Iraq 1st Gained Independence 5 years Before Saddam Was Born October 3, 2010

Nuns Who Could Make Sally Field Proud Were On Hand in Baghdad For Iraq's Independence in 1932

1922 British Press Viewed Iraq much as Press of 2002

On This Date in History:  For most Americans, Iraq didn’t become a focus of attention until the latter part of the 20th century.  But, the modern history of Iraq really has its roots in the early part of the century.  During and prior to World War I, the region was ruled by the Ottoman Empire.  At the conclusion of the Great War, the League of Nations was formed as a governing political body in an effort to avoid further global conflicts.  As part of the Armistice of World War I, Germany was to pay reparations to her former enemies.  Today, October 3, 2010, Germany is scheduled to make its final World War I payment 92 years after the war ended.   The League of Nations was weakened from the outset, however, when the United States Senate did not ratify the treaty that would have put the US into the league even though the very concept was the brainchild of President Wilson.  There was fear that the US was ceding sovereignty to the league and, specifically, Article 10 raised objections as it seemed to signal that all members would come to the defense of any nation who came under attack.  American isolationism was growing.  Nevertheless, in 1920, the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate for administrative rule over the Basra, Baghdad and Mosul provinces of the former Ottoman Empire.

King Faisal 1st of Iraq crowned by Brits in 1932

Now, the Turks were not stupid when it came to running the Ottoman Empire for some 500 or 600 years.  They knew how to control locals and so they had purposely kept the three regions seperate.  On a map, the three looked very compatable but, in fact, the folks in each region were not too enthused with one another.  The most populous region was in the South where the Shiites held a vast majority.  In the Central area, Sunni’s ruled the roost while in the North, Kurds were the dominant group.  The issues relating to these three areas for the Turks were the same issues that faced the British.  But, England thought it had a better plan and it decided to create a kingdom made up of all three regions.  On the throne was placed Amir Faisal ibn Hussain, who naturally was allied with the British.  He had fought an uprising along side Lawrence of Arabia  (T.E. Lawrence) against the Ottomans and had proved his friendliness with the British as he did so.  Faisal, though, proved to be a divider more than a uniter as he ruled with an iron fist and was particularly oppressive to the Shiite population.  Though the Shiites represented a very large, if not outright majority, of the populous but was given almost no role in the government.

Michel Aflaq and Salah Bitar founded the Baath Party

In August 1932, Iraq became part of the League of Nations and shortly thereafter, on this Date in 1932, Britain granted Iraq its independence with roots of dissent already firmly anchored.  Stability also was undermined when Faisal died about a year after he took the throne.   Almost immediately, two political parties rose to the forefront.  The Communist Party had the backing of the Soviet Union while the Baath Party took the form of a Facist organization with great similarity to the growing Nazi Party in Germany.  Unlike the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, Baathist ideals have no relation to religion at all but instead is based on political ideology.  Despite the unrest, the monarchy managed to hang on through strong military and political ties to Great Britain.  In 1941, pro-Axis (Germany, Italy, Japan) sentiments grew so rampant in Iraq that Great Britain intervened and help the Iraqi government to maintain support for the Allies in the war.  Following the war, the UK was severely weakened and its influence waned.  The dissent in Iraq was allowed to flourish until 1958 when the monarchy was overthrown. 

When we last saw Saddam...

For the next two decades, the state was quite unstable as a series of civilian and military governments came and went until  1979 when Saddam Hussein rose to power.  Saddam was born in 1937, or 5 years after Iraq officially gained independence.  He first joined the Baath Party two years before the end of the monarchy and even participated in a failed coup attempt in 1956.  In 1960, he was involved in a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister of Iraq but, after it was foiled, he fled the country.  The Baath Party took the helm in 1963 and Saddam returned.  When they fell out of favor a few months later, Hussein was thrown in jail. When the Bath Party staged a successful coup in 1968, Saddam was out of the clink again and was given a spot on the Revolutionary Command Council.  He was more or less the power behind the curtain until he came out of the shadows to take control as President in 1979.  As a Baathist, he used repressive and violent means to rule the country and suppress any opposition.  Saddam ruled Iraq until 2003 when the United States invaded the country and sent Saddam to rule another world after a visit with the hangman. 

1930's Cartoon Might Suggest History Repeats Itself for Some, But It's Not Necessarily An Accurate Notion

While the adage that history repeats itself is rather well known, the truth is that history is not prescriptive.  Just because a certain series of events occured in the past does not mean that the same will happen again.  The geopolitical climate of the early 20th century is not the same as it is in the early 21st century.  Nevertheless, the Kurds in the North, the Sunnis around Baghdad in the Central area and Shiites in the South remain at odds as the United States tries to give Iraq full independence.  The history of Iraq is a fairly substantial reason for a skeptical approach to viewing the future of Iraq.   However, globalization and more expansive travel and communications such as the internet, cell phones and satellite television could conceivably prove to the be the big difference maker for the independence of Iraq today and the independence of 1932.  

Weather Bottom Line:  We had a good start today.  Then a little vort lobe rotated through.  That would be an extended pool of cold air aloft..that ran over warm air from daytime heating.  Result: clouds, a little rain and chilly temperatures.  Snow White was well prepared for the St. James Art Show on Saturday but I forgot how chilly the 50′s could be the first time out of the shoot and I was not enthused.  My feet were cold and I was miserable and that only hastened my foul mood of the late afternoon knowing that the ‘Horns would lose to the dreaded Sooners.  OU tried to give it to them and Texas still coughed it up.  Anyway, we’ll stay relatively cool for the next 48 hours with perhaps an errant shower on Sunday with another little lobe rotating around.  No big deal though.  We start a warming trend for the week ahead with a return to the low 80′s by the end of the week.

Veterans Day History is Interesting But it Doesn’t Take a Scholar to Say Thank You. November 11, 2009

Thank You

On This Day, Thank a Veteran:

Original "Armistice Day" Honoree

Prior to noon on November 7, 1918 United Press president Roy Howard sent a cable to the New York headquarters: “Urgent. Armistice allies Germans signed 11 smorning hostilities ceased 2 safternoon.”  Midday papers blared the headlines and celebration erupted.  Trouble was, it wasn’t true.  Howard had gotten the news from US Admiral Henry B. Wilson who commanded the US Navy in French waters.  Seems that the admiral was duped by German spies.  Wilson manned up and admitted it was his fault, thus saving the reputation of the United Press.  Turns out, the news wasn’t wrong, just premature.  Just 4 days later, on November 11, 1918; on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the “Great War” was over.  A year later,  November 11, 1919 was proclaimed “Armistice Day” to commemorate the end of the “Great War” now better known as World War I. 

Sir, we salute you.

It was thought at the time that there would never be a greater conflict.  By the 1940′s, it was evident that was not the case. In 1920 at the urging of church groups, President Wilson named the nearest Sunday to November 11 “Armistice Sunday.” In 1921, Congress approved the building of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and designated November 11, 1921 as a Federal holiday for all who participated in the “Great War.” In 1926, Congress called on the President to give an address each Armistice Day and most states in the decade mark the occasion with a holiday.

Now, in 1938 Congress adopted November 11 as a Federal holiday. But, Congress only holds the power to grant Federal employees holidays. It’s up to the states to designate holidays but since most states already have the holiday, the Federal government really followed the states lead in contrast to most other national holidays in which the states follow the Fed’s lead. World War II and Korea come and go so President Eisenhower officially changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

It Doesn't Take Much Effort

For some reason, Congress in 1968 messed with the tradition.  Perhaps it was an effort to save money or just a good gesture to give everyone a 3 day weekend, or maybe they were caught up in the turbulent 60′s.  In any event, Congress decided to make the 4th Monday in October Veterans Day, taking effect in 1971.    All the states moved their holidays except for Mississippi and South Dakota. By 1975, the majority of the states had moved it back to the original November 11. The Federal Government capitulated and changed the Federal holiday back, beginning with November 11, 1978.  Not only was the day considered sacred at its inception, it somehow held that same position later in the 20th century because when the government tried to change it, the citizens through the state legislatures, basically told the Feds to shove off and returned it to its proper place. This is not Memorial Day, but if you choose to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation, then please do so. But, Veterans Day to me is for the living…so if you don’t go to a ceremony or church service today, take the time to thank a veteran. I do it everytime I meet someone who served. Like Mother’s Day, I don’t just tell my mother that I love her on Mother’s Day. In any event, it’s not hard, just reach out your hand and say “thank you.” They earned it.  Too often we run around saying we “support the troops” or are grateful for living in this nation but never thank those who are responsible.

Weather Bottom Line:  Eric noted that I haven’t given too much attention to local weather lately, but he surmised it was because it was boring.  He’s right…pretty uneventful.  And that trend will continue.  Some folks may see the upper 30′s on Wednesday night and our highs Wed and Thu will be in the upper 50′s and low 60′s.  Then mid to upper 60′s on Friday as high pressure drifts to the east.  Then we get around 70 on Saturday before clouds start to move in on Sunday ahead of another not-too-strong system that may bring a few showers late Sunday into Monday.

Old Gene best run at President came from jail! November 3, 2009

This Marx Brother Was Eugene's Favorite

On This Date in History:  In the past year or so, we have heard the term “Socialist” has been tossed about when speaking about politics and some individuals involved in political policy.  This is not new.  Socialism has been a political doctrine that has been at least part of the American political discussion in the past.  In the late 20th century, it was mostly spoken of in great disdain but earlier in the century, it was seen as a potential revolutionary ideal.  During the Great Depression, some in America saw Socialism as an answer to all of the ills of the country.  Now, Karl Marx had published his Communist Manifesto in 1848 but it took a while for the ideals to rise.   See, Marx thought that his brand of socialism was scientifically superior.  The folks in Russia kinda liked it because they took a form of it into their revolution in 1917.  Most Americans were not too keen on the whole idea and there was a sort of Red Scare. 

But, one American, Eugene V. Debs thought that if socialism was good for the Russians, it was good for America.   Actually, Debs had run for President as a socialist for every election since 1900, except for the 1916 race.  The Socialist Party of America had written lots of stuff.  Perhaps he thought that Woodrow Wilson had kept the country out of the war so maybe the timing wasn’t good in 1916.  But, since then, the revolution in Russia had taken place and the Americans had entered the Great War, the war was over, millions were dead from the flu and the war, Europe lay in ruins and the League of Nations had not gained American support.  The Socialists blamed Capitalism for the Great War.   So the time was right to strike again!

1918 Gene Campaigning Before Heading to the Pokey

Debs had been out and about, speaking out to anyone who would listen in 1918.  Millions had died in World War I and the Spanish Flu was killing millions around the world and devastating the population of the United States.  What a good time for a little revolution, thought Debs.  But, the U.S. Congress had passed the Espionage Act in 1917 as part of the war effort.  Part of the legislation was if one criticized the law, then you were in violation of the law.  Eugene V. Debs spoke out against it and into jail he went.  But, in a rather remarkable turn of events, Eugene V. Debs carried on his campaign for President of the United States from his Atlanta Federal Penitentiary jail cell as the Socialist Party candidate for the 1920 presidential election. 

Debs Campaigned from the Big House in 1920

Prison officials allowed Debs to write on press bullietin per week.  The night before the election, Debs wrote, “The result will be as it should be.  The people will vote for what they think they want, to the extent that they think at all, and they, too will not be disappointed.”  It’s hard to say from that statement what Debs expected but, on this date in history,  what he got was almost a million votes, or about 5.7% of the vote total of the winner, Warren G. Harding.   Of the five times that Debs ran for President as the standard bearer of the Social Party, but never did he receive more votes than he did when he was in prison.   Debs never ran for president again and one socialist leader said that the 1920 election said it was “the last flicker of the dying candle.”  Maybe; but then again it  merely marked the high point of a candidate running under the moniker of “socialist.”    I mean, if you look at the Socialist Party Platform of 1896, you will find many of their demands have indeed come into the American mainstream. 

The socialists were in favor of a progressive income tax, suffrage for all citizens without regard to race or sex, government the sole issuer of money, compulsory education for kids under 14 and the state providing meals, books and clothes to kids when necessary and Federal management of forests.  Sound familiar?  All of those things were eventually enacted but not by Socialists, but instead Republicans and Democrats. So, who knows?  Perhaps the socialist call for the destruction fo the capitalist system, which socialists claim brings “inequality essentially destructive of life, of liberty and of happiness” may be pushed…but not under the moniker so boldly proclaimed by Debs from his jail cell.

Weather Bottom Line:  It got to freezing at my house last night. I can tell because Paint Brush, our unofficially adopted stray cat, decided to climb on my sunflowers.  The 12 foot stalks are still strong because he dangled from them..but..I noticed the leaves are suddenly drooping terribly and overnight they turned almost black.  Well, the cool conditions will persist all week. Highs in the 50′s, probably no freezing temperatures for most people but with lows in the 30′s area wide for the next few nights, freezing conditions for some people is probable.  Aside for some clouds midweek, it should be dry and next weekend look for a moderation to the low to mid 60′s by Saturday and maybe Sunday afternoon.