Charles De Gaulle once said that treaties are like young girls and roses; they last while they last. Is the special relationship between Israel and the United States as fragile as that and why for the first time since the founding of Israel is that relationship a topic for discussion in a U.S. presidential debate? Finally, how can Israel, outnumbered and besieged by a regional power who is willing to sacrifice anything to erase Israel from the face of the earth, continue to exist?

The linked article by Christopher Caldwell discusses these questions and other issues that Israel faces each day. It also provides an excellent history regarding the formation of the Israeli state and the internal stresses which must be carefully balanced for the state to continue to exist. One misstep on the part of the Israeli political or military leaders can cause terrible harm to the state of Israel and its citizens. The proof of this are the actions of previous leaders of Israel such as Golda Meir prior to the war of 1973 and Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF prior to the attack on October 7.

With the very real possibility of a new front on the north, will the state of Israel be able to exist given the questionable support of the current U.S. administration? One gets the feeling that we were so close to achieving a real break through with the Abraham Accords but that even if the war ended today, the survival of Israel has taken a serious step in the wrong direction.

https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/is-israel-defensible

Who were the financiers who provided the manufacturing and technical expertise which allowing Hitler and the Nazis to overrun so much of Europe and commit the Holocaust?  And, after the war, what actions if any were taken against them not only for their material support of Hitler, but also for the use of slave labor on a scale not seen since the Roman Empire?

Mr. De Jong spent four years researching this book focusing on four major German families; the Quandts, the Flicks, the von Fincks and the Porsche-Piechs.  How is it that the Krupps are so well known and yet these families contributed in so many ways to the Nazi war machine, producing tanks, guns of every caliber, ammunition, drugs, medicines and almost every other item that a nation needs for war.

Some of the named above were successful industrialists before Hitler’s rise to power, such as the Quandts while other took advantage of the “Aryanization” of Jewish businesses.  “Aryanization” was the concept that with the introduction of the Nuremberg Laws, Jews were forbidden to own factories and businesses.  In order to comply with the law, Jewish businesses were “bought out” by Germans for pennies on the dollar and then those few pennies were determined to be the cost of an exit visa from Germany as many of the Jews fled to other countries. Such theft was in itself a crime that these and other families committed but add to the list the inhuman treatment of the slave laborers and the wheels of justice should have centered on these families.  Why weren’t these families the targets of justice?

The recent conviction of former President Trump will be used during this election cycle to discredit him. Do you really want a convicted felon to be the President of the United States? Yet was the trial fair? To answer that question, ask if you would want to be a defendant in a trial and be treated in the same manner. If you say you do not know enough about the trial, please follow the link below for an analysis of the trial and the numerous grounds for a successful appeal.

Sadly, we have seen a major political polarization of our national governmental institutions under the Obama and Biden administrations. When President Obama promised to “fundamentally change” the United States, it should have been a warning to all of us. Unfortunately, few imagined that the fundamental change would be a political infection of the IRS, FBI, DOJ, and national intelligence agencies. We live in dangerous times, and we need to remember the wise words of President Reagan when he said: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

Reversible Errors – The American Mind

If you are concerned about the value of your US citizenship,or if you are concerned about your son or daughters knowledge of the history of the US, please read the attached press release. This series based on a book by the noted historian, Victor Davis Hanson will educate and enthuse anyone who spends the time to listen. There is no charge and it makes an excellent companion if you are out walking, bicycling, etc.

If you are not a citizen of the U.S., I believe you will enjoy this free course and better understand my nation. I hope you will take the time to give it a try. Thank you.

https://www.hillsdale.edu/news-and-media/press-releases/hillsdale-college-to-launch-new-online-course-on-american-citizenship

In January 1901. Queen Victoria died at the age of 81 after being Queen for 64 years.  Her reign experienced the revolutions of 1848, the formation of the Second French Empire, Crimea War, and the unification of Germany.  A small woman, she hid herself from the public and to a certain extent, politics for decades after the death of her husband, Prince Albert.  The unintended result was a diminution of power of the Crown as strong Prime Ministers stepped into the role she abdicated. 

When she died, most citizens knew no other monarch and although her health had been slipping, many of her closest advisors were unaware of the seriousness of her illness.  This meant that her death came as a shock to the nation and the private secretaries, etc. scrambled to find the proper procedure for her internment. Fortunately, Captain (later Sir) Frederick Ponsonby took charge, often stepping on bureaucratic toes to make the arrangements.  Fate seemed to work against a smooth ceremony as the funeral cortege was too long for the route march, the casket almost fell off the caisson, the casket (there were several, each within the others), was so heavy that the troops carrying it had to be relieved after taking it off the caisson, and finally the traces broke and the caisson with the casket had to be pulled by the troops (in fact it was considered a great honor and a rival troop demanded the honor of pulling everything during the next stage).

The United States suffered shocks to its system by the death of FDR and the assassination of JFK but imagine if either of them had governed for over 60 years.  And, given the level of communications at the time, her death must have come like a bolt from the blue.  It seemed to be taken for granted that her reign would never end.  Her children ruled or were married to rulers of most of the European states which was thought to assure stability for the future but in the end, her death signaled the beginning days of the end for the old world which would be smashed in World War I.

If you are not familiar with this area, this book gives a glimpse into a simpler time, one filled with hope and dreams for a future.  A time when Europe still believed in itself and looked positively to scientific and economic advances which would benefit humanity.     

Even though we are surrounded by scores of information sources, the sheer number is enough to make one go numb.  Factoids will be posted periodically to bring you bits of news which may or may not catch your fancy.  Most of the Factoids will be posted to bring you counter-intuitive information which may not be covered by traditional news sources; Question: why aren’t they covered?  Possibly they may go against the grain of political or cultural “acceptable” thought.  Or, perhaps because they cannot fit into the thirty-second sound bites without raising more questions than they answer.  Hopefully you will find some of them of interest!

HOW TO COMMIT SUICIDE:  Remember the $1Trillion to fund the wonderful Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)? Thanks to West Virginia Sen. Shelly Moore, we now know that the Environmental Protection Agency received $3 Billion for “environmental justice.  The Climate Justice Alliance, which is a network of nearly 90 affiliates received $50 million to support their work.  The problem is the goals of the Alliance.  Some of their goals include:

• Cutting military funding to Israel
• Shutting down Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• The abolishment of all prisons
• Defunding the police

They will also work with a group called the NDN Collective which states in it’s manifesto that, “We shout not treat the struggles we face against Zionism, white supremacy and imperialism as separate from one another, because they act as one to oppress and eliminate us.”

Does anyone at the EPA actually like the United States or are they just too busy to check up who they give OUR money too? (WSJ, pp A14, 5/24/24)

NOT A WAY TO RUN A BUSINESS:  The EV business is not exactly a great way to build a business.  Ford has admitted that they lost $132,000 for every EV they sell.  The EPA (not them again) wants 70% of auto sales to be made up of EVs and plug-in hybrids by 2032.  Think Ford will still be around by then? (IBID)

Prior to this volume, Holger Herwig’s book, The First World War, Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914-1918 was in my opinion, the finest book which not only dealt with the military aspects of the war but focused more on the civilian cost of the war.  Watson’s book goes beyond Herwig’s work in detailing the almost immediate impact of the war on the citizens of the two powers. 

Surrounded by hostile states, with the rapid rearmament of Czarist Russia after its defeat in its war with Japan, a French paranoia and demand for revenge for its defeat in 1870, a weak and untrusted ally in Italy which demanded lands held by the Austrian’s and an self-important Serbia which sought a “Greater Serbia” at the expense of Austria-Hungary, time did not appear to be on the side of the Central Powers.  A mistaken belief of the Austrian military command that a short, sharp war could both eliminate the troublesome Serbs and be localized entirely ignored the expansionist plans of Russia as well as Russia’s desire to appear strong after its military defeat and its humiliation by Austria over Bosnia a decade before.  The result was a domino effect as one nation after another seemed to stumble into war based on military time tables and a lack especially by the Czar of what “mobilization” really meant.

From the beginning, the Central Powers were faced with food shortages which they tried to make up by a ruthless exploitation of areas their armies won on the battlefield.  It could never be enough however, to counter the internationally illegal tight British blockade of even neutral shipping.  Additionally, it seemed that Austria and Hungary, the two halves of the Empire were fighting different wars, with disputes over goals, command and most importantly, shipments of Hungarian grains and fats to Austria, especially after the rich province of Galicia was overrun and laid to waste by the Russian army.  Rationing was imposed but poorly administered but the concept of all for the front held the people together until even their patience was exhausted by the inflated promises of victory as the casualty lists become ever greater.

The running of the war by Ludendorff in Germany and his concept of total command of the economy was a failure.  The one shortcoming I found in the book was a claim that arms production actually decreased under Ludendorff but there were no statistics to demonstrate the point.

This volume (about 750 pages) provides an excellent examination of a civilian world under huge stress.  The inability of the Central Powers to provide basic living needs for its population led to purely physical exhaustion for millions of citizens.  It is no wonder that later, Hitler would proclaim the need for Lebensraum which was partially responsible for his drive to the East.

A highly detailed book, well written and of value to anyone interested in the often-forgotten civilians who face so much in so many wars.

Over the past forty years or so, the Frankfurt School has managed to infiltrate most of the key institutions of the west, specifically academia, the media (both news and entertainment), as well as many of the special interest groups (women’s, environmental, civil rights, etc.). Along the way it has managed to all but destroy any demand for self-discipline and responsibility and has offered in its place a mentality of victimhood and persecution. Who is to blame for the woes of the world? One group in particular, the white male.

The articles linked below begin to point out some of the fallacies of such thinking. They also point out the downside risk by looking at examples in the history of such a race-based ideology. In effect, such shallow thinking only leads to a never-ending cycle of new victims and new boogiemen.

Expropriation: The End Game of Anti-Whiteness – The American Mind

As Whites Go, So Goes the Nation – The American Mind

During the Covid pandemic, we often heard the chant, “follow the science!”  Unfortunately, there was very little real science to follow, and it was a time for political demagoguery, scientific intolerance and power abuse of our fundamental rights.  We all face another threat to our individual freedoms with the liberal legalization of marijuana by cities and states on a daily basis. Unfortunately, no one is chanting “follow the science” when actual science is available.

The article linked below provides information that has been known for years but which is being ignored by our elected officials and bad actors in their rush to legalize marijuana. Why is that?  Although the reasons are not spelled out, another chant comes to mind; “follow the money”.  It is no secret that governments in their never-ending quest for new sources of tax revenue have a vested interest in legalizing marijuana.  Indeed, politicians proudly forecast a wonderful new revenue stream coming from marijuana regardless of proven harm done to users, especially young users.

So, the politicians get their tax windfall and society gets increased schizophrenia, chronic psychosis, anti-social behavior, and other wonderful side effects. Do the politicians require today’s stronger marijuana to carry black-box warnings of the dangers involved by use? Of course, not as that just might impact sales and thus tax revenues. Gone are the idyllic days when we believed the government was there to protect us from the bad players of the world.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-you-arent-reading-about-marijuana-permanent-brain-damage-biden-schedule-iii-9660395e?page=1

Through the mists of time, the campaign against Poland in September 1939 has seemed to have almost disappeared.  Memoirs and campaign histories of other actions of World War II have stuffed libraries around the world to overflowing and even today new volumes are produced which seldom contribute something new to our understanding of these events.  Aside from an occasional article in a history magazine, about the most complete history of the campaign that I found was by Major Robert M. Kennedy as published by the Department of the U.S. Army (1956).  Roger Moorhouse’s new book promised to bring some new facts to bare, especially around personal narrative from the Polish defenders.  To some extent, this has been achieved.

I say to some extent as there are some actions where the thoughts and activities of the defenders are noted, but not as many as I personally would have enjoyed.  The strength of this book is in putting the lead up to the war in good context, especially in the alliance between the U.K., France, and Poland.  To be brutally truthful, Poland was betrayed by its allies, who promised aid and an offensive against the Germans but had no intention or desire; instead the “allies” of Poland were depending on bluff to stop the Germans. Just two days before the invasion, when the German army was deployed on three sides of Poland, the French Minister of War assured his Polish counter parts that France was fully committed to invading Germany with the full might of its military if war were to begin.  Of course, the French “offensive” thrust a few kilometers into Germany and then quickly pulled back, while the British did not begin a bombing offensive as “private property” might be damaged.

The Polish defense of Westerplatte is covered well, but other actions such as those on the Hel peninsula and at the fortress of Modlin are barely touched.  The famous cavalry actions of Poland’s Uhlans are put into proper perspective and the Soviet invasion of Eastern Poland are also covered adequately.  Other weaknesses include not discussing the escaped of over 100,000 Polish troops through Romania and their contribution to the allied victory (as well as their betrayal in England where they were not allowed to participate in the victory parade for fear of offending Stalin and the domestic Labor Party), and a summation of German losses during the campaign.  It is known that the war costs the Germans over fifty-thousand casualties and approximately twenty percent of their tanks.

From the very start of the war, the Germans embarked on a reign of terror, executing both Polish “intellectuals” including policemen, lawyers, doctors, priests, and teachers.  In the beginning theses individuals were primarily Polish but Jews were also targeted.  The key was to break the will of the Poles to resist, the view being that the Jews had no where to go and could be handled on a larger scale in time.

In the end, the nation which was the first to stand up to Nazi Germany and who stood by the Allies in spite of bad faith, was a loser in the Second World War. There were no victory parades, no awarding of honors but there was forty-four years more years of terror under the rule of Communism. Perhaps that is why Poland realizes the danger of Russia so much more clearly than the Western Europeans.  

This work is a good introduction to the campaign and basic reference book for anyone who wishes to understand the importance of the politics on both sides and a bird’s eye view of the battles. Moorhouse follows in the footsteps of his mentor, Norman Davies so we should see additional fine histories in the future.