Honoring the Greatest Generation

Tuesday, June 6, 1944. It was perhaps the greatest moment of the greatest generation. The weather was miserable. It had been pouring down rain with heavy gusts off and on for days, and when it wasn't raining, it was gloomy and overcast. Weather reports at the time said the weather was more akin to Fall than the Summer. However, there was expected to be a brief break. It wouldn't be much of one.

 It would still be overcast and the waters choppy, but the rain would stop and the wind over Northern France would be relatively calm. The invasion had already been postponed once because of the weather. The next anticipated break wouldn't in until early July...at best. That would give the Germans additional time to reinforce their already formable defenses. Perhaps worse, it could give time for mistakes to be made. 

Meanwhile, there were some 156,000 men chomping to go. They had been honed to a razor's edge.  Many had already been loaded onto the waiting ships three days prior. Most of them were seasick from the choppy water rocking the ships back and forth and up and down. At the same times, planes---bombers, fighters and transports---sat on the ground; fueled, armed, and awaiting their green light to load up, fire up, and go. Scattered at sites all over England millions more waited for the order to go.

Many were civilian or former veterans to old for regular service, while others were military; reserve and auxiliary, both men and women. They were on ships, at airfields, sitting in radar, communication, or command stations, air raid and observation outposts which scanned the skies looking for any hint that the Germans might preempt the pending invasion. The tension was palpable. It was like thousands of rubber bands twisted to the breaking point just waiting to be released. This was Operation Overlord, the code-name for the invasion of France by the Allies. Some 15 nations were taking part in this, the largest invasion ever attempted in history.

Just across the English Channel lay France. On a clear day, you could just make out its shores. But these weren't welcoming shores awaiting its liberators. These shores represented the first visible signs of Hitler's Fortress Europe, and the soldiers behind its more than ample fortifications knew the Allies were coming; they had been for many months. They were waiting, dug in behind massive reinforced concrete barriers, and just as tense and sharp as their counterparts. Many were combat experienced. 

Waiting for the Allied troops on those not-so-distant shores was sixty combat divisions, which made up approximately 850,000 German troops and ten panzer divisions. including the famous 21st Panzer Division which was one of the two divisions which had made up the famous Afrika Korp. This was Fortress Europe, designed by Organization Todt starting in 1940 with the Fall of France, using thousands of mostly forced labor alongside highly skilled German engineers, craftsmen, and builders. 

Fortress Europe (or "Festung Europa" in German) was the name given to the Atlantic Wall; a vast series of massive gun emplacements housed near impenetrable bunkers, observation posts supported by the MG42 machine gun which could spit 1500 rounds per minute with deadly accuracy, miles of razor wire and an estimated six million landmines along the beaches and roads near Normandy. 

The overall commander was General Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, who, fortunately for the Allies, was not among Germany's best generals. As commander of Army Group "A", he issued the "halt order" at Dunkirk allowing thousands of British and French to escape, to England. Then as commander of Army Group South during the invasion of Soviet Russia, was responsible for largest encirclements in history---the surrounding of the Germany Army by the Russians at the Battle of Kursk. Finally, he ordered a unapproved withdrawal of troops during the battle at Rostov. For his repeated failures and incompetence, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in the West. Why you ask? Because he was also Hitler's favorite "yes man". 

General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the famed "Desert Fox" of North Africa, was second in command, and considered by some to be among Germany's very best generals. He was in commander of Army Group "B" and responsible for the defenses in and around Normandy up through the southern portion of the Netherlands. Other key officers included Walter Model, Paul Hausser, and Gunther von Kluge. 

Angled and sharpen telephone poles like giant pongee sticks designed to destroy gliders and other aircraft (nicknamed "Rommel's asparagus"), and 200,000 steel barriers made up of railroad tracks all along the beaches, designed to be hidden at high tide and would ripe the bottoms of landing craft open like a can of flailing sardines. In addition, there was a myriad of concrete enforced trenches and underground rail lines to quickly move men, ammunition, and other material. Beyond that were numerous barracks and other fortifications, often camouflaged as haystacks, barns or houses. Lastly was overlapping communication lines. 

The Atlantic Wall itself ran from Brittany coast in far Western France all along the Northern coastline to include Belgium and Holland. In addition, German troops had fortified the coastlines all along Denmark and Norway. This truly was a "Festung Europa". As an interesting aside, German troops had painted in minute detail everything within view from their gun emplacement on the inside walls of their bunkers right down to every bush. If something appeared which wasn't on that permanent map, it was destroyed. 

So, what do you do when the enemy knows you're coming? You distract them, and that's exactly what the Allies did months ahead of the planned invasion (code-named "Operation Fortitude). The Allies used everything trick in the book, and then some, to make the Germans believe, not that there would be no invasion, but that the invasion would take place 370 miles away, at the Pas de Calais (driving time would be roughly 6 to 7 hours). What was significant about this particular area is that it's the closest point between France and the UK. It's also where Hitler had previously considered invading England from. Thus, the Allies played on Hitler's ego by convincing him that his idea for using Calais was the correct one. 

The Allies did everything from planting false plans, notes, and letters on individuals (and even once used a corpse) knowing that they would be intercepted by the Germans which would only fed their preconceived notions. Meanwhile, unknown to German intelligence, all of their spies had been captured. Many were "convinced" to work for the British, and thus would send false reports back to Berlin.

The Allies even built up an entire fake army around General George Patton, whom the Germans believed was the best Allied general and the man most likely to lead an invasion. They even created inflatable planes, trucks, tanks, and false radio traffic for the Germans to monitor. On top of this was around the clock bombing by US and British bombers to ensure the Germans always operated under pressure. 

Just prior to the invasion, the Allies stepped up their bombing campaign over France to further weaken the Germans. Finally, after months of planning, delays, setbacks, and mounting pressure from Stalin to open another front, it was decided by overall Allied Commander, General Dwight D Eisenhower and his staff, composed of senior Allied officers which included Arthur Tedder, Bernard Montgomery, and Bertram Ramsey, late in the evening on June 5th to go the following morning. It was then or never. The invasion was on. In private, Eisenhower composed two messages for broadcast. The first was to announce the success of the landing, which he hoped to give. The second for the all too real potential failure which he half expected to deliver.

The Allies amassed the greatest armada of ships the world had ever seen. Some 5,333 ships and landing crafts were prepared to sail. Ahead of the land assault was the aerial assault by approximately 23,400 US paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne along with British 6th Airborne and RAF Pathfinders silently coming in by glider. Their jobs would be to seize key bridges, rail points, and key crossroads in order to prevent German reinforcements from reaching the beachheads. 

In addition to being the largest naval armada in the annals of world history, there were also 3,455 operational heavy bombers, 989 operational light and medium bombers, and 3,824 fighters available on June 6th. However, due to a shortage of aircrews, not all of these flew on D-Day. Nevertheless, some 7,774 planes did fly that day (that number jumps to 9,000 if you include transports and gliders. By contrast, the Luftwaffe had available just 815 assorted planes). The sight and sound of all those planes must have been mind numbing. 

Unfortunately though, the landing took place at low tide causing the men to wade to shore yards out than anticipated since the drafts of landing craft prevented them from getting closer in to shore. As a result, hundreds of men stepped off wearing 80 pound backpacks into water over their heads; the weight of their equipment dragging them down to drown. Tanks, jeeps, and other vehicles also sank as the water was to deep or to rough. 

However, the low tide exposed the beach barricades which would had destroyed the landing craft had they tried to land at high tide. They also provided a measure of protection for the men to hide behind, saving who knows how many lives. Meanwhile, entire landing crafts were ranked by the murderous fire of the MG42s and small arms fire, often killing entire landing crews before they had a chance to step off. 

The Allies were, however, lucky in other ways too. First, many of the heavy gun emplacements were yet to be installed either or were manned by smaller caliber artillery pieces. Of the sixty combat infantry divisions and ten Panzer divisions, including key SS units, which comprised the 850,000 troops and 1,555 tanks in France at the time, the majority---the most experienced---were stationed at Port of Calais, there were only 80,000 troops at Normandy on June 6th and elements of just one Panzer division.

To make matters worse for the Germans, of the 80,000 or so troops in Normandy, the majority had little or no combat experience. In fact, most were Auxiliary and conscripts (many as young as 16) who came from the Eastern territories. Also, many of the tanks on hand weren't yet combat operational; needing repairs or refitting. Those which were working hadn't been brought up the front at previously instructed. 

Finally, the top command of German forces, including the commander for Army Group B, which covered Normandy, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, were away. Some had decided to take some extended leave time in Paris and surrounding areas, not expecting an invasion due to weather, while Rommel had returned home on a surprise visit for his wife's birthday---June 6th. Meanwhile, Hitler was so convinced that the invasion would come at the Pas de Calais, that he had given strict instructions that no units---men, tanks, artillery, or plane---could be released without his personal approval. 

As a result, the Germans were poorly prepared for any attack, but the cherry on the top of the streusel was than when it was confirmed that the attack was indeed underway, Hitler was asleep. Suffering from bouts of insomnia, Hitler had taken a sleeping pill just hours before and his aides were afraid to wake Hitler up, and so the Allies were able to establish a foothold while Hitler counted sheep (Aryan no doubt).

 By the time Hitler finally awoke, the damage had been done. Even then, he was persuaded to release only a fraction of what was available (notably the 12th SS Panzer Division and the Panzer Lehr Division). In fact, while it should had only taken about six or so hours for reinforcing Hitler's Panzer units to make the journey from Pas de Calais to Normandy, French resistance fighters were able to use the delay to, give the Allies nearly three extra days to reinforce their positions by blocking or destroying roads, bridges, cutting powerlines, ambushing soldiers, and destroying fuel depots.   

Finally, to give some additional weight to the overall complexity of D-Day, besides the 150,000+ soldiers who participated in the landing and the 5,333 ships which got them there (including 200 warships which participated in the offshore bombardment) and the 9000 aircraft which flew a total of 11,085 missions, there were 200,000 vehicles plus 1,550 tanks landed on the beaches that day along with 1,695 tons of material.

Meanwhile Allied bombers dropped 7,616 tons of bombs that night before the invasion followed by 10,395 tons of bombs during the day of the invasion. 27 amphibious tanks were sunk at Utah beach, 120 Allied ships were damaged by German shelling, plus another 59 Allied ships which were sunk. Lastly, because of overwhelming Allied air superiority, the once famed Luftwaffe was only able to get just 100 or so planes up. 

D-Day, June 6th 1944 marked the beginning of the end for the German occupation of France, and eventually for the rest of Europe". By May 1945, the war in Europe would be over, and by August the war in the Pacific would come to a close too. There's another matter we must take into consideration too. 

Field Marshall Rommel remarked, about a pending invasion of Fortress Europe, that whenever and wherever it happened, it would be the "longest day" of the war. For approximately 5000 men it was indeed their "longest day" because for them that day never ended. They were the ones who died on that day. In addition, some 15,000 French civilians living in and around Normandy also died, mostly from Allied shelling. 

On the German side, around 9000 soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner including 28 generals. When calculated for the entire Normandy Campaign, which lasted from June 6 to August 30th, there were 209,000 Allied casualties. For the Germans, it was roughly 200,000. As an aside, the average age of a GI at the time was just 19 while the average age of an officer (excluding senior officers) was only 23. 

While it's hard to believe that these old men with their walkers, canes, and wheelchairs accomplished these feats for which have all but been consigned to history books and the movies, there is no doubt that 81 years ago these were men of unbreakable will and character. They lived through a depression, fought a war, and came home to remake a nation. The same can be said of all the women who served as well and those who supported the war effort at home.

According to the Veterans Administration, out of the millions who served during WWII, there are approximately only 66,000 remaining, and we're losing on average 250 of these national treasures a day. Make no mistake that these men and women were indeed our greatest generation and we should feel blessed that they existed.

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D-Day Causalities: Total Allied and Axis Numbers

Figures of the Normandy Landing

Atlantic Wall

Normandy Landing

Operation Fortitude

German Air Forces on D-Day---Normandy---1944

The German Response to D-Day

Yes Virginia, America is Becoming Fascist: The Myth of a Socialist America

We all see it nearly every time we get onto social media. Some group or another is trying to promote the concept that America is on the fast track toward socialism, Nazism, Communism, or whatever. They produce a list of greatly distorted "statistics', coupled with a picture of Hitler, Marx, or one of the other nefarious "villains" from the authoritarian pantheon of recent history.

The object is, of course, to spoon feed you and the rest of the public something approaching Pablum which is suppose to pass for knowledge. In trust, that's not Pablum they're peddling.  If you bother to look who's behind these sponsored posts,, you'll usually find that they're some extremist group looking to build support for some issue or bill, and not uncommonly, looking for some of your money.

Of course, social media being what it is, people tend to simply forward along what they see on the surface without doing much (or any) research. It's objective is to use our first impression and what we want to believe (all facts aside) and to function as "click bait". We do their marketing for them.  We've been conditioned to associate certain images, phrases, and images with particular emotions. We see a hammer and sickle, we automatically think Stalin or gulags. We see a swastika, and it's Hitler and concentration camps.

Today's political marketers have learned to link those images. If you're conservative, an image of Obama almost automatically triggers an image of Hitler or Stalin, if not Satan incarnate. If you're liberal, the same image practically makes you think of the Second Coming.  

Nowadays, we're being conditioned (just like Pavlov's dog or lab rats) to react a certain way every time we see or hear the terms "socialism", "Communism", Nazism, or "Fascism". If you're someone who's inquisitive and not willing to accept things at face value (as I am), you want to know why. You want to know who is behind the piece and what they gain and who is on the losing end.

Of course, that requires some thinking for yourself, which, sadly, isn't as common as it once was. The key reason is that education has repeatedly been dumbed down. Students are no longer taught critical thinking skills. Instead, they are taught to memorize what's presented to them and then to regurgitate it back in the form of a "standardized" test. It's no wonder students "graduate" from high school functionally two or three grades below where they should be.

Many students with a high school diploma are reading at a 10th grade level. Their math skills aren't much better. When it comes to history, civics, the sciences, or literature it's worth. The United States repeatedly performs toward the bottom among industrialized nations when it comes to reading, math, and science.

The world academic benchmark, set by the Programme for International Student Assessment (or PISA), ranks 30 of the 64 other industrial nations over the U.S. academically, and this wasn't a one off. It's consistent.  "Why is this?" you might ask yourself.  With the amount of money we spend on education and teachers, we shouldn't be ranked alongside second tier countries, and you would be right.

An ignorant populace, is a populace easily led. We've often heard the old maxim that employers want employees just smart enough to the job but not smart enough to question their bosses. Well, imagine that from a political perspective--- creating voters just smart enough to follow along but not smart enough to question their leaders.

People are usually so preoccupied with a increasingly chaotic "life" , they have no time or interest in researching what's actually happening (even if they knew where to look), not to mention confused and frustrated by the constant partisan bickering and crisis "de jure".

Most just want to turn on some mindless "reality" or game show, or watch a mediocre sitcom, Sadly, they're so brain numb from merely surviving the daily grind to recognize all the subtle political messaging in the shows and commercials (it's called "programming" for a reason you know).   

America, as almost everyone knows, is no longer the "America" of their youth. It's changed, and not for the better. Corporations literally own both parties and their politicians. While both operate behind a self-constructed image that they are the one and only "true" protectors of all that's good and righteous, they serve many of the same corporate masters.

In case you haven't noticed, the mindset in Washington, as well as in state capitals and city halls has changed. They no longer see themselves as our employees "hired" to represent our interests. They view themselves as our superiors; ours "betters". They represent themselves and their friends (who are their "friends"? We'll get to that shortly), but it will suffice to say that at this point, the relationship between (s)elected officials and us is akin to that of master and a serf.

Their lobbyists openly write the legislation and shepherd it through committee after committee, until it finally becomes law. The only conflict, which is hidden behind partisan banners, is between competing corporate interests.

Corporations don't see nations. They see economic zones with governments serving as managers. It doesn't matter if they wear blue ties or red ones as long as they do as they're told. They dictate domestic and foreign policy, which includes the use of the military to force open access to markets or gain control over resources and assets; control is, after all, the name of the game.

Corporations are not democracies, nor are they intended to be democracies. They are, by their very nature, dictatorships. The workers don't get to vote on what they want to do, how much they get paid, or time off. You do the job or you either quit or get fired. Unions give you---the worker---a little more say in your job, but ultimately, it's do as you're told or leave.

The founder of modern Fascism, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, described Fascism as a integration between government and big business; a hand in glove arrangement (hand in mailed fist might be a better analogy).  Fascism borrows from both the Left and Right, depending on a country's history, traditions, laws, and values.

That's why the Fascism of Italy was different from that of Hungary or Romania, which were different from the Fascism of Germany (yes, Nazism is a form of Fascism), which in turn differed from that of Spain or Argentina (or later, in various post-WWII nations in South America which we installed after overthrowing their elected governments). It's also why it can be so confusing.

Fascism can have a centralized leadership, such as Germany did for instance, or it can have a broader committee style leadership like in Italy or Spain. Fascism allows for private business, though smaller shops tend to get forced out by the larger companies. Under Communism, there is literally no private anything---homes, businesses, banks, energy; nothing.  The state controls all.

With Fascism, there is private ownership. However, wages are regulated. Unions get eliminated, nationalized, or assimilated by the company as they are now. The social safety net, interestingly, is often typically enhanced. The government may outsource functions, including social services, to some anonymous corporation which doesn't always have to follow the rules. The police become militarized. There is also the development of a surveillance system, which can morph into a police state.

Additionally, the government/corporate partnership seek to weaken the opposition. They do this by acquiring control of the media and fomenting distention. They use the media to introduce "acceptable" behavior or thought while vilifying others. This includes political parties or ideologies. They also infiltrate various groups and work to either weaken or destroy them.

Along the same lines, they pit groups against each other through manufactured events. Using the media, they invent or play up stories to increase hostilities and suspension. The idea is to create a volatile social situation or crisis whereby the public will, at some point, demand martial law to restore order, which they will be more than willing to do. There is a sense of "empire", be it military, economic, or both. 

With Communism, private ownership of guns aren't permitted except by special permission. Under Fascism, there is a tendency to restrict gun ownership unless total elimination is possible. Despite urban myth to the contrary, the Nazis didn't strip guns from the population. In fact, it was the opposite.

The mainly socialist Weimar government, with pressure from the powerful Communist wing, greatly curtailed the private ownership of guns following WWI. The Nazis, however, restored private ownership of guns with the exception of criminals, Jews, Gypsies, and those deemed as "politically unreliable" such as Communists, anarchists, socialists, and pro-democracy individuals.

While I'm at it, to dispel another popular myth, the Nazis weren't anti-bible, anti-Christian or anti-religion. Religion functioned openly under the Nazis, though a faction had a "pagan" aspect to it, and some Nazis leaders regarded themselves as "neo-pagans".  They did try to introduce something called "Positive Christianity" which purged all Jewish references in the bible, but it wasn't very successful.

 They did, however, prohibit religions like Jehovah Witnesses, Quakers, Pentecostals because of their "anti-state" beliefs. However, the average German continued on as before, with some being Protestant (mainly Lutheran) and others Catholic.  Even the belt buckle of German soldiers had the motto "Gott Mit Uns" (God is With Us) on it.  Communism is officially atheist while democratic socialism is totally open.

Under democratic socialism, there is private property and capitalism, but it's not runaway or predatory capitalism. Certain key businesses, like energy, defense, utilities, national security consultants, banks and financial companies are regulated or nationalized. There is no such thing as "to big to fail" and  having bad business decisions bailed out by taxpayers.

There is usually a national healthcare system and a strong social safety net. Under socialism, there wouldn't be, for instance, a income inequality of 830 : 1 (that's $830 dollars to CEOs for every $1 an ordinary worker gets), or a loss of company benefits. There wouldn't be hungry kids or homeless vets. But, there's also high taxes and prices to cover the costs of all these government services.

It's interesting to note that those companies I mentioned above just so happen to be the big dogs in Washington. I wonder what they and their partisan party boy pals would think of that?  So, democratic socialism is blend of private and public control.  American capitalism historically put more emphasis on individuality and less government interference, allowing the marketplace to dictate who made it and who fails.

 Since the 1930's, there has been limited increases in regulation and a taxpayer sponsored public safety net like President Johnson's "War on Poverty" or the Clean Air and Water acts. Small businesses prospered and unions were strong. People mostly did for themselves. Union membership also declined from 35% of the workforce in 1954 to 12% in 2007 as many of issues unions campaigned for became federal law and more states (especially in the South) adopted "Right to Work" laws. As an aside, the United States is the only industrial nation which doesn't have a Labor party.

We all know the Republic is all but a shell of its former self; an illusion or PR construct. Most academics agree that we've become a Corporatocracy (a neo-fascist blending of state and big business), led by an elite group of very wealthy individuals and corporations. Some call them an oligarchy while others refer to them as a kleptocracy.  To those 99% of us on the bottom, it's all semantics.

The real question is what do you see? The strong vibrant America of your youth or an America becoming controlled more and more by an all powerful centralized state as it acquires private property and manner of businesses, including banks, brokerages firms, the media, oil companies, and the total collapse of Wall Street? If so, that could be Communism.  

Perhaps you see a growing unregulated corporate control over government; a revolving door between government officials and big business; distrust of the media and even elections; a weakening public impact on government? That could be Fascism or Corporatism if you prefer the more modern term.

If you see an increase in government regulation or nationalization of key strategic businesses, an expanding social safety net, growing unions, worker co-ops, and more public input, then maybe you're seeing democratic socialism. As for me,  I see an America in serious trouble and in need of patriots.

 

As Union membership has fallen, the top 10% have beengetting a larger share of income

Labor Unions in the United States

Corporatocracy

What Are We To Make Of The Current UFO Craze?

In case you've been living under a rock (rather than living on one; third from the sun), you've no doubt noticed that UFOs (aka UAP for unidentified aerial phenomena) has become all the rage lately. It likely stems from the recent footage, mostly released from the U.S. Navy, of some strange flying objects (nicknamed "tic tacs" by fighter pilots based on their shape) which seem to defy aerodynamics and reach speeds we can only dream of (these objects have been clocked at speeds exceeding 20,000+ miles per hour). There's even footage shot by a submarine of one diving into the ocean and coming out again.

Interest in UFOs and aliens go back thousands of years, at least based on some authors, and dozens of television shows like "Ancient Aliens" which appears on the History Channel (similar shows also appear on other channels including the Travel and Science channels), not to mention movies and pop culture. There are conventions and all sorts of associations and clubs which focus on the study of UFOs.

Some claim that Mankind is the product of these alien visitors thanks to genetic manipulation, while others claim they provided Humanity with all sorts of technology and know-how as pseudo-gods in the likeness of Prometheus or Sekhmet who, along with hundreds of other gods, gifted Humanity with fire, taught us medicine, agriculture, and smithing.  This is even true of the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam which credits a single entity rather than a pantheon of gods.  

In fact, every civilization and culture to have existed or currently exists on this rather insignificant blue and green orb floating in the backwater of a relatively small and nondescript solar system attributes their origins to those from "up there", not to mention their accomplishments or even their downfall. 

However, starting around 1933, interest, along with reported encounters with these mysterious beings, seems to have taken off. During the later stages of the war, Allied pilots used to report rapidly moving bright balls of light ("foo fighters") harassing or at least monitoring their flights over Germany which were attributed to being one of the Luftwaffe's "Wunderwaffe" or "wonder weapons". These "foo fighters" are thought of as forerunners of EMPs, or electromagnetic impulses designed to knock out a plane's electronics by way of an electrical discharge.

It was learned that after the war, German pilots were also experiencing similar contact with these mysterious balls of light, which reached speeds of over 200 mph, and had no explanation as to what they were.  Nevertheless, maybe these orbs had something to do with the Nazis after all, and the subsequent increase in UFO sightings after the war.  Here's how.

Starting with Hitler's election as Chancellor in 1933, the Nazis went all out with their rallies, thanks in large part to Nazi Architect Albert Speer, who was put in charge of the organizational and technical aspects of the party rallies. The most popular (and notable) feature was the "Cathedral of Lights", which employed 130 to 150 heavy anti-aircraft searchlights aimed straight up into the night sky to form large columns of light which were powerful enough to be seen from space on a clear night.

Each searchlight (either a type 34 or 37) used a 150 centimeter (which is just under five foot in width) highly polished parabolic glass reflector. Each emitted  990 million candelas and could see targets over three miles into the sky. They were powered by a 24 kilowatt generator, driven by a 51 horsepower 8 cylinder engine. That is a massively powerful searchlight, and to think that they were using 130 to 150 of them at any given time.

If you were an alien from other planet who just so happened to be looking our way anytime from the 1933 through 1938, it's just possible you would see a unusual---certainly not natural---focused column of lights emanating from one specific location which might peak your interest. But that wasn't all. If you were also listening, you may catch something else too.

In 1936, the Nazis hosted the Olympics in Berlin. This was "officially" billed as projecting world harmony through friendly competition as well as Germany's first major  "coming out" event and reentry into the community of nations since WWI .  For the Nazis, however, it was time to show off not just the superiority of German athletes, but how robust the economy was and all the innovations Germany had taken the lead in.

One of those innovations was the ability to broadcast the Olympic worldwide to 41 countries through an early version of television for the first time ever. Although it was broadcasted at a modest 40 MHz, it was still powerful to break through the earth's Ionosphere and into space. Hitler later used similar powerful transmitters when making several of his speeches.

So, if our voyaging alien voyeur had the technology, it's possible they could have been able to watch (or at least listen) to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. At the very minimal, they would have been able to hear Hitler's speeches as they reached into space.  Consider that for a moment.  Their first introduction to Humanity would have come from Nazi Germany and their first human image or voice belonged to Adolf Hitler. Gives new meaning to "take us to your leader"...or should it be "Der Fuehrer"?

Nevertheless, contact (or alleged contact) has been on the rise ever since. There has been countless sightings, supposed abductions (some of which can only be summed up as sexual attacks), passive attacks on military bases housing nuclear weapons, nuclear reactors, sites where there has been nuclear testing, and on nuclear powered ships. In addition, they appear to have been monitoring our space flights, be it to the moon, satellites and shuttle launches, the International Space Station, and so forth.

What's more, it isn't just us. Numerous other nations have reported similar events, ranging from Russia, China, Mexico, England, France, and just about every other technically advanced country on the planet. This is truly global. Some astrophysics have cited possible radio signals as proof of possible alien contact. 

We can't forget crop circles, which may be important messages from space. Then again, they may be nothing more than alien graffiti or more earthbound hucksters. But what about cattle mutilations which appear to be done in the dead of the night with precision skill? How do you explain those?

So, what's really going on? Is there anything to all this alien "visitors" business or is it just massive hallucination coupled with some wishful thinking and maybe some down home trickery thrown in for good measure? Could it be one big cover up by a cabal of secret groups, the military, and intelligence agencies to create a "New World Order"? If it is, it has to be the most elaborate hoax ever carried out. 

We, as a species, have been scanning the sky since our beginning. We understood early on that the stars, moon and sun could help us determine the best time to plant and harvest crops. They could help us anticipate the seasons, and even predict the weather. We saw fire, first realized as a lightning strike. It was a powerful force, which we interrupted as some great entity above us giving us both a tool and a warning of their power. We later assigned other events we experienced to new gods, and eventually, at least for those in living in Canaan, to a single god (possible carried over from the "Aton" of Egypt).  

However, with the rise of science, logic and reasoning, the power of the gods consolidated ever smaller, and eventually began to fade. It turned out that the world wasn't flat. The sun didn't revolved around us. We weren't the center of the universe; the lights in the sky weren't pinholes, angels didn't pour water down, and no one was infallible. Yet we kept looking skyward for answers. 

But what are we looking for? Is our search part of some deep innate longing to reconnect with our ancient space faring "ancestors" who planted...or abandoned...us on this rock eons ago? Some claim that earth was/is a giant laboratory  and we're the lab rats. Others claim earth is penal colony.

Given our unruliness and warlike behavior as a species, it may be a bit of both. But are we being breed for violence or servitude? Maybe, like in the Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man", we're simply being cultivated to be the "other red meat". Now, that's a scary thought isn't it?  

Interestingly, NASA recently acknowledged spending one million dollars advising the world's religions on what to expect when---not if---aliens decide to pay us a visit. It will certainly shake a lot of people's faith, not to mention weaken the hold organized religion and even government has on many of us.

Maybe we search the heavens for another reason---fear of being along in the universe. After all, we are a highly social species. We don't like being totally alone. Perhaps it's a quest to seek out someone to save us from ourselves; an intergalactic "savior" who can solve all our problems for us, both globally and individually. Instant Nirvana without really trying.

We know that we're in serious trouble, and not just locally or regionally, but globally. We are facing multiple disasters, mostly of our own making, plus a few thrown in from Mother Nature for good measure. We know that our so-called "leaders" are a bunch of super rich buffoons faking it without ever really making it. All they're doing in running a giant ponzi scheme at our expense.

In truth, they haven't a clue. They create more problems than they solve. Are we hoping that some intergalactic race will come to this planet and save our collective butts. Isn't that what some religions teach---saving the deserving few while leaving the rest to a fate of their own making?

Mankind has been looking for someone to get us out of the mess we create over and over since time immortal. We never learn from our mistakes.  In the beginning, it was "the gods"; a whole plethora of beings with the their own assigned powers, who enjoy tormenting and occasionally blessing us mere mortals.  Then it became a single deity playing good cop/bad cop. Now, we realize it was us all along.

Seeking out intelligent life in space ultimately serves to remind us of our isolation. All we have is each other, yet we squabble like spoiled children with sharp objects. We want to know there's someone out there like "ET" or a pointy ear-like "Mr. Spock" to bail us out if we go too far (I suspect they're actually badass biker types that think of humans as a bucket full of KFC thighs. They just need to find a biscuit).

Dr. Werner von Braun, the father of not just Nazi rocketry (the V1 and V2 were the world's first cruise missile and ICBM respectively), but also of NASA and our missions to the moon, was allegedly asked once where he and the other Nazis scientists who came to be part of "Operation Paperclip" came up with the technology that put Nazi technology over a generation ahead of everyone else? Supposedly Dr. Braun simply smiled, pointed up, and said "them".

Perhaps he was joking. Perhaps the event never really happened and it's just urban folklore. But, regardless, Nazi technology was decades ahead of everyone else. There was a rumored UFO crash in the Black Forest region of Germany, near Coburg, in 1936 (how they fly billions of miles through space, dodging asteroids and space debris, get here and have a wreck is beyond me). They had occult groups which actively sought out contact with aliens, and there were all sorts of weird aircraft such as a prototype of B-1 type stealth bomber, "flying disks", and, of course, "Der Glock" ("the Bell") which, if we're to believe the stories, was something of a time machine which used electromagnetic energy.

Regardless though, we won't stop until we know for sure. Perhaps our exploration of space will eventually create our own version of an alien through modified humans like Star Trek's "Borg"; individuals augmented with artificial prosthetics to enhance our strength or endurance, or compensate for a lack of gravity, couple with artificial intelligence (perhaps a merger with AI), leaving the rest of us to deal with the increase radiation resulting from a depleted ozone layer, polluted air, and synthetic foods made from who knows what (I saw the movie "Soylent Green", which takes place in 2022). Time will tell. But, as Buddha once said, "the trouble is that you think you have time". 

 

The Cathedral of Light of Nazi Rallies, 1937

Will Hitler Be the First Person Aliens See?

Why is Congress being briefed on UFOs---and what they learn?

If they're aliens in those UFOs, they must not like us

Haunebu

The master's voice

 

 

Gun Control: Getting History Right

 I recently saw a post on one of my social media feeds which, frankly, annoyed me. The post read "In the 20th Century, China, Russia, and Germany killed over 125,000,000 of their own citizens! All three were Socialist Governments. All three disarmed their citizens FIRST!  Now, considering the Liberal goals of Socialism and Disarmament in the U.S. remember this: "Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it".  The backdrop contained a grinning skull aside the Capitol building, which, I'm sure, was to reinforce the ominous nature of the message.

The obvious intent of the post was to inspire fear that the Left would strip everyone of their guns and usurp the 2nd Amendment, which has long been use by the Far Right to motivate firearm enthusiasts and those interested in self-protection for decades now, as well as push their fundraising drives.

I have no issue with the general nature of the message itself. I'm a strong advocate of the 2nd Amendment, and I have no qualms when it comes to self-defense or protecting my family, friends, or possessions. If someone values my stuff more than their own life or want to inflict harm on someone I care about, they might want to reevaluate their life choices first.

However, as a amateur historian, I do have an issue with the part of the message concerning China, Russia and Germany. First, let's make it crystal clear, I'm no apologist for Communism, Marxism, Socialism, or Nazism. I am, nevertheless, a stickler for getting facts straight and not trying to bend or twist facts to fit a political message (especially one which tells me about not learning from history).

As I said, I am a published amateur historian (and political economist) with many decades of research under my belt. I regularly contribute to popular Q&A website, with emphasis on the two world wars where I've earned "Top Writer" status multiple times with tens of millions of views worldwide. I think that gives me some credibility. So, let's delve into this claim about China, Russia, and Germany being "Socialist" nations and disarming their populations.   

Between China and Russia, only China remains a Communist country. However, from 1917 until 1991, Russia was epicenter of global Communism. Revolution came to Tsarist Russia in February 1917 when a coalition of Left leaning factions forced Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate, leading to the formation of the Provincial Government led by Alexander Kerensky, a moderate Socialist and member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party (aka the "SRs").

Kerensky helped form the Russian Constituent Assembly, which was the first democratic government body in Russian history. It's worth noting that the Assembly consisted of numerous political parties, of which the most radical, the Bolsheviks, were a bit player at this point. However, due to various internal and external events (including continued military defeats), Vladimir Lenin and his Bolsheviks were able to successfully mount a putsch or coup (often called the "October Revolution"), which overthrew the Provincial Government and forever dissolved the democratic Assembly.

Previously, Kerensky had ordered all citizens (but not military) to turn in their guns out of fear of a counter revolution, but the possibility of a military led coup by pro-Monarchists and Far Right groups forced him to partially rescinded that order, returning them to the masses. However, those weapons mostly ended up in the hands of Lenin's Bolsheviks who lead an assault on the Winter Palace, thus overthrowing the Kerensky Government and ending Russia's experiment in democracy.  But it wasn't an end of the violence.

After Lenin's seizure of power, a bloody civil war (1917 -1923) ensued between the Bolsheviks and the pro-democracy and pro-Monarchists forces, as well as army units from Japan, Poland, China, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Mongolia, England, France, and the U.S. In addition, there were the "Separatists" of the three Baltic states, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. As a result, weapons were disseminated to anyone willing and able to fight. The result was the death of some 10 million people.  

Following Lenin's death in January 1924, the "Man of Steel", Joseph Stalin began a brutal reign which lasted until his death in 1953. When we think of Communism, what we envision is Stalinism, which was not the same as Lenin's Communism which itself was even further from Marx's and Engel's vision.

Lenin had introduced "NEP" (New Economic Program), a type of limited free enterprise. Stalin eliminated it, along with private ownership of land and replacing it with "Collectivization".  It was disastrous for the Russian People; creating the largest man-made famine up to that point and the deaths of at least seven million people in an attempt to jump start the modernization of the economy and bring it on par with the West.

Simultaneously, Stalin instituted systematic statewide terrorism to "encourage" compliance.  Starting in December 1924, one of its first acts was, naturally, seizing all weapons (most were from the world war, and subsequent civil war). Only those authorized---the military and state security apparatus (like the NKVD---predecessor to the KGB) were permitted weapons. Those caught were sentenced up five years in prison per offense and/or fined.

There were a few exceptions, such as licensed ownership of smooth bore hunting rifles. In 1935, similar restrictions were applied to knives.  Beginning in 1941, citizens were encouraged to turn over all weapons (without question) to the Soviet military to aid in their war against Nazi and Axis forces.

Following Stalin's death in 1953, Soviet authorities began slowly loosening restrictions on firearms, including smooth bore shotguns, although registration was still required. To discourage illegal ownership, prison sentences were lengthened to 14 years. However, voluntary surrender of unregistered weapons carried no fines or punishment.

Communist China, founded in 1949 under Chairman Mao Tse-tung (Zedong), was based on the Stalinist model. Like Soviet Russia, it consisted of a all powerful central government under the direction of the Politburo with an elected chairman, who serves as a virtual dictator.  The system itself was intended to be repressive from the start.

When it came to gun control in China, one has to remember that China had been a autocratic monarchy for centuries until 1912 when the Qing dynasty was overthrown during the Xinhai Revolution. Private ownership was highly restricted. After China became a Republic, albeit a highly corrupt one, interrupted by a period small civil wars led by petty warlords (1916 -1928). It also endured invasion by the Japanese, marking the start of World War II and included a semi-covert civil war with Communist forces led by Mao, which ended in 1949 with Mao's victory. All of which made gun acquisition easier.

Nevertheless, gun ownership has always been restricted regardless of who was in power. There were a few exceptions, such as gamekeepers and licensed hunters. During the various wars and social upheavals, guns did occasionally fall into the hands of the masses, however, due to the strict punishment, most were eventually turned into the government voluntarily.   

Again, there were exceptions, such as Hong Kong, which was under British rule from 1841 until 1997. The same applied to Macau, which fell under Portuguese rule. The Miao people are allowed to own smooth bore muskets, though gunpowder is strictly controlled. Today, China remains highly repressive when it comes to guns---even toy guns---with very few exceptions.

Do you remember "Which of these is not like the other?" children's game? Well, in this case, it would be Nazi Germany. First, despite the official name of the ruling party, the National Socialist German Workers Party, Germany under Hitler wasn't "socialist" per se. Hitler's definition of "socialism" was actually "community". Thus, "National Socialism" actually meant a society or community of Germans by and for Germans.

It's true that under Hitler, Germany implemented a wide range of "social" (not "socialist") programs similar to what Britain, France, the United States and other Western nations did such as unemployment benefits, healthcare, mandated vacations, work safety laws, etc. He also legalized unions, albeit under a state union called "DAF" which stood for German Workers Front. Nevertheless, pre-war German workers did at least as well as their Western counterparts.

Also, unlike Russia and China (and Communist countries ever since) private enterprises remained private and thrived. During the war years, those key to the war effort received preference in terms of resources, contracts, and so forth. The Nazi Government did not, however, eliminate capitalism or seize control of private corporations as happens under Communism or Socialism.

As an aside, actual Socialists, as well as Communists, anarchists, and Social Democrats, were typically sent to detention camps for "reeducation" to use the political euphemism of the time. I suspect they wouldn't have been real fond of libertarians either.

As a point of historical reference, there was a "Left Wing" faction within the National Socialist movement, nominally led by brothers Otto and Gregor Strasser and SA Chief, Ernest Rohm. They wanted the concept of "socialism" to be much more literal than Hitler intended despite repeated warnings. 

However, that came to a quick end late June and early July 1934 during a purge known as "The Night of the Long Knives" in which Hitler and leading Nazis eliminated all non-Right Wing hardliners and political enemies. An estimated 150-200 individuals were murdered and hundreds more arrested; some were tortured and others imprisoned. Thus, ending any Left leaning tendencies within the Nazi Party.

When it came to gun control, one has to remember that following the carnage of WWI, there emerged a global pacifist movement. Everyone was sick and tired of death, bloodshed, and war. As a result, the new Weimar Republic's government, led by the Left Wing Social Democrat Party, instituted a policy of restricted gun ownership (the Weimar Republic was a democratic republic formed in 1919 followed the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II at the end of WWI). It was intended to be a literal attempt to turn "swords into plowshares", and was generally popular with the public.

As with Russia and China, there were exceptions for hunters, gamekeepers, and others with a demonstrable need. However, for the average citizen, gun ownership was curtailed through restrictions, aided by the creation of a gun registry. However, the Weimar Government wasn't long for this world.

 In 1919, Germany was hit with a period of hyperinflation. Unemployment and inflation hit record levels. One person in three was unemployed. In December 1922, a loaf of bread was 160 Marks. By December 1923, it was 20,000,000,000 Marks!  In November 1923, one U.S. Dollar was worth 4,210,500,000,000 Marks. Some used what money they had to stoke fires to keep warm or cook...or as toilet paper. The Depression of 1929 hit Germany the hardest of all industrialized nations, making the situation dire.

Crime, alcoholism, and drug use was rampant. Germany was forced to pay huge reparations despite the loss of its industrial heart--the Ruhr, and most of its commercial shipping and fishing fleet (thanks to the Versailles Treaty). The country survived mainly on borrowed money and in-kind trade. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 as part of a coalition of conservative parties, Hitler repudiated the Versailles Treaty and its reparations, retook the Ruhr, and began a massive rebuilding of the economy. 

When it came to gun control, the Nazis actually removed restrictions with several exceptions. Those exceptions included Communists, Socialists, anarchists, non-citizens, and Jews. Criminals were also forbidden from possessing weapons as well as those of "questionable character", which included prostitutes, drug addicts or dealers, and alcoholics. Later, it applied to anyone deemed "unreliable" by the State.

As for the average German citizen, gun ownership was generally open, provided the guns were registered (preference went to those who were Nazi Party members). The notion that the Nazis took guns away from all its citizens is not entirely accurate (neither is the notion that the Nazis were "socialist" or "Left Wing"). So, the next time you see someone post something like I mentioned earlier or bring it up in conversation, you'll know better. Want to know more? Check out the links below. 

 

Gun Control in the Soviet Union

Gun Control in China

How the Nazis Used Gun Control

The Nazi gun control argument

German Economy in the 1920s

Useful Idiots and The Transition of America

The Ancient Romans used to say that time was fleeting. The "Eternal Empire" as Rome was called appears little more than the proverbial blink of an eye in retrospect despite lasting well over a thousand years. One thing for sure is that time is fluid. It has a nasty habit of becoming the best past before we've had the opportunity to reflect on the present.

Perhaps America's fate will be the same as Ancient Rome's. It too was ruled by two powerful political blocs---the Optimates and the Populates which were the approximate equivalent of the Republicans and Democrats respectively which in turn were dominated by Rome's powerful and wealthy elites. But, after 482 years, the Republic fell and Rome became a dictatorship although the facade of a Republic was allowed to continue for a few more decades.

What happened to Rome (and indeed, to most of History's previous republics) was not so much the result of an external threat, although that happened, be it "illegal migration" or the near perpetual wars Rome fought throughout its history. Rome's fatal weakness was internal. It was the corruption, greed, arrogance and incompetence of its ruling class, which by definition, shouldn't have existed in a Republic.

It was partly the diversion of resources to serve the needs of the wealthy rather than the poor. It was the undermining of Rome's middle class, the backbone of the Republic, through over taxation. It was Rome's slowly decaying infrastructure as its attention focused on putting out fires throughout the edges of its empire. Even Rome's social safety net became to great of a burden. Rome also suffered under the weight of slavery while we bear the weight of a different form of slavery---debt.

Eventually, even the old maxim attributed to the poet Juvenal about keeping the populace occupied with "bread and circuses" to avoid civil revolt could no longer hold the empire together (Emperor Trajan exiled Juvenal for his comment). Of course, our modern equivalent of "bread and circuses" being entertainment (includes sports, video games, movies, the internet, etc) and consumerism with just enough media propaganda to keep the masses frustrated and confused.

For the average Roman, there was no sudden "thud" as the Republic, or centuries later, the Empire collapsed. The fall of nations are rarely sudden or dramatic except in time of war or some unexpected economic implosion (unexpected to all but those paying attention). The fall is typically gradual. Roads or bridges aren't repaired as fast or the repairs are of inferior quality. The quality of education becomes worse. In place of innovation, a mentality of "good enough" develops. Taxes seem to spiral ever upward but with less and less to show for it. The last thing to be affected is almost always the military.

Ironically, the last to experience the collapse are those at the top. They're so insulated from reality they have little concept of the seismic political shift occurring under their feet. They believe that the same old platitudes and appeasement will keep working (ie: "let them eat cake") and allow them weather out the storms. Even when some of the "lesser" rats start deserting the ship, they don't fully realize that the "ship of state" has hit the proverbial iceberg and there are no more lifeboats.

A few, if they are very lucky, manage to escape ahead of the pitchforks on the last plane or ship out, laden down with trunks of cash, furs, jewels, and whatever else they can grab as they head out the door (usually after having first transferred as much of the nation's wealth out of the country as possible). Names like Marcos, Batista, Amin, and Iran's Shah come to mind while others go the way of Hussein and Gaddafi.

America is no longer a Republic. Like ancient Rome, the myth is still being perpetuated by the elites to keep the masses pacified. They believe that if the illusion is allowed to continued, they can hang onto power (and wealth) a little longer. They know intuitively that at some point the masses will wake up to the scam being played out under their noses, but hope they'll be long gone by then.

Unlike Rome which, after a series of social upheavals, transformed from a Republic into a militaristic dictatorship under a single powerful leader, America has turned into an Oligarchy pretty peacefully. But, to be more specific, we've become a Corporatocracy, which I suspect is a term that many of you have never heard of before. That's about to change.

A Corporatocracy is quite simply a form of government controlled by either corporations or corporate interests, which, in turn, is a type of Plutocracy or rule by the wealthy. Who in their right mind can deny that Washington, as well as every state capitol or local city hall isn't dominate by the wealthy few? Money buys power. Power makes money.

Washington has near 15,000 lobbyists representing corporate interests while you and I pretty much have none. These lobbyists provide the money (and perks) needed to make elections happen. They ensure that those who cooperate remain in office and those who don't are defeated. These same lobbyists "help" write legislation either directly or through so-called experts they retain. In a nutshell we actually have are two political cliques who are beholden to competing corporate interests (think of it as Coke vs Pepsi arrangement but cooperate to keep out any competitors).

Under a Corporatocracy, which literally owns both parties, political outsiders such as third parties or Independents (who, by the way, are the country's largest political bloc) are keep out of any debates. They also use the media, which they own, to degrade, humiliate, or simply ignore any challenger. Thus, voters are virtually forced to pick between one of two pre-determined and pre-approved choices.

The goal of a Corporatocracy is to remove any and all barriers which interfere with corporate profits. Through their control of government which includes not just those selected (err, I mean "elected") but also the governmental bureaucracy itself via appointments, the judicial system, and even the military to enforce their economic objectives. They use "think tanks" to direct domestic and foreign policy and the media to manipulate public opinion.

The one thing a Corporatocracy abhorrers more than anything is chaos, be it social, political, economic, or fiscal. The only exception to that is the chaos which comes from bringing a country in line by their adoption of a policy or access to some domestic resource. If the country refuses, then a subtle but mounting media campaign to discredit its policies, government, and leaders is undertaken.

Along with the negative propaganda (which often centers on alleged human rights abuses which were previously either ignored or even unofficially supported as we did in 1950's Cuba, 70's Iran or 90's Iraq). At each stage, not only does the political rhetoric increase but so does the saber rattling. However, the stick usually requires a carrot to work, so offers of foreign aid (which includes military hardware) as well as low or no interest "loans" are used to help quiet the dogs of war.

Domestically, the only acceptable form of chaos is the one which is managed. Take for example what's currently happening here in States. In addition to the COVID virus, we're witnessing BLM and Antifa running amuck. We're subtly being encouraged to be "afraid".

The virus is being sold as some amorphous death cloud lingering around the next corner while neo-Marxist BLM and Antifa anarchists are planning to impose socialism (or worse Communism) on unsuspecting Americans. Meanwhile, Trump and his supporters are nothing more than better dressed versions of the Nazis!

The truth of matter is that both BLM and Antifa have jumped onto two high profile incidents which should never have happened and turned them into political events. It's true that both groups are neo-Marxist. It's also true that BLM has a strong racist bent to it and Antifa behaves more like the old Nazi "Brownshirts" they allegedly opposed (as an aside, the Communists of that era had their own group of thugs called the "Red Front" and fought the Brownshirts blow for blow). Social order is a precondition for capitalism and democracy to function properly, and that includes Corporate capitalism. Normally, this type of chaos would have the ruling class quaking in their Gucci's, but it's not and I'll tell you why.

First, there will be no "socialism" or "Communism" despite what political front groups tell us on social media. Neither are conducive to the neo-fascism that a Corporatocracy needs to operate in. Both systems require total government ownership of everything, and that ain't gonna happen. The elites will never willingly surrender their wealth or control over government and the economy, but they will use the fear of these political system as bogeymen to scare the people into demanding that the government "do something" to protect them. Historically, people have always been willing to sacrifice freedom for security.

In 1933, it was the Reichstag fire which Hitler used to push through the "Enabling Act" which ultimately gave him near absolute power in Germany. But before that it took a volatile economy, a political climate where the use of scapegoats were plausible, a series of assassinations, a high crime rate, mounting external threats and finally the fire itself to make the Enabling Act possible (not to mention the subsequent trial of three Bulgarian communists and a 24 year old Jewish Dutch Communist willing to admit to setting the fire to bring it to a head). They each played their part of (to borrow from Lenin) "useful idiots" just as BLM , Antifa, and their supporters are now.

America is being transformed. There is absolutely no doubt about it. That transformation is as profound as Rome's was from a Republic to a militaristic dictatorship. There will be no socialism or Communism in our future nor a return of our cherish democratic and Constitutional Republic, at least not in the near term, and not as long as the Oligarchy remains in power. Our best hope is to demand changes which transfers the balance of power back to the people.

How? I talking about term limits; a level political playing field that allows all parties and individuals the same ballot access and inclusion in debates; ending Citizens United and taking unlimited corporate money out of politics; ending corporate participation in writing legislation; allowing nationwide voter referendums; ranked choice voting; mandating the former government officials not be allowed to engage in lobbying directly or indirectly for a minimum of ten years after they leave office; voter approval for tax, fee, rate, or salary increases of elected officials. Lastly, require that all elected officials resign from whatever party they're a member of once they are sworn in. The only interest they need represent is the people. Only then can we restore America back to the People.


Corporatocracy


The U.S. is an Oligarchy? The Research, Explained


Lobbying Data Summary


The 20 companies and groups that spent the most money to influence lawmakers

June 6, 1944: The Greatest Moment of the Greatest Generation

Tuesday, June 6, 1944. It was perhaps the greatest moment of the greatest generation. The weather was miserable. It had been rainy and windy off and on for days, and when it wasn't raining, it was gloomy and overcast. Weather reports at the time said the weather was more akin to Fall than the Summer. However, there was expected to be a brief break. It wouldn't be much of one. It would still be overcast and the waters choppy, but the rain would stop and the wind over Northern France would be relatively calm. The invasion had already been postponed once because of the weather. The next anticipated break wouldn't in until early July at best.

Meanwhile, there were some 156,000 men ready to go. Many had already been loaded onto ships three days prior. The majority of them were seasick from the choppy water rocking the ships back and forth and up and down. At the same times, planes---bombers, fighters and transports---sat on the ground; fueled, armed, and awaiting their green light to load up and go. Scattered at sites all over England millions more waited for the order to go. Some were civilian while others were military; reserve and auxiliary, both men and women. They were on ships, at airfields, sitting in radar, communication, or command stations, air raid and observation outposts which scanned the skies looking for any hint that the Germans might preempt the pending invasion. The tension was palpable. It was like thousands of rubber bands twisted to the breaking point just waiting to be released. This was Operation Overlord, the code-name for the invasion of France by the Allies. Some 15 nations were taking part in this, the largest invasion ever attempted in history.

Just across the English Channel lay France. On a clear day, you could just make out its shores. But these weren't welcoming shores awaiting its liberators. These shores were the first visible signs of Hitler's Fortress Europe, and the soldiers behind its more than ample fortifications knew the Allies were coming; they had for many months and they were waiting.

Waiting for the Allied troops on those not-so-distant shores was sixty combat divisions, which made up approximately 850,000 German troops and ten panzer divisions. including the famous 21st Panzer Division which was one of the two divisions which made up the Afrika Korp. This was Fortress Europe, designed by Organization Todt starting in 1940 with the Fall of France, using thousands of mostly forced labor alongside highly skilled German engineers, craftsmen, and builders.

Fortress Europe ("Festung Europa" in German) was the name given to the Atlantic Wall; a vast series of massive gun emplacements housed near impenetrable bunkers, observation posts, miles of barbwire and an estimated six million landmines were laid along the beaches and roads near Normandy, angled and sharpen telephone poles like giant pongee sticks designed to destroy gliders and other aircraft (nicknamed "Rommel's asparagus"), and 200,000 steel barriers made up of railroad tracks all along the beaches, designed to be hidden at high tide and would ripe the bottoms of landing craft open like a can of sardines. In addition, there was a myriad of concrete enforced trenches and underground rail lines to quickly move men, ammunition, and other material. Beyond that were numerous barracks and other fortifications, often camouflaged as haystacks, barns or houses. Lastly was overlapping communication lines.

The Atlantic Wall itself ran from Brittany in far Western France all along the Northern coastline to include Belgium and Holland. In addition, German troops had fortified the coastlines of Denmark and Norway. This truly was a "Festung Europa". As an interesting aside, German troops had painted in minute detail everything within view from their gun emplacement on the inside walls of their bunkers right down to every bush. If something appeared which wasn't on that permanent map, it was destroyed.

So, what do you do when the enemy knows you're coming? You distract them, and that's exactly what the Allies did months ahead of the planned invasion (code-named "Operation Fortitude). The Allies used everything trick in the book, and then some, to make the Germans believe, not that there would be no invasion, but that the invasion would take place several miles away, at the Pas de Calais. What was significant about this particular area is that it's the closest point between France and the UK. It's also where Hitler had previously considered invading England from. Thus, the Allies played on Hitler's ego by convincing him that his idea for using Calais was the correct one.

The Allies did everything from planting false plans, notes, and letters on individuals (and even once used a corpse) knowing that they would be intercepted by the Germans which would only fed their preconceived notions. Meanwhile, unknown to German intelligence, all of the spies had been captured. Many were "convinced" to work for the British, and thus would send false reports back to Berlin. The Allies even built up an entire fake army around General George Patton, whom the Germans believed was the best Allied general and the man most likely to lead an invasion. They even created inflatable planes, trucks, tanks, and false radio traffic for the Germans to monitor. On top of this was around the clock bombing by US and British bombers.

Just prior to the invasion, the Allies stepped up their bombing campaign over France to further weaken the Germans. Finally, after months of planning, delays, setbacks, and mounting pressure from Stalin, it was decided by overall Allied Commander, General Dwight D Eisenhower and his generals, composed of senior Allied officers, late in the evening on June 5th to go the next morning. The invasion was on. In private, Eisenhower composed two messages fir broadcast. The first to announce the success of the landing. The second for its all too real potential failure.

The Allies amassed the greatest armada of ships the world had ever seen. Some 5,333 ships and landing crafts were prepared to sail. Ahead of the land assault was the aerial assault by approximately 23, 400 US paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne along with British 6th Airborne and RAF Pathfinders silently coming in by glider. Their jobs would be to seize key bridges, rail points, and crossroads in order to prevent German reinforcements from reaching the beachheads.

In addition to being the largest naval armada in the annals of world history, there were also 3,455 operational heavy bombers, 989 operational light and medium bombers, and 3,824 fighters available on June 6th. However, due to a shortage of aircrews, not all of these flew on D-Day. Nevertheless, some 7,774 planes did fly that day (that number jumps to 9,000 if you include transports and gliders. By contrast, the Luftwaffe had available just 815 assorted planes). The sight and sound of all those planes must have been mind numbing.

Unfortunately though, the landing took place at low tide causing the men to wade to shore from further out than anticipated since the landing craft couldn't get closer in to shore. As a result, hundreds of men drowned; the weight of their equipment dragging them down. Tanks, jeeps, and other vehicles also sank as the water was to deep or to rough. However, the low tide exposed the beach barricades which would had destroyed the landing craft had they tried to land at high tide. They also provided a measure of protection for the men to hide behind, saving who knows how many lives.

The Allies were lucky in other ways too. First, many of the heavy gun emplacements were either still empty or manned by smaller caliber artillery pieces. Of the sixty combat infantry divisions and ten Panzer divisions, including key SS units, which comprised the 850,000 troops and 1,555 tanks in France at the time, the majority---the most experienced---were stationed at Port of Calais, there were only 80,000 troops at Normandy on June 6th and element of just one Panzer division. To make matters worse for the Germans, of the 80,000 or so troops in Normandy, the majority had little or no combat experience. In fact, most were Auxiliary and conscripts (many as young as 16) from the Eastern territories. Also, many of the tanks on hand weren't yet combat operational; needing repairs or refitting. Those which were working hadn't been brought up the front at previously instructed.

Finally, the top command of German forces, including the commander for Army Group B, which covered Normandy, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, were away. Some had decided to take some extended leave time (not expecting an invasion due to weather), while Rommel had returned home on a surprise visit for his wife's birthday---June 6th. Meanwhile, Hitler was so convinced that the invasion would come at the Pas de Calais, that he had given strict instructions that no units---men, tanks, artillery, or plane---could be released without his personal approval.

As a result, the Germans were poorly prepared for any attack, but the cherry on the top was than when it was confirmed that the attack was indeed underway, Hitler was asleep. Suffering from bouts of insomnia, Hitler had taken a sleeping pill just hours before and his aides were afraid to wake Hitler up, and so the Allies were able to establish a foothold while Hitler counted sheep. Although the battle for Normandy lasted until August, by the time Hitler finally awoke, the damage had been done. In fact, while it should had only taken about six hours for Hitler's Panzers to make the journey from Calais to Normandy, French resistance fighters were able to delay them nearly three days, giving the Allies more time reinforce their positions.

Finally, to give some additional weight to the overall complexity of D-Day, besides the 150,000+ soldiers to participate in the landing and the 5,333 ships which got them there (including 200 warships which participated in the bombardment) or the 9000 aircraft which flew a total of 11,085 missions, 200,000 vehicles plus 1,550 tanks landed on the beaches that day along with 1,695 tons of material. Meanwhile Allied bombers dropped 7,616 tons of bombs that night before the invasion followed by 10,395 tons of bombs during the day of the invasion. 27 amphibious tanks were sunk at Utah beach, 120 Allied ships were damaged by German shelling, plus another 59 Allied ships which were sunk.

D-Day, June 6th 1944 marked the beginning of the end for the German occupation of France, and for the Nazi "Thousand Year Reich". By May 1945, the war in Europe would be over, and by August the war in the Pacific would come to a close too. There's another matter we must take into consideration too. Field Marshall Rommel remarked, about a pending invasion of Fortress Europe, that whenever and wherever it happened, it would be the "longest day" of the war.

For approximately 5000 men it was indeed their "longest day" because for them that day never ended. They were the ones who died on that day. In addition, some 15,000 French civilians living in and around Normandy also died, mostly from Allied shelling. On the German side, around 9000 soldiers were killed and some 200,000 were killed, missing, or taken prisoner including 28 generals. When calculated for the entire Normandy Campaign, which lasted from June 6 to August 30th, there were 209,000 Allied casualties. For the Germans, it was roughly 200,000. As an aside, the average age of a GI at the time was just 19 while the average age of an officer (excluding senior officers) was only 23.

While it's hard to believe that these old men with their walkers, canes, and wheelchairs accomplished these feats for which have all but been consigned to history books and the movies, there is no doubt that 75 years ago these were men of unbreakable will and character. They were a physically strong as they were sharp as knives. They lived through a depression, fought a war, and came home to remake a nation. The same can be said of all the women who served as well. While we're losing on average 300 of these individuals a day, make no mistake that these were the greatest generation and we should feel blessed that they existed.



D-Day Causalities: Total Allied and Axis Numbers

Figures of the Normandy Landing

Atlantic Wall

Normandy Landing

Operation Fortitude