New Blog by A Proud Liberal—Namnesia Antidote

What is Namnesia Antidote?

When a fellow poster, anniefey, made a post at the TV News Lies Board about these two syndromes I was struck by the pervasiveness of this type of thinking when it comes to the occupation of Iraq. The warmongers in the administration and Congress not only suffer from Namnesia but have gone out of their way to spread the infection. When George "War Criminal" Bush talks about not repeating the mistakes of Vietnam, he is stating our error was withdrawing prematurely and leaving only 58,168 known dead Americans. He is determined to "stay the course" indefinitely in Iraq, no matter the cost in human lives and resources. When anniefey made her post it was with two unhappy coincidences; the five-year anniversary of the Iraq invasion and the occasion of the 4,000th American causality. We had once again failed to learn from history and were doomed to repeating the same errors.

Posts on this blog begin on March 23rd. In 2008, this was both Easter and the date of the aforementioned 4,000th causality. The names posted on this blog are from the Vietnam War Memorial Wall as extracted from a now defunct website. Any errors in the extraction are mine and I apologize in advance for them. While a laudable goal would be to have a posting for everyone whose name appears on The Wall, it is just not feasible for a one-man operation. What I will attempt here is to have posted for each day of the year two lists of these names; the first commemorating the date of death and the second celebrating the birth of those who gave their lives. I encourage anyone to post comments on these individuals, when such a comment is posted, I will attempt to create an individual post with more detailed information for that person. This will give family, friends and supporters the chance to collectively honor and remember these fallen service men. I will post these individual posts by birthdates.

The information on this blog will also appear in my This Day in History blog daily posts. I hope this double posting will give some additional exposure to these men and women while aiding in combating Namnesia.

Announcement About Geov Parrish's this Day in Radical History

One of the mainstay references for this blog has been Geov Parrish's this Day in Radical History, things that happened on this day that you never had to memorize in school. The organization/website that had commissioned and archived his articles did two things. 1. They informed (laid-off) him his services were no longer required. 2. Despite assurances to the contrary, archives of his columns were removed and are no longer available.

This made references in This Day in History no longer valid. That's the bad news. The good news is that I had downloaded the entire year's worth of Geov's column. I have been in correspondence with Geov and have his blessings to continue to use these downloaded copies. He has told me he is updating the entries and is looking for somewhere to have them posted/archived. He has also promised me copies of any updated entries. For the time being, I will reference this announcement in my blog. Whenever there is a change in availability, I will update this single announcement.

I am grateful to Geov for his gracious permission to use his previous columns and look forward to the updated and expanded version of Geov Parrish's this Day in Radical History, things that happened on this day that you never had to memorize in school.


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February 1, 1968 - Former Vice-President Richard Nixon announces candidacy for President

February 1, 1968 - Former Vice-President Richard Nixon announces candidacy for President

It is with no little chagrin that I note this entry in my February 1st post. Here we are forty years later and our system of picking a president has not improved at all. Today, no candidate could announce at this late date and expect to be elected.

In 1968, the New Hampshire primary was not held until March 12. By that date this year, both political parties are likely to have already decided their candidates. The then current president, Lyndon B. Johnson, did not announce his withdrawal from the race until March 31.

There was a time in this country when the National Conventions were not anointing ceremonies. The conventions actually spent time drafting and voting on a party platform not spending the whole time in public relations gimmicks to support their candidate and tear down the opposition. Delegates went to the conventions with some sense of representing the populace from whence they came. They were really elected and could not just buy their way onto the convention floors.

What this means is that there is a general disenfranchisement for many voters across the country. Talk of a national primary, in which a grassroots candidacy could succeed, are squashed. Instead of making things more supportive for the average voter, they are made more difficult. This has led to the general election being a case of holding one's nose to vote for the lesser of two or sometimes three evils. I know the Karl Roves of the country are perfectly content with this situation and it just makes it all the more shameful. It also led to the election of best Republican president in recent history, Bill Clinton. This country needs real choices, not the beauty contest or horse race that presidential politics has become, but I see little or no hope on the horizon.

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January 24, 1955—Ira Hamilton Hayes Dies of Exposure

January 24, 1955 Ira Hamilton Hayes, a Native American (Pima) who was one of six U.S. Marines to raise the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima, dies of exposure.

With that entry in my "Day in History" blog one of the most under-discussed problems in the United States is laid painfully bare. Recently when Democratic presidential hopeful, John Edwards, stated that about 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night he was assailed for not knowing his facts. His knowledge and their homelessness are both reality and nothing new.

We in the United States have failed in our responsibilities to help the veterans of both popular and unpopular wars. Those that seem almost condemned to serve in the military can expect little for their service. Veterans' benefits seem an easy mark for the fiscal conservatives since the quiet complicity of anti-war liberals inevitably follows. The liberals' penchant for peace (anti-war) is translated into non-support for those who have fought in the wars. The conservative end of the spectrum has no such moral rationalization—it is merely the thoughts of "they're poor, so screw them." The attitude that being poor is somehow one's own fault is pervasive. Rarely, do you find members of this elitist group doing the actual fighting.

The story of Ira Hamilton Hayes is more disconcerting than most. He was called back from the fighting to raise money by promoting war bond sales. In WWII, we didn't just borrow on the future from foreign countries. Bond sales allowed the citizenry to lend their country the money for the war efforts. He was lauded as hero and plied with drink. He suffered what we now call "Survivors' Guilt." He felt the true heroes were the dead companions he left behind. We today are treating the returning veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan without even the accolades of hero. Why do we believe there is an unending supply of this cannon fodder?

Below I have excerpted from one article on the Net about Ira Hayes. I hope we can look at the lessons here and do better for our veterans in the future.

In 1954, Ira Hayes attended the dedication ceremony in Washington, D. C. for the Iwo Jima Memorial. This monument was a bronze cast replica of the now famous photograph of the flag raising, created by Felix DeWeldon. Within 10 weeks of this celebration Ira Hamilton Hayes would be dead at age 33. After another night of drinking and still lamenting over his fallen "buddies", Ira fell drunk in an irrigation ditch and froze to death, alone and forgotten by a country that had called him a hero. The ditch where he died was the single source of water that was provided for his people by the same government he'd proudly served.

Ira Hayes—Pima Tribe—Born -January 12, 1923 Sacaton, Arizona—Died - January 24, 1955 Bapchule, Arizona—Buried in Arlington National Cemetery


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April 22, 2004 - Pat Tillman killed by friendly fire

April 22, 2004 - Pat Tillman killed by friendly fire

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Tillman

Patrick Daniel Tillman, Jr. (November 6, 1976 – April 22, 2004) was an American football player who left his professional sports career and enlisted in the United States Army in May 2002.

He served in Iraq and later in Afghanistan, as a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, where he was killed. His decision, and subsequent death, were the subject of much media attention. More controversy ensued when, on May 28, 2004, the Pentagon notified the Tillman family that he had died as a result of a friendly fire incident; the family and other critics alleged that the Department of Defense delayed the disclosure for weeks after Tillman's memorial service out of a desire to protect the image of the U.S. armed forces.

The tragedy here was not that Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire, this has happened in wars since the beginning of time. It was the subsequent cover up that was a crime here. Was it really concerns that recruiting would be so severely impacted by this disclosure or was something more nefarious? Had word of Tillman's disaffection for the Iraqi war reached those in power? Was this why he was in Afghanistan and not Iraq? Was the military covering up the fact that many of troops deployed lacked the necessary training to avoid killing their fellow soldiers during combat, because of a rush to deploy? Had Tillman lacked the necessary personal body armor that could have saved his life?

Despite the recent investigations and reports issued by the military, many of these questions remained unresolved. The horror of war is bad enough without added incompetence and malice.

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April 21, 1954/1975 – USAF Flies French Troops to South Vietnam / Nguyen Van Thieu Flees South Vietnam

April 21, 1954/1975 – USAF Flies French Troops to South Vietnam / Nguyen Van Thieu Flees South Vietnam

From http://aproudliberal1.blogspot.com/2007/04/april-21.html

April 21,
● 1954 - USAF flies French battalion to Vietnam

● 1975 - Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyen Van Thieu flees Saigon, condemning the United States, as Xuan Loc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls. {Of course, his condemnation wasn't so strong as to prevent him from living in the US until his death.}

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguyen_Van_Thieu#Life_in_Exile

Life in Exile
Thiệu fled directly to Taiwan, later he settled in Surrey, Great Britain. Finally, he took up residence in Newton, Massachusetts, in the United States, where he died in 2001.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguyen_Van_Thieu#Quotes

Quotes
● "But the United States did not keep its word. Is an American's word reliable these days?"
● "The United States did not keep its promise to help us fight for freedom and it was in the same fight that the United States lost 50,000 of its young men."
● "Losing a President Thiệu, the military still has a three-star General Thiệu. The people still have a soldier, Nguyễn Văn Thiệu. I pledge to fight side by side with my brothers, the soldiers." {Within hours of making this statement, he had fled the country leaving his brother soldiers to bear the reprisals of the North without him.}
● "You ran away and left us to do the job that you could not do."

I picked these two events and dates because they are an exact tracking of the War unfolding in Iraq. The French arbitrarily drew the borders for Iraq, Iran and Vietnam. The US aided the French in their colonial rules. The local populations finally got rid of the French colonial powers only to have the United States to try to re-insert itself as a new colonial power in Iraq and Vietnam, with saber rattling occurring against Iran. Vietnam ended so badly that the corrupt President of Vietnam that we had supported for ten long years had to bad mouth us on the way out. One wonders when the United States finally removes itself from the Civil War that is Iraq which Iraqi politicians will be abdicating power, bad mouthing the US and then finally fleeing here to live out their years.

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April 20, 1889/1999 -- Hitler Born / Columbine Shooting

April 20, 1889/1999 -- Hitler Born / Columbine Shooting

From This Day in History April 20

On April 20
● 1889 - Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator of Germany who led his country into World War II and was responsible for persecuting and killing millions of Jews and many others, was born in Braunau, Austria.

● 1999 - Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves in the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado.

At first blush these appear to be unconnected incidents with purely coincidental dates. Unfortunately, video tape statements by Harris and Klebold stated it was no coincidence. They both idolized Hitler and planned for this specific date for their mayhem. They did not intend to survive from the onset. They targeted students they knew to be believers, in some cases asking their victims to recant and then they would be spared. Here they were unlike Hitler since he rarely even gave the illusion of being spared.

I have zero empathy for these two killers. I do however wonder how their sense of history and morality could be so skewed as to make Hitler a hero. My grandparents and parents all lived through World War 2. I never remember them expressing the least bit of approval for Hitler. Their revulsion was total and absolute. This is why my children know my views on Hitler. This is also why my views on the Shrub are so vehement.


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April 19, 1993/1995 -- Waco / Oklahoma City

April 19, 1993/1995 -- Waco / Oklahoma City

From This Day in History -- April 19

On April 19
● 1993 - Federal agents attack Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas; incinerating about 80 members. Later revelations suggest government munitions started the deadly fire and that agents prevented compound residents from fleeing the burning building. Because of the nature of the Branch Davidians - - a tiny evangelical sect -- and the weaponry charges being pursued by the government, the deaths become a rallying point for far right activists, but are largely ignored by the left.

● 1995 - The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK, was destroyed by a bomb. It was the worst bombing on U.S. territory. 168 people were killed including 19 children, and 500 were injured. Bombing is initially blamed on Arab terrorists; later found to be the work of Timothy McVeigh who was found guilty of the bombing on June 2, 1997 and later executed. He was a far right American "patriot" striking back to commemorate Waco.

With Timothy McVeigh's execution, this pair of events only appears to have concluded. I really hope they have but McVeigh himself believed otherwise. He viewed himself as another martyr in the fight against an over-powerful Federal government. He made no apologies for having killed children at the Federal building since so many children were killed at Waco. When 9-11 occurred, my first thoughts were was this another McVeigh. Many more acts of violence from the right side of spectrum occur across America everyday. Make no mistake about it the attackers in 9-11 were ultra-conservative not liberals.
My view of McVeigh is that he was one of the continuing casualties of the first Gulf War. The way we treat our returning service members it is surprising there haven't been more Oklahoma City type of attacks.
As an aside, let us remember that Roger Johnson the head of the GSA (Government Services Administration) lost his job over Oklahoma City. What a difference in accountability, even though there was probably nothing he could have done differently to prevent the attack.

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March 29, 1951/1971 Rosenbergs/Calley Convicted

March 29, 1951/1971 Rosenbergs/Calley Convicted

From http://aproudliberal1.blogspot.com/2007/03/march-29.html

On March 29, 1951 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg convicted of conspiracy to sell U.S. atomic secrets to the U.S.S.R. The case was pockmarked with glaring inconsistencies (and the chief evidence against them was the testimony of Ethel's brother, David Greenglass, a convicted co-conspirator) -- but it was their fate to be tried during the height of McCarthyism. While most critics now concede Ethel was probably innocent, they were both executed June 19, 1953.

On March 29, 1971 Lt. William Calley Jr., of the U.S. Army, was found guilty of the premeditated murder of at least 22 Vietnamese civilians. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. (He spent three years under house arrest after the sentence was reduced by various levels in the command chain, with the final reduction by Nixon.) The trial was the result of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam on March 16, 1968. He is the fall guy for the Army's preferred tale that the massacre was an aberration rather than a result of U.S. policy and attitudes in Vietnam.

These two convictions were exactly twenty years to the day apart. They represent the unevenness of American justice at its worst. In the case of the Rosenbergs, the government was unable to prove that any actual espionage took place only that they conspired to do so. This means they executed for planning something that was never proven to have occurred. In the Calley case, there was no doubt that the massacre had occurred under his supervision. The problem here is the sentence was lightened to the point of absurdity. He now runs a jewelry store somewhere in the South. Any trials of his superiors were show trials for innocent verdicts. The only saving grace here was that unlike Iraq, the crap has not flowed downhill to every enlisted man involved.

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March 23, 1933 - Hitler Gains Dictatorial Powers with the Passage of the Enabling Acts

March 23, 1933 - Hitler Gains Dictatorial Powers with the Passage of the Enabling Acts

From http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/dictator.htm

On March 23, 1933 the newly elected Reichstag met in the Kroll Opera House in Berlin to consider passing Hitler's Enabling Act. It was officially called the "Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich." If passed, it would in effect vote democracy out of existence in Germany and establish the legal dictatorship of Adolf Hitler.

Brown-shirted Nazi storm troopers swarmed over the fancy old building in a show of force and as a visible threat. They stood outside, in the hallways and even lined the aisles inside, glaring ominously at anyone who might oppose Hitler's will.

Before the vote, Hitler made a speech in which he pledged to use restraint.

"The government will make use of these powers only insofar as they are essential for carrying out vitally necessary measures...The number of cases in which an internal necessity exists for having recourse to such a law is in itself a limited one," Hitler told the Reichstag.

He also promised an end to unemployment and pledged to promote peace with France, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. However, in order to do all this, Hitler said, he first needed the Enabling Act. A two-thirds majority was needed, since the law would actually alter the constitution. Hitler needed 31 non-Nazi votes to pass it. He got those votes from the Catholic Center Party after making a false promise to restore some basic rights already taken away by decree.

Meanwhile, Nazi storm troopers chanted outside: "Full powers - or else! We want the bill - or fire and murder!!"

But one man arose amid the overwhelming might. Otto Wells, leader of the Social Democrats stood up and spoke quietly to Hitler.

"We German Social Democrats pledge ourselves solemnly in this historic hour to the principles of humanity and justice, of freedom and socialism. No enabling act can give you power to destroy ideas which are eternal and indestructible."

Hitler was enraged and jumped up to respond.

"You are no longer needed! - The star of Germany will rise and yours will sink! Your death knell has sounded!"

The vote was taken - 441 for, and only 84, the Social Democrats, against. The Nazis leapt to their feet clapping, stamping and shouting, then broke into the Nazi anthem, the Hörst Wessel song.

Democracy was ended. They had brought down the German Democratic Republic legally. From this day onward, the Reichstag would be just a sounding board, a cheering section for Hitler's pronouncements.

This one point in history was critical to Hitler. It allowed that everything that happened afterwards was technically legal. Bush and his rubber stamp Congress spent six years attempting to get their own version of the Enabling Acts into place. The clause in the Patriot Act that allowed for the appointment of US attorneys without Congressional approval is merely the tip of the tip of the iceberg. The new Congress must work extra diligently to reclaim a government by, for and of the people

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March 19, 1968 and 2003 - LBJ advised get out of Vietnam and, Bush goes into Iraq

March 19, 1968 and 2003 - LBJ advised get out of Vietnam and, Bush goes into Iraq

From http://aproudliberal1.blogspot.com/2007/03/march-19.html

On March 19, 1968 - Presidential advisors advise getting out of Vietnam War.

On March 19, 2003 - U.S. President George W. Bush announced that U.S. forces had launched a strike against "targets of military opportunity" in Iraq. The attack, using cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs, were aimed at Iraqi leaders thought to be near Baghdad.

Here on a single date 35 years apart is one of the most flagrant examples of refusing to learn from history. When we entered these wars there were no set objectives of what would constitute victory. Without a definition for victory then the wars were doomed to be endless. The advisers to LBJ were brought to reality by the fiasco known as the Tet Offensive, while technically a military victory for the US it was a public relations disaster and morale buster.

The Iraqi war was quickly exposed for the invasion and occupation it really was. Corporate greed now rules even more than it did during Vietnam.


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March 17, ST. PATRICK & THE DRUIDS OF IRELAND

March 17, ST. PATRICK & THE DRUIDS OF IRELAND

From http://crystalsands.wiccan.net/articles/stpat.html

Patrick was a Christian priest whose job it was to convert the population of Ireland to Christianity. The Druids, however, stood in his way. The Druids were very important people in Ireland at that time, and their symbol was the Snake of Wisdom. Druids could be priests of the old religion of Ireland, but there were also much more.

One part of the Druid class were the "Bards", whose job it was to remember all of the history of the people, as well as to record current events. Because the Irish Celts did not rely on a written language, everything had to be memorized. Bards were poets and musicians, and used music and poetry to help them remember their history exactly. Because of this, Bards were highly respected members of the Irish society. The Irish believed that history was very important, for if you didn't remember what had happened in the past, you couldn't safely plan for the future. Bards, therefore, held the future of the people in safekeeping.

Another important part of the Druidic class were the "Brehons." Brehons were the Judges and the Keepers of the Laws. The Celtic people had a highly complicated society, and with it, a highly developed set of laws. Brehons trained for many years to learn the laws of the people, so that whenever there was a dispute, the Brehon could fairly decide the matter and make peace. The laws were there to make sure that everyone; man, woman, and child, were treated fairly and with respect. Because of the wisdom that the Brehons held, and the knowledge of the laws of the society, they too, like the Bards, were held with much respect.

And, of course, there were the Druid Priests. This branch of the Druid set were the keepers of the knowledge of Earth and Spirits. It was their responsibility to learn the Spirit World, in order to keep people and Earth in harmony. Priests performed marriages and "baptisms", they were healers, and psychiatrists. The Priests were the wise grandparents to whom you could go with a problem. They were there to help you solve them, with the help of the Earth and the Spirit World.

Into this world of the Irish Celts entered a highly energetic and devoted Christian Priest named Patrick. Because he believed so strongly in the tenets of Christianity, he thought that anyone who was not Christian had to become one in order to be "saved." He came to Ireland to convert the Irish people to Christianity.

The Irish people at that time were happy and doing quite well without Patrick and his ideas, but he was persistent. He noticed that the Druids were really the important people of the society. He thought that if he could convert the Druids to Christianity, the rest of the people would follow. Patrick's main problem was that the Druids were very comfortable with what they had already learned, and were not willing to change. Druids had spent their entire lives learning the ways of the people, and were the last people who were willing to change.

Although Patrick was not willing to abandon his vision of a Christian Ireland, he was getting desperate. He knew that because the strength of the people rested with the Druids, he had to get rid of them in order to get the people to listen to him. Patrick was not alone in his efforts. He had brought many people with him from Britain to establish the new religion. Patrick began to destroy the influence of the Druids by destroying the sacred sites of the people and building churches and monasteries where the Druids used to live and teach. Gradually, the might of the Druidic class was broken by a bitter campaign of attrition. Instead of hearing the teachings and advice of the Druids, the people began to hear the teachings of Rome. Because the Druids were the only ones who were taught to remember the history, with the Druids dead and their influence broken, the history was forgotten.

Patrick won. By killing off the teachers and the wise ones, his own religion could be taught. For this mass conversion of a culture to Christianity, and for the killing of thousands of innocent people, Patrick was made a Saint by his church. Today the story is told that Patrick is the patron Saint of Ireland because he "drove the snakes out." We now know that the "snakes" were the Druids. So, although I love the Irish people and celebrate their Celtic heritage, I don't "celebrate" a day dedicated to the man called Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland.

I have come to dread this day because everyone assumes that celebrating Saint Patrick's Day is no big deal. The intolerance that St. Patrick practiced should never be celebrated. Many of his conversions were of the type were the person were given two choices. Be baptized or be crucified. Since these people were pagans the crucifixions were done upside down becuase only Christ deserved to be right side up. Extremism in any religion is WRONG, as the mess in our present world shows.

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October 16, 1946......Ten Nazi War Criminals Executed by Hanging at Nuremburg

October 16, 1946 – Ten Nazi War Criminals Hung at Nuremburg.
The following were all found guilty and hung at Nuremburg:
● - Hans Frank, German war criminal (b. 1900)
● - Wilhelm Frick, German war criminal (b. 1877)
● - Alfred Jodl, German military officer (b. 1890)
● - Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Austrian SS officer (b. 1903)
● - Wilhelm Keitel, German military officer (b. 1882)
● - Joachim von Ribbentrop, German politician (b. 1893)
● - Alfred Rosenberg, Nazi ideologist (b. 1893)
● - Fritz Sauckel, German war criminal (b. 1894)
● - Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Austrian Nazi leader (b. 1892)
● - Julius Streicher, German propagandist (b. 1887)

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Frank

Journalist Howard K. Smith wrote of his execution:

Hans Frank was next in the parade of death. He was the only one of the condemned to enter the chamber with a smile on his countenance.

Although nervous and swallowing frequently, this man, who was converted to Roman Catholicism after his arrest, gave the appearance of being relieved at the prospect of atoning for his evil deeds. He answered to his name quietly and when asked for any last statement, he replied in a low voice that was almost a whisper, "I am thankful for the kind treatment during my captivity and I ask God to accept me with mercy."

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Frick

Wilhelm Frick’s role in formulating the Enabling Act as Minister of the Interior, the later Nuremberg Laws and as controller of German concentration camps led to his conviction for planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was sentenced to death on October 1, 1946, and was hanged two weeks later. Of his execution, journalist Howard K. Smith wrote:

The sixth man to leave his prison cell and walk with handcuffed wrists to the death house was 69-year-old Wilhelm Frick. He entered the execution chamber at 2.05 a.m., six minutes after Rosenberg had been pronounced dead. He seemed the least steady of any so far and stumbled on the thirteenth step of the gallows. His only words were, "Long live eternal Germany," before he was hooded and dropped through the trap.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Jodl

The primary French judge at the Nuremberg Trials, Henri Donnedieu de Vabres protested strongly against Alfred Jodl's conviction, stating that it was a miscarriage of justice for a professional soldier to be convicted if he held no allegiance to Nazism.

Jodl pleaded not guilty "before God, before history and my people". Found guilty on all four charges, he was hanged, although he had asked the court to be executed by firing squad. His last words were "My greetings to you, my Germany." His remains were cremated at Munich, and the ashes were raked out and scattered into the Conwentzbach, a small river flowing into the Isar. He has a cenotaph in the family plot in the Fraueninsel Cemetery, Chiemsee, Germany.

On 28th February 1953, Jodl was posthumously exonerated by a German de-Nazification court, which cited Nuremberg Trial judge Donnedieu's statements and found Jodl not guilty of crimes under international law. Thereby his hanging was posthumously declared to have been unjust.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Kaltenbrunner

Ernst Kaltenbrunner was found guilty of war-crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to death. He was executed at around 1.40 a.m. on October 16, 1946; his last words were:

I have loved my German people and my fatherland with a warm heart. I have done my duty by the laws of my people and I am sorry this time my people were led by men who were not soldiers and that crimes were committed of which I had no knowledge. Germany, good luck.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Keitel

On May 8, 1945, Wilhelm Keitel signed Nazi Germany's surrender to the Red Army. Four days later he was arrested, and soon faced the International Military Tribunal, which charged him with a number of offences: conspiracy to commit crimes against peace; planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression; war crimes; and, finally, crimes against humanity. The IMT rejected Keitel's defence that he was following orders in conformity to the Führerprinzip or leadership principle. Instead he was found guilty on all charges. To underscore the criminal, rather than military, nature of Keitel's acts the Allies denied his request to be shot by firing squad and hanged him instead. His last words were "I call on God Almighty to have mercy on the German people. More than 2 million German soldiers went to their death for the fatherland before me. I follow now my sons - all for Germany."

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_von_Ribbentrop

Joachim von Ribbentrop was a defendant at the Nuremberg Trials, and the Allies' International Military Tribunal found him guilty of all charges brought against him. Even in prison, Ribbentrop remained subservient to Hitler, stating "Even with all I know, if in this cell Hitler should come to me and say 'Do this!', I would still do it."

During the trial, Ribbentrop rather unsuccessfully attempted to deny his role in the war. For example, during his cross-examination, the prosecution brought up claims that he (along with Hitler and Göring) threatened the leader of Czechoslovakia, Emil Hacha, with a "threat of aggressive action." The questioning resulted in the following exchange:

PROSECUTION: What further pressure could you put on the head of a country beyond threatening him that your Army would march in, in overwhelming strength, and your air force would bomb his capital?
RIBBENTROP: War, for instance.

While not recorded in the trial transcript, Göring was said to have remarked, after hearing these words, that Ribbentrop deserved to hang, if only for his stupidity.

Since Göring had committed suicide a few hours prior to the time of execution, Ribbentrop was the first politician to be hanged on the morning of October 16, 1946. After being escorted up the 13 steps to the waiting noose, Ribbentrop was asked if he had any final words. He calmly said: "God protect Germany. God have mercy on my soul. My final wish is that Germany should recover her unity and that, for the sake of peace, there should be understanding between East and West." As the hood was placed over his head, Ribbentrop added: "I wish peace to the world." After a slight pause the executioner pulled the lever, releasing the trap door Ribbentrop stood upon. Most accounts, including an official British report, agree Ribbentrop's hanging was botched. Rather than breaking his neck and killing him instantly, as it should have, the rope slowly strangled Ribbentrop. He was pronounced dead approximately 20 minutes after being dropped.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Rosenberg

Alfred Rosenberg was an early and intellectually influential member of the Nazi party, who later held several important posts in the Nazi government. He is considered the main author of key Nazi ideological creeds, including its racial theory, persecution of the Jews, Lebensraum, abolition of the Treaty of Versailles, and opposition to "degenerate" modern art. At Nuremberg he was tried, sentenced to death and executed by hanging as a war criminal.

Quotes:
"I didn't say that the Jews are inferior. I didn't even maintain they are a race. I merely saw that the mixture of different cultures didn't work." (12 January 1946)
"We let 50,000 Jewish intellectuals get across the border. Just as I wanted Lebensraum for Germany, I thought Jews should have a Lebensraum for themselves - outside of Germany." (15 December 1945)
"No." (When asked if he had any last words. 16 October 1946)

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Sauckel

Fritz Sauckel was a defendant at the Nuremberg Trials accused of conspiracy to commit crimes against peace; planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression; war crimes and crimes against humanity. He defended the Arbeitseinsatz as "nothing to do with exploitation. It is an economic process for supplying labour". He denied that it was slave labour or that it was common to deliberately work people to death (extermination by labour) or to mistreat them.

He was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and together with a number of colleagues, he was hanged on October 16, 1946. His last words were recorded as "Ich sterbe unschuldig, mein Urteil ist ungerecht. Gott beschütze Deutschland!" (I'm dying innocently, my sentence is not just. God protect Germany!).

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Seyss-Inquart

Arthur Seyss-Inquart was an open anti-Semite: on his arrival in the Netherlands he immediately took measures to remove Jews from the government, the media and leading positions in the economy. Anti-Jewish measures intensified from 1941, the 140,000 or so Jews were registered, ghettos were created in Amsterdam and camps were set up at Westerbork and Vught, and, in February of 1941, 1,000 Jews were sent to Buchenwald and Mauthausen concentration camps. Later, the Dutch Jews were sent to Auschwitz. As Allied forces approached in September 1944 the remaining Jews at Westerbork were removed to Theresienstadt. Of the 140,000 registered only 13,500 survived the war.

At the Nuremberg Trials Seyss-Inquart faced charges of conspiracy to commit crimes against peace; planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression; war crimes; and crimes against humanity. Defended by Gustav Steinbauer, he was found guilty of all charges except conspiracy. Sentenced to death, he was hanged on October 16, 1946, at the age of 54, together with nine other Nuremberg defendants, his last words were "I hope that this execution is the last act of the tragedy of the Second World War and that the lesson taken from this world war will be that peace and understanding should exist between peoples. I believe in Germany".

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Streicher

Julius Streicher was found guilty of crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trial and sentenced to death on October 1, 1946. His last words, before execution on October 16, 1946, were "Heil Hitler," and, "The Bolsheviks will hang you one day!" making him the only sentenced Nazi to declare this at the end. Streicher was not a member of the military and was not part of planning the Holocaust, the invasion of Poland, or the Soviet invasion. Yet his role in inciting the extermination of Jews was significant enough, in the prosecutors' judgment, to include him in the indictment. This decision is still debated because of its implications for speech and the press.

According to Dennis Bark and David Gress, A History of West Germany, vol.2, these were Streicher's last words before being hanged:

"Heil Hitler! Dies ist mein Purimfest 1946. Ich gehe zu Gott. Die Bolschewisten werden eines Tages Euch auch hängen."
("Heil Hitler! This is my Purim celebration 1946. I go to God. The Bolshevists will one day hang you, too.")

This last may be a reference to the defeat of Haman and the hanging of his ten sons, enemies and persecutors of the Jews, in the Book of Esther. The Jewish holiday Purim commemorates that event. It is believed that Streicher was making the observation that, likewise, ten contemporary enemies and persecutors of the Jews, himself included, were being hanged (the eleventh Nazi found guilty, Hermann Göring, had committed suicide the night before). By ironic coincidence, Streicher was indeed executed on a Jewish holiday, but a very different one - Hoshanah Rabbah - the day that Jews believe God seals His judgement on the fate of humanity for the year ahead (Purim that year fell on March 17). It took 12 minutes of hanging till he died.

I admit when I decided to write about the subject it was with some reservations. The reasons for these reservations are two-fold. The first is the current trial of Saddam Hussein occurring in Iraq. The Nuremburg Trials for all their faults, the most glaring of which is the victor’s revenge aspect, were an honest attempt by the participants (except defendants) to bring some justice to the horrors of World War Two. It is rarely mentioned that Churchill wanted summary execution of all top Nazi officials. Stalin suggested the execution of all German officers and above in rank. This was done with Saddam’s sons and I am sure if others had found Saddam, his fate would have been the same. The government of Iraq replaced the head Judge because they felt the original Judge had been ruling too favorably in Saddam’s favor. The message is clear to the replacement Judge, do nothing that might allow Saddam not to get the death penalty. When the Nuremburg Trials were completed, the world and the United States had a sense that while not perfect the trials were as fair as possible. There was an overall feeling that justice had been served. Many felt that the final sentences were too light for the crimes that were committed. There is no hope for a similar outcome in Saddam’s trial.

Another is the prosecution of the war in Iraq. If we judge ourselves by the same standards that we judged the German Nazis, then we are most certainly guilty of war crimes. The Nuremburg Tribunal set the standard that any war that was not self-defense or a war of last resort was a war of aggression and therefore a crime against humanity. The invasion and occupation of Iraq was neither. The latest numbers from the “Lancet” say there have been 1 in 20 Iraqi civilians, over 650,000 killed because of the invasion. Even if one were to accept Bush’s number of 30,000 it is far too many. An Iraqi life is not worth less than an American. We here in the U.S. talk about the invasion of illegals when we should be concentrating on illegal invasions. Where are the sanctions against us? Not coming because even though weakened we still have many countries by the short hairs economically. This is another case of American hypocrisy at its worst.

This type of action will taint our country for a long time. When I was growing up, I truly felt that America had the moral high ground. We no longer have the high ground and will have to work hard just to get out the hole we have dug for ourselves.


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October 15, 1946......Hermann Göring Commits Suicide

October 15, 1946 Hermann Göring poisons himself the night before his execution at the Nuremberg Trials.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_G%C3%B6ring

One of his last acts was to ask his brother Albert Göring to look after his wife and daughter. Göring said he would accept the court's death penalty if they allowed him to be shot as a soldier instead of hanged as a common criminal, but the court members refused to allow him this honor. Defying the sentence imposed by his captors, he committed suicide with a potassium cyanide capsule the night before he was supposed to be hanged. Where Göring obtained the cyanide, and how he had managed to hide it during his entire imprisonment at Nuremberg, remains unknown. In the 1950s, Erich von dem Bach-Zalewski claimed that he had given Göring the cyanide shortly before Göring's death. However, this claim is usually dismissed. Later theories speculate that Göring befriended U.S. Army Lieutenant Jack G. "Tex" Wheelis, who was stationed at the Nuremberg Trials and helped Göring obtain cyanide which had likely been hidden among Göring's personal effects when they were confiscated by the Army. In 2005, former Army private Herbert Lee Stivers claimed he gave Göring "medicine" hidden inside a gift fountain pen from a German woman the private had met and flirted with. Stivers served in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division's 26th Regiment, who formed the honour guard for the Nuremberg Trials. Stivers claims to have been unaware of what the "medicine" he delivered actually was until after Göring's death. After his suicide, Hermann Göring was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Conwentzbach in Munich, which runs into the Isar river.

What I think of as his most disturbing quote:

Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. ...Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

Goering was second only to Hitler in power and evil in the Nazi regime. In many ways, he was quite the opposite of Hitler. Hitler was a vegetarian with an austere lifestyle from the lower middle class and served in the enlisted ranks of the military. Goering was an aristocrat with a rich appetite for the finer things in life. His military service was always as an officer. However, after WWI both felt Germany had been betrayed by the Treaty of Versailles. Both were very early members of the Nazi Party. When Hitler assumed his mantle of power, Goering had the good sense (or was just cowardly enough) not to challenge Hitler’s absolute power. There has been some evidence that Goering was personally responsible for the fire at the Reichstag.

Hitler and Goering got along well until the last few days of the war. Goering made attempt to contact the Allies in an effort to surrender and avoid the total destruction of Berlin. Hitler was furious and ordered Goering’s arrest. The war ended and Hitler committed suicide himself before Goering could be arrested. This falling out proved to be no aid in his defense at the Nuremburg Trials, as the court stated, except for Hitler he bore the ultimate guilt.

Goering’s final act of suicide was ultimately an act of cowardice. He had order the death of so many that he did not deserve death with dignity. He could not face his fellow Nazis and die like a man but did so in the privacy of his own cell. We must study Goering and Hitler in detail, and be ever vigilant for signs of similar actions in our own leaders.



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October 14, 1998......Eric Robert Rudolph is charged with Olympic bombing

October 14, 1998 - Eric Robert Rudolph is charged with 6 bombings including the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta, Georgia.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Robert_Rudolph

Of the bombings committed by Rudolph, the most notorious was the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta on July 27, 1996, during the 1996 Summer Olympics. The blast killed spectator Alice Hawthorne and wounded 111 others. Hawthorne had attended the Olympics with her daughter because she wanted to watch the American basketball team. Melih Uzunyol, a Turkish cameraman who ran to the scene following the blast, died of a heart attack. Rudolph's motive for the bombings, according to his April 13, 2005 statement, was political:

In the summer of 1996, the world converged upon Atlanta for the Olympic Games. Under the protection and auspices of the regime in Washington millions of people came to celebrate the ideals of global socialism. Multinational corporations spent billions of dollars, and Washington organized an army of security to protect these best of all games. Even though the conception and purpose of the so-called Olympic movement is to promote the values of global socialism, as perfectly expressed in the song "Imagine" by John Lennon, which was the theme of the 1996 Games even though the purpose of the Olympics is to promote these despicable ideals, the purpose of the attack on July 27 was to confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand.

The plan was to force the cancellation of the Games, or at least create a state of insecurity to empty the streets around the venues and thereby eat into the vast amounts of money invested.

If this was indeed the plan, it was unsuccessful. Olympic organizers did not even cancel the day's events.

Rudolph's statement did authoritatively clear Richard Jewell, a Centennial Olympic Park security guard, of any involvement in the bombings. Jewell had been falsely suspected of participation in the bombing a few days after the incident, after having been initially hailed as a hero for being the first one to spot Rudolph's explosive device, for saving lives, and for helping to clear the area. When he came (erroneously) under FBI suspicion for involvement in the crime, Jewell became the "prime suspect," and an international news story. Rudolph's confession vindicated Jewell -- who ended up as a symbol, not of domestic terrorism, but of an FBI and media fiasco.

I picked this particular item because coverage of Rudolph was a lot less than Richard Jewell. I had some vague idea that Jewell had been cleared but no firm idea how. It always seemed that they still thought he had done the crime but had no way of proving it. The media seem always ready to implicate someone but very slow to clear the name of the truly innocent.

October 13, 1307......Hundreds of Knights Templar Arrested

October 13, 1307 - Hundreds of Knights Templar in France are simultaneously arrested by agents of Phillip the Fair, to be later tortured into "admitting" heresy.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_IV_of_France

On October 13, 1307, hundreds of Knights Templar in France were simultaneously arrested by agents of Philip the Fair, to be later tortured into admitting heresy in the Order. The Knights Templar were a 200-year-old military order, supposedly answerable only to the Pope. But Philip used his influence over Clement V, who was largely his pawn, to disband the order and remove its ecclesiastical status and protection in order to plunder it.

What became of the Templar treasures in France has long been a mystery that has led to many theories and speculations. There are a number of stories regarding Templars who escaped from Philip's agents, such as the tale that a number of ships sailed from France to Scotland possibly containing some of the Templar treasure, and that some of the Knights who sailed to Scotland later fought in the Battle of Bannockburn with Robert the Bruce when the Scots gained their independence from England.

A modern historical view is that Philip, who seized the considerable Templar treasury and broke up the Templar monastic banking system, simply sought to control it for himself. In 1314, he had the last Grand Master of the Templars, Jacques de Molay, burnt at the stake in Paris. According to legend, de Molay cursed both Philip and Clement V from the flames, saying that he would summon them before God's Tribunal within a year; as it turned out, both King and Pope died within the next year.

What caught my eye on this story was the nickname for the king. How could anyone who tortures to force confessions be considered “the Fair.” Here is a further quote from the same article that explains it. It seems that even in 1307 looks meant more than character.

A member of the Capetian dynasty, Philip was born at the Palace of Fontainebleau at Seine-et-Marne, the son of King Philip III and Isabella of Aragon. Philip was nicknamed the Fair (le Bel) because of his handsome appearance.

September 30, 1999......JCO reactivity accident in Tokai, Japan kills two.

September 30, 1999 - JCO reactivity accident in Tokai, Japan kills two.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokai%2C_Ibaraki

JCO reactivity accident

Tokai is best known for a nuclear accident that occurred on September 30, 1999, which killed two people. The accident was a criticality accident.

The Tokaimura nuclear accident happened at the JCO reconversion plant.

The accident was caused when seven times the allowable limit of 18.8% enriched uranium dioxide was mixed with nitric acid in order to form uranyl nitrate, and was put in a precipitation tank to homogenize. At 10:35 am, when the seventh bucket (making a total of 16 kg of enriched uranium) was poured into the precipitation tank by two technicians, a blue flash of radiation occurred and the two technicians felt severe pain, nausea and had trouble breathing. The radiation alarms went off and the two technicians and their supervising technicians immediately left the building.

The criticality was stopped 20 hours later by draining the cooling water jacket around the precipitation tank and filling it with argon, and purging the tank with boric acid.

Due to the radiation they received, the two technicians died on December 22, 1999, and April 27, 2000, respectively.

I post this as a follow up to the story for September 29th. There was forty two years and a day between the accidents. Only happenstance let this accident cause relatively little harm. It is also very strong evidence that nuclear power is something we humans are just not prepared to handle.

September 29, 1957......Mayak Nuclear Power Plant Explosion

September 29, 1957 - 20 MCi (740 petabecquerels) of radioactive material is released in an explosion at the Soviet Mayak nuclear plant at Chelyabinsk.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayak#The_1957_accident

According to Gyorgy (1979: 128), who invoked the Freedom of Information Act to open up the relevant Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) files, the CIA knew of the 1957 Mayak accident all along, but kept it secret to prevent adverse consequences for the fledgling USA nuclear industry. "Ralph Nader surmised that the information had not been released because of the reluctance of the CIA to highlight a nuclear accident in the USSR, that could cause concern among people living near nuclear facilities in the USA" (Pollock 1978: 9). Only in 1992, shortly after the fall of the USSR, did the Russians officially acknowledge the accident.

I will never cease to be amazed how a part of the American government decides it is for our own good to keep the public in the dark, even about something as critical as this. This proves even more topical with the current administration trying to whip up support for building new nuclear power plants to reduce our dependence on oil. I have faith that the American public can handle the full unvarnished truth a lot easier than finding out after the fact we have been fed a line of dangerous ignorant bullshit.

September 28, 1987......Star Trek: The Next Generation Premieres

September 28, 1987 - Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered the week of September 28, 1987

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry. The first live-action television continuation of the original (1966–1969) series Star Trek, The Next Generation is set nearly a century later and features a new starship and a new crew. It is often referred to as ST:TNG or simply TNG.

The series was conceived of and produced by original Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. It premiered the week of September 28, 1987 with the two-hour pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint" and ran for seven seasons, ending with the final episode "All Good Things..." the week of May 23, 1994. The series was broadcast in first-run syndication, so airdates and airtimes varied among individual television stations. The show gained a considerable following during its run, and like its predecessor, remains popular in syndicated reruns. Its popularity led to a line of spin-off or prequel television series that would continue without interruption until 2005. The series also formed the basis of the seventh through tenth movies of the Star Trek theatrical film series.

After having viewed reruns of the original series endlessly, to the point of being able to repeat almost every word from memory, this new series came none too soon. The great thing for me was this series had more depth of story line and character development. Rodenberry kept his liberal view of the world by showing those that would best survive an interstellar community would be the liberals. While I have not memorized every word of this series like the original, I remain a faithful fan.

September 27, 1964......The Warren Commission Report Released

September 27, 1964 - The Warren Commission releases its report, concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Commission

The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as The Warren Commission, was established on November 29, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of the U.S. President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. It concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing Kennedy. The Commission’s findings have since proved extremely controversial and have frequently been challenged.

The Commission took its unofficial name—the Warren Commission—from its chairman, Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren.

The Warren Commission report is the official “party line” on what is the watershed event in many Americans lives including me. Polls have shown that the majority of those Americans do not believe in the report. There are just too many obvious discrepancies to be taken at face value. JFK assassination researchers and conspiracy theorists are a whole cottage industry in America. The “magic bullet” and the inability of any FBI sharpshooter to replicate Oswald’s alleged shots are just two of the most glaring. I doubt very much that I will live to see the release of information that the family requested be held for at least 75 years, but medical science as started doing wonders.