When the US Military turned on its own: A Dark Day in US History July 28, 2010

Bonus Marchers at Capitol June 17, 1932

On This Date in History: We’ve heard that this is the worst economy “since the great depression.” I have taken issue with that as I think it is pure hyperbole and political posturing. In my view, our overall economic situation is more akin to the latter part of the Carter administration and early Reagan years. However, it could be argued that the banking crisis was potentially as troubling as the 1930′s but again, and argument might be made that the Savings and Loan crisis was a better barometer. But, in overall economic terms, its hard to make such a comparison. For instance, on June 17, 1932 a Washington newspaper said it was the “tensest day in the capital since the War.”

US Army with Tanks Prepare to Take on US Veterans

What was going on? Well, 10,000 World War I vets had gathered on the Capitol grounds in Washington DC. Across the Anacostia River were another 10,000 who had been living in huts made of scrap metal and other junk from a nearby junk pile. These vets also had their wives and children residing in their camp. They had gathered to see if they would get their money. In 1924, Congress had voted to award veterans of the Great War $1.25 for every day a soldier served overseas and a dollar for every day stateside. But, there was a catch. They didn’t get their “war bonus” until 1945. These men needed it in 1932 during some of the darkest days of the Depression. The US House of Representatives had voted to give them their bonuses then. But, the Senate voted against the measure by a 62-18 margin. Needless to say, the vets were pretty P’Oed.

Bonus Army Camp 1932

So, the “Bonus Expeditionary Force” decided to stay in protest. Aside from the 10,000 across the river, the 10,000 in the Capitol had for weeks been camped out in some 20 sites, including partially demolished government buildings. What I don’t get is that Congress wouldn’t pony up the bonus money…today we’d call it a stimulus…but they did allocate $100,000 for the relocation of the bonus marchers any where they wanted to go. The politicians just wanted them out of town. But, few took up the offer and President Hoover refused to meet with them. About 500 did leave town but 1000 new ones took their place. The marchers started a single file “death march” in front of the Capitol and it lasted until July 16 when Congress adjourned. By that time, 17,000 had gathered to see their less than favorite legislators exit for recess.

Vets Used the Flag as a Weapon to Defend against Police

With the politicians gone, one might think that the marchers would leave too. Nope. They stayed and the local authorities became nervous and on this date in 1932, the Bonus Expeditionary Force faced law enforcement officials and later their former comrades in arms.. The cops were ordered to clear all government buildings, presumably those that were in some state of demolition housing some of the vets. The old soldiers resisted and the cops started firing their weapons. Two US veterans of World War I who survived open warfare were killed by the police in their own country. So…what to do? Why call out the army!

Caesar and Ike Make Sure the Vets Get Out of Town

By the late afternoon, a tank platoon, an infantry battalion and a cavalry squadron were on the scene to put down their fellow soldiers. Who better to be in command of the troops that General Douglas MacArthur. And who better to serve as his liason with the police but none other than Major Dwight D. Eisenhower, future Supreme Allied Commander and President of the United States. And if that’s not enough, why not get Major George S. Patton to lead the cavalry? Clearly outmatched, the old vets were pushed out by soldiers with fixed bayonets and cavalrymen with their sabres drawn.

Vet Camp Burns in Shadow of Capitol Dome

The UPI reported that “men, women and children fled shrieking across the broken ground, falling into excavations as they strove to avoid the rearing hoofs and sable points. Meantime, infantry on the south side had adjusted gas masks and were hurling tear gas bombs inot the block into which they had just driven the veterans.” Four hours later, the camps had been set ablaze and the protesters driven across the river to the Anacostia Flats camp. By 4am on the 29th, that shantyville was also burning and the marchers driven into Maryland. From their, they were told to not stop walking until they got to Pennsylvania.

Maybe MacArthur was trying to re-enact Sherman’s march to the sea. Or maybe he was practicing for his march back to Bataan. Well, maybe not, but it certainly was not a proud day for America’s armed forces and a dark spot on the public record of three heroes of World War II. However, it must have been tough to follow orders to turn on your own men…tough spot to be in. No word on where the Commander in Chief was at that time.

Weather Bottom Line:  We have a little frontal system coming down our way slowly.  Look for scattered showers and t’storms this afternoon and tonight.  The front should ease through on Thursday so rain chances will be in the picture for Thursday but they should diminish as the day progresses, provided the front doesnt slow down too much.  Friday we will be the slight beneficiaries of the front with the edge taken off the heat and humidity but, the front gets dragged back our way as a warm front as another storm system traverses the northern plains.  That should increase the prospects for rain by late Saturday and I suspect it will be more elevated by Saturday night.  The heat and humidity will again be tough after the warm front is dragged through but it remains to be seen if the follow up cold front actually gets here.  It’s too far out to say conclusively and I have other things to do today so we’ll wait and see.

US Army Attacks US Army Vets in One of America’s Darkest Hours July 27, 2009

Bonus Marchers at Capitol June 17, 1932

On This Date in History:  We’ve heard that this is the worst economy “since the great depression.”   I have taken issue with that as I think it is pure hyperbole and political posturing.  In my view, our overall economic situation is more akin to the latter part of the Carter administration and early Reagan years. However, it could be argued that the banking crisis was potentially as troubling as the 1930′s but again, and argument might be made that the Savings and Loan crisis was a better barometer.  But, in overall economic terms, its hard to make such a comparison.  For instance, on June 17, 1932 a Washington newspaper said it was the “tensest day in the capital since the War.”

What was going on?  Well, 10,000 World War I vets had gathered on the Capitol grounds in Washington DC.  Across the Anacostia River were another 10,000 who had been living in huts  made of scrap metal and other junk from a nearby junk pile.  These vets also had their wives and children residing in their camp.  They had gathered to see if they would get their money.  In 1924, Congress had voted to award veterans of the Great War $1.25 for every day a soldier served overseas and a dollar for every day stateside.  But, there was a catch.  They didn’t get their “war bonus” until 1945.  These men needed it in 1932 during some of the darkest days of the Depression.  The US House of Representatives had voted to give them their bonuses then.  But, the Senate voted against the measure by a 62-18 margin.  Needless to say, the vets were pretty P’Oed.

Bonus Army Camp 1932

So, the “Bonus Expeditionary Force” decided to stay in protest.  Aside from the 10,000 across the river, the 10,000 in the Capitol had for weeks been camped out in some 20 sites, including partially demolished government buildings.  What I don’t get is that Congress wouldn’t pony up the bonus money…today we’d call it a stimulus…but they did allocate $100,000 for the relocation of the bonus marchers any where they wanted to go.  The politicians just wanted them out of town.  But, few took up the offer and President Hoover refused to meet with them.  About 500 did leave town but 1000 new ones took their place.  The marchers started a single file “death march” in front of the Capitol and it lasted until July 16 when Congress adjourned.  By that time, 17,000 had gathered to see their less than favorite legislators exit for recess. 

Vets Used the Flag as a Weapon to Defend against Police

With the politicians gone, one might think that the marchers would leave too. Nope. They stayed and the local authorities became nervous and on this date in 1932, the Bonus Expeditionary Force enjoyed their final day of relative peace in our nation’s capitol.   The next day, cops were ordered to clear all government buildings, presumably those that were in some state of demolition housing some of the vets.  The old soldiers resisted and the cops started firing their weapons.  Two US veterans of World War I who survived open warfare were killed by the police in their own country.  So…what to do? Why call out the army!   

Caesar and Ike Make Sure the Vets Get Out of Town

By the late afternoon, a tank platoon, an infantry battalion and a cavalry squadron were on the scene to put down their fellow soldiers.  Who better to be in command of the troops that General Douglas MacArthur.  And who better to serve as his liason with the police but none other than Major Dwight D. Eisenhower, future Supreme Allied Commander and President of the United States. And if that’s not enough, why not get Major George S. Patton to lead the cavalry?  Clearly outmatched, the old vets were pushed out by soldiers with fixed bayonets and cavalrymen with their sabres drawn.   

Vet Camp Burns in Shadow of Capitol Dome

The UPI reported that “men, women and children fled shrieking across the broken ground, falling into excavations as they strove to avoid the rearing hoofs and sable points.  Meantime, infantry on the south side had adjusted gas masks and were hurling tear gas bombs inot the block into which they had just driven the veterans.”  Four hours later, the camps had been set ablaze and the protesters driven across the river to the Anacostia Flats camp.  By 4am on the 29th, that shantyville was also burning and the marchers driven into Maryland.  From their, they were told to not stop walking until they got to Pennsylvania. 

Maybe MacArthur was trying to re-enact Sherman’s march to the sea.  Or maybe he was practicing for his march back to Bataan.  Well, maybe not, but it certainly was not a proud day for America’s armed forces and a dark spot on the public record of three heroes of World War II.  However, it must have been tough to follow orders to turn on your own men…tough spot to be in.  No word on where the Commander in Chief was at that time.

Monday evening

Weather Bottom Line:  If we get to 90 in July it would be in the next two days.  Not so much today but perhaps Tuesday.  The reason that I say on Tuesday is because there will be a front approaching late Tuesday.  A scenario could unfold that we get a decent southwesterly flow and perhaps some slight compressional warming with the approach of the front and that may get us to 90.  However, some of the models want to bring a shortwave close to the area in th e flow along a returning warm front from the southwest that would help to increase afternoon clouds and that may hold  down the temps a bit.  I’d say about a 1 in 4 chance of getting 90 on Tuesday.  After that, we have the front on Wednesday increasing rain and t’storm chances and then the rest of the week the big long wave trof that had been in over the eastern half of the nation appears to be re-established in a fashion not as deep as the previous one but broader with a greater wave length so it encompasses the northern plains as well as the northeastern quadrant of the US.  Hence, we will be in the jetstream flow or the storm track and so the models all bring through little short waves or upper disturbances now and again keeping rain chances in the forecast for the remainder of the week.

Roe or Wade Through This; Brief Warm Up January 22, 2009

It's Dangerous To Get Into This...But I'll Give it a Try

 

Waste of Time

On This Date in History: 

This subject is a little bit touchy and I do not intend to really get into the muck.  This is also pretty long but I hope that you will read  through it and think a bit.  I mean, people have their opinions and I certainly do, but they are more in the form of things to consider.  You will find I have observations from both sides of the fence.  What am I talking about? Why the infamous case of Roe V. Wade that on this date in 1973 came down from the US Supreme Court.  What it said was that state laws outlawing abortion were unconstitutional.  In time, that came to mean that abortions in the first trimester of pregnancy could not be banned.  

People love to protest and march on both sides.  Does any of that change any minds?  Do ads and T-shirts really make a difference.  It’s all a waste of time, energy, money and effort in my book.  It seems to me that changing of minds and opinions comes through long, in depth discussion and analysis of one’s own self and careful consideration.  It would appear to me that people who make or by t-shirts, protest, hold signs, yell and scream or march are more interested in bringing attention to themselves and not resolving an issue.  I mean, does someone see someone yelling and holding a sign and say, “hey…I’m changing my mind!” 

Let me take a stab at an objective view of the history of abortion in the US.  It wasn’t always illegal.  In the 1700′s and

Funny But Stupid

 early 1800′s, apparently there were methods of women ending a pregnancy. It was called “quickening” and the best I can understand there were certain types of drugs that a woman could take.  In fact, through the middle of the 19th century, there were “female monthly pills” available that induced an end to a pregnancy.  But, in the 1700′s it wasn’t much of an issue. Generally for the first 100 years of the nation, abortions were legal.  As it became more prominent in the 1800′s and I suppose as we entered the Guilded Age (Victorian Age in England), states began banning the practice.  It became a criminal offense and the newly formed American Medical Association came out against the procedure, though some say it was because doctors wanted to eliminate the competition from abortion practioners.   My source claims that the Catholic Church had no problem with quickening but by the middle of the 19th century came about and opposed abortion.  Abortion  laws came up in most states but really weren’t enforced too much and so if you had money, you could generally have the procedure done until the 1930′s . That is when enforcement began in earnest.  By the 1960′s, states began to liberalize the abortion laws.  I think by the time January 22, 1973 rolled around, some 17 states had loosened their laws.

This is how the American Medical Association has changed its definition of abortion over time according to one source: 1859-”The slaughter of countless children; such unwarranted destruction of life. ” 1871-”The work of destruction; the wholesale destruction of unborn infants.”  1967-”The interruption of pregnancy; the induced termination of pregnancy.” 1970-”a medial procedure.”

Get A Job and Quit Blocking Traffic

Now, it’s difficult to find objective information on the history of abortion in this country.  When you compare the view from the pro-abortion crowd to that of the anti-abortion crowd, its rather interesting.  Go ahead and give it a whirl. I chose those two sites just as an example. There are many many others.

Here are some thoughts to consider.  First off, I have some problems with terminology.  Most people who are against abortion being legal call themselves “pro-life.”  It is said that all life is precious.  If that is the case, then those people necessarily have to be against the death penalty.  If all life is precious, doesn’t that come without qualifiers?  And don’t forget, there have been “pro-life” people who decided it was a good idea to kill other people through bombings and shootings.  Then there is the “pro-choice” moniker for the opposing view.  It seems to me that if one claims to want the government to “keep your laws off of my body” or that “a woman has a right to choose what to do with her body” then that person necessarily has to be in favor of legalized prostitution. 

Further on that note, if one is pregnant and is caught being intoxicated or on drugs, often that mother is charged with

Idiotic Propaganda That Changes Nothing

endangering the life of the fetus.   It’s as if there is some inconsistency there.    But what about the viability?  It is generally accepted that abortions are fine in the first trimester because there is no viability of the fetus to live outside of the womb.  After the first trimester, they can be performed to protect the health of the mother.  On this date in 1973, there was a less celebrated yet very significant Supreme Court Decision.  It was Doe V Bolton and it struck down an abortion law in Georgia.  In that decision, the court defined what the health of the mother meant.  It said that “… that the medical judgment may be exercised in the light of all factors – physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s age – relevant to the wellbeing of the patient. All these factors may relate to health.”  So, if the mother may be affected emotionally, then that can be considered a risk to her health and then everything goes.  Yet, if someone shot or beat that mother, then the assailant could be charged with two counts of assault or attempted murder.  So, if the woman is emotionally unstable, its okay to terminate the pregnancy any time, but if someone beats a  mother and that beating results in a  termination of the pregnancy, then that person is charged with murder.  Seems a bit odd. I mean, one pregnancy is ended on purpose and the other is ended by the fault of another, but the result is the same.  Why is the termination of the pregnancy murder in one case but a medical procedure in the other?  I don’t get it.

Now, here’s something else.  If you believe that life begins at conception, then one must give that life the equal protection afforded by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.  It seems to me that one would then have to count those unborn lives  in the census, which means that the government would have to periodically check to see if women were pregnant.  One woman tried this when she drove in the high occupancy lane on the freeway in which there had to be two occupants in the vehicle.  She got pulled over and claimed her baby inside her was the second occupant.  If the law says that it is a life after the first trimester, then shouldn’t she have a case?  These unborns protected by the 14th Amendment would have to considered for the number of representatives that a state might have.  You’d also have to allow them to be dependents on your income tax.  In fact, all rights and considerations and the legal requirements of parenting would have to apply, not to mention all of the other clerical  things like taxes, social security numbers, etc.  That seems quite cumbersome and impractical. 

Ask yourself how many abortions are an abdication of responsibility.  Now, there are two sides to that coin.  Is it responsible to terminate a pregnancy because it would bring hardship or is it responsible to not terminate a pregnancy in which the child would begin life in lousy circumstance? 

I Bet This is Real Effective...Money Could Be Better Spent

I made a lady mad one time at work.  We were in the lunchroom and I was thinking out loud.  I pondered the parables of Jesus.  He said that one should render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God when someone ask if they should pay their taxes.  Jesus did not say to lobby Caesar. (Matt 22: 15-22) Yet, I opined out loud that perhaps the churches were trying to lobby Caesar in their efforts to curtail abortion.  It seems to me that the churches are trying to get the government to do their job.  If the churches got out there and changed the hearts and minds of people so that they wouldn’t have abortions, then the laws would be irrlevant.  No one is forced to have an abortion.  Just because someone can do a thing, doesn’t mean one has to do a thing nor does it mean one should do a thing.  The lady got mad and left.  Abortions can be stopped if people stop considering it as an option.

As for the woman who started it all…Roe? Her name is Norma McCorvey and in this interview, she comes out strongly against abortion.  She says that she felt ashamed of what she did.  Consider that.

GFS Doesn't Like Snow Through Monday Night

Weather Bottom Line:  Yes indeed…the heater is working and now the temperatures will be near 50 on Thursday and in the 50′s on Friday.  Good thing I got a new furnace.  But,  I will be happy this weekend. A front comes down and brings temperatures back into the freezer.  Upper 20′s and low 30′s for highs over the weekend.  Perhaps a few flurries on Sunday.  Then, we’re still looking at next week.  The other day, the wave looked to be more of a problem for late Monday into Tuesday.  My loyal reader Eric pointed out to me that a local guy claimed that you had to get moisture within 24 hours of cold coming in to get significant snow or ice.  That is not necessarily true.  It often happens like that, but it’s not a common rule.  There are no absolutes in life and you get yourself in trouble when you start using “rules of thumb” in forecast.  In any event, right now, it doesn’t look as potentially menacing as it did before.  But its still going to be a chilly week ahead.  Not terribly cold but still chilly.