A Second American Civil War Will Be Very Different Than the Original

“If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other.”  

― Ulysses S. Grant, 1875

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”  

―  Alvin Toffler

Earlier today, I reviewed the movie "Civil War," which came out last year. I had wanted to go see it in the theaters while it was still playing. After actually seeing the movie on the day of Trump's inauguration about a week and a half or so ago, I am actually glad that I did not go see it in the theaters, or give the movie more of my money.

It lacked substance. It lacked depth. It lacked any semblance of reality. 

In the fictional world of this movie, Texas and California - two huge states with some similarities, but which are on opposite ends of the current political divide in this country - form a Western Alliance and fight an abusive, dictatorial president. Eventually, they win, and at the end of the movie, it is insinuated that all is right with the world afterwards.

That was disappointing. But I should have known better than to rely on Hollywood for any kind of serious depth or analysis. It was meant as entertainment, and a product of what we have come to call the "entertainment industry." You cannot expect much more from a movie.

However, an actual civil war seems to be more of a real possibility these days than ever before. It feels entirely avoidable, frankly. Yet, I cannot say with certainty that we actually will manage to avoid it.

Why?

Because it seems that some people actually want another civil war. I have met some of these people, and also have seen some people (most of us know them as internet trollers) who have given voice to this kind of sick desire.

There are real problems in the United States, and more generally the world, at the moment. In fact, the problems often seem to be coming at us from everywhere, closing in from every angle. There are elites who want to "drill, baby, drill" everywhere while they still can, and they rally a certain segment of the population for the supposed purpose of energy independence and cheaper gas prices. These same people often claim that the red tape and prices for environmentally responsible business policies are too costly, and that somehow, if we remove the red tape with the old "deregulation" spirit that has pretty much triumphed in the United States for many decades now, all would be well with the world.

Yet, environmental deterioration is real. So is climate change, whether you like it or not. The science is clear and has been settled for quite some time. The only debate left is by those who do not understand - and in many, if not most cases, do not wish to understand - the science behind it. Yes, climate change/global warming is real, and it is a threat.

So is the threat of World War II. Of course, we have been living with the threat of nuclear weapons, although there have been times when leaders have tried to convince us that the threat is minimal, or has largely been extinguished. I remember leaders claiming that the world was far safer after the Cold War had ended.

Clearly, they have been proven wrong. The world is every bit as dangerous now as it ever was. In fact, it feels more dangerous, with more players holding an astonishing and alarming number of deadly weapons. The United States, China, and Russia all have tensions with one another, and these countries have far and away the largest nuclear arsenals. We know that France and Great Britain have nuclear weapons, and the growing tensions between these European nations and Russia, as well as the United States, should be an obvious source of concern. Then we can look at Israel, and we see how other countries in the region hostile to Israel desire nuclear weapons. India and Pakistan both have nuclear weapons, and it seems often times that they still hate each other. Plus, we see the threat of terrorists, and how they seem to come into power in some countries (like Afghanistan and Syria). 

Given all of that, it hardly feels like this world is safer at all. In fact, it feels like the situation is more volatile and dangerous than ever before. 

Let's then add a world situation - which is also true for us within the United States - of glaring and staggering levels of economic inequality. Wealthy corporations have built modern day empires, and hold increasing sway over our lives. There are more people than ever before, and they are competing for a diminishing number of quality jobs that provide decent pay and benefits. In fact, more and more people are competing even for jobs that do not pay so well, and hardly have any real quality benefits at all. Plus, that dramatically increased world population is obviously adding increased pressure on the planet's environment, which is an issue I already addressed. Add to that automation, where technology is replacing actual human beings and their jobs, and it begins to get downright scary.

All of those things are relevant with the entire world. But in the United States, we have had to deal with adjusting to a seemingly diminishing national status. For all of his bluster, Trump's too quick promises and claims of making the country great again is a message that is divisive. After all, if you want to believe him, you will. But for the rest of us, who see those problems which I already mentioned, plus see other unique problems which I have not mentioned, which includes a nation which is astonishingly polarized, and which has something like $34 trillion in debt, and which has not managed to balance a budget in over a quarter of a century, and where the military industrial complex, as well as the technological industrial complex that Biden mentioned, as well as more and more Americans personally being heavily in debt and with fairly serious inflation to boot, and you have something of a crisis. 

Another problem is that our education system has been failing now for many decades. The result is a dumber population that lacks the critical thinking skills to see through charlatans. Plus - and this is particularly true for white males - there is a growing immaturity, which I suspect is linked to their perceived sense of diminishing status over the course of decades, and you have many seeds of a crisis being planted.

And yet, I still believe that much of this is largely overblown. The fact of the matter is that, at least for the time being, Americans still enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. But that could be easily lost with a civil war. 

One thing about all of those men (and some women as well, of course) is that they have almost been conditioned to be immature. Far too many men whom I know personally (and most likely, you the reader also know such men) are living almost as overgrown children themselves. They play video games too often, and watch movies which glorify violence, but with very little substance. And too many of these men feel that their problems can be solved with violence, including a another civil war. In short, they are bored and frustrated, and they mistake the war games they play for real life. They play those games to alleviate their boredom, and so an actual civil war might feel like something interesting and entertaining. They know nothing of what actual war is like, or the uncertainties and instability that such a war would have on much of the country, possibly including themselves and their own families. 

In other words, another civil war is a greater possibility than ever before in my lifetime because too many men - white men in particular - want to play soldier for real, instead of just in a video game or watching them in movies. It is a product of ignorance, as well as of frustration, and that is why I added that quote by Ulysses S. Grant, who obviously knew quite a bit about actual civil war. 

It just seemed like something worth mentioning here and now, as we are witnessing some of the most polarized times in modern history, especially here in the United States. My sincerest hope is that we can avoid an actual civil war, which will absolutely destabilize the country - and possibly the world - far more than many of those tacitly advocating and waiting for it to break out may be able to understand or appreciate. 

Yes, I hope that we can avoid an actual civil war. But at this point, I cannot say with confidence that we actually will avoid one, although it sure feels, at least in theory, like we should be able to avoid one.

A Nation Divided? Nearly Half of Americans Think U.S. Could See Another Civil War, May 21, 2024:

https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/a-nation-divided/

Movie Review: Civil War

This was a movie which I had wanted to watch since I first learned that it was coming out. But like most movies that come out, it kind of just passed through the theaters more quickly than I thought, so I never got the chance to see it there. Then, I had every intention of renting it....except I just kept putting it off. You know, next time, right?

Well, then we had a new old president's inauguration last week. And I sure as shit wasn't going to bother watching that.

So I decided, finally, to go ahead and stream this movie. Yes, I parted with a few bucks (it cost $3,99, if memory serves correctly), and I finally watched it.

Now the thing is, what I thought was enticing was how it portrayed a civil war breaking out in a very polarized country. And I guess it did. But it did so in a very tame, politically safe and, frankly, overly sanitized way. We never really get an idea about the specifics, other than a president who is outright abusive with his power. He had suspended rights, overstayed his welcome with a third term, and massacred American citizens.

In other words, he is just a bad guy, and everybody can agree with that. So viewers will not be required to risk getting politically offended, or have to question their own beliefs or anything. Because at the end of the day, this movie about a civil war breaking out and both dividing and devastating the United States is about fluff. It's just a fictional. made for entertainment movie that is too scared to deal with actual possible scenarios that might trigger an actual civil war. 

That, to me, was very disappointing. Because the way that this film was advertised, it felt that it might address something at least a bit more substantive. We see a soldier asking someone "What kind of an American are you?" with obviously sinister overtones. 

I don't know why I should have expected more from this movie. Naively, I had hoped that a Hollywood movie might, for once, show a little more depth (not to mention balls) to actually address the actual reasons for the outbreak of a civil war at a time when the country itself sometimes feels like it is heading towards another civil war. 

Nope.

No substance here. Just more entertainment specifically designed so as not to raise any controversy that might hurt profits. Ultimately, this movie is part of the problem in the United States, a symbol of what's wrong with it, in that it is a shameless money grab. The Hollywood equivalent of click bait. It grabs your attention quite deliberately by seemingly addressing something fascinating, dark, even morbid, but which speaks to our realities today. And then it delivers nothing of actual substance. It just gives an adequate show, portraying a war-torn country where the actual reasons for the war are unclear, but not in the least controversial for any mainstream audience. The only party responsible, evidently, is an abusive sitting president who is on his way out, doomed. Presumably, the story ends happily ever after, and the country will return to something resembling normality once the war is over at the end. In other words, it basically glosses over very real issues and divisions, and thus qualifies as fluff.

It kind of made me wonder why I should hope for a glimmer of truth from the entertainment industry, even for a fleeting moment.

At the end of the day, it just felt like this movie was perhaps a small part of what is wrong with the United States, and why we are so polarized. For far too long, we have been sheltered with this perception that we should all, always be in agreement. Generally speaking, though, life does not work like that. The safe distance from political themes in this country went on for a very long time, and it seems like this movie is trying to either keep it alive, or perhaps to revive it. And that, for a movie about a civil war over political divisions breaking out in the United States while there are actual, real tensions which exist in the United States feels, frankly, like a cop out. Weak, and mostly just a morbid glimpse of what a war-torn version of the United States might look like if an actual civil war broke out, but with none of the substance.

Sorry I cannot recommend this movie.

January 31st: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

On this day in 314, St Silvester I began his reign as Catholic Pope. In 876 on this day, Charles became the King of Italy. On this day in 1504, by the treaty of Lyons, the French ceded Naples to Ferdinand of Aragon. In 1531, King Ferdinand of Austria & King Janos Zapolyai of Hungary accepted each other. The Battle of Gembloers was fought on this day in 1578. The Catholic League dissolved on this day in 1596. The death of Guy Fawkes, a chief conspirator in the plot to blow up the British Parliament building,  came on this day in 1606 at Westminster in London after he jumped to his death moments before his execution for treason was scheduled. On this day in 1814, Gervasio Antonio de Posadas became the Supreme Director of Argentina. On this day in 1865 during the late stages of the American Civil War, the US Congress passed the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery (by a vote of 121-24). On this day in 1901 during the Anglo-Boer War, Boer Generals Jan Smuts and Koos de la Rey conquered the Mud River in Transvaal (in present day South Africa). On this day in 1917, Germany announced that they would renew unrestricted submarine warfare with their U-boats in the Atlantic as German torpedo-armed submarines prepare to attack any and all ships, including neutral merchant ships, civilian passenger carriers, said to be sighted in war-zone waters. Not too much later, Germans sinking the Lusitania got the United States involved in World War I. Just days after taking power as Chancellor, Adolf Hitler promised parliamentary democracy in Germany on this day in 1933. In 1934 on this day, American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt devalued the dollar in relation to gold at $35 per ounce. On this day in 1950, American President Harry Truman publicly announced the development of the H-bomb. In 1968 on this day, the Viet Cong attacked the U.S. Embassy as a part of the Tet Offensive. On this day in 1972, a military coup ousted the civilian government of Ghana. On this day in 1985 during the days of apartheid, South African President PW Botha offered to free Nelson Mandela from prison on the condition that he would denounce violence. Mandela refused the gesture. On this day in 2009 in Kenya, at least 113 people were killed and over 200 injured following an oil spillage ignition in Molo, just days after a massive fire at a Nakumatt supermarket in Nairobi killed at least 25 people.

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

On this day in 314, St Silvester I began his reign as Catholic Pope. In 876 on this day, Charles became the King of Italy. On this day in 1504, by the treaty of Lyons, the French ceded Naples to Ferdinand of Aragon. In 1531, King Ferdinand of Austria & King Janos Zapolyai of Hungary accepted each other. The Battle of Gembloers was fought on this day in 1578. The Catholic League dissolved on this day in 1596. The death of Guy Fawkes, a chief conspirator in the plot to blow up the British Parliament building,  came on this day in 1606 at Westminster in London after he jumped to his death moments before his execution for treason was scheduled. On the eve of a general parliamentary session scheduled for November 5, 1605, Sir Thomas Knyvet, a justice of the peace, found Guy Fawkes lurking in a cellar of the Parliament building. Fawkes was detained and the premises thoroughly searched. Nearly two tons of gunpowder were found hidden within the cellar. In his interrogation, Fawkes revealed that he was a participant in an English Catholic conspiracy organized by Robert Catesby to annihilate England's entire Protestant government, including King James I. The king was to have attended Parliament on November 5.    Over the next few months, English authorities killed or captured all of the conspirators in the "Gunpowder Plot" but also arrested, tortured, or killed dozens of innocent English Catholics. After a brief trial, Guy Fawkes was sentenced, along with the other surviving chief conspirators, to be hanged, drawn, and quartered in London. On January 30, 1606, the gruesome public executions began in London, and on January 31 Fawkes was called to meet his fate. While climbing to the hanging platform, however, he jumped from the ladder and broke his neck, dying instantly.    In remembrance of the Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated across Great Britain every year on the fifth of November. As dusk falls in the evening, villagers and city dwellers across Britain light bonfires, set off fireworks, and burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes, celebrating his failure to blow up Parliament and James I.

1609 - Wisselbank of Amsterdam established

1627 - Spanish government goes bankrupt

1675 - Cornelia/Dina Olfaarts found not guilty of witchcraft

1679 - Jean-Baptiste Lully's opera "Bellerophon," premieres in Paris

1696 - Revolt of undertakers after funeral reforms (Amsterdam)

1747 - The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital.

1779 - Charles Messier adds M57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra) to his catalog

1804 - British vice-admiral William Blighs fleet reaches Curacao

On this day in 1814, Gervasio Antonio de Posadas became the Supreme Director of Argentina.

1817 - Franz Grillparzer's "Die Ahnfrau," premieres in Vienna

1846 - After the Milwaukee Bridge War, Juneautown and Kilbourntown unified as the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1849 - Corn Laws abolished in Britain

1851 - Gail Borden announces invention of evaporated milk

1851 - SF Orphan's Asylum, 1st in California, founded

1854 - Dutch KNMI established (Royal Meteorological Institute)

1855 - Western railroads blocked by snow

1861 - Friedrich Hebbel's "Siegfrieds Tod," premieres in Weimar

1861 - State of Louisiana takes over US Mint at New Orleans

1862 - Telescope maker Alvin Clark discovers dwarf companion of Sirius

1863 - 1st black Civil War regiment, SC Volunteers, mustered into US army

On this day in 1865 during the late stages of the American Civil War, the US Congress passed the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery (by a vote of 121-24). On this day in 1865, the U.S. House of Representatives passes the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in America. The amendment read, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude...shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."  When the Civil War began, President Abraham Lincoln's professed goal was the restoration of the Union. But early in the war, the Union began keeping escaped slaves rather than returning them to their owners, so slavery essentially ended wherever the Union army was victorious. In September 1862, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in areas that were still in rebellion against the Union. This measure opened the issue of what to do about slavery in border states that had not seceded or in areas that had been captured by the Union before the proclamation.  In 1864, an amendment abolishing slavery passed the U.S. Senate but died in the House as Democrats rallied in the name of states' rights. The election of 1864 brought Lincoln back to the White House along with significant Republican majorities in both houses, so it appeared the amendment was headed for passage when the new Congress convened in March 1865. Lincoln preferred that the amendment receive bipartisan support--some Democrats indicated support for the measure, but many still resisted. The amendment passed 119 to 56, seven votes above the necessary two-thirds majority. Several Democrats abstained, but the 13th Amendment was sent to the states for ratification, which came in December 1865. With the passage of the amendment, the institution that had indelibly shaped American history was eradicated.

Confederate General Robert E. LeeConfederate General Robert E. Lee 1865 - Gen Robert E. Lee named Commander-in-Chief of Confederate Armies

1867 - Maronite nationalist leader Youssef Karam leaves Lebanon on board of a French ship for Algeria

1871 - Millions of birds fly over western SF, darkens sky

1874 - Jesse James gang robs train at Gads Hill, Missouri

1876 - The United States orders all Native Americans to move into reservations.

1891 - The first attempt of a Portuguese republican revolution breakes out in the northern city of Porto.

1893 - "Westminster Gazette" begins publishing

1895 - Jose Martí & others leave NYC for invasion of Spanish Cuba

Statue of Jan Smuts near Parliament in London, United Kingdom

On this day in 1901 during the Anglo-Boer War, Boer Generals Jan Smuts and Koos de la Rey conquered the Mud River in Transvaal (in present day South Africa). 

1901 - Chekhov's "Three Sisters" opens at Moscow Art Theater

1901 - Winnipeg Victorias sweep Montreal Shamrocks in 2 for Stanley Cup

1904 - Bela Bartok's symphony "Kossuth," premieres

1905 - 1st auto to exceed 100 mph (161 kph), A G MacDonald, Daytona Beach

1905 - Carroll Wright appointed 1st US Commissioner of Labor

1906 - Strongest instrumentally recorded earthquake, Colombia, 8.6 Richter

Outlaw Jesse JamesOutlaw Jesse James 1911 - Congress names SF as Panama Canal opening celebration site

1915 - 1st (German) poison gas attack, against Russians

1916 - Dutch Girl Guides form

1917 - Germany notifies US that U-boats will attack neutral merchant ship

On this day in 1917, Germany announced that they would renew unrestricted submarine warfare with their U-boats in the Atlantic as German torpedo-armed submarines prepare to attack any and all ships, including neutral merchant ships, civilian passenger carriers, said to be sighted in war-zone waters. Not too much later, Germans sinking the Lusitania got the United States involved in World War I.    When World War I erupted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson pledged neutrality for the United States, a position that the vast majority of Americans favored. Britain, however, was one of America's closest trading partners and tension soon arose between the United States and Germany over the latter's attempted blockade of the British isles. Several U.S. ships traveling to Britain were damaged or sunk by German mines and, in February 1915, Germany announced unrestricted warfare against all ships, neutral or otherwise, that entered the war zone around Britain. One month later, Germany announced that a German cruiser had sunk the William P. Frye, a private American merchant vessel that was transporting grain to England when it disappeared. President Wilson was outraged, but the German government apologized, calling the attack an unfortunate mistake.    The Germans' most formidable naval weapon was the U-boat, a submarine far more sophisticated than those built by other nations at the time. The typical U-boat was 214 feet long, carried 35 men and 12 torpedoes, and could travel underwater for two hours at a time. In the first few years of World War I, the U-boats took a terrible toll on Allied shipping.    In early May 1915, several New York newspapers published a warning by the German embassy in Washington that Americans traveling on British or Allied ships in war zones did so at their own risk. The announcement was placed on the same page as an advertisement for the imminent sailing of the British-owned Lusitania ocean liner from New York to Liverpool. On May 7, the Lusitania was torpedoed without warning just off the coast of Ireland. Of the 1,959 passengers, 1,198 were killed, including 128 Americans.    The German government maintained that the Lusitania was carrying munitions, but the U.S. demanded reparations and an end to German attacks on unarmed passenger and merchant ships. In August 1915, Germany pledged to see to the safety of passengers before sinking unarmed vessels, but in November sank an Italian liner without warning, killing 272 people, including 27 Americans. Public opinion in the United States began to turn irrevocably against Germany.    At the end of January 1917, Germany, determined to win its war of attrition against the Allies, announced the resumption of unrestricted warfare. Three days later, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany; just hours after that, the American liner Housatonic was sunk by a German U-boat. None of the 25 Americans on board were killed and they were picked up later by a British steamer.    On February 22, Congress passed a $250 million arms-appropriations bill intended to ready the United States for war. Two days later, British authorities gave the U.S. ambassador to Britain a copy of what has become known as the "Zimmermann Note," a coded message from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann to Count Johann von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to Mexico. In the telegram, intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence, Zimmermann stated that, in the event of war with the United States, Mexico should be asked to enter the conflict as a German ally. In return, Germany would promise to restore to Mexico the lost territories of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. On March 1, the U.S. State Department published the note and America was galvanized against Germany once and for all.    In late March, Germany sank four more U.S. merchant ships and, on April 2, President Wilson appeared before Congress and called for a declaration of war against Germany. On April 4, the Senate voted 82 to six to declare war against Germany. Two days later, the House of Representatives endorsed the declaration by a vote of 373 to 50 and America formally entered World War I.

1918 - A series of accidental collisions on a misty Scottish night leads to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines with over a hundred lives, and damage to another five British warships.

1919 - The Battle of George Square takes place in Glasgow, Scotland.

1920 - 1st Ukrainian daily newspaper in US (NYC) begins publication

1920 - Joe Malone, Quebec Bulldogs, sets NHL record with 7 goals in a game

1920 - Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, at Howard University, incorporates

1925 - Premier Ahmed Zogu becomes president of Angola

1927 - Intl allies military command in Germany disbands

1927 - NL Pres John Heydler rules Rogers Hornsby can't hold stock in the Cardinals & play for the Giants

1928 - Scotch tape 1st marketed by 3-M Company

1929 - Erich Maria Remarque publishes "Im Westen nichts Neues" in Berlin

1929 - Leon Trotsky expelled from Russia to Turkey

Russian Revolutionary Leon TrotskyRussian Revolutionary Leon Trotsky 1930 - 1st US glider flight from a dirigible, Lakehurst, NJ

1931 - NHL's Quebec Bulldogs' Joseph Malone scores a record 7 goals

1931 - Philip Barry's "Tomorrow & Tomorrow," premieres in NYC

1932 - US railway unions accept 10% wage reduction

1933 - French government of Daladier takes power

Just days after taking power as Chancellor, Adolf Hitler promised parliamentary democracy in Germany on this day in 1933.

Statue at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC

In 1934 on this day, American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt devalued the dollar in relation to gold at $35 per ounce.

1936 - "Green Hornet" radio show is 1st heard on WXYZ Radio in Detroit

1940 - 40 U boats sunk this month (111,000 ton)

1940 - C Turney & J Horwin's "My Dear Children," premieres in NYC

1941 - 21 U boats sunk this month (127,000 ton)

1941 - Anti-German demonstration in Haarlem Netherlands

1941 - Joe Louis KOs Red Burman in 5 for heavyweight boxing title

1941 - Layforce set sail.

1942 - 62 U boats sunk this month (327,000 ton)

32nd US President Franklin D. Roosevelt32nd US President Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943 - 39 U boats sunk this month (203,100 ton)

1943 - Chile breaks contact with Germany & Japan

1943 - Gen Friedrich von Paul surrenders to Russian troops at Stalingrad

1944 - Operation-Overlord (D-Day) postponed until June

1944 - U-592 sunk off Ireland

1944 - US forces invade Kwajalein Atoll

1945 - US 4th Infantry division occupies Elcherrath

1946 - Yugoslavia adopts new constitution, becomes a federal republic

1948 - J D Salinger's "A Perfect Day for Banana Fish" appears in NY

1948 - Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway

1949 - 1st daytime soap on TV "These Are My Children" (NBC in Chicago)

1950 - President Harry Truman publicly announces development of H-bomb

On this day in 1950, American President Harry Truman publicly announced the development of the H-bomb.  U.S. President Harry S. Truman publicly announces his decision to support the development of the hydrogen bomb, a weapon theorized to be hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II.    Five months earlier, the United States had lost its nuclear supremacy when the Soviet Union successfully detonated an atomic bomb at their test site in Kazakhstan. Then, several weeks after that, British and U.S. intelligence came to the staggering conclusion that German-born Klaus Fuchs, a top-ranking scientist in the U.S. nuclear program, was a spy for the Soviet Union. These two events, and the fact that the Soviets now knew everything that the Americans did about how to build a hydrogen bomb, led Truman to approve massive funding for the superpower race to complete the world's first "superbomb," as he described it in his public announcement on January 31.    On November 1, 1952, the United States successfully detonated "Mike," the world's first hydrogen bomb, on the Elugelab Atoll in the Pacific Marshall Islands. The 10.4-megaton thermonuclear device, built upon the Teller-Ulam principles of staged radiation implosion, instantly vaporized an entire island and left behind a crater more than a mile wide. The incredible explosive force of Mike was also apparent from the sheer magnitude of its mushroom cloud--within 90 seconds the mushroom cloud climbed to 57,000 feet and entered the stratosphere. One minute later, it reached 108,000 feet, eventually stabilizing at a ceiling of 120,000 feet. Half an hour after the test, the mushroom stretched 60 miles across, with the base of the head joining the stem at 45,000 feet.    Three years later, on November 22, 1955, the Soviet Union detonated its first hydrogen bomb on the same principle of radiation implosion. Both superpowers were now in possession of the "hell bomb," as it was known by many Americans, and the world lived under the threat of thermonuclear war for the first time in history.

1952 - Dutch Lutheran Church reunites after 1½ centuries

1952 - Harry Heilmann & Paul Waner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

33rd US President Harry Truman33rd US President Harry Truman 1953 - "Princess Victoria" capsized off Stanraer Scotland; 133 die

1953 - Hurricane-like winds flood Netherlands drowning 1,835

1953 - NY, Cleveland, & Boston retaliate at Bill Veeck, forcing the Browns to play afternoon games to avoid sharing TV revenues

1955 - RCA demonstrates 1st music synthesizer

1956 - French government of Mollet forms

1956 - Juscelino Kubitschek becomes president of Brazil

1956 - Guy Mollet becomes Prime Minister of France.

1957 - Liz Taylor's 2nd divorce (Michael Wilding)

1957 - Trans-Iranian oil pipe line finished

1957 - Eight people on the ground in Pacoima, California are killed following the mid-air collision between a Douglas DC-7 airliner and a Northrop F-89 Scorpion fighter jet.

1958 - "Jackpot Bowling" premieres on NBC with Leo Durocher as host

1958 - James van Allen discovers radiation belt

1958 - US launches their 1st artificial satellite, Explorer 1

1959 - Joe Cronin signs 7 year pact to become head of AL

1961 - David Ben-Gurion resigns as Prime Minister of Israel

First Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-GurionFirst Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion 1961 - Ham is 1st primate in space (158 miles) aboard Mercury/Redstone 2

1961 - Houston voters approve bond to finance luxury domed stadium

1961 - Kanhai completes twin tons (117 & 115) v Aust at Adelaide

1961 - NATO secretary-general Paul-Henri Spaak says he'll resign

1961 - USAF launches Samos spy satellite to replace U-2 flights

1962 - Gen Charles P Cabell, USAF, ends term as deputy director of CIA

1962 - Samuel Gravely assumes command of destroyer escort "USS Falgout"

1963 - Tony Sheridan & Beat Brothers record "What'd I Say" & "Ruby Baby"

1964 - US report "Smoking & Health" connects smoking to lung cancer

1965 - Pud Galvin elected to baseball Hall of Fame

1966 - Belgian state police kills 2 striking mine workers

1966 - USSR launches Luna 9 towards Moon

1968 - Bobby Simpson takes 5-59 v India in his last Test for ten years

1968 - Nauru (formerly Pleasant Island) declares independence from Australia

1968 - Record high barometric pressure (1083.8 mb, 32"), at Agata, USSR

Singer-songwriter Tony SheridanSinger-songwriter Tony Sheridan 1968 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1968 - Viet Cong's Tet offensive begins

In 1968 on this day, the Viet Cong attacked the U.S. Embassy as a part of the Tet Offensive. Viet Cong soldiers attack the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. A 19-man suicide squad seized the U.S. Embassy and held it for six hours until an assault force of U.S. paratroopers landed by helicopter on the building's roof and routed them.    The offensive was launched on January 30, when communist forces attacked Saigon, Hue, five of six autonomous cities, 36 of 44 provincial capitals, and 64 of 245 district capitals. The timing and magnitude of the attacks caught the South Vietnamese and American forces off guard, but eventually the Allied forces turned the tide. Militarily, the Tet Offensive was a disaster for the communists. By the end of March 1968, they had not achieved any of their objectives and had lost 32,000 soldiers and had 5,800 captured. U.S. forces suffered 3,895 dead; South Vietnamese losses were 4,954; non-U.S. allies lost 214. More than 14,300 South Vietnamese civilians died.    While the offensive was a crushing military defeat for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese, the early reporting of a smashing communist victory went largely uncorrected in the media and this led to a great psychological victory for the communists. The heavy U.S. casualties incurred during the offensive coupled with the disillusionment over the earlier overly optimistic reports of progress in the war accelerated the growing disenchantment with President Johnson's conduct of the war. Johnson, frustrated with his inability to reach a solution in Vietnam announced on March 31, 1968, that he would neither seek nor accept the nomination of his party for re-election. 

1969 - Beatles perform last live gig (42-min concert on roof of Apple HQs)

1969 - Vice Admiral Rufus L Taylor, USN, ends term as deputy director of CIA

1970 - Grateful Dead members busted on LSD charges

1971 - "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison hit #1 on UK pop chart

1971 - Apollo 14 launched, 1st landing in lunar highlands

1971 - Jake Beckley, Joe Kelley, Harry Hooper, Rube Marquard, Chick Hafey

1971 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Janet Lynn

1971 - US male Figure Skating championship won by John Misha Petkevich

1971 - & Dave Bancroft & George Weiss elected to baseball Hall of Fame

1972 - Aretha Franklin sings at Mahalia Jackson's funeral

1972 - Birenda, becomes leader of Nepal

On this day in 1972, a military coup ousted the civilian government of Ghana.

1972 - US launches HEOS A-2 for interplanetary observations (396/244,998)

MacDonalds Entreprenuer Ray KrocMacDonalds Entreprenuer Ray Kroc 1974 - McDonald's founder Ray Kroc buys San Diego Padres

1975 - Barry Manilow's "Mandy" goes gold

1975 - John Lennon releases "#9 Dream"

1975 - UCLA wins NCAA basketball championship

1976 - "Love Rollercoaster" by Ohio Players hits #1

1976 - Lance Gibbs becomes highest Test wicket-taker at 308

1976 - 3rd American Music Award: Olivia Newton-John & John Denver win

1977 - Frenchman Francois Claustre freed, after 33 months as hostage in Chad

1977 - Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, & Al Lopez elected to baseball Hall of Fame

1977 - 4th American Music Award: Olivia Newton-John & Elton John win

1978 - "Elvis: The Legend Lives!" opens at Palace Theater NYC for 101 perfs

1978 - Israel turns 3 milt outposts in West Bank into civilian settlements

1980 - Police storm occupied Spanish embassy in Guatemala City, killing 41

1981 - "The Tide Is High" by Blondie hits #1

1981 - 38th Golden Globes: Ordinary People, Coal Miner's Daughter

Musician and Beatle John LennonMusician and Beatle John Lennon 1981 - Gaetan Boucher skates world record 1000m (1:13.39)

1982 - 10 Arabian oryx (extinct except in zoos) released in Oman

1982 - 12th AFC-NFC pro bowl, AFC wins 16-13

1982 - 32nd NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 120-118 at New Jersey

1982 - Gustafson skates world record 10 km (14:26.59)

1982 - Hollis Stacy wins LPGA Whirlpool Golf Championship of Deer Creek

1982 - NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 16-13

1982 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton

1984 - 36th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 7-6 at NJ

1984 - Edwin Newman retires from NBC News after 35 years with the network

1984 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1985 - "Harrigan 'n Hart" opens at Longacre Theater NYC for 5 performances

Statue of Nelson Mandela in State Parliament Square, London, UK

On this day in 1985 during the days of apartheid, South African President PW Botha offered to free Nelson Mandela from prison on the condition that he would denounce violence. Mandela refused the gesture.

1986 - Mary Lund of Minn, is 1st female recipient of an artificial heart

1987 - 44th Golden Globes: Platoon, Marlee Matlin win

Deaf Actress Marlee MatlinDeaf Actress Marlee Matlin 1987 - United Steel workers union ratified a concessionary with USX Corp

1988 - Barge sinks near Anacortes, WA, spills 70,000 gallons of oil

1988 - Super Bowl XXII: Wash Redskins beat Denver Broncos, 42-10 in San Diego Super Bowl MVP: Doug Williams, Washington, QB

1990 - 1st McDonalds in Russia opens in Moscow, world's biggest McDonalds

1990 - 1st ever all-sports daily "National" begins publishing

1990 - Jushin "Thunder" Liger beats Naoki Sano to become New Japan IWGP champ

1990 - The first McDonald's in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow, USSR.

1991 - Nugget's Michael Adams becomes shortest NBAer to get a triple-double

1991 - Robert Gibson flies record 27,040 feet altitude

1992 - MTA raised tolls on most NYC bridges from $2.50 to $3.00

1993 - "St Joan" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 49 performances

1993 - 81st Australian Mens Tennis: Jim Courier beats S Edberg (62 61 26 75)

1993 - Super Bowl XXVII: Dallas Cowboys beat Buffalo Bills, 52-17 in Pasadena Super Bowl MVP: Troy Aikman, Dallas, QB

1994 - Barcelona opera theater "Gran Teatro del Liceo" burns down

1994 - Dow Jones hits a record 3,978.36

42nd US President Bill Clinton42nd US President Bill Clinton 1995 - President Bill Clinton authorizes a $20 billion loan to Mexico to stabilize its economy.

1998 - 72nd Australian Womens Tennis: Martina Hingis beats C Martinez (63 63)

1998 - STS 89 (Endeavour 12) lands

2000 - Alaska Airlines flight 261 MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 persons aboard.

2001 - In the Netherlands a Scottish court convicts a Libyan and acquits another for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 which crashed into Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

2003 - The Waterfall rail accident occurs near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia.

2007 - Suspects are arrested in Birmingham in the UK, accused of plotting the kidnap, holding and eventual beheading of a serving Muslim British soldier in Iraq.

On this day in 2009 in Kenya, at least 113 people were killed and over 200 injured following an oil spillage ignition in Molo, just days after a massive fire at a Nakumatt supermarket in Nairobi killed at least 25 people.

2010 - 52nd Grammy Awards: Use Somebody, Zac Brown Band wins

2010 - NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 41-34

2013 - 300 people are injured in a train collision in Pretoria, South Africa

2013 - 36 people are killed and 126 are injured in an explosion at Torre Ejecutiva Pemex, Mexico

1606 - Guy Fawkes was executed after being convicted for his role in the "Gunpowder Plot" against the English Parliament and King James I.   1747 - The first clinic specializing in the treatment of venereal diseases was opened at London Dock Hospital.   1858 - The Great Eastern, the five-funnelled steamship designed by Brunel, was launched at Millwall.   1865 - In America, General Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies.   1865 - The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. It was ratified by the necessary number of states on December 6, 1865. The amendment abolished slavery in the United States.   1876 - All Native American Indians were ordered to move into reservations.   1893 - The trademark "Coca-Cola" was first registered in the United States Patent Office.   1917 - Germany announced its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.   1929 - The USSR exiled Leon Trotsky. He found asylum in Mexico.   1930 - U.S. Navy Lt. Ralph S. Barnaby became the first glider pilot to have his craft released from a dirigible, a large blimp, at Lakehurst, NJ.   1934 - Jim Londos defeated Joe Savoldi in a one-fall match in Chicago, IL. The crowd of 20,000 was one of the largest crowds to see a wrestling match.   1936 - The radio show "The Green Hornet" debuted.   1940 - The first Social Security check was issued by the U.S. Government.   1944 - During World War II, U.S. forces invaded Kwajalein Atoll and other areas of the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.   1945 - Private Eddie Slovik became the only U.S. soldier since the U.S. Civil War to be executed for desertion.   1946 - A new constitution in Yugoslavia created six constituent republics (Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia) subordinated to a central authority, on the model of the USSR.   1949 - The first TV daytime soap opera was broadcast from NBC's station in Chicago, IL. It was "These Are My Children."   1950 - U.S. President Truman announced that he had ordered development of the hydrogen bomb.   1958 - Explorer I was put into orbit around the earth. It was the first U.S. earth satellite.   1960 - Julie Andrews, Henry Fonda, Rex Harrison and Jackie Gleason, appeared in a two-hour TV special entitled "The Fabulous ’50s".   1971 - Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on a mission to the moon.   1971 - Telephone service between East and West Berlin was re-established after 19 years.   1982 - Sandy Duncan gave her final performance as "Peter Pan" in Los Angeles, CA. She completed 956 performances without missing a show.   1983 - The wearing of seat belts in cars became compulsory in Britain.   1983 - JCPenney announced plans to spend in excess of $1 billion over the next five years to modernize stores and to accelerate a repositioning program.   1985 - The final Jeep rolled off the assembly line at the AMC plant in Toledo, OH.   1990 - McDonald's Corp. opened its first fast-food restaurant in Moscow, Russia.   1995 - U.S. President Clinton invoked presidential emergency authority to provide a $20 billion loan to Mexico to stabilize its economy.   1996 - In Columbo, Sri Lanka, a truck was rammed into the gates of the Central Bank. The truck filled with explosives killed at least 86 and injured 1,400.   2000 - John Rocker (Atlanta Braves) was suspended from major league baseball for disparaging foreigners, homosexuals and minorities in an interview published by Sports Illustrated.   2000 - An Alaska Airlines jet crashed into the ocean off Southern California. All 88 people on board were killed.   2001 - A Scottish court in the Netherlands convicted one Libyan and acquitted a second in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that occurred in 1988.   2005 - Keanu Reeves received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


1606 Guy Fawkes, a co-conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot, was executed. 1865 Robert E. Lee was appointed commander-in-chief of the Confederate forces. 1865 The House of Representatives approved the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States. 1940 The first social security check was issued to Ida Fuller for $22.54. 1958 The first U.S. earth satellite, Explorer I, was launched. 1990 The first McDonald's opened in Russia.

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/jan31.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

Has Trump Become a Dictator? In a Recent Article, Robert B. Hubbell Says Yes & Explains Why

Ran into this article recently, and it felt worth sharing here.

I take no credit for having written any of what is written below. This is by Robert B. Hubbell, and I hope that I am not breaking any laws by reposting or republishing it here. But it seemed important and needed sharing (and the link to the article is below).

Here it is:

Another informed observer confirming the coup attempt(s), this one addressing other actions as well as last night's grab of Congress's powers of funding.  

Robert Hubbell writes:  

Trump has broken faith with the Constitution. He is no longer operating within the pale of the law. On Monday, January 27, Trump dropped all pretense of being a “president” within the meaning of Article II of the US Constitution and began wielding power for his own benefit and without regard for constitutional restrictions.  

In two lawless actions on Monday, the acting US Attorney for DC announced an internal investigation into DOJ prosecutors who investigated and indicted January 6 insurrectionists. And the Acting Attorney General fired more than a dozen prosecutors who worked on the investigations and indictments of Donald Trump.  

It is clear that Trump has ordered the Department of Justice to seek vengeance against career prosecutors who acted with integrity and professionalism in prosecuting Trump and those who assaulted the Capitol on January 6.  

The notion of any president directing the DOJ to make prosecutorial judgments has been unthinkable under post-Watergate legal norms. However, the notion of a president directing prosecutorial decisions of the DOJ to further his own political interest is antithetical to core principles of the Constitution. The president’s swears an oath to “faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States”—no part of which involves elevating his personal interests above those of the nation.  

In a separate action taken late Monday evening, Trump ordered a freeze on all federal grants and loans (by way of a memo from the acting head of the OMB). See WSJ, White House Orders Pause of Federal Financial Assistance Programs. (Per the WSJ, the order directs all agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”)  

Trump's order from the OMB violates the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Trump doesn’t care. Neither do congressional Republicans. And the ruse that the pauses are “temporary” does nothing to diminish the fact that impoundments are illegal and unconstitutional.  

The impoundment of appropriated funds is a constitutional crisis on a fast track to the Supreme Court. For an excellent discussion, see Steve Vladeck, One First (Substack), The Impoundment Crisis of 2025. (I will return to this topic in later editions of this newsletter, but Vladeck covers the subject in detail.)  

While some presidents have secretly used the FBI, IRS, and DOJ to investigate their political foes, no president in the history of our nation has publicly ordered the DOJ to investigate his perceived political enemies, much less fire them.  

It is time for the institutions fighting for democracy to drop the niceties and begin calling Trump for what he is: a dictator. Many institutions are still treating Trump as though he is a “normal” president, albeit one subject to making impulsive, ignorant statements. Criticizing his actions is not enough. The story of his first week is not that “Trump has shaken things up,” or that he is “flooding the zone.” It is that Trump has begun to ignore the law at whim.  

It is also time for the legal profession to speak out. The members of the bar who are facilitating lawless actions must be subject to public condemnation and formal reproval. The leaders of the bar have a special obligation to speak out. They must serve notice on attorneys everywhere that there will be reputational, professional, and licensing repercussions for taking positions that violate the Constitution or deliberately flout the law. The revolving door at Big Law must be closed to attorneys who enable dictatorial actions antithetical to the Constitution and the rule of law.  

Trump is unable to act like a dictator unilaterally. He needs the consent, acquiescence, and apathy of enough people to frustrate the normal operation of constitutional and legal checks and balances.  

We must not grant that assistance to Trump. We must resist. We must say in plain language that he is acting like a dictator who holds himself above the law. Whether he gets away with the audacious gambit is up to the people from whom all constitutional power flows. Let’s make our voices heard!

Trump goes full dictator January 28, 2025 Robert B. Hubbell Jan 28, 2025

https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/trump-goes-full-dictator

Punk Musician Jello Biafra Saw All of This Coming Decade Ago

Like everybody else in the country who opposed Trump, I have had a hard time not thinking (and yes, admittedly worrying) about the state of this country in recent years. Of course, that has been particularly true in the past few months, and especially the last week and a half or so. We have people in charge in the White House now, and for the next four years, who seem intent on undoing much of the progress that we have seen in recent years. There are fears - some justified, some likely exaggerated - that American democracy is already pretty much gone, or at least well on the way out by now. 

One question which I have seen or heard expressed repeatedly since Election Day seems to go something like this:

 "How the hell did we get here?"

It seems that many people feel that Trump is the problem. The rationale among these people seems to be that if we just get rid of him, all of the problems in this country will be fixed. Or at least, things will return back to normal. And while I did not vote for him in any election, I disagree. If Trump were to disappear tomorrow, the problems which exist in the country today, and which it should be noted existed before the political rise of Trump, would remain.

So no, I do not feel that Trump suddenly disappearing would fix the problems which ail the nation. That is a point which, frankly, I simply cannot understand, much less sympathize with. In fact, I think that Trump was both a symptom of, as well as, ironically, a respopnse to, many of the problems (note the plural there) which face this country at the moment. Among these problems - and I am listing just a few off the top of my head here - is a sense of insecurity with economic well-being and a dwindling of quality, well-paying jobs, as well as a sense of disconnect between the population and our so-called leaders (and this I feel is true of leaders from both of the major parties). The blatant levels of corruption which is right out in the open these days, and have come so frequently in the headlines and nightly news, has made us all seemingly desensitized to this frankly outrageous reality. There are seemingly potential  threats that are beyond the control of any one leader or party in this country, which includes climate change, potential conflicts which could easily escalate into a much wider conflict. The rise of China into a new superpower that is actually seriously challenging the United States seems to be an obvious source of stress for many. Our schools are failing, our infrastructure crumbling, and we are more polarized than we likely have been since the days of the Civil War, and that does not feel like an exaggeration. There seems to be a consistent rise in hatred and fear, even paranoia, and all of this is fueled by major media sources which feel like they are deliberately pumping our false information (or disinformation) intent on keeping people polarized and paranoid and up in arms, almost literally. Oh, and also one other minor matter: we owe something like $36 trillion, and it hardly seems like we can, let alone will, pay all of that off in the foreseeable future. 

Other than all of that, we're doing okay.

Maybe.

There are probably some problems which I did not add. One of them which popped into my head - but which is actually a fairly big problem, and one that seems to have been consistently growing to the point where now it is reaching a crisis and a seemingly inevitable conflict in the not so distant future - is the question of separation of church and state. The influence of religion over our politics and politicians is something which feels more troubling, arguably, than before.

So no, the problems will not simply go away if Trump does. In fact, that feels to me a product of the same intellectual dishonesty which helped us get to where we are as a nation to begin with.

Now all that said, I will admit to feeling that some aspects of this thing are indeed a bit mysterious. However, the answers are not as immediate as frankly too many people  - both to the left and to the right - seem to want them to be, or are convinced that they are. It's not because many Americans only seriously began to stand up and pay attention to all the things that seem to be going wrong with the country once Trump rose politically that the problems began with Trump. Nor will they end with Trump once he's gone. The problems have been long in coming, and they are systemic. Even if Trump disappears tomorrow, the problems plaguing this country will remain, and that includes Trumpism itself these days (it is a political reality, like it or not), which will surely long outlast the man himself (barring a nuclear Armageddon, which frankly does not feel as far-fetched as it did not so long ago). 

Let me just say right off the bat that for decades now, I expected this country to take a dark turn. That said, it surprised me that Donald Trump, of all people, proved to be the figure who has taken central stage in this crisis moment for our nation. Growing up, he always seemed transparently greedy and the very symbol of excess and decadence, and not in any good or cool sense. Even my girlfriend, who explained that she hardly spoke a word of English when she first came to the country, just instinctively had a bad feeling about the man based on his body language, his facial expressions, and his mannerisms. It really hardly takes a piercing intellect or peeling away layers of onion skin to see him for what he is, frankly. The fact that so many tens of millions of people apparently cannot see through him is alarming, frankly. And I never would have guessed that the very picture of a rich, entitled New York millionaire or billionaire who made a large part of his fortune by harming other people one way or the other, would have apparently managed to earn the solid trust and unwavering loyalty of so many country folk. Yet, it has come to pass.

So be it. 

Maybe it took me by surprise at first. Hell, it still remains a mystery to me today, because I just frankly don't see the appeal of the man. But after some serious and long scratching of my head following his first election win, it dawned on me that, like it or not, he does symbolize certain characteristics of Americans today. He is crass, with a privileged upbringing and an overly simplified worldview that passes for "common sense" among many people, even though it often is clearly wrong or slanted with obvious bias. It is difficult to suggest that he is rabidly racist, yet he exhibits a casual racism and general xenophobia and sixism often enough to be alarming. He is wealthy, and seems to put his own interests ahead of everything else, including what is best for the country, although he makes a big show of outward signs of patriotism. Also, he expressed absolutely no doubt about his beliefs and where he stands, and certainly sounds utterly convinced that he is one hundred percent correct, and that there is no room for argument otherwise. In the reality of where we are as a country and a society, that absolutely seems to appeal to people.

Whereas before, I simply could not see the appeal of Trump, I think that it is easier for me to understand now. Perhaps that is why these election results did not surprise me. In fact, I had predicted them, probably feeling that such results as what we saw were inevitable just days after Biden took office in late January of 2021, and maybe a couple of weeks after January 6th. Instead of truly being outraged at the closest thing to an actual coup d'état that we have ever seen, Trump and his supporters were holding a political rally. That was when I realized that, far from this nightmare of the MAGA Cult 45 being finished, they very likely were not going anywhere, and would be back for the 2024 election. And with the likely - frankly, inevitable - rise in prices in everything following the pandemic, Biden was bound to be blamed. And the people of the United States, who have shown themselves to be, frankly, often astonishingly politically naive and, frankly, immature, would likely only need someone like Trump to point the finger of blame and believe him. 

Now, that does not mean that I am a supporter. Not by any stretch does that make me a Trump supporter. Sometimes, however, you have to look things straight and without filter, and try to understand reality. As unpleasant as it was, that is how I got past my initial shock in 2015-16, when it seemed clearer and clearer that the country was really going to do this, that it was going to actually about to take this political plunge, in every sense of that word. I feel that it is easier to recognize why so many people seem to want to turn to him, specifically. And I feel that there really is something to this notion that he seems to appeal to people who feel a certain powerlessness against elite forces, which really do seem to be running the country. Where I would disagree, of course, is who is actually running the country, and how, and for what reason.

Because in reality, as I said before, Trump and his people rely on distractions but, in fact, themselves are distractions. That is why so many people felt enraged and so easily triggered by Trump. I knew some otherwise intelligent people who seemed to suggest, with a straight face, that once Trump is removed, all would be right with the country, and perhaps even the world, again. After all, there is a reason why Trump won the White House - twice, now - and is doing what he is doing. He once claimed that he could run a very effective political campaign, because the media loved him and followed him around, and apparently, he was right. He also said, of course, that he could shoot someone in plain daylight in the middle of Manhattan, and his supporters would not waver. 

That, of course, is just part of the picture. Let's face it: to run a real campaign for the presidency and have any real chance, it requires money these days. A ton of money. Which means sponsors. And in Trump's case, like it or not, there are plenty of those. Corporate sponsors, who expect something for their money. Some of the corporate sponsors surprised me, like the New York Jets. Yes, you read that right. Losing causes for the Jets apparently is not restricted to what they do on the field. They also want American democracy to lose along with them. But there are other, not quite as flashy supporters. Space X, of course. No surprise there. But JP Chase Morgan was one. American Financial Group. RAI Services Co., a subsidiary of Reynolds American, ended up being the biggest corporate donor to Trump’s campaign and affiliated super PACs, according to an article by Forbes (see link below). They gave "a combined $10 million to the Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC that backed Trump’s campaign in 2024...Reynolds owns the companies that control some of the most well-known tobacco brands, such as Newport, Camel, Pall Mall, Lucky Strike and Natural American Spirit."

Nor is that it. There are plenty of others, including some recognizable names. Here is a small list, again according to that same Forbes article:

Billionaire Elon Musk, the CEO of companies including Tesla and SpaceX, spent more than $200 million helping Trump, largely through Musk’s America PAC. Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, who founded shipping company Uline, also gave a combined $10 million to Make America Great Again, Inc., while Miriam Adelson—who still owns half of Las Vegas Sands following the death of her husband, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson—gave nearly $100 million to a pro-Trump PAC. Hendricks, who runs ABC Supply, also gave more than $15 million in support of Trump. Other business leaders who served as key Trump donors include Kelcy Warren (oil company Energy Transfer), Jimmy John Liautaud (Jimmy John’s) and Bernard Marcus (Home Depot co-founder) and Tilman Fertitta, who runs the Landry’s restaurant group that owns chains like Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Rainforest Cafe—and was nominated as Trump’s ambassador to Italy. 

You got all of that? Corporations associated with Elon Musk, of course. But also Las Vegas Sands, Jimmy John's (glad that I never got one of their damn sandwiches), as well as the co-founder of Home Depot (which I had already heard ranked as a major corporate Trump backer), as well as Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and the Rainforest Cafe.

Want to know some others? Here are some, according to the Economic Times of The India Times (see link below): American Airlines, Walmart, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, United Airlines, FedEx, Wells Fargo, Johnson & Johnson, Brown & Brown, Southwest Airlines, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Costco (This one really disappointed me), Inter & Co., Morgan Stanley, Microsoft, GEO Group, Delta Airlines, General Motors, and Home Depot. Let's also add the US Postal Service, UPS, and FED Ex. Plus, some that might seem like the usual suspects as well, like the US Department of Defense, the US Army, the US Air Force, the US Navy, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now, I said that they might appear, at first glance, to be the "usual suspects," because military support for Trump is pretty much a given. What I do not understand, however, is that they, plus the US Postal Service, are government institutions, which means that they are funded by taxpayers like you and me. So why are taxpayer funded government services contributing at all to political campaign, regardless of who is running? That so me sounded really shady and, frankly, feels like it should be illegal. 

Now, I cannot pretend that this already extensive list is the comprehensive list. Truth be told, I perused only a few resources for those names (many of which I already was aware of, but some which took me by surprise. In fact, the list of corporate, to say nothing of wealthy individual donors, is surely far, far longer, and at least as horrifying and depressing.

I would be willing to bet that you and I have likely done business with at least some of those companies. I don't shop at Walmart, but my girlfriend does, and so do plenty of people I know. I know some people who have flown some of those airlines (including me) in the last few years. And I know plenty of fans of the New York Jets, coming as I do from the greater New York metropolitan area. But I have used the post office quite often. And I heard that there are other institutions, such as Paypal and obviously Amazon, which also contributed to Trump. And those who contributed to the Harris campaign specifically, or the Democrats more generally, are little better.

All of this goes to show that corporate control of our American culture, including our supposed political institutions, is pretty much complete. We have legalized bribery in Washington, and it's right out in the open. It was given the veneer of respectability when it came to be known as lobbying. Lobbyists have a certain legitimacy in the public eye which, frankly, they do not deserve. It's moneyed special interests holding sway over elected officials in Washington, and swaying official policy. So whatever they want to call it, we all know it by what it really is: blatant corruption. 

This is something which I first began to be aware of back in the 1980's. And of all people to really make me aware of this depressing, grim reality, it was a punk musician. His name is Jello Biafra. And while he stays true to the shock value that goes along with being a punk, he nevertheless proved to be pretty prophetic, when it came to interpreting the political realities going on in the country and in the world at the time, and using those to make almost shockingly accurate predictions for the future. 

For example, he was the first person who mentioned how the two party system was more like a one party system, since according to him, the Democrat and the Republicans seemed to agree with each other far too much for comfort. That they essentially agreed maybe 90 % of the time, but they made a big show of those small differences in which they disagreed, to give the illusion of choice. At the time, I identified as a Democrat, so I was not so sure. In fact, I was a bit offended. But over time, it came to be obvious that, in fact, he was onto something.

Of course, he spoke about corporate supremacy over the political system, and how militaristic the country was not only becoming, but already had become. He identified cultural tendencies that reinforced all of this, like war themed movies like Full Metal Jacket and Iron Eagle, Red Dawn and Rambo as pumping kids up for war. And he noted the tacit acceptance and approval of racism, which never really went away. Many people seemed to dismiss him at the time. Decades later, however, all of this seems to be right on target, and more people are noticing. Cannot help but notice, since it has become blatantly obvious.

Finally, he predicted that the United States was slowly but surely becoming an oligarchical dictatorship. I remember him saying, in one of his spoken word pieces, that they had grown smarter. So they would not do it all at once, but would proceed patiently. Over the course of thirty of forty years, they would sneak more and more authoritarian measures into law, so slowly that hardly anyone notices. Then after a while, once the country already has veered dangerously close to totalitarianism, they would grow bolder and more menacing, assisted with a population which had grown, frankly, horrifyingly stupid.

Again, it sure feels like that has now come to pass. 

So I thought that this would be a good opportunity to share the lyrics to two of the longest songs in his repertoire, at least during the first part of his musical career. There were two songs in particular which I feel (and he seems to, as well) pretty well summed up how he felt things were going. Keep in mind, he is a punk, so there are things here that have intentional shock value. Yet, the overall effect is to paint a bleak picture which, in fact, reveals things which feel true. Certainly, I felt as a teenager (and still feel now as a grown man), that he made some very valid points. And they seemed worth sharing here.

Here without further ado are the lyrics to two of his most powerful songs. The first he did in collaboration with D.O.A., a Canadian punk band, and it is called Full Metal Jackoff. The second one was with his original punk band, the Dead Kennedys, and it is called "Stars and Stripes of Corruption." Take a look at the lyrics (I might add a post with videos to these two songs later):

Lyrics to Full Metal Jackoff Song by D.O.A. and Jello Biafra:

Gang wars like never before 

Better lock your doors, buy some guns 

And pray for Martial law

Bloody headlines in the news each day 

Drug crisis everywhere 

So much comes in so easily 

It's as though someone wants it there  

You see a black face - you see a crackhead 

You see a black face - you see Willie Horton with a knife 

You see Willie Horton with a knife 

You see one Willie Horton you've seen them all 

They're everywhere, I know  

You asked for it, you've got it 

Drug suspects have no rights at all 

Property seized and sold before trial Labor camps-on American soil?!?  

Just like Rome 

We fell asleep when we got spoiled

Ignore human rights in the rest of the world 

You might as well lose your own  

As the noose of narco-militarism 

Tightens 'round your necks 

We worry about [burning flags]

And pee in jars at work To keep our jobs  

But if someone came for you one night 

And dragged you away 

Do you really think your neighbors 

Would even care?

Stars & Stripes of Corruption

Tell me who's the real patriots, the Archie Bunker slobs waving flags 

Or the people with the guts to work for some real change? 

Rednecks and bombs don't make us strong 

We loot the world, yet we can't even feed ourselves 

Our real test of strength is caring, not the war toys we sell the world 

Just carry on, thankful to be farmed like worms 

Old glory for a blanket as you suck on your thumbs 

Real freedom scares you 'cause it means responsibility 

So you chicken out and threaten me 

Saying, "Love it or leave it" 

I'll get beat up if I criticize it 

You say you'll fight to the death to save your useless flag 

If you want a banana republic that bad 

Why don't you go move to one? 

The version of this song which Jello Biafra played with The No WTO Combo in November of 1999 had slightly altered lyrics:

Alcuni passi alternativi, desunti dal libretto di "Live From The Battle Of Seattle" dei NO WTO Combo. 

(1) [To an airport in Mena, Arkansas 

Guess who was governor then? 

Clinton. 

Blocked investigations]  

(2) [Just give George Bush a yuppie face 

Bill and Al are here]  (3) 

[King George Bush II]  (4) 

[Monica's mouth]  

(5) [Embrace the WTO? No No WTO]

Jello Biafra - Full Metal Jackoff (first with DOA, also played with The No WTO Combo)

Around our nation's capital 

There's a freeway eight lanes wide 

White concrete ringed around the city 

For those who want inside 

Get on get off 

Ignore everything to the sides 

In your midst I drive 

While homeboys in the back of the van make drugs  

Wanna hide something like a crack lab? 

Just put it in plain sight 

Only stop to refuel and unload 

More poison to tear more lives apart 

Whole neighborhoods are going psycho 

Gang wars like never before 

Better lock your doors, buy some guns 

And pray for Martial law  

On the Washington D.C. Beltway 

Around and around I go 

In the black van with no windows 

And a chimney puffing smoke 

Bloody headlines in the news each day 

Drug crisis everywhere 

So much comes in so easy 

It's as though someone wants it there  

It would be a little obvious 

To fence off all the slums 

Hand out machine guns to the poor in the projects 

And watch 'em kill each other off 

A more subtle genocide is when 

The only hope for the young 

Is to join the Army and slowly die 

Wall Street or Crack Dealer Avenue 

The last roads left to the American Dream  

Wall Street or Crack Dealer Avenue 

Wall Street or Crack Dealer Avenue 

Only on road leads to this neighborhood 

Little kids wanna sell drugs when they grow up  

The folks might get just a little upset 

If they knew where that dope comes from 

From Columbia to the Contras 

To our Air Force bases, where we trade it for guns 

The moral equivalent of a serial killer 

And his CIA friends 

Call the shots from the White House] 

(1) But now that we own the media too 

Those stories just aren't run  

On the Washington D.C. Beltway, 'round and 'round I go 

In a black van with no windows, and a chimney puffing smoke 

Some gang that ran smack in VietNam Ain't got no reason to fear 

Just get a Vice President so dumb 

The crook at the top never gets impeached] (2)  

That sure was easy wasn't it? 

That sure was easy wasn't it? 

More crack - more panic - more cops - more jails  

You see emergency - total war 

You see emergency - total war 

You see a black face - you see a crackhead 

You see a black face - you see a crackhead 

You see a black face - you see Willie Horton with a knife 

You see Willie Horton with a knife 

You see one Willie Horton you've seen them all 

They're everywhere, I know  

You asked for it, you've got it 

Drug suspects have no rights at all 

Property seized and sold before trial 

Labor camps-on American soil?!?  

Neo-Nazi bootboys 

That the cops never seem to arrest 

Prowl neighborhoods with baseball bats 

Why now? Why do they get so much press...?  

Mein Kampf the mini series [Ollie North] 

(3) patriotic hero The leader for tomorrow is yours today 

Finally gotcha psyched for a police state  

On the Washington D.C. Beltway 

Around and around I go 

In a black van with no windows 

And a chimney puffing smoke  

My van's a mobile oven now 

That burns the bodies you never see 

Just like in Chile or Guatemala 

People just seem to disappear  

Just like Rome 

We fell asleep when we got spoiled

Ignore human rights in the rest of the world 

You might as well lose your own  

As the noose of narco-militarism 

Tightens 'round your necks 

We worry about [burning flags] (4) 

And pee in jars at work To keep our jobs  

But if someone came for you one night 

And dragged you away do you really think your neighbors 

Would even care?

The version of this song which Jello Biafra played with The No WTO Combo in November of 1999 had slightly altered lyrics:

Alcuni passi alternativi, desunti dal libretto di "Live From The Battle Of Seattle" dei NO WTO Combo. 

(1) [To an airport in Mena, Arkansas 

Guess who was governor then? 

Clinton. 

Blocked investigations]  

(2) [Just give George Bush a yuppie face 

Bill and Al are here]  (3) 

[King George Bush II]  (4) 

[Monica's mouth]  

(5) [Embrace the WTO? No No WTO]

Stars and Stripes of Corruption Song by Dead Kennedys

Finally got to Washington in the middle of the night 

I couldn't wait, I headed straight for the Capitol Mall 

My heart began to pound. "Yahoo, it really exists 

The American International Pictures logo" 

I looked up at that Capitol building, couldn't help but wonder why 

I felt like saying "Hello, old friend" 

Walked up the hill to touch it, then I unzipped my pants 

And pissed on it when nobody was looking 

Like a great eternal Klansman 

With his two flashing red eyes 

Turn around, it's always watching 

The Washington Monument pricks the sky 

Flags for pubic hair ringed 'round the bottom 

The symbols of our heritage lit up proudly in the night 

Somehow fits to see the homeless people passed out on the lawn 

So this is where it happens, the power games and the bribes 

All lobbying for a piece of ass 

Of the stars and stripes of corruption 

Makes me feel so ashamed to be an American 

When we're too stuck up to learn from our mistakes 

Trying to start another Vietnam, like fiddling while Rome burns at home 

The boss says, "You're laid off, blame the Japanese" 

America's back, alright, at the game it plays the worst 

Strip mining the world like a slave plantation 

No wonder others hate us, and the Hitlers we handpick 

To bleed their people dry for our evil empire 

Drug we're fed to make us like it 

Is God and country with a bang 

People we know who should know better 

Howl "America rules, let's go to war!" 

Business scams are what's worth dying for, fuck! 

But are the Soviets our worst enemy? 

We're destroying ourselves instead 

Who cares about our civil rights as long as I get paid 

The blind me-generation doesn't care if life's a lie 

So easily used, so proud to enforce 

The stars and stripes of corruption 

Let's bring it all down, let's bring it all down 

Let's bring it all down, down, down, down, down, down 

Down, down, down, down, down, down 

Down, down, down, down, down, down 

Tell me who's the real patriots, the Archie Bunker slobs waving flags 

Or the people with the guts to work for some real change? 

Rednecks and bombs don't make us strong 

We loot the world, yet we can't even feed ourselves 

Our real test of strength is caring, not the war toys we sell the world 

Just carry on, thankful to be farmed like worms 

Old glory for a blanket as you suck on your thumbs 

Real freedom scares you 'cause it means responsibility 

So you chicken out and threaten me 

Saying, "Love it or leave it" 

I'll get beat up if I criticize it 

You say you'll fight to the death to save your useless flag 

If you want a banana republic that bad 

Why don't you go move to one? 

But what can just one of us do 

Against all that money and power trying to crush us into roaches? 

We won't destroy society in a day 

Until we change ourselves first from the inside out 

We can start by not lying so much and treating other people like dirt 

It's so easy not to base our lives on how much we can scam 

And you know it feels good to lift that monkey off our back 

I'm thankful I live in a place where I can say the things I do 

Without being taken out and shot 

So I'm on guard against the goons trying to take my rights away 

We've got to rise above the need for cops and laws 

Let kids learn communication instead of schools pushing competition 

How about more art and theater instead of sports? 

People will always do drugs, let's legalize them 

Crime drops when the mob can't price them 

Budget's in the red, let's tax religion 

No one will do it for us 

We'll just have to fix ourselves 

Honesty ain't all that hard 

Just put Rambo back inside your pants 

Causing trouble for the system is much more fun 

Thank you for the toilet paper 

But your flag is meaningless to me 

Look around, we're all people, who needs countries anyway? 

Our land, I love it too I think I love it more than you 

I care enough to fight 

The stars and stripes of corruption 

Let's bring it all down 

Let's bring it all down 

Let's bring it all down 

If we don't try, if we just lie 

If we can't find a way to do better than this, who will?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJWpR1mGoJw

Here is link to the list of corporate and individual sponsors for Trump, as listed above. This is where he got all of that money for his recent, successful campaign:

https://www.opensecrets.org/joint-fundraising-committees-jfcs/trump-47-cmte/C00867937/2024/donors

https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race/donald-trump/contributors?id=N00023864

https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race/donald-trump/contributors?cycle=2024&id=N00023864&src=c&type=f

Here is link to that Forbes article which I mentioned above:

https://www.opensecrets.org/joint-fundraising-committees-jfcs/trump-47-cmte/C00867937/2024/donors

https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race/donald-trump/contributors?id=N00023864

This Tobacco Giant Was The Biggest Corporate Donor To The 2024 Presidential Race Alison Durkee Forbes Staff Alison is a senior news reporter covering US politics and legal news. Follow  0 Dec 27, 2024

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/12/27/this-tobacco-giant-was-the-biggest-corporate-donor-to-the-2024-presidential-race/

US Presidential Election 2024: Donald Trump’s donor list in 2020 vs. 2024; and who’s donated how much to Biden and Harris, 19 November, 2024:

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/us-presidential-election-2024-donald-trumps-donor-list-in-2020-vs-2024-and-whos-donated-how-much-to-biden-and-harris/articleshow/114957124.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst