attorney for review.

It’s unclear whether nudity outside the cafe is prohibited.

Vassalboro had considered banning nudity altogether after the shop opened in February, but officials now are proposing to specifically regulate where, when and how such businesses may operate. The revised ordinance comes up for a vote June 8.

But there is also an ugly side of the whole topless barista thing.  In the South when things do not meet with some approval the answer is a “redneck thing.”…burn it down…kinda like black churches or abortion clinics…apparently there is a little “redneck” in Maine.

The Boston Globe reported:

A topless coffee shop that opened in Maine four months ago amid national notoriety was destroyed by arson early yesterday, the state fire marshal’s office ruled.

Evidence found among the rubble at the Grand View Coffee Shop, a former motel just north of Augusta, indicated that the 1 a.m. blaze had been set shortly after its owner appeared before the Vassalboro Planning Board to discuss extending the shop’s hours and allowing topless waitresses to dance around the restaurant.

Investigators determined a cause for the blaze but had not released that information, McCausland said. The uninsured building, which Crabtree said he spent $277,000 to renovate, is a total loss. Crabtree intends to reopen, the Associated Press reported. “I’ll keep going,” Crabtree said. “I’ve got some girls out of work, and I’m going to do all I can.”

The shop brought a wave of publicity to the town of 4,400 people when Crabtree announced plans to have topless waitresses serve coffee and doughnuts between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Nothing in local ordinances barred such an establishment. Many residents were outraged, but others said the community badly needed an economic shot in the arm.

The arson startled residents, who are scheduled to consider a proposal to regulate sexually oriented businesses at Town Meeting on Monday.

Sad that this type of mentality prevails in the 21st century…if you do like something …destroy it.

Employee Free Choice Act–UpDate

One of the most impressive endeavors of the Obama admin is the EFCA and it is looking good, sports fans.

Reposted from http://www.laborradio.org
AFL-CIO Legislative Director Bill Samuel says labor’s number one priority – the Employee Free Choice Act labor law reform – will become law. It makes it easier for workers to join unions by taking employer intimidation out of the picture. And Samuel says the bill won’t be gutted by compromise that destroys its original intent.

[Samuel]: “Yes, I think the Senate Democrats and particularly those in the leadership understand that this bill has to be meaningful. Although a very small number have said they might not be able to support the bill as it’s currently crafted, that’s really code for suggesting that there may need to be some small changes. But not changes that would undermine the basic thrust of the bill.”

Business has mounted a strong effort to derail the labor law reform, but Samuel says once Minnesota’s Al Franken is seated in the U.S. Senate Democrats will pass the legislation despite business opposition.

[Samuel2]: “Clearly the business community is going to spend more money than us, they have more money and they’re determined to protect their privilege and their right to block workers from exercising this basic right. But I think at the end of the day we’re gonna pass this bill and Democrats are going to be proud to be on the side of working families.”

We can only keep out fingers crossed, because if anything can go wrong …it will.

Conflicting Reports Continue

Yesterday we were told by the economic pundits that the unemployment filings decreased for the third time in as many weeks.  This was a good sign that people were going back to work and that it was a positive sign for the economy.

Today we are told by the same pundits that the unemployment rate was 9.4% and that 345,000 people lost their jobs last week.

This is just all so damn silly…this is why Americans have no idea how to track the economy other than their personal lives.  None of the reporting is for the benefit of “humans”, only to assist investors and their speculative ways.

Will GM Survive?

By now everyone who can read or hear should know the GM is going into bankruptcy and will get more funds while doing so.  They, GM, has already got an ad saying that they are just reinventing themselves not disappearing.  That some models will go and some will stay and theat allk is geared to the survival of GM and its future.

Recently I hears CNBC’s “Krazy” Kramer say that the whole thing for GM was nothing more than a massive jobs thing.  And that they would save some jobs, but would not survive too much longer.

Think about what he has said…..I believe he may be right in his assessment.  Basically, all this is doing is saving the jobs of as many workers as possible, because if not the drain on the economy and programs of Michugan would be astronomical.  They are just prolinging the inevitable as long as possible with the hopes that the country’s economy will rebound and better absorb the losses.

Edward Altman of the New York University Stern School Of Business said:

“The bill is now up to $50 billion or more, which is what we said would be needed, but the government should be first in line,” Altman said today on Bloomberg Television. “The government will now have stock in the company, more than 72 percent. It is a big uncertainty if the company will do well. The potential biggest loser, unfortunately, is the U.S. taxpayer.”

Kramer may not be as “Krazy” as he appears.

Obama’s Middle East Speech

I realize that most Americans care less about the Middle East right now….there are more important issues facing them….like their family’s survival, but Obama has made a speech to the Arab world and there will be a reaction.

Robert Fisk wrote in the Independent:

More and more, it looks like the same old melody that Bush’s lads used to sing. We’re not against the Muslim world. In fact, we are positively for it. We want you to have democracy, up to a point. We love Arab “moderates” and we want to reach out to you and be your friends. Sorry about Iraq. And sorry – again, up to a point – about Afghanistan and we do hope that you understand why we’ve got to have a little “surge” in Helmand among all those Muslim villages with their paper-thin walls. And yes, we’ve made mistakes.

He can, and will, surely, try his global-Arab line; that every Arab nation will be involved in the new Middle East peace, a resurrection of the remarkably sane Saudi offer of full Arab recognition of Israel in return for an Israeli return to the 1967 borders in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 242. Obama will be clearing this with King Abdullah on Wednesday, no doubt. And everyone will nod sagely and the newspapers of the Arab dictatorships will solemnly tip their hats to the guy and the New York Times will clap vigorously.

And the Israeli government will treat it all with the same amused contempt as Netanyahu treated Obama’s demand to stop building Jewish colonies on Arab land and, back home in Washington, Congress will fulminate and maybe Obama will realise, just like the Arab potentates have realised, that beautiful rhetoric and paradise-promises never, ever, win against reality.

I listened to the speech and came away with this…..It was a historic speech that only Obama could have made…it was a powerful speech that covered much of the US policies and situations in the ME….and it was a dramatic speech where Obama called on all Muslims to basically work together with the rest of the world to defeat extremism.

I will agree abit with Fisk that the speech will not immediately cause Muslims to run out and hug the rest of the world, but it will give a younger generation the hope and the idea that all things are possible.

An excellent speech….in my opinion…..

Who’s Gonna Pay?

All the rhetoric coming out of Afghanistan ios that the US is there to help the country rebuild its army and to help keep the world safe from terrorism.

Do not know if the world will ever be safe from terrorism and on  the other thing….the army and police force……we will go broke, more so than now trying to accomplish a promise.

From an article written by Jason Ditz:

A seven-year long effort to build a functional military in Afghanistan has been an abject failure up to this point, and as the Obama Administration’s “new” plan for the nation involves massive increases in expenditures, it’s becoming increasingly clear that paying for the Afghan military is going to be a long-term responsibility of the invading forces.

“We are building an army they will never be able to afford,” as one official put it. Under the current plan, the cost will be roughly $4 billion a year. Even at that rate it’s going to take years for the US to construct anything resembling a functional military in the nation.

Right now the budget has a goal of 134,000 troops and 82,000 police by the end of 2011, though new commander Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal is planning to boost those figures even higher, putting the bottom line costs even more out of control.

But the real issue is that, even assuming the US eventually manages to create that military, the Afghan government only collects $890 million in taxes per year. With no hope that the Afghan government is ever going to be able to afford that military, it seems like it will be America’s responsibility for the foreseeable future.

OH goody…something else we taxpayers will be paying for…or should I say “bailing out”?