World War II in Germany is just a flyleaf on a book away. Might be found on a stretch of road. Or that person sitting next to you on the S-Bahn in Hamburg or Berlin.
Margot Friedlander was rounded up in April of 1944 after being in hiding for 13 months. She was sent to the concentration camp of Theresienstadt which is now in the Czech Republic. She met her husband there and they emigrated to the United States after the war. Since neither had family left in Germany they had vowed to never return. Time moves on and Margot's husband died. She wrote of her wartime experiences and even had readings of her story. A German producer happened to hear one of her readings and invited her to come back to Germany for a show. She did and then something incredible happened, Margot decided to live in Berlin. She tells her story to German youth who know of the Final Solution only in books. She gives a voice and face to the horror the Nazis inflicted upon people.
In Aachen Germany the locals are trying to preserve a tangible piece of World War II history. Aachen was the first German town to fall to the advancing Allied armies. The fighting was fierce as the Germans tried to hold the Siegfried line, thus casualties on both sides were heavy. Directing the German defenses of Aachen was the Lousberg bunker. The bunker still exists but has now been sold to developers who want to turn it into apartments.
Another bit of Germany's Nazi past is about to be paved over. Near Berlin is the A11 motorway. About 2.5 miles of the road is still the original surface that was laid down by the Nazis when they first built the autobahns. After many decades and heavy traffic, the concrete road surface is in such poor shape it will be replaced in 2015. Thus erasing the last bit of the original autobahn.
Finally there is the story of Jennifer Teegee of Hamburg. Her mother is German and her father is Nigerian. Until she saw a book in the library and on the flyleaf a picture of the author she had no idea of her family history. She had been given up for adoption and when she did see her birth mother, Monika never talked about it. But from that book she learned that her mother was the illegitimate daughter of Amon Goeth, the real life Butcher of Plaszow as depicted in Schindler's List. Jennifer had seen the movie while in Israel and knew her birth name, but she never made the connection until reading that book. Since that discovery, Ms. Teegee has embarked on a quest to fully understand her heritage and family history.
Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Sunday, September 01, 2013
What Is Frightening?
That the things I have been worrying about since the President drew his bold red line have been echoed by Laughing Wolf over on Black Five. It is sobering to know someone else has been comparing the sitting President with the fictional Robert 'Bob' Fowler from Clancy's Sum of All Fears and finding the real President wanting in comparison.
Or the alliances in the region are mobilizing in much the same way they did in 1914 in Sarajevo. One madman kills a noble that almost no one knew about and the gears of war started to turn as all the years of treaties came into effect as Austria tried to browbeat Serbia into giving up the assassin. So the Serbs called in their Russian allies while Austria called in Germany. And it just escalated from there. What resulted from all of that smart diplomacy was four years of brutal carnage that killed millions and set the stage for a greater conflict.
An even more brutal question to ask will there be a US lead alliance in regards to the murky issue of who gassed whom in Syria? The British Parliament just said no to Prime Minister Cameron's request for supporting the Americans, the first time they have said no since 1782 and the American Revolution. The French and Germans are going soft as well; they should when it concerns American consistency, they just have to look at the series of slights and insults this Administration has delivered to England along with betraying European missile defense for a nebulous promise from Russia. A Russia that supplies Europe with a majority of the natural gas it will need to stay warm this winter. A Russia that supports the Assad regime in Damascus. Europe sees more downsides than upsides for joining the American charge.
Then there are the Middle Eastern nations to look at. Iran likes Assad in power and has threatened Israel if the US attacks. Saudi Arabia finds itself wanting Assad in power in order to keep the Muslim Brotherhood out of power. Saudi Arabia is also supporting the current government in Egypt for the same reason - fear of the Muslim Brotherhood. And the United States, because of the decisions of this Administration, finds itself in opposition to Saudi Arabia, a long time ally, and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood both in Egypt and Syria. Turkey has refused to assist the United States in regards to Syria so Greece had to be asked to allow the US to use Greek air bases.
If this is not a powder keg with a fuse lit, then I do not know what is. And for what reason is the US getting involved when there are no geo-political reasons that can protect American interests? Because of one reported attack on civilians by someone using chemical weapons. No one knows if it really was Assad's forces that did it or even the rebels themselves that did it by accident. This is far worse in murkiness than when USS Turner Joy thought it was being attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. But we have a President who said this was a Red Line even though in the past when Saddam used nerve agents on Kurds or Assad's father obliterated a town with artillery to stop a Muslim Brotherhood insurgency no one protested so loudly that these heinous attacks were used as reasons to depose either tyrant.
As Laughing Wolf said, we are going to be held hostage to the least stable actor in this drama. Isn't that a cheery thought. So if you are a devout praying person, please pray harder.
Addendum on the parallels from 1914.
There is the diplomatic war that was fought in concert with the war effort. England wanted the neutral powerhouse the United States to enter the war on their side. Wilson became President in no small part because he promised to keep the country neutral to the conflict that was devouring Europe so people with similar feelings voted for him.
Churchill as First Sea Lord engaged in stratagems that are a bit shabby and dishonest viewed from this end of history; from painting British ships in American colors to putting war materials aboard passenger liners, but what he wanted was England to emerge victorious. Meanwhile the Royal Navy was hunting German U-boats where they could. All these actions forced Germany to abandon the cruiser rules and turn to unrestricted warfare on the open seas against any ship they found.
So the German U-boats became wolves prowling for kills. Any kills. It was scant comfort to the families of the dead from these attacks that Germany had followed the rules of war by announcing a zone around England where unrestricted warfare would be prosecuted. The Huns in the U-boats were now butchers. The same was not used to describe German commerce raiders but those ships did not skulk below and strike from hiding, instead they still operated under the cruiser rules and treated their captured as well as could be expected.
Another arrow in the cap that helped tilt American opinion in favor of England was a master stroke of counter-espionage by British spooks. I am referring to the famous Zimmerman telegram where Germany's Foreign Minister tried to entice Mexico into attacking the United States. That really incensed the American public when it became news and further destroyed any warm feelings that sections of the populace felt towards Germany.
The sinking of the RMS Lusitania was just the final act that brought the US into WWI on the British side. While the US tried to stay out of the war, events conspired against the President that stripped him of any freedom of action. And that is how the United States entered World War I on the side of the Serbian assassin since England was an ally of the Russians who were the ally of the Serbs who sheltered the assassin.
Or the alliances in the region are mobilizing in much the same way they did in 1914 in Sarajevo. One madman kills a noble that almost no one knew about and the gears of war started to turn as all the years of treaties came into effect as Austria tried to browbeat Serbia into giving up the assassin. So the Serbs called in their Russian allies while Austria called in Germany. And it just escalated from there. What resulted from all of that smart diplomacy was four years of brutal carnage that killed millions and set the stage for a greater conflict.
An even more brutal question to ask will there be a US lead alliance in regards to the murky issue of who gassed whom in Syria? The British Parliament just said no to Prime Minister Cameron's request for supporting the Americans, the first time they have said no since 1782 and the American Revolution. The French and Germans are going soft as well; they should when it concerns American consistency, they just have to look at the series of slights and insults this Administration has delivered to England along with betraying European missile defense for a nebulous promise from Russia. A Russia that supplies Europe with a majority of the natural gas it will need to stay warm this winter. A Russia that supports the Assad regime in Damascus. Europe sees more downsides than upsides for joining the American charge.
Then there are the Middle Eastern nations to look at. Iran likes Assad in power and has threatened Israel if the US attacks. Saudi Arabia finds itself wanting Assad in power in order to keep the Muslim Brotherhood out of power. Saudi Arabia is also supporting the current government in Egypt for the same reason - fear of the Muslim Brotherhood. And the United States, because of the decisions of this Administration, finds itself in opposition to Saudi Arabia, a long time ally, and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood both in Egypt and Syria. Turkey has refused to assist the United States in regards to Syria so Greece had to be asked to allow the US to use Greek air bases.
If this is not a powder keg with a fuse lit, then I do not know what is. And for what reason is the US getting involved when there are no geo-political reasons that can protect American interests? Because of one reported attack on civilians by someone using chemical weapons. No one knows if it really was Assad's forces that did it or even the rebels themselves that did it by accident. This is far worse in murkiness than when USS Turner Joy thought it was being attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. But we have a President who said this was a Red Line even though in the past when Saddam used nerve agents on Kurds or Assad's father obliterated a town with artillery to stop a Muslim Brotherhood insurgency no one protested so loudly that these heinous attacks were used as reasons to depose either tyrant.
As Laughing Wolf said, we are going to be held hostage to the least stable actor in this drama. Isn't that a cheery thought. So if you are a devout praying person, please pray harder.
Addendum on the parallels from 1914.
There is the diplomatic war that was fought in concert with the war effort. England wanted the neutral powerhouse the United States to enter the war on their side. Wilson became President in no small part because he promised to keep the country neutral to the conflict that was devouring Europe so people with similar feelings voted for him.
Churchill as First Sea Lord engaged in stratagems that are a bit shabby and dishonest viewed from this end of history; from painting British ships in American colors to putting war materials aboard passenger liners, but what he wanted was England to emerge victorious. Meanwhile the Royal Navy was hunting German U-boats where they could. All these actions forced Germany to abandon the cruiser rules and turn to unrestricted warfare on the open seas against any ship they found.
So the German U-boats became wolves prowling for kills. Any kills. It was scant comfort to the families of the dead from these attacks that Germany had followed the rules of war by announcing a zone around England where unrestricted warfare would be prosecuted. The Huns in the U-boats were now butchers. The same was not used to describe German commerce raiders but those ships did not skulk below and strike from hiding, instead they still operated under the cruiser rules and treated their captured as well as could be expected.
Another arrow in the cap that helped tilt American opinion in favor of England was a master stroke of counter-espionage by British spooks. I am referring to the famous Zimmerman telegram where Germany's Foreign Minister tried to entice Mexico into attacking the United States. That really incensed the American public when it became news and further destroyed any warm feelings that sections of the populace felt towards Germany.
The sinking of the RMS Lusitania was just the final act that brought the US into WWI on the British side. While the US tried to stay out of the war, events conspired against the President that stripped him of any freedom of action. And that is how the United States entered World War I on the side of the Serbian assassin since England was an ally of the Russians who were the ally of the Serbs who sheltered the assassin.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Reagan, Berlin, and Now
In case anyone missed it because the media decided to worship their sun god Obama, yesterday was a special day. Twenty five years ago President Ronald Reagan sounded the clarion call for freedom in what used to be West Berlin. He demanded of Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!" Which wall? Why the Berlin Wall of course, a gray concrete monstrosity that encircled West Berlin in an attempt to prevent people from escaping that paradise called East Germany. Many paid with their lives in the attempt.
That day in 1987 is fondly remembered in countries of the former Warsaw Pact. For example Poland and a guy named Lech Walesa struggling to free themselves from Soviet tyranny and dreaded visits by the secret police. It told them they were not forgotten even when some in the free West, like the rioters in West Berlin protesting Reagan, wanted to forgot so they could 'normalize' relationships with the USSR. The classic do not provoke the Russian bear least get eaten type.
Just a few years later, many Germans, East and West, were busily smashing those concrete walls with hammers. And a market for bits of the Wall rapidly sprung up. Pundits in the West declared it was the end of the Cold War. One even bravely proclaimed it to the be end of history.
So where are we in 2012. Obviously we did not reach the end of history that was predicted in those heady days. As for the end of the Cold War. Has it really ended? Looking at things across the globe in objective terms, that answer is also no.
The USSR, the arch nemesis, no longer exists this is true. Many of the countries it controlled with bayonets and bullets are no longer its satrapies. But has the country that replaced it, Russia, given up the idea of global ambitions? With Putin at the helm and supplying such rogue governments as Iran with the means of nuclear warfare along with its efforts to undermine US foreign policy, that answer most definitely is no.
That other communist super power of the Cold War, the Peoples Republic of China, still exists. And its power and influence has grown whilst that of the USSR has waned. Even if it's economy appears headed for the wall, the ambition and military might of this country can not be ignored as US re-alignment of its military posture towards the PRC shows.
So now that I have offered evidence that the Cold War has not died but merely changed a few labels, what is the US doing to answer this challenge? One I have already mentioned, the shift of focus from Europe to the Pacific. There is also increased interfacing with countries being threatened by the PRC, except in one instance - the current administration has denied Taiwan 66 F-16 fighters. Meanwhile the US Navy, who would bear the brunt of fighting for the US to assist allies and itself to keep the sea lanes open, is seeing its strength drop from a hoped for 313 ships to 'around 300.' Aegis cruisers are being retired and $3billion DDGs of the Zumwalt class are simply too expensive. Meanwhile the Littoral Combat Ship is being produced in two incompatible types. US Air Force fighters are getting older while the F-22 has finished production and still waiting for the first F-35, which means the F-16 will still roll off the production lines. Of course a lot of this procurement assumes Washington D.C. will get its act together before mandatory sequestration strikes the Dept. of Defense budget and guts everything.
So while the Cold War seems to be still alive though socialists are loathe to admit it with their constant harping it's over, foolishness and shortsightedness in elected officials in Washington D.C. still seems rampant. So do not mind me if I am getting a pre-WWII in the Pacific vibe from all this. Only firm clear leadership can sort out this problem before another Pearl Harbor is experienced
That day in 1987 is fondly remembered in countries of the former Warsaw Pact. For example Poland and a guy named Lech Walesa struggling to free themselves from Soviet tyranny and dreaded visits by the secret police. It told them they were not forgotten even when some in the free West, like the rioters in West Berlin protesting Reagan, wanted to forgot so they could 'normalize' relationships with the USSR. The classic do not provoke the Russian bear least get eaten type.
Just a few years later, many Germans, East and West, were busily smashing those concrete walls with hammers. And a market for bits of the Wall rapidly sprung up. Pundits in the West declared it was the end of the Cold War. One even bravely proclaimed it to the be end of history.
So where are we in 2012. Obviously we did not reach the end of history that was predicted in those heady days. As for the end of the Cold War. Has it really ended? Looking at things across the globe in objective terms, that answer is also no.
The USSR, the arch nemesis, no longer exists this is true. Many of the countries it controlled with bayonets and bullets are no longer its satrapies. But has the country that replaced it, Russia, given up the idea of global ambitions? With Putin at the helm and supplying such rogue governments as Iran with the means of nuclear warfare along with its efforts to undermine US foreign policy, that answer most definitely is no.
That other communist super power of the Cold War, the Peoples Republic of China, still exists. And its power and influence has grown whilst that of the USSR has waned. Even if it's economy appears headed for the wall, the ambition and military might of this country can not be ignored as US re-alignment of its military posture towards the PRC shows.
So now that I have offered evidence that the Cold War has not died but merely changed a few labels, what is the US doing to answer this challenge? One I have already mentioned, the shift of focus from Europe to the Pacific. There is also increased interfacing with countries being threatened by the PRC, except in one instance - the current administration has denied Taiwan 66 F-16 fighters. Meanwhile the US Navy, who would bear the brunt of fighting for the US to assist allies and itself to keep the sea lanes open, is seeing its strength drop from a hoped for 313 ships to 'around 300.' Aegis cruisers are being retired and $3billion DDGs of the Zumwalt class are simply too expensive. Meanwhile the Littoral Combat Ship is being produced in two incompatible types. US Air Force fighters are getting older while the F-22 has finished production and still waiting for the first F-35, which means the F-16 will still roll off the production lines. Of course a lot of this procurement assumes Washington D.C. will get its act together before mandatory sequestration strikes the Dept. of Defense budget and guts everything.
So while the Cold War seems to be still alive though socialists are loathe to admit it with their constant harping it's over, foolishness and shortsightedness in elected officials in Washington D.C. still seems rampant. So do not mind me if I am getting a pre-WWII in the Pacific vibe from all this. Only firm clear leadership can sort out this problem before another Pearl Harbor is experienced
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Judecca
How else to talk about this bit of news but to revisit Dante's Inferno and its circles. Of the Ninth Circle and its suburb called Judecca. Those who betray their benefactors are eternally locked in ice and must gaze upon one of the three faces of Lucifer.
Pope Benedict's butler Paolo Gabriele was arrested. He has worked since 2006 in this capacity and is one of the few people with unrestricted access to the Pontiff's desk. The reason he was arrested and now awaits a judicial fate is because an Italian author just published a book detailing private memos and letters that could only come from just a few people. They found in Paolo's apartment such documents.
For all of you would-be James Bonds out there, this case shows you how not to handle classified documents. There was a limited number of people with the right access and the author extensively quoted from these documents. So the Vatican only had to put the microscope on a few people. If the author had perhaps paraphrased these documents along with unearthing other data to support the paraphrases, then the Vatican might not have discovered the mole. Because Nuzzi eschewed such spy craft, Gabriele is in the dock awaiting trial.
Nuzzi has two paths of action now that Gabriele is in a cell. He can offer up the name of his real source thus clearing Gabriele but forever destroying his career as he betrays a source. Or he can remain silent, let Gabriele stand trial, pray he is not summoned to testify under oath, and possibly allow Gabriele be convicted - thus destroying his career because he let a man hang.
So the question becomes, is fame worth the price of another man's freedom?
Pope Benedict's butler Paolo Gabriele was arrested. He has worked since 2006 in this capacity and is one of the few people with unrestricted access to the Pontiff's desk. The reason he was arrested and now awaits a judicial fate is because an Italian author just published a book detailing private memos and letters that could only come from just a few people. They found in Paolo's apartment such documents.
For all of you would-be James Bonds out there, this case shows you how not to handle classified documents. There was a limited number of people with the right access and the author extensively quoted from these documents. So the Vatican only had to put the microscope on a few people. If the author had perhaps paraphrased these documents along with unearthing other data to support the paraphrases, then the Vatican might not have discovered the mole. Because Nuzzi eschewed such spy craft, Gabriele is in the dock awaiting trial.
Nuzzi has two paths of action now that Gabriele is in a cell. He can offer up the name of his real source thus clearing Gabriele but forever destroying his career as he betrays a source. Or he can remain silent, let Gabriele stand trial, pray he is not summoned to testify under oath, and possibly allow Gabriele be convicted - thus destroying his career because he let a man hang.
So the question becomes, is fame worth the price of another man's freedom?
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Inspirational Picture
When I saw the above picture of France's new President Francois Hollande, I was reminded of a quote Ed Rasimus left in a comment on another post. When a Roman general rode into Rome to accept his accolades for a glorious victory, another man rode with him in the chariot. That man's sole job was to whisper in the victor's ear - "Thou art mortal. Thou art mortal..."
Friday, May 18, 2012
On Leadership
Something to ponder:
Iosef Stalin was a Failed seminarian.
Fidel Castro was a Failed major league pitcher.
Hugo Chavez was a Failed coup plotter.
Adolph Hitler was a Failed artist.
Joseph Goebbels was a Failed chicken farmer.
Notice what they all have in common?
Iosef Stalin was a Failed seminarian.
Fidel Castro was a Failed major league pitcher.
Hugo Chavez was a Failed coup plotter.
Adolph Hitler was a Failed artist.
Joseph Goebbels was a Failed chicken farmer.
Notice what they all have in common?
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Jealous Tyrants
There has been a lot of religious talk of late and how the secular sphere intersects such. Of faith held beliefs colliding with secular beliefs. Of confronting Moloch.
In the Peoples Republic of China; what a contradiction as the people have no say in how they are oppressed, just ask the employees at Foxconn who were awakened at midnight in their barracks, fed a biscuit and a cup of tea, and then churned out iPad2s with a new screen, religious oppression proceeds. That government has imprisoned nine Roman Catholic priests. Eight are of the 'underground' church that has the support of the Holy See in Rome but this church is oppressed by Beijing who pushes a state approved catholic church. The Vatican and Beijing have been at an impasse over this matter for years with Beijing appointing catholic cardinals without Papal approval. Here is a case of a 'modern' state oppressing and imposing beliefs on the people they are supposed to serve.
The Soviet Union went a step further when the likes of Lenin seized the reigns of power. All places of worship were forcibly closed. All monasteries were closed. The Russian Orthodox faith was suppressed. And yet it was the Soviet Union who collapsed while the faithful persevered.
In Germany in the 1930s similar things were tried. The National Socialists ordered the crosses atop churches be replaced by their party symbol. Youth groups like the 700,000 strong Protestant youth group were shut down. There could only be one deity in Germany and all were supposed to swear fealty to the Fuhrer. Thus there was no room for the likes of the Jews or the Catholics or Protestants. Even pagans were oppressed. It took six brutal years of war that ravaged a whole continent before this evil was ended.
So what has all this history to do with confronting Moloch? Its very simple, in all three cases presented above an oppressive secular government has attempted or is attempting to wipe out any other locus of power. These other sources of normative mores, I think that is the term, rebuke what the secular mandarins want to impose. They deny the validity of this secular dogma.
Now we are seeing this secular dogma being attempted here in the United States. Health and Human Services has issued a draconian ruling that will have drastic impact upon religious non-profits of all beliefs. These non-profits have one year to comply with the demands of Moloch ... errr... the Obama administration's diktats. What are these demands? These religious non-profits MUST offer as part of health insurance things they find morally offensive and evil. A good example is RU-486 which is also called the Morning After Pill. A woman will be prescribed these pills in order to kill off a possible fertilized zygote.
After the trials of Nuremberg and what happened at My Lai, soldiers are now expected to refuse unlawful orders. What the Obama administration is demanding of religious non-profits is an unlawful order. It is an attempt to impose secular state beliefs upon individuals. What next, will Cesar Obama demand all offer burnt sacrifices at the altar of Obama as divine being? That did not work well for Imperial Rome nor France after their revolution.
That the Obama administration is going ahead with this is the height of hubris and folly since the US Supreme Court just struck down 9-0 another attempt to subjugate the religious. In that case, the Obama administration tried to tell religious ministries they could not discriminate in any form on whom is hired. The Supreme Court firmly rejected this concept. If this ruling had been allowed to stand then we could have seen a Buddhist temple compelled to hire a follower of Santaria.
So where do we go from here to stop this latest ploy? Sen. Rubio(R-FL) has already introduced legislation that attempts to neuter this nefarious ploy. Much must still be done. A strong message has to be sent to Washington DC on how wrong this ruling from HHS is. If we do not stand together for religious freedom as outlined in the US Constitution now, then we risk far more than all these non-profit hospitals shutting down. We risk the total loss of liberty. Either we hang together or we hang separately as Benjamin Franklin once said.
In the Peoples Republic of China; what a contradiction as the people have no say in how they are oppressed, just ask the employees at Foxconn who were awakened at midnight in their barracks, fed a biscuit and a cup of tea, and then churned out iPad2s with a new screen, religious oppression proceeds. That government has imprisoned nine Roman Catholic priests. Eight are of the 'underground' church that has the support of the Holy See in Rome but this church is oppressed by Beijing who pushes a state approved catholic church. The Vatican and Beijing have been at an impasse over this matter for years with Beijing appointing catholic cardinals without Papal approval. Here is a case of a 'modern' state oppressing and imposing beliefs on the people they are supposed to serve.
The Soviet Union went a step further when the likes of Lenin seized the reigns of power. All places of worship were forcibly closed. All monasteries were closed. The Russian Orthodox faith was suppressed. And yet it was the Soviet Union who collapsed while the faithful persevered.
In Germany in the 1930s similar things were tried. The National Socialists ordered the crosses atop churches be replaced by their party symbol. Youth groups like the 700,000 strong Protestant youth group were shut down. There could only be one deity in Germany and all were supposed to swear fealty to the Fuhrer. Thus there was no room for the likes of the Jews or the Catholics or Protestants. Even pagans were oppressed. It took six brutal years of war that ravaged a whole continent before this evil was ended.
So what has all this history to do with confronting Moloch? Its very simple, in all three cases presented above an oppressive secular government has attempted or is attempting to wipe out any other locus of power. These other sources of normative mores, I think that is the term, rebuke what the secular mandarins want to impose. They deny the validity of this secular dogma.
Now we are seeing this secular dogma being attempted here in the United States. Health and Human Services has issued a draconian ruling that will have drastic impact upon religious non-profits of all beliefs. These non-profits have one year to comply with the demands of Moloch ... errr... the Obama administration's diktats. What are these demands? These religious non-profits MUST offer as part of health insurance things they find morally offensive and evil. A good example is RU-486 which is also called the Morning After Pill. A woman will be prescribed these pills in order to kill off a possible fertilized zygote.
After the trials of Nuremberg and what happened at My Lai, soldiers are now expected to refuse unlawful orders. What the Obama administration is demanding of religious non-profits is an unlawful order. It is an attempt to impose secular state beliefs upon individuals. What next, will Cesar Obama demand all offer burnt sacrifices at the altar of Obama as divine being? That did not work well for Imperial Rome nor France after their revolution.
That the Obama administration is going ahead with this is the height of hubris and folly since the US Supreme Court just struck down 9-0 another attempt to subjugate the religious. In that case, the Obama administration tried to tell religious ministries they could not discriminate in any form on whom is hired. The Supreme Court firmly rejected this concept. If this ruling had been allowed to stand then we could have seen a Buddhist temple compelled to hire a follower of Santaria.
So where do we go from here to stop this latest ploy? Sen. Rubio(R-FL) has already introduced legislation that attempts to neuter this nefarious ploy. Much must still be done. A strong message has to be sent to Washington DC on how wrong this ruling from HHS is. If we do not stand together for religious freedom as outlined in the US Constitution now, then we risk far more than all these non-profit hospitals shutting down. We risk the total loss of liberty. Either we hang together or we hang separately as Benjamin Franklin once said.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Another Red Tails Goof
Yes I went and watched another trailer of Red Tails on YouTube. The one I have been bombarded with on TV no less. And I found an even more interesting goof, this time on the Allied side - one of the 332nd FG's proudest moments gets changed in the film.
On 25 June 1944 on a mission into Yugoslavia men of the 332nd entered the history books. One four ship flight was reduced to a two-ship of Pruitt and Peirson. Strong winds caused them to get lost and they started to return to their airfield. Their course carried them over the Italian port of Trieste which was still held by Germans and Italian fascists loyal to Mussolini. In the harbor they spied a warship with a German cross on its funnel. Exhibiting the initiative fighter pilots are supposed to have, they dove on the warship and while wingtip to wingtip opened fire. On the second strafing pass Peirson's bullets seemed to find a mine aboard the warship that detonated. So ended the military service of TA-27, an Italian torpedo boat, that was being used by the Germans as a mine-layer. The 332nd became the only USAAF unit to be officially credited with sinking a ship.
So what is the goof in the above screenshot? Lt. Pruitt and Lt. Peirson on 25 June 1944 were not flying P-40 Warhawks. Instead the three squadrons of the 332d FG on that mission were flying Republic P-47D Thunderbolts which were more often known as Jugs. The P-47 is equipped with eight .50-caliber machine guns and the P&W R-2800 air-cooled radial engine. The P-40K Warhawk is equipped with six .50-caliber machine guns and the Allison V-1710 water-cooled inline engine.
Chalk this up as yet another reason to skip this movie. Would modeling the famous Jug in computers have broken their budget? I guess so or they thought 'no one will notice so make it more P-40s.'This sloppiness begs the question - in what other areas did the film makers play fast and loose with history?
Reference - 332nd Fighter Group. Chris Bucholtz. Osprey Aircraft series. Pg 46.
On 25 June 1944 on a mission into Yugoslavia men of the 332nd entered the history books. One four ship flight was reduced to a two-ship of Pruitt and Peirson. Strong winds caused them to get lost and they started to return to their airfield. Their course carried them over the Italian port of Trieste which was still held by Germans and Italian fascists loyal to Mussolini. In the harbor they spied a warship with a German cross on its funnel. Exhibiting the initiative fighter pilots are supposed to have, they dove on the warship and while wingtip to wingtip opened fire. On the second strafing pass Peirson's bullets seemed to find a mine aboard the warship that detonated. So ended the military service of TA-27, an Italian torpedo boat, that was being used by the Germans as a mine-layer. The 332nd became the only USAAF unit to be officially credited with sinking a ship.
So what is the goof in the above screenshot? Lt. Pruitt and Lt. Peirson on 25 June 1944 were not flying P-40 Warhawks. Instead the three squadrons of the 332d FG on that mission were flying Republic P-47D Thunderbolts which were more often known as Jugs. The P-47 is equipped with eight .50-caliber machine guns and the P&W R-2800 air-cooled radial engine. The P-40K Warhawk is equipped with six .50-caliber machine guns and the Allison V-1710 water-cooled inline engine.
Chalk this up as yet another reason to skip this movie. Would modeling the famous Jug in computers have broken their budget? I guess so or they thought 'no one will notice so make it more P-40s.'This sloppiness begs the question - in what other areas did the film makers play fast and loose with history?
Reference - 332nd Fighter Group. Chris Bucholtz. Osprey Aircraft series. Pg 46.
Sunday, January 08, 2012
What Education?
I thought on the Documentary Channel they finally had something to interest me. A show called War Is Not A Game about the Geneva Conventions on warfare. Well I thought so until two minutes in.
The documentary is showing overhead footage of Napoleon invading Russia as the snow swirls. Of the 700,000 troops 80% would never return the female narrator says. Then she continues with about the victor would tend to his own wounded after a battle. That the wounded of the defeated would be left where they are unless they were officers. Then we get to the instant where I changed the channel.
The narrator called taking care of wounded enemy officers 'noblesse oblige.' Excuse me?
The reason why the militaries of that time would care about captured officers and not the conscripted cannon-fodder is easy to understand, officers are nobility and could be ransomed. Nobles would consider conscripts as beneath their notice so why bother with saving them?
Also in common American parlance, at least where I grew up, the term ' noblesse oblige' means those of higher economic standing have an obligation to look after or help those of less privileged economic standing. It was one of those ways to try and sell FDR had good intentions for everyone in the United States - he was raised to believe it was his obligation to help the rest of us.
Being the dutiful sort I decided to do further research on this term. According to Dictionary, the term is French in origin from the 1830s to 1840s. Several decades after that Corsican corporal invaded Russia. Wow, another whoops for the documentary crew. Makes one wonder if they really know anything and taints the quality of the research for the rest of the show. But I did not stick around to watch the rest of the show.
The documentary is showing overhead footage of Napoleon invading Russia as the snow swirls. Of the 700,000 troops 80% would never return the female narrator says. Then she continues with about the victor would tend to his own wounded after a battle. That the wounded of the defeated would be left where they are unless they were officers. Then we get to the instant where I changed the channel.
The narrator called taking care of wounded enemy officers 'noblesse oblige.' Excuse me?
The reason why the militaries of that time would care about captured officers and not the conscripted cannon-fodder is easy to understand, officers are nobility and could be ransomed. Nobles would consider conscripts as beneath their notice so why bother with saving them?
Also in common American parlance, at least where I grew up, the term ' noblesse oblige' means those of higher economic standing have an obligation to look after or help those of less privileged economic standing. It was one of those ways to try and sell FDR had good intentions for everyone in the United States - he was raised to believe it was his obligation to help the rest of us.
Being the dutiful sort I decided to do further research on this term. According to Dictionary, the term is French in origin from the 1830s to 1840s. Several decades after that Corsican corporal invaded Russia. Wow, another whoops for the documentary crew. Makes one wonder if they really know anything and taints the quality of the research for the rest of the show. But I did not stick around to watch the rest of the show.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
The Siege of Wukan
The Telegraph in the UK has an interesting article on unrest inside the Peoples Republic of China. An entire town has revolted against the Communist party machine and chased them out.
The town of Wukan had been selling property to developers and the villagers had been happy at making some money. Or so they thought. Then the economy started to go sour and the villagers needed more than their fishing fleet to get by, they needed land to grow food. That is when the local Communist party leaders sold even more land off, sparking a protest and then the leaders being chased out.
In typical heavy-handed thug behavior, the government in Beijing lashed out. They seized some of the local leaders who were trying to mediate things and tossed them into prison. Where one has now died in capitivity. His family says he was tortured. The government is refusing to release his body. I wonder if Xue's family will be told he was cremated and his ashes scattered into a river ala Tom Clancy in The Bear and the Dragon?
What is atypical is the actions of the government forces. After tear gas and water cannons failed to cow the local populace, they retreated. They now have erected a cordon around the town trying to block anyone from leaving or getting in. They have even blocked the fishing fleet. In the Middle Ages this would be called a siege as the attacking force tries to starve out the encircled garrison. Or wait for disease to break out or treachery. Or all three at once.
It will be interesting to see how this drama plays out. Is Wukan just the tip of the iceberg of revolt bubbling in mainland China? A country where one economist/TV talk show host has descibed each Chinese province as a Greece. A country that is overbuilt in ghost cities. A nation with an imbalance in its population caused by the One Child law.
What will also be interesting is to see how the international community reacts. NATO, UN, EU, and the US were all gung-ho to intervene in Libya for the sake of the people. Will they do the same when it comes to violent oppression by the Beijing government against its own citizens? Stay tuned I guess. And pray for the people of Wukan and all others who are willing to stand up against a brutal and corrupt government.
Source.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8954315/Inside-Wukan-the-Chinese-village-that-fought-back.html
Update - A thought has belatedly occurred to me why the Chinese officials have pulled back and encircled the town. It is an attempt to control information flow so other towns don't get the same idea. But one has to look back to Tianamen Square in Bejing for probably the real reason. The forces beseiging the town are probably drawn from local levys of conscripts. So they would not be reliable troops since they would identify with the town folks. So like Tianamen, Beijing is probably shipping in a few reaction battalions from another province. It will be these soldiers who will cause the streets of Wukan to run red with blood.
So we in the West really need to shine a spotlight on Wukan. Our governments need spines of steel if international concepts of human rights are to have any meaning. We the people of the world must speak in one voice to oppose any attempt by Beijing to silence the voices of the citizens it is supposed to represent. If the PRC does use violence, again, then there has to be reprecussions.
The town of Wukan had been selling property to developers and the villagers had been happy at making some money. Or so they thought. Then the economy started to go sour and the villagers needed more than their fishing fleet to get by, they needed land to grow food. That is when the local Communist party leaders sold even more land off, sparking a protest and then the leaders being chased out.
In typical heavy-handed thug behavior, the government in Beijing lashed out. They seized some of the local leaders who were trying to mediate things and tossed them into prison. Where one has now died in capitivity. His family says he was tortured. The government is refusing to release his body. I wonder if Xue's family will be told he was cremated and his ashes scattered into a river ala Tom Clancy in The Bear and the Dragon?
What is atypical is the actions of the government forces. After tear gas and water cannons failed to cow the local populace, they retreated. They now have erected a cordon around the town trying to block anyone from leaving or getting in. They have even blocked the fishing fleet. In the Middle Ages this would be called a siege as the attacking force tries to starve out the encircled garrison. Or wait for disease to break out or treachery. Or all three at once.
It will be interesting to see how this drama plays out. Is Wukan just the tip of the iceberg of revolt bubbling in mainland China? A country where one economist/TV talk show host has descibed each Chinese province as a Greece. A country that is overbuilt in ghost cities. A nation with an imbalance in its population caused by the One Child law.
What will also be interesting is to see how the international community reacts. NATO, UN, EU, and the US were all gung-ho to intervene in Libya for the sake of the people. Will they do the same when it comes to violent oppression by the Beijing government against its own citizens? Stay tuned I guess. And pray for the people of Wukan and all others who are willing to stand up against a brutal and corrupt government.
Source.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8954315/Inside-Wukan-the-Chinese-village-that-fought-back.html
Update - A thought has belatedly occurred to me why the Chinese officials have pulled back and encircled the town. It is an attempt to control information flow so other towns don't get the same idea. But one has to look back to Tianamen Square in Bejing for probably the real reason. The forces beseiging the town are probably drawn from local levys of conscripts. So they would not be reliable troops since they would identify with the town folks. So like Tianamen, Beijing is probably shipping in a few reaction battalions from another province. It will be these soldiers who will cause the streets of Wukan to run red with blood.
So we in the West really need to shine a spotlight on Wukan. Our governments need spines of steel if international concepts of human rights are to have any meaning. We the people of the world must speak in one voice to oppose any attempt by Beijing to silence the voices of the citizens it is supposed to represent. If the PRC does use violence, again, then there has to be reprecussions.
Friday, November 11, 2011
November 11th
Twenty four years after the guns fell silent across the fields of France, the sounds of battle reverberated again in France and in fact across the whole world. Vichy French forces in North Africa signed an armistice with the invading American and British forces. While Hitler ordered the invasion of Vichy France itself.
On November 8, 1942 allied forces went ashore in North Africa as part of Operation Torch. At first Vichy French forces resisted the invasion. At one point American forces had to storm a fortress right out of a French Foreign Legion film to clear the way to seize an airfield. On D-Day + 4 USS Joseph Hewes [AP-50] was anchored off shore and acting as a hospital ship since its 1,200 soldiers were now ashore. Then that night, a lookout yelled out 'Torpedo in the water!' and before anything could be done the weapon struck. In 17 minutes the ship had gone down, taking 100 crew with it. But every wounded soldier was evacuated safely.
General von Paulus in southern Russia was still moving on Stalingrad. The 6th Army was making another attempt to secure the city and protect the flanks of the German forces driving into the Caucus region to seize Soviet oil fields for the Third Reich. Soviet forces inside Stalingrad grimly hold on resisting the fascist invaders in vicious house to house fighting.
November 11, 1942 found the US Navy offshore of a stinking ugly island that four months prior almost no one had heard of. The place was Guadalcanal and ashore Marines were engaged in hand to hand fighting with Japanese soldiers hell bent on dieing for their Emperor. Far to the north at Rabaul the Japanese were assembling a massive naval task force, their mission is to wipe out the Marines who are tenaciously holding onto Henderson Field. This climatic battle will happen on November 13, 1942.
Even the Indian Ocean had some action on this day in 1942. Two Japanese commerce raiders pounced on the minesweeper Bengal and its charge the tanker Ondina. In the ensuing engagement Bengal managed to sink the vastly better armed Hokoku Maru and drive the Aikoku Maru off.
Meanwhile off the shores of Brazil a recently refitted warship was back at sea spoiling for some payback. The ship is the Omaha class light cruiser USS Marblehead, sole surviving cruiser of ABDA Afloat after a heroic trip back to the United States. In helping to defend Java and Free Dutch allies, she was struck by three armor-piercing bombs but stayed afloat. The ship would see action off Normandie as part of Operation Overlord and would earn two Battle Stars during the war.
Links.
USS Marblehead story.
USS Fletcher war diary.
USS Joseph Hewes survivor.
Timeline for November 11, 1942.
On November 8, 1942 allied forces went ashore in North Africa as part of Operation Torch. At first Vichy French forces resisted the invasion. At one point American forces had to storm a fortress right out of a French Foreign Legion film to clear the way to seize an airfield. On D-Day + 4 USS Joseph Hewes [AP-50] was anchored off shore and acting as a hospital ship since its 1,200 soldiers were now ashore. Then that night, a lookout yelled out 'Torpedo in the water!' and before anything could be done the weapon struck. In 17 minutes the ship had gone down, taking 100 crew with it. But every wounded soldier was evacuated safely.
General von Paulus in southern Russia was still moving on Stalingrad. The 6th Army was making another attempt to secure the city and protect the flanks of the German forces driving into the Caucus region to seize Soviet oil fields for the Third Reich. Soviet forces inside Stalingrad grimly hold on resisting the fascist invaders in vicious house to house fighting.
November 11, 1942 found the US Navy offshore of a stinking ugly island that four months prior almost no one had heard of. The place was Guadalcanal and ashore Marines were engaged in hand to hand fighting with Japanese soldiers hell bent on dieing for their Emperor. Far to the north at Rabaul the Japanese were assembling a massive naval task force, their mission is to wipe out the Marines who are tenaciously holding onto Henderson Field. This climatic battle will happen on November 13, 1942.
Even the Indian Ocean had some action on this day in 1942. Two Japanese commerce raiders pounced on the minesweeper Bengal and its charge the tanker Ondina. In the ensuing engagement Bengal managed to sink the vastly better armed Hokoku Maru and drive the Aikoku Maru off.
Meanwhile off the shores of Brazil a recently refitted warship was back at sea spoiling for some payback. The ship is the Omaha class light cruiser USS Marblehead, sole surviving cruiser of ABDA Afloat after a heroic trip back to the United States. In helping to defend Java and Free Dutch allies, she was struck by three armor-piercing bombs but stayed afloat. The ship would see action off Normandie as part of Operation Overlord and would earn two Battle Stars during the war.
Links.
USS Marblehead story.
USS Fletcher war diary.
USS Joseph Hewes survivor.
Timeline for November 11, 1942.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Speaking of Eurofighter
I mentioned the Eurofighter in the previous post because Saudi Arabia has ordered 72 of the airplanes. Well there is important news in the world of Eurofighter. The 300th airplane has been delivered to Spain and a total of 707 aircraft have been ordered/delivered.
What cracks me us is how Eurofighter is hailed as European cooperation in sharing technology and creating many long term jobs. It just took Eurofighter almost 40 years and many billions of Euros overbudget to produce 300 airplanes amidst such dramas as Germany leaving the consortium before returning while France abandoned the project to push ahead with Rafale.
But there are two markets Eurofighter just might snag in the near future to the detrimeent of US aerospace concerns. The Typhoon and Rafale are still competing in India to be the winner of that country's MRCA requirement after the other four aircraft were eliminated - including the F-16 and F-18, a winner might be announced this November. Another market within Eurofighter's grasp is Japan's F-X fighter requirements. Eurofighter is offering Japan the ability to build and customize Typhoon to meet Japan's unique requirements, this is very similar to how Japan built the F-4EJ and F-15J. Since the only American competition to the Typhoon is the F-18 Super Hornet and not the F-22 Japan wanted, I suspect Typhoon will be chosen. Amazing that just 4 years ago, neither one of these markets was within the grasp of Typhoon. Circumstances do change.
-- Corrected a name mix-up. The French jet is the Dassault Rafale and not Rafael. Thanks ORD.
What cracks me us is how Eurofighter is hailed as European cooperation in sharing technology and creating many long term jobs. It just took Eurofighter almost 40 years and many billions of Euros overbudget to produce 300 airplanes amidst such dramas as Germany leaving the consortium before returning while France abandoned the project to push ahead with Rafale.
But there are two markets Eurofighter just might snag in the near future to the detrimeent of US aerospace concerns. The Typhoon and Rafale are still competing in India to be the winner of that country's MRCA requirement after the other four aircraft were eliminated - including the F-16 and F-18, a winner might be announced this November. Another market within Eurofighter's grasp is Japan's F-X fighter requirements. Eurofighter is offering Japan the ability to build and customize Typhoon to meet Japan's unique requirements, this is very similar to how Japan built the F-4EJ and F-15J. Since the only American competition to the Typhoon is the F-18 Super Hornet and not the F-22 Japan wanted, I suspect Typhoon will be chosen. Amazing that just 4 years ago, neither one of these markets was within the grasp of Typhoon. Circumstances do change.
-- Corrected a name mix-up. The French jet is the Dassault Rafale and not Rafael. Thanks ORD.
Friday, August 05, 2011
What could --- Oooppss
In 1965, the Soviet nuclear powered ice-breaker V.I. Lenin suffered the first of its two nuclear accidents. One reactor suffered a loss of coolant before the nuclear fuel was removed. Due to all the heat, many of the rods melted themselves to the reactor vessel. The melted parts of the reactor core were sealed and disposed of in 1967 on an island. The second accident in 1967 involved a leak in one of the reactors. They had to use sledgehammers to get through the containment vessel to find the leak. The sledgehammers damaged the reactor vessel beyond repair. The repair and installation of new reactors was completed by 1970. In 1989 the ice-breaker was retired.
Back in 1994, in the primitive days of the Internet when a 56k modem was high speed, an American teen managed to turn his mother's garden shed into a Superfund site. David Hahn was a Boy Scout who managed to get his Atomic merit badge in 1991. But he did not stop there. Using various means including social engineering nuclear officials, he managed to obtain critical information. Along with material. First he wanted to create a neutron gun. Then he decided to try and create a breeder reactor. Then things started to get hot when his Geiger counter picked up radiation five doors down from his mother's house. So he started to take his project apart. It was the parts in his car that unraveled the whole mess, someone had called the police reporting a teen was stealing tires. Police found David Hahn. Along with a toolbox in the car's trunk that David said was radioactive. So the garden shed was taken apart and buried with other radioactive waste. David refused treatment for radiation exposure. And that should have been that. Except in 2007 David Hahn was arrested and convicted of stealing smoke detectors. His 90 day sentence was delayed because he had to get treatment for radiation exposure. His mug shot ain't pretty.
In these modern 21st Century times, such incidents might be filed under lessons not to repeat. It seems some have not learned. Or are just betting they can avoid the pitfalls this time around.
Example of the first, of not learning, seems to be this story out of Sweden. This delightful chap tried to do Hahn one better. He tried to build a reactor on his kitchen table. Then he had an attack of sanity, called Swedish nuclear officials to ask some questions about legality, and then the man and his project was scooped up before any harm happened.
Second one is from Russia and is far more troubling due to the possible scope of impact if calamity happens. And again it seems the Arctic environment is what could be affected, including all those polar bears everyone worries about. The Russians want to put on large cargo vessels nuclear reactors so they can stake better claims on Arctic resources. They use their experience with nuclear ice-breakers as justification that these 'nuclear wessels' will be safe. Right. Its also mentioned that Algeria and Indonesia are interested in floating nuclear power stations. Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, and Spain I think would object to such a plan; all of them worrying what happens if the vessel founders and the reactor gets breached in the confines of the Mediterranean Sea. And just thinking of such a vessel getting caught in another tsunami that devastated Banda Aceh gives me major goose pimples.
Back in 1994, in the primitive days of the Internet when a 56k modem was high speed, an American teen managed to turn his mother's garden shed into a Superfund site. David Hahn was a Boy Scout who managed to get his Atomic merit badge in 1991. But he did not stop there. Using various means including social engineering nuclear officials, he managed to obtain critical information. Along with material. First he wanted to create a neutron gun. Then he decided to try and create a breeder reactor. Then things started to get hot when his Geiger counter picked up radiation five doors down from his mother's house. So he started to take his project apart. It was the parts in his car that unraveled the whole mess, someone had called the police reporting a teen was stealing tires. Police found David Hahn. Along with a toolbox in the car's trunk that David said was radioactive. So the garden shed was taken apart and buried with other radioactive waste. David refused treatment for radiation exposure. And that should have been that. Except in 2007 David Hahn was arrested and convicted of stealing smoke detectors. His 90 day sentence was delayed because he had to get treatment for radiation exposure. His mug shot ain't pretty.
In these modern 21st Century times, such incidents might be filed under lessons not to repeat. It seems some have not learned. Or are just betting they can avoid the pitfalls this time around.
Example of the first, of not learning, seems to be this story out of Sweden. This delightful chap tried to do Hahn one better. He tried to build a reactor on his kitchen table. Then he had an attack of sanity, called Swedish nuclear officials to ask some questions about legality, and then the man and his project was scooped up before any harm happened.
Second one is from Russia and is far more troubling due to the possible scope of impact if calamity happens. And again it seems the Arctic environment is what could be affected, including all those polar bears everyone worries about. The Russians want to put on large cargo vessels nuclear reactors so they can stake better claims on Arctic resources. They use their experience with nuclear ice-breakers as justification that these 'nuclear wessels' will be safe. Right. Its also mentioned that Algeria and Indonesia are interested in floating nuclear power stations. Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, and Spain I think would object to such a plan; all of them worrying what happens if the vessel founders and the reactor gets breached in the confines of the Mediterranean Sea. And just thinking of such a vessel getting caught in another tsunami that devastated Banda Aceh gives me major goose pimples.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Calculus of Hate
Friends, countrymen, Norwegians lend me your ears. I come here not to praise Anders but to dissect his evil.
-- I am writing this as details keep emerging or even change. Perchance the manifesto is fiction, but right now it is held as sacred writ for Anders' evil.
First we must shake loose our own conceptions of right and wrong. Anders operates under a different set of right and wrong in which only he knows the ultimate truth. When Anders talks of Cultural Communism, Cultural Marxism, and how fragmented leftism is; even though the words are cribbed from the Unabomber, Anders writes as if he knows such a higher truth and must convey it to others. This belief also drives why Anders surrendered himself and did not take his own life or allow himself to be killed by the police, he is the messenger of this truth and through his court appearance he thinks he will spread this message so that others can learn this truth.
What is this truth of Anders? That I am still grappling over since all we really have is some suspicious Facebook pages, the above mentioned manifesto, and a video of unknown provenance. Because of the doubts on the first and last pieces of evidence, perforce I must base my reasoning on the manifesto. It seems Anders was a very ordinary little Norwegian boy living in a safe bubble until a Muslim friend cheered at the news of missile strikes against American forces during Desert Storm, that was when his world view seemed to change he writes in the manifesto. It also seems he saw the Labor Party, a center-right political party that his parents supported, had been infiltrated by Marxists. If the manifesto is true then perhaps there lays the seeds of his mission.
I say mission because that is what Anders wants to believe he has embarked upon I think. All the talk of Templars, Marxists, and retaking Europe from unappreciative immigrants plays to Anders' desire to matter. An unspectacular though privileged childhood, father being a diplomat, only marred by a divorce he does not remember. And a seemingly uneventful adulthood in safe Norway also awaited him. So perhaps he latches on the few troubles or hangups he had in childhood and reinvents himself as a crusader to right wrongs he perceives in the system. Initially it seems he does try to work within the existing political system when he was part of the Progress Party. When that failed it seems a new crusade was truly born. The Labor Party was not ever going to acknowledge any sort of problem with immigrants even as the Muslims looted and raped while he might have felt abandoned by the Progress Party.
This is possibly Anders' motivation, but how best to strike a blow that supports this motivation. And to get the message out since he has so far found no one to believe him. Again lets look at the manifesto. It seems since he left the Progress Party so quietly they did not even notice he left. To further his now self-appointed mission he set up various schemes to acquire what he thinks is the last recourse against tyranny - the tools of violence. That is how he legally acquires the firearms and chemicals used in the bomb that blew up in Oslo.
The last step is perhaps the hardest to stomach. The government buildings in Oslo, for any terrorist from the right to the left end of the political spectrum, would be legitimate targets. So why the Labor party youth camp on Utoya then? Anders sees himself as saving Norway from the pollution of immigration, the Labor Party of his parents supports this immigration, and this camp is for the teenagers of people belonging to the Labor Party. So in that sort of calculus, attacking a camp full of future Labor members who will continue the policies Anders abhors makes perfect sense.
So Anders has attacked at what he thinks of as his enemies' soft spot. He wants the attention from such infamy. Hence he allowed himself to be taken alive. So he can continue to expose the Labor party, its enabling of multiculturalism, and its ideological blindness to the menace of unassimilated Muslims as the tool of Norway's destruction.
Now does it make sense, when viewed from Anders' very much off kilter point of view. He is not insane, he just has a mission and those poor teens at Utoya were pawns in his game to save Norway.
And now I am going to go and try to scrub that twisted thinking out of my skull. Rum&coke sounds good.
-- I am writing this as details keep emerging or even change. Perchance the manifesto is fiction, but right now it is held as sacred writ for Anders' evil.
First we must shake loose our own conceptions of right and wrong. Anders operates under a different set of right and wrong in which only he knows the ultimate truth. When Anders talks of Cultural Communism, Cultural Marxism, and how fragmented leftism is; even though the words are cribbed from the Unabomber, Anders writes as if he knows such a higher truth and must convey it to others. This belief also drives why Anders surrendered himself and did not take his own life or allow himself to be killed by the police, he is the messenger of this truth and through his court appearance he thinks he will spread this message so that others can learn this truth.
What is this truth of Anders? That I am still grappling over since all we really have is some suspicious Facebook pages, the above mentioned manifesto, and a video of unknown provenance. Because of the doubts on the first and last pieces of evidence, perforce I must base my reasoning on the manifesto. It seems Anders was a very ordinary little Norwegian boy living in a safe bubble until a Muslim friend cheered at the news of missile strikes against American forces during Desert Storm, that was when his world view seemed to change he writes in the manifesto. It also seems he saw the Labor Party, a center-right political party that his parents supported, had been infiltrated by Marxists. If the manifesto is true then perhaps there lays the seeds of his mission.
I say mission because that is what Anders wants to believe he has embarked upon I think. All the talk of Templars, Marxists, and retaking Europe from unappreciative immigrants plays to Anders' desire to matter. An unspectacular though privileged childhood, father being a diplomat, only marred by a divorce he does not remember. And a seemingly uneventful adulthood in safe Norway also awaited him. So perhaps he latches on the few troubles or hangups he had in childhood and reinvents himself as a crusader to right wrongs he perceives in the system. Initially it seems he does try to work within the existing political system when he was part of the Progress Party. When that failed it seems a new crusade was truly born. The Labor Party was not ever going to acknowledge any sort of problem with immigrants even as the Muslims looted and raped while he might have felt abandoned by the Progress Party.
This is possibly Anders' motivation, but how best to strike a blow that supports this motivation. And to get the message out since he has so far found no one to believe him. Again lets look at the manifesto. It seems since he left the Progress Party so quietly they did not even notice he left. To further his now self-appointed mission he set up various schemes to acquire what he thinks is the last recourse against tyranny - the tools of violence. That is how he legally acquires the firearms and chemicals used in the bomb that blew up in Oslo.
The last step is perhaps the hardest to stomach. The government buildings in Oslo, for any terrorist from the right to the left end of the political spectrum, would be legitimate targets. So why the Labor party youth camp on Utoya then? Anders sees himself as saving Norway from the pollution of immigration, the Labor Party of his parents supports this immigration, and this camp is for the teenagers of people belonging to the Labor Party. So in that sort of calculus, attacking a camp full of future Labor members who will continue the policies Anders abhors makes perfect sense.
So Anders has attacked at what he thinks of as his enemies' soft spot. He wants the attention from such infamy. Hence he allowed himself to be taken alive. So he can continue to expose the Labor party, its enabling of multiculturalism, and its ideological blindness to the menace of unassimilated Muslims as the tool of Norway's destruction.
Now does it make sense, when viewed from Anders' very much off kilter point of view. He is not insane, he just has a mission and those poor teens at Utoya were pawns in his game to save Norway.
And now I am going to go and try to scrub that twisted thinking out of my skull. Rum&coke sounds good.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Fuzzy Economics
After reading this paean to the Elysian Fields of Keynesian economics, I am thankful this bloke is not making policy. On the other hand, he probably has ideological siblings actually making policy. And that should terrify anyone with a lick of common sense.
What this gentleman is suggesting is Germany should be booted from the Eurozone not because its like Greece but because the country is the antithesis of Greece. Germany has a budget surplus, has cut spending, and has kept high work standards. Can not have such a success mucking up the great experiment called the Euro and European Union.
He conveniently forgets since the creation of the Euro, it has been a transfer of money. That Germany and Holland took it in the neck economically, their former strong currencies weakened by the pre-existing debt and economic weakness of countries like Greece and Italy.
Now Greece, Ireland, and Spain are teetering on the edge of economic destruction because they never changed their habits. They expect the powerhouse called Germany to keep picking up the tab of their wastefulness. After going on the hook for the staggering sum of €220billion in bailing them out, Germany is saying no more money. So socialists in Greece and this British writer are now blaming Germany for the whole mess. They do not want to admit to the fact that the Euro is an abysmal failure, it was not a magic wand to remake Greece into another Germany.
At this stage, one thing should be clear. The Euro and the EU is an artificial creation that can exist only in a carefully regulated environment. As such, better to let it break up now before the architects of the EU delusion fully destroy Europe and inflict untold suffering on people who never wanted this kind of mess.
What this gentleman is suggesting is Germany should be booted from the Eurozone not because its like Greece but because the country is the antithesis of Greece. Germany has a budget surplus, has cut spending, and has kept high work standards. Can not have such a success mucking up the great experiment called the Euro and European Union.
He conveniently forgets since the creation of the Euro, it has been a transfer of money. That Germany and Holland took it in the neck economically, their former strong currencies weakened by the pre-existing debt and economic weakness of countries like Greece and Italy.
Now Greece, Ireland, and Spain are teetering on the edge of economic destruction because they never changed their habits. They expect the powerhouse called Germany to keep picking up the tab of their wastefulness. After going on the hook for the staggering sum of €220billion in bailing them out, Germany is saying no more money. So socialists in Greece and this British writer are now blaming Germany for the whole mess. They do not want to admit to the fact that the Euro is an abysmal failure, it was not a magic wand to remake Greece into another Germany.
At this stage, one thing should be clear. The Euro and the EU is an artificial creation that can exist only in a carefully regulated environment. As such, better to let it break up now before the architects of the EU delusion fully destroy Europe and inflict untold suffering on people who never wanted this kind of mess.
Aviation Round-Up
The 49th Paris Airshow is rolling along with all the aviation companies trying to sell their wares to anyone with money or good financing. Saab is demonstrating their JAS-39 Gripen NG demonstrator, they are looking for Brazil orders and re-entry into the Indian MMRCA competition. Boeing has displayed the latest 747-8 cargo version.
Airbus/EADS is of course there with their products. The A380 suffered another embarrassing moment, on top of a previous accident where a 380 clipped a smaller jet, when its wing-tip clipped a building. So a Korean Air Lines A380 did the fly-by while the damaged plane sat on the tarmac with a cover over the damaged wing.
Nor was this Airbus/EADS only mishap, the very long delayed A400M had one also. To whit a cracked gearbox in one of the turboprop engines, so another A400M had to be slotted in. To add to the controversy surrounding the four year overdue A400M, the RAF will name their planes Atlas and not Grizzly, shades of the Eurofighter Taifun/Typhoon name controversy. All the delays surrounding the A400M project has allowed American companies to snag orders; Boeing happy with C-17 orders to the RAF, RCAF, RAAF, Oman, and Hungary and Lockheed-Martin selling C-130Js to RAF, RCAF, and a host of other possible A400M customers. And South Africa has cancelled it's A400M orders. And is it me or does the A400M nose and cockpit look like a C-141?
And what post on modern aviation would be complete without mentioning the Peoples Republic of China? It seems the designers at Chinese Military Aviation have developed a new airlifter in the 400,000lb category that bears a strong resemblance to the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. Very curious confirmation on Chinese intelligence efforts and on Chinese power projection goals, perhaps to places like Africa or Taiwan?
File this under old airshow news. Back in 2009 the Islamic Iranian Air Force had their own airshow. One of the centerpieces was supposed to be an overflight of their IL-76 Candid based AWACs plane named Simurgh. As the video in this link shows, things went terribly wrong and resulted in the loss of crew and plane.
Airbus/EADS is of course there with their products. The A380 suffered another embarrassing moment, on top of a previous accident where a 380 clipped a smaller jet, when its wing-tip clipped a building. So a Korean Air Lines A380 did the fly-by while the damaged plane sat on the tarmac with a cover over the damaged wing.
Nor was this Airbus/EADS only mishap, the very long delayed A400M had one also. To whit a cracked gearbox in one of the turboprop engines, so another A400M had to be slotted in. To add to the controversy surrounding the four year overdue A400M, the RAF will name their planes Atlas and not Grizzly, shades of the Eurofighter Taifun/Typhoon name controversy. All the delays surrounding the A400M project has allowed American companies to snag orders; Boeing happy with C-17 orders to the RAF, RCAF, RAAF, Oman, and Hungary and Lockheed-Martin selling C-130Js to RAF, RCAF, and a host of other possible A400M customers. And South Africa has cancelled it's A400M orders. And is it me or does the A400M nose and cockpit look like a C-141?
And what post on modern aviation would be complete without mentioning the Peoples Republic of China? It seems the designers at Chinese Military Aviation have developed a new airlifter in the 400,000lb category that bears a strong resemblance to the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. Very curious confirmation on Chinese intelligence efforts and on Chinese power projection goals, perhaps to places like Africa or Taiwan?
File this under old airshow news. Back in 2009 the Islamic Iranian Air Force had their own airshow. One of the centerpieces was supposed to be an overflight of their IL-76 Candid based AWACs plane named Simurgh. As the video in this link shows, things went terribly wrong and resulted in the loss of crew and plane.
Monday, June 06, 2011
Forgotten Horrors of Omaha
Today is the anniversary of Operation Overlord, the great crusade to liberate Europe from the jack-boot tyranny of Nazi Germany. Soldiers of Britain, Canada, and the United States would storm ashore on five beaches in Normandy France. Omaha Beach, an American only beach, would become the definition of Hell for many. Below is an excert from S.L.A. Marshall's riveting account of landing on that beach that was published in 1960.
Lieutenant Edward Tidrick in Boat No. 2 cries out: "My God, we're coming in at the right spot, but look at it! No shingle, no wall, no shell holes, no cover. Nothing!"
His men are at the sides of the boat, straining for a view of the target. They stare but say nothing. At exactly 6:36 A.M. ramps are dropped along the boat line and the men jump off in water anywhere from waist deep to higher than a man's head. This is the signal awaited by the Germans atop the bluff. Already pounded by mortars, the floundering line is instantly swept by crossing machine-gun fires from both ends of the beach.
Able Company has planned to wade ashore in three files from each boat, center file going first, then flank files peeling off to right and left. The first men out try to do it but are ripped apart before they can make five yards. Even the lightly wounded die by drowning, doomed by the waterlogging of their overloaded packs. From Boat No. 1, all hands jump off in water over their heads. Most of them are carried down. Ten or so survivors get around the boat and clutch at its sides in an attempt to stay afloat. The same thing happens to the section in Boat No. 4. Half of its people are lost to the fire or tide before anyone gets ashore. All order has vanished from Able Company before it has fired a shot.
This harrowing and riveting incident happened 67 years ago. Like Verdun, lets ensure the bravery along with the horror of that day is never forgotten or sugar-coated into benign politcal-correctness.
Lieutenant Edward Tidrick in Boat No. 2 cries out: "My God, we're coming in at the right spot, but look at it! No shingle, no wall, no shell holes, no cover. Nothing!"
His men are at the sides of the boat, straining for a view of the target. They stare but say nothing. At exactly 6:36 A.M. ramps are dropped along the boat line and the men jump off in water anywhere from waist deep to higher than a man's head. This is the signal awaited by the Germans atop the bluff. Already pounded by mortars, the floundering line is instantly swept by crossing machine-gun fires from both ends of the beach.
Able Company has planned to wade ashore in three files from each boat, center file going first, then flank files peeling off to right and left. The first men out try to do it but are ripped apart before they can make five yards. Even the lightly wounded die by drowning, doomed by the waterlogging of their overloaded packs. From Boat No. 1, all hands jump off in water over their heads. Most of them are carried down. Ten or so survivors get around the boat and clutch at its sides in an attempt to stay afloat. The same thing happens to the section in Boat No. 4. Half of its people are lost to the fire or tide before anyone gets ashore. All order has vanished from Able Company before it has fired a shot.
This harrowing and riveting incident happened 67 years ago. Like Verdun, lets ensure the bravery along with the horror of that day is never forgotten or sugar-coated into benign politcal-correctness.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
VE Day
May 8th, 1945 marked the official end of hostilities in Europe. General Jodl of the German Army surrendered the sundered prostrate shattered remains of the Thousand Year Reich that lasted twelve years and killed millions to the victorious Allies.
May 8th, 2011 marks Mother's Day. While we show appreciation for our mothers this Sunday, take a moment to think of the Gold Star Mothers. They have lost a child defending this great nation, from WWI to present day.
May 8th, 2011 marks Mother's Day. While we show appreciation for our mothers this Sunday, take a moment to think of the Gold Star Mothers. They have lost a child defending this great nation, from WWI to present day.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
IAF MRCA Nixes US Bids
Amidst the storms and death in the US southeast and the royal wedding in the United Kingdom, from the Indian sub-continent comes a bit of another downer for the Americans. The long fought battle over India's next generation fighter just got winnowed down to two contenders. At stake is a $11billion arms deal for 126 aircraft, a majority of them to be locally produced in India, to replace obsolete types in service like the MiG-21. On Wednesday, US bidders Boeing [F-18] and Lockheed-Martin [F-16] were informed their bids had lost. Also being notified on Wednesday were the JAS-39 Gripen and the MiG-35 that their bids had lost also. Eurofighter GmbH and Dassault were informed their aircraft are still in competition.
Day after Boeing and Lockheed-Martin were told their bids were not accepted, US ambassador to India Timothy Roemer announced his resignation. No word if there is any linkage. Though that picture of Roemer in the news article is a bit odd. On the plus side India is still purchasing ten Boeing C-17 Clobemaster IIIs, with price issues, and Lockheed C-130J-30s are being delivered, so US military aviation is not totally shut-out, just in combat aircraft.
Day after Boeing and Lockheed-Martin were told their bids were not accepted, US ambassador to India Timothy Roemer announced his resignation. No word if there is any linkage. Though that picture of Roemer in the news article is a bit odd. On the plus side India is still purchasing ten Boeing C-17 Clobemaster IIIs, with price issues, and Lockheed C-130J-30s are being delivered, so US military aviation is not totally shut-out, just in combat aircraft.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Greek Canary
On top of all the economic problems Greece has, they also have an immigration problem. It seems 90% of the EU's illegal immigrants flow through Greece and in the first six months of 2010 more than 45,000 illegal border crossings occurred. Current amnesty laws requires living in Greece for 12 years before granting of citizenship. That has now been thrown out with a recent case.
A group of 287 illegal North African immigrants went on a hunger strike as deportation hearings were going on. One immigrant was on the verge of death since the hunger strike has been going on for six weeks and many were in hospitals. So to avoid being vilified the Greek government caved in and these illegals are now on the road to being Greek citizens, which means the opportunity to get on the Greek dole.
I just hope the illegal immigrants pouring across the porous US southern border are not advised of this tactic. But I am sure the La Raza/Amnesty Now freaks will ensure this tactic is known. While ignoring how brutal Mexico is when dealing with illegal immigrants.
A group of 287 illegal North African immigrants went on a hunger strike as deportation hearings were going on. One immigrant was on the verge of death since the hunger strike has been going on for six weeks and many were in hospitals. So to avoid being vilified the Greek government caved in and these illegals are now on the road to being Greek citizens, which means the opportunity to get on the Greek dole.
I just hope the illegal immigrants pouring across the porous US southern border are not advised of this tactic. But I am sure the La Raza/Amnesty Now freaks will ensure this tactic is known. While ignoring how brutal Mexico is when dealing with illegal immigrants.
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