Category: Mississippi

The POW Experience

AS a wonk on history and foreign policy especially on conflicts around the world….my granddaughter came to me and ask if there were any WW2 POWs in the US….if not where were they held.

She had watched the Hitler Channel with her father and saw all the German troops that had surrendered at Tunisia in 1943….her brain wanted to know where all these people were held since the war was still raging around Europe and other locations.

I told her that many were sent to the US and that there were even some held here in Mississippi…..okay she wanted to know where….so I did what I always do…I dropped some history on her….

Just about 60 miles up Highway 49 is Camp Shelby, today it is a training site for the Reserves and the Seabees but during WW2 it was a POW camp…..it held prisoners from the Africa Corps…….

World War II was truly a world war. All of the major countries and a large number of small nations were drawn into the fight. Even countries that tried to remain neutral found themselves in the conflict either by conquest or by being in the path of the campaigns of the major powers. For example, in 1940, more than a year before the United States entered the war, the major powers — Britain, Italy, and Germany — fought important battles in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya in North Africa.

Not until November 1942, almost a year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, did American forces enter the fight in North Africa. U.S. forces made amphibious landings at the North African cities of Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers. German and Italian forces in Libya were then caught in a vise — Americans advanced from the west along the North African coast to Tunisia while British troops advanced from the east out of Egypt. The Germans and Italians had to defend on two fronts — the British front on the east and the American front on the west. (See the maps on the left.)

http://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/articles/233/german-prisoners-of-war-in-mississippi-1943-1946

After we talked about this situation I got to thinking…where else in the US were German POWs held?

So I went into full research mode and came up with a simple answer….

Internment camps themselves were a new concept for the U.S. government. Sure, there had been forcible relocations of Native Americans for centuries prior to World War II, but none of those horrific crimes involved strategically removing American citizens and their families from one area of the country to another until a war ended (when the removed citizens would then – in theory – be allowed to return home). The Roosevelt administration eventually created three types of camps for prisoners: temporary camps, internment camps, and detention centers. The detention centers, run by the Department of Justice, housed the most suspicious prisoners, and it is the detention centers that deserve the most focus. So, without further ado, here are the ten harshest WWII prison camps in the U.S.:

https://www.realclearhistory.com/articles/2018/07/20/ten_world_war_ii_prison_camps_in_america.html

The old professor hopes that this answered any question that my reader has about this subject……

I love it when my granddaughter visits!

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Trying To Reason With The Hurricane Season–2018

Every year the residents of the Gulf Coast wait for the news of the upcoming hurricane season…..a report on what we can expect to be the “norm”…..not a big deal for most Americans but those that live on the Gulf Coast have had too many disasters to ignore the predictions…..

We wait so that we can plan out our year with supplies, escape routes, etc…….everything we will need to keep our families safe in case another Katrina is waiting to crap on the Gulf Coast……

The 2018 forecast is out….it could be revised before the start of the season on 01June……..

It may seem like we just said goodbye to Harvey, Irma, and Maria, but the new hurricane season is near its official start of June 1. With that, Colorado State University is out with its annual Atlantic forecast, and the season looks to be a little busier than usual, reports the Weather Channel:

  • 3 big ones: The forecast calls for 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes among those seven. All are above the 30-year average of 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes.
  • Last year: We ended up with 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and six major hurricanes. (The latter means category 3 and up.)
  • 2 factors: The Washington Post notes that CSU will update its forecast on the eve of the season, and the story explains that the development of El Nino (or lack thereof) and surface temperatures in the North Atlantic could play big roles in determining how severe the new season is.

Now we must wait for the first to approach and make our plans from there……

That is it for today and the garden awaits…..be well, be safe…….chuq

Closing Thought–08Mar18

The season of gun violence is upon us….since the beginning of the year there has been at least 2 dozen school shootings……my state has joined the growing list……

A student was fatally shot Wednesday at an Alabama high school, AL.com reports. The Birmingham City School system says the shooting happened during dismissal at Huffman High School. Two students and an employee were injured. One student is in critical but stable condition; the other died on the way to the hospital. According to the AP, police identified the dead student as a 17-year-old girl. Police initially described the shooting as “accidental,” though details are scarce, WVTM reports. “I was just hoping my baby was OK, that everybody was OK,” says one mother whose daughter was stuck inside the school when it was locked down. “I was nervous. This is so sad.”

Meanwhile, authorities in Mississippi are investigating a shooting Wednesday on the Jackson State University campus, Mississippi News Now reports. According to the Jackson Clarion Ledger, a student was shot in the leg inside a dorm and is expected to recover. One dorm resident says the student accidentally shot himself, though police haven’t confirmed that and the student hasn’t been forthcoming with details.

And I believe the first law on gun control has been passed in Florida…..it awaits the signature of the governor…..

Three weeks after a school shooting in Parkland left 17 dead, Florida lawmakers passed the state’s first gun-control legislation in over 20 years, USA Today reports. According to the AP, the bill passed Wednesday raises the legal age to buy rifles from 18 to 21 and institutes a three-day waiting period on all gun sales. It also allows schools to arm some personnel, as long as they’ve completed law-enforcement training and their district is on board. Other portions of the bill ban bump stocks, create mental health programs for schools, and more. The legislation passed the House 67-50 with mixed support from both Republicans and Democrats. It narrowly passed the Senate on Monday, Reuters reports.

The bill includes some of the measures advocated for by survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School but left out one major demand: a ban on assault-style weapons of the kind used in the shooting. However, the dads of two Parkland victims supported the bill, saying it got enough right to be worth passing. The legislation will become law in 15 days unless vetoed by Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who hasn’t revealed whether or not he’ll do so. He has said in the past he doesn’t support arming teachers.

Arming school employees is a lame attempt to appear to be responsible……the age thing is a pretty good idea….the waiting period is another pretty good idea…..

These days there are two things that we bloggers can write about without much thought…..the antics of the Trump White House and gun violence…..shall we move on?

Oh well….time to flip off the MSM and call it a day….TTFN….chuq

Closing Thought–08Feb18

After many decades of social activism there is one problem that could have been eliminated but there was never any seriousness to do so…..poverty.

And the poverty that irks me the most is child poverty……and the fact that it still exist is indefensible…..

The Trump administration’s proposals on the annual budget, the efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and restructuring of the tax system all point to a sad and even tragic conclusion. The poor will be poorer, dilapidated towns will continue to crumble, and crime will rise; but worst of all, our underprivileged children will be weaker, suffering from a lack of medical care and malnutrition with little or no prospect for better and brighter tomorrows.

The state of poverty in the United States, particularly among children, is abhorrent and scandalous, putting America, the richest and most powerful country in the world, in a shameful light. Successive American administrations are guilty of outrageous negligence toward poor children and have inflicted incalculable damage to millions who continue to suffer, causing a tremendous loss of human resources and productivity to the country.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/child-poverty-in-america-is-indefensible_us_59f21fabe4b06acda25f485c

I wish that I could have help end child poverty but all my hard work did little……sad to say that all everyone’s hard work has done little to eliminate the scourge of poverty.

Bye now…..until tomorrow……be safe, be well…..chuq

Closing Thought–02Feb18

I live in the great state of Mississippi, the Magnolia State, the home of the blues….birthplace of Bo Didley, Elvis Presley and many other great musicians……

I have pointed out of the years that Mississippi seems to always be at the top of everything bad and the bottom of everything good….for instance Mississippi is the most littered state…the top state for diabetes…so on and so on….

And we can add one more issue to the worst list……Mississippi is the least educated state……

A good education often brings greater chances of employment as well as higher income potential—two perks that residents of Mississippi and West Virginia might be at a disadvantage of attaining. That’s based on a list of the most and least educated states in the US, compiled by Wallet Hub, which puts those two at the bottom. Here are the top five in each category, with a score out of 100, based on quality of education and the educational attainment of adults 25 and older:

Most educated (with score out 100):

  1. Massachusetts: 82
  2. Maryland: 76.5
  3. Connecticut: 72
  4. Vermont: 71
  5. Colorado: 70

Least educated:

  1. Mississippi: 21
  2. West Virginia: 22
  3. Louisiana: 23
  4. Arkansas: 27
  5. Alabama: 31

Click for the full list or see the US cities with the best job prospects.

The 5 worse states have Repub government for all 3 units of government….a perfect illustration of how unimportant education is to the GOP.

Peace Out my friends…..chuq

Closing Thought–13Dec17

Mississippi Is Number One!

I wish I was talking about education or economics or jobs outlook….even football…..but unfortunately I am not talking about anything like that………this time we made the most unhealthy state……

Below is the article in the Clarion-Ledger, one of Mississippi’s more read newspapers…….

It’s time again for the United Health Foundation’s annual state health rankings report, and like last year, Mississippi comes in 50th.

Despite being a leader in telehealth and, historically, childhood vaccinations, Mississippi’s high rate of childhood poverty, obesity and cigarette smoking contributes to it being the unhealthiest state in the country, according to the 2017 America’s Health Rankings report.

Of the five categories examined in the report, Mississippi ranked overall 50th for one: clinical care. This has to do with Mississippi’s doctor shortage, lack of mental health providers and preventable hospitalizations.

(please the entire article it will give you an idea about the state)

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2017/12/12/mississippi-again-unhealthiest-state-country/943720001/

I wish just once Mississippi could make it to a “Best” list……but that will not happen until we change the “good old boys” politics…..there is hope for my granddaughter’s generation to make that happen.

My day is over….I am worn out by health stuff and our politics…..time for me to call it a day and shut the ‘puter down…..see you guys tomorrow…..chuq

Closing Thought–10Jul17

There is a debate going on about climate change…well there is a discussion because twats are denying there there is anything different….that nothing is changing and if it does it is only as nature wants.

Well and good but I personally do not give a shit which side one cares to take….I am talking about what I see….you may dispute what I see that is your right as it is my right to think negatively……

I have a small orchard with plums, tangerines, satsumas, limes, peaches and olives and since we have NO winter to speak of here in my state these trees do not bear the way they should…so something is changing and not for the good…..10 years ago I was getting so much fruit I was having to can to keep from losing the crop…..these days I do get enough to make a good snack.

I then read an article about the change climate here in the South……

As the United States confronts global warming in the decades ahead, not all states will suffer equally. Maine may benefit from milder winters. Florida, by contrast, could face major losses, as deadly heat waves flare up in the summer and rising sea levels eat away at valuable coastal properties.

In a new study in the journal Science, researchers analyzed the economic harm that climate change could inflict on the United States in the coming century. They found that the impacts could prove highly unequal: states in the Northeast and West would fare relatively well, while parts of the Midwest and Southeast would be especially hard hit.

There is some good news for some states other than the South but since I live in the area mentioned I really do not give a crap about Ohio or New York or any state in the Northern quadrant….sorry about that just being honest.
Not good news for my orchard….the one upside is that the olive trees are doing well these days so there is that……
There is nothing I can do to change this….I need a winter of freezing weather for the fruit to set without it I got a tree…all this is sad because I do love my fruit…well maybe things will improve when my granddaughter inherits the house and land…..
Day is done……..I am off like a dirty shirt…..be well, be safe….chuq