Nazi Germany

75th Anniversary Of Second World War Beginning: Nazi Germany Invades Poland!

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75 years ago, the Second World War began, with Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland, becoming the most destructive war in human history!

It led to the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the Western world.

It led to the decline and fall of the British and French Empires.

It led to America becoming the most powerful nation in the world.

It led to the creation of nuclear weapons that would threaten the entire globe.

It led to the Holocaust, which killed nearly 13 million people, including almost 6 million Jews.

It is the most transforming event of the 20th century, but an outgrowth of the First World War.

Study of the Second World War abounds, and it is a constantly fascinating, as well as highly disturbing, subject, and always will be!

The ISIL (ISIS) Threat To The Western World Is Real! Far Greater Than The Soviet Union During The Cold War!

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The horrible news emerging that a Western journalist, who had been captured two years ago, has been beheaded, with the disgusting video broadcast with a threat to the United States and the Western world, is yet another alarm bell in the night, warning of the successful spread of the worst Islamic terrorist group in existence, ISIL, also known as ISIS.

This terrorist group has taken over portions of Iraq and Syria, and has declared a Caliphate. It has declared war on Shiite Muslims, including those in Iraq and, most notably in Iran, as well as against Christians, Jews, and all minority religious groups in the Fertile Crescent, and by implication against Saudi Arabia and other Sunni nations that oppose their wave of vicious terrorism. Even Al Qaeda, which brought about September 11, has denounced them and their tactics, including mass murder, rape of women, beheading of children, and destruction of mosques and historic sites.

This is organized insanity, with a threat to the United States and the Western world unmatched in danger since World War II and Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Those that would say the Soviet Union during the Cold War was an equal threat forget that Communism was not based on religion, and in fact, was atheistic, and that the Russians wanted to triumph, but were not suicidal as many of these Islamic terrorist are. So when they saw they could not win, despite much stress and tensions, they stepped back from the brink of destructive war, as in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

Imagine that we could see the Cold War as not as dangerous as Islamic terrorism in the second decade of the 21st century, but this threat from ISIL (ISIS) requires that America do something they cannot imagine, after being sick of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That is, the Western world must unite against this dire threat, and it will require military action, and it makes one wonder how we are going to afford it, and also deal with domestic needs!

It is enough to make one scream, that we cannot seem to avoid war and military operations overseas, and this author was opposed to the war in Vietnam, the war in Iraq, and had doubts about the war in Afghanistan, while supporting the Persian Gulf War against Saddam Hussein.

But what choice do we have, as it is estimated that 100 Americans have gone over to fight for ISIL (ISIS), and maybe a thousand Europeans have done the same, and these trained terrorists can likely return to their home countries and wage war on Western civilization! The US and the European nations are in dire danger, with these terrorists ready to sacrifice themselves in their cause, reminding us of the Kamikaze pilots of Japan in the waning days of World War II!

So it will be necessary for President Obama to abandon his view that we can and must avoid conflict with ground troops in the Middle East, and accept the reality that this time, whatever the past criticisms, we MUST intervene with other nations and fight the ISIL (ISIS) group, as if we do not, there is more certainty of their infiltration of American and European nations to the detriment of all decent people!

Commemoration Of Mississippi “Freedom Summer” Fifty Years Ago!

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Fifty years ago, the Mississippi “Freedom Summer”, including thousands of northerners, white and black, who came to Mississippi to register black voters, in a state which was the absolute worst in race relations, and in many ways still is even now, was marked by the death of three civil rights workers–James Chaney who was black, and Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, who were New Yorkers, Jewish, and students at Queens College in Flushing, New York, my alma mater, and where I was attending at that time.

Tonight, PBS has a two hour “American Experience”, detailing the horrors of Mississippi in 1964, very close to Nazi Germany in its mentality. The documentary portrays the sacrifices and dangers faced by the Civil Rights Movement, occurring just as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed and signed into law. The following year, the Voting Rights Act was passed, in commemoration of the reality of so many barriers, including intimidation of blacks who wanted to vote, including the threat to take away their jobs, force them out of their homes, or even starve them!

When one thinks of what the Republican Party in the South now is doing to cut down the black vote, to deny them the right as if there was no Voting Rights Act, it causes great outrage! And the fact that the Supreme Court has weakened the law, as if there is no need to enforce it, when it is clear that bias still exists in the South, and even elsewhere, is enough to infuriate fair minded people! And finally, the fact that Clarence Thomas, the only black member of the Court, and a beneficiary of affirmative action, sees no need for enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, and has turned on his own race, it is truly maddening!

The Immigrant Children Of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala And The History Of Children Escaping Persecution And Death!

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Nativism in its most incendiary way is rearing its ugly head in regards to the mass migration of women and children, some of them babies, but all under adult age, who are fleeing persecution, bloodshed, and potential death in the unstable nations of Central America, some of the most violent nations on earth.

This is specifically the case of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, with about 90,000 expected to flee their nations, walking on foot, going through tough terrain, many drowning or being overcome by the elements otherwise, but all wanting a better, more secure existence in America.

But the hysteria has grown, that somehow, these women and children are involved in drug smuggling, or are future terrorists over the next generation, or other such ridiculous, hard hearted views of their plight.

One must not forget, however, that this kind of nativism is nothing new in America!

It was visited upon Jews, Italians, Irish, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, and migrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries over the long haul of American history!

This nation refused to open its borders to Jews wishing to escape Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, and very small numbers of children were ever allowed in, and many died in the Holocaust!

Nativism was also utilized against Vietnamese escaping the collapse of South Vietnam forty years ago, with many “Boat People” dying in the South China Sea or the Pacific Ocean, but others making it to America, of all ages.

Cubans escaping Fidel Castro, including many children in the Mariel Boat Lift in 1980, were seen as dangerous and should not be admitted, but eventually were, since they could not be returned to Cuba.

The attempts to bring some Iraqis and Afghans of Muslim religion to this country has been a long battle as well.

But we have a tendency to forget we are a nation of immigrants, and particularly in times of political, social, and economic turmoil, we are the last best hope of mankind to offer asylum!

So now, IF the families of these children from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala can be reunited, then they may be returned to their host nations, but that should only be if their lives are not in danger, as to return them to certain death is unconscionable!

But IF the families cannot be reunited, sad as that may be, we have no realistic choice but to house, feed, and educate them, and give them the possibility of the “American Dream”!

If we simply reject these children and young mothers, we are losing the whole purpose of the American experiment, as expressed by the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We cannot turn our back on these children and condemn them to death, particularly in a nation which claims to support life itself as a goal!

D-Day 70 Years Later: Multiple Events Cross One’s Mind

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70 years ago today, the Allied troops of many nations, spearheaded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s directive, stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, on what came to be known as D Day, the beginning of the liberation of Europe from Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany in World War II. At least 9,000 Americans and many soldiers of many nations died that day, and their sacrifice is commemorated by the cemeteries that hold their remains.

But June 6 has other meanings, more personally as well.

June 6, 1972, was this author’s D Day, meaning the beginning of what has now been a 42 and counting years as a college professor, retired for three years now, but still teaching part time at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

June 6, 2014 is a day in which the author is in New Orleans, planning to visit the World War II Museum this weekend.

Also, today, June 6, 2014, my son David and daughter in law Stephanie are on their honeymoon, and are close to the site of the beach landings at Normandy.

So June 6 means a lot in many ways to this author, and he salutes the troops who gave their lives at Normandy to allow this nation and the civilized world to have basic freedoms and liberties that we celebrate today and every day!

What The Right Wing Was Wrong About In History

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The Right Wing has been proved once again to be wrong, this time on Cliven Bundy, the anarchist in Nevada who refuses to pay his taxes, disobeys the Bureau of Land Management, and says he does not recognize the authority of the federal government.

This is NOT the first time the Right Wing has been wrong!

Consider the following:

Wrong on the threat of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany in the 1930s
Wrong in their opposition to Social Security in the 1930s
Wrong in their condemnation of federal spending during the New Deal
Wrong in their glorification of Chiang Kai Shek as Chinese Leader in the 1940s through 1970s
Wrong in their support of racial segregation in the era of civil rights
Wrong in their belief of the detrimental effect of the 1960s on America
Wrong in their opposition to Medicare in the 1960s
Wrong in their blaming of the Left for the loss in the Vietnam War
Wrong in their demonization of Jimmy Carter’s Presidency
Wrong in their opposition to the Panama Canal Treaty because of fear of danger to American security
Wrong in their glorification of Ronald Reagan’s Presidency
Wrong in their demonization of Bill Clinton’s Presidency
Wrong in their support of the Religious Right evangelical Christianity in American politics
Wrong in their promotion of racist politicians even in recent times
Wrong in their attack on the environmental movement and climate change
Wrong in their promotion of denial of human rights and equality to gay Americans
Wrong in their demonization of Barack Obama’s Presidency

Is this enough of a list?

The Disgraceful Franklin Graham And Ralph Reed

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Franklin Graham is disgraceful as the supposed successor of his dad, the Reverend Billy Graham, who is now 95 years of age.

Franklin Graham is extremely anti Islamic, labeling everyone in the faith as a potential terrorist, and unwilling to work toward reconciliation with the vast number of Muslims who are NOT terrorists, millions of them living in the United States, and facing discrimination that is undeserved.

Additionally, Franklin Graham is extremely anti gay, and applauds Russian leader Vladamir Putin on his nation’s anti gay legislation, failing to understand that gays are being threatened and victimized in ways similar to what happened to them in Nazi Germany. He has absolutely no tolerance or willingness to give gays and lesbians the equal rights in law and social treatment that all Americans are supposed to be guaranteed under the Bill of Rights!

It was good to see ABC News journalist Cokie Roberts challenge Graham on THIS WEEK this past Sunday, and she also did a service by exposing the hypocrisy of Ralph Reed, formerly of the Christian Coalition of Pat Robertson, and now of the Faith And Freedom Coalition, who claimed that gays are not fit to be parents, and that they harm children by adoption, when there is absolutely no such evidence. Reed is a nasty man, a person of doubtful ethical character himself, having engaged in political finance scandals, and demonstrating very right wing views tinged with religious hypocrisy toward women, as well as gays and lesbians.

Graham and Reed are two religious activists worthy of condemnation by those who believe in fairness and justice!

Dr. Benjamin Carson: Stick To Neurology, Not A Warped View Of Politics!

Ronald 8 Comments

Dr. Benjamin Carson is a renowned, and now retired, neurosurgeon, applauded for his great work with children, particularly for his accomplishment of separating conjoined twins joined at the head. Everyone should applaud his achievements, and his obvious genius, in the medical profession.

However, Carson has become the center of controversy ever since he decided to get involved in politics, and showed an extremist view of reality and public affairs.

Rumored to be thinking of running for President, the African American surgeon has taken stands for the past few years, which put him on the far right of the Republican Party, often sounding like the conservative talk show hosts that have undermined the historic, mainstream GOP.

The Tea Party finds Carson fascinating, and that alone should alarm any sensible thinking person.

Carson now says that progressivism, the Progressive Era, and everything that progressives and liberals believe, is similar to Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler! He also says ObamaCare is the worst thing since slavery!

This has been said before by right wing ideologues, but has no basis in truth and reality!

What Carson and his extremist believers are promoting is that the advancement of women, racial minorities, immigrants, labor, and the environment are a conspiracy against the American people, when in reality, this is simply code language for the exploitation by corporations and the top one percent, in the name of unbridled capitalism.

So the battles of the Progressives, New Dealers, and Great Society advocates of the 20th century against the backwardness and exploitation of the Gilded Age, is back in full swing with Benjamin Carson and others who speak for the ruling class, including the Koch Brothers, and many other multibillionaires, who could not care less about the middle class and the poor, and the oppressed groups among us!

January 30 Commemoration Of FDR Birth And Adolf Hitler Coming To Power In Nazi Germany!

Ronald 2 Comments

The day January 30 represents a significant positive moment in American history with the birth in 1882 of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who would become the second greatest President in American history, after Abraham Lincoln. FDR would take America through the Great Depression and World War II, and gave us the New Deal programs that are part of America ever since!

The New Deal made a dramatic difference in people’s lives, and continues to have a positive effect on America after 80 years. What Barack Obama has had to deal with is very similar to what FDR faced, with the opposition of extreme right wingers in the business community plotting against him until they were exposed in 1934, forcing the end of their plotting, but demonstrating that they were a threat to American democracy. The present Tea Party Movement is the inheritor of that extremist group, out to promote the top one percent at the expense of the other 99 percent of the nation.

As much as we can applaud the celebration of the 132nd anniversary of FDR’s birth, we must be sober at the fact that on FDR’s 51st Birthday as President Elect in 1933, the coming to power of Adolf Hitler on that day 81 years ago, marked the beginning of the massive loss of life and freedom for hundreds of millions of people who became victims in, and outside of, Nazi Germany over the next dozen years. The thought that there were many Americans who applauded what Hitler represented, including many in the business community, is enough to make one shudder and express total disgust. But the right wing today is not all that different in its racism, its hatred of democracy, and its promotion of corporate interests, similar to what the Nazis advocated!

So today is a day to commemorate the greatness of FDR, but also to mourn, and never forget, the nightmare of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany!

Many Significant Anniversaries In 2014

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As we enter the year 2014, we are reminded that many significant anniversaries, that have affected America and the world at large, are being celebrated this year.

In 1689, 325 years ago, we had the Glorious Revolution in England, which ended absolute monarchy and established the rule of Parliament, and the promotion of the English Bill of Rights, all of which would become the model for the American Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution.

In 1789, 225 years ago, we had the French Revolution’s beginning, with its promotion of the concepts of liberty and equality, and it would affect the concept of revolutions in other nations over time, and also advocate the concept of popular sovereignty and democracy.

In 1914, 100 years ago, we saw the beginnings of the First World War, which would kill over 8 million people, bring about America’s first major international engagement, and lead to the rise of Communism in the Soviet Union, Fascism in Italy, and Nazism in Germany, all leading to World War II.

In 1939, 75 years ago, we had the beginnings of a war that caused even greater loss of life and property damage, World War II, and would see the horrors of the Holocaust, and the rise of America to leadership of the free world against the Soviet menace, and the beginnings of the Cold War.

In 1989, 25 years ago, we would see the end of the half century Cold War between the Soviet Union and the Western democracies, led by the United States, with the Berlin Wall symbol, which had been built in 1961, suddenly coming to a dramatic end, and the liberation of the Eastern European nations which had been part of the Soviet Empire, followed by the fall of the Soviet Union itself in 1991.

We will see a lot of attention paid to these anniversaries this year, particularly the First World War, the Second World War, and the Cold War, as they have shaped so much of world history and American history in the past century!