This day in history - August 2, 1943: Lt. John F. Kennedy's PT-109 is rammed by a Japanese destroyer

By Richard K. Barry

Working with a lot of younger people as I do, I no longer take it for granted that they will have a working knowledge of the historical events that I consider important. It would have been impossible to have grown up in the '60s, for example, without knowing the story of President John F. Kennedy's exploits as a young naval officer in the Pacific during WWII. They even made a movie about it, not to mention the book, both of which came out in 1963.

The short of it is that Kennedy commanded a small patrol boat that was rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. Although there were a couple of fatalities, the remaining crew managed to reach an island and were later rescued. Kennedy's leadership in helping to secure the crews' rescue was no doubt helpful in defining him in a way helpful to his political career.

If you are of a certain age, you knew all of that.

Interesting to note that Kennedy's exploits were more or less accepted at face value, though many decades later John Kerry's military record and reputation were all but destroyed by lies and innuendo. Makes you wonder what has changed.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 31, 1981: A 42-day Major League Baseball strike ends

By Richard K. Barry

Now that the football lockout is over, I was just thinking about other memorable labor issues, past and present, in professional sports.

In fact, the 1981 baseball strike was the fifth work stoppage in Major League Baseball (MLB) since the 1972 baseball strike. The 1981 strike forced the cancellation of 713 games, which accounted for 38 percent of the MLB schedule.

And who could forget the 1994-95 baseball strike, which was the eighth stoppage in MLB history. This one was a 232-day strike, which lasted from August 12, 1994 to April 2, 1995, and led to the cancellation of between 931 and 948 games, including the entire 1994 postseason and World Series.

I was going to list all strikes and lockouts for MLB, the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL), but I counted 17 and just don't have the patience. If you're interested, you can find the info here.

And if you follow round ball you know that the NBA is currently in a lockout situation, which is now going into Day 28, and guess what else? The Collective Bargaining Agreements for MLB and the NHL expire on Dec. 11, 2011 and Sept. 15, 2012, respectively.

As I have said elsewhere, I don't begrudge players fighting for better deals, but, as a fan, I hate to see the games get damaged.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 28, 1932: President Hoover orders troops to evict the "Bonus Army"

By Richard K. Barry

The Bonus Army was what they called the 43,000 marchers, comprised of 17,000 World War I veterans, their families, and other groups, who came to Washington, D.C. in the spring and summer of 1932 to demand immediate cash payment of their service certificates.

The march took place at a time when many of the veterans had already been out of work since the beginning of the Great Depression a few years earlier. In essence, they were asking that compensation due to them for wartime service that was not redeemable until 1945 be paid immediately.

Rather than being met by the compassion one might expect for soldiers who had served their country, they were driven out, along with their wives and children, by infantry and cavalry supported by six tanks with none other than Douglas MacArthur in command.

Today the right-wing likes to warn that progressives are encouraging "class warfare" by pointing to the growing gap between rich and poor and the diminishing opportunities for the middle class and the poor to sustain themselves.

I would suggest that progressives are not so much encouraging mass protest as they are amazed that it is taking so long to come together. When growing numbers are having a difficult time taking care of their families through no fault of their own, they are likely to move beyond asking politely for their fair share. It's not a call to class warfare. It's a statement of fact.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 25, 1956: The ocean liner Andrea Doria collides with the MS Stockholm

By Richard K. Barry

On this day in 1956, the Italian ocean liner SS Andrea Doria collided with the MS Stockholm in heavy fog, killing 46. The collision took place 45 miles south of Nantucket Island. The next day, the Andrea Doria sunk.

The incident was heavily covered by the media at the time. It is generally recognized that the design of the ship, which allowed it to stay afloat for 11 hours after impact, good behavior of the crew, improvements in communications, and the quick response of other ships averted a disaster on the scale of the Titanic in 1912.

The Andrea Doria was the last major transatlantic passenger vessel to sink before air travel became the preferred method of crossing the ocean.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 21, 1925: High school teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution

By Richard K. Barry

In Dayton, Tennessee on this date a high school teacher was found guilty of teaching evolution. Yes, John T. Scopes was found guilty of teaching science. (That's Darwin to the left, by the way, not Scopes).

So, where do the current crop of declared and potential GOP presidential hopefuls stand on teaching science in our schools?

Michele Bachmann has said that evolution is a theory that has never been proven one way or the other and that schools should teach intelligent design as an alternate explanation for the origins of life.

Tim Pawlenty thinks that creationism should be taught alongside evolution, which is Sarah Palin's view.

Rick Perry supports teaching creationism in Texas public schools.

Rick Santorum is a creationist, obviously.

To his credit, Newt Gingrich seems to have a more nuanced view (hell, let's give him credit for something).

Mitt Romney, also to his credit, once said that while he "believed that God designed the universe and created the universe," he also believed that "evolution is most likely the process he used to create human beings."

Even those who want to support science see the need to equivocate in order to keep a large segment of the conservative base happy.

All in all, things really haven't changed that much.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 20, 1969: Apollo 11 lands on the moon

By Richard K. Barry

The first ever human-crewed landing on the moon, in the Sea of Tranquility, took place on this day. Almost seven hours later (on July 21st), Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon.

Along with Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, they made up the three-person crew of Apollo 11.

Even today, I can easily remember those names without having to think much about it, such is the importance of the occasion in my memory.

As my co-blogger Carl pointed out yesterday, the manned space program, at least for now, will effectively end when the current Shuttle mission is complete. I agree wholeheartedly that it is a tragedy that the program will not go on for many of the reasons he cites.

I remember well growing up with the space program and how as a young student I was motivated to be more interested in learning because of it. While my education eventually took me away from the sciences and in the direction of the humanities, I remember thinking as a young person that a good education might be useful if I wanted to do interesting things in life. I recall the exploits of the early NASA astronauts helping to form that perception.

Again, without having to think much about it, I can recite the names Shepard, Glenn, Slayton, Schirra, Carpenter, Borman, Lovell, Cernan, and especially White, Chaffee and Grissom, the crew of the ill-fated Apollo 1 mission, along with those from Apollo 11 and on and on.

It seems to have had an impact on me.

It might also be good to remember how important shared national goals can be in bringing a nation together, though the concept is hard to imagine in the current climate.

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 16, 1941: Joe DiMaggio hits safely for the 56th consecutive game

By Richard K. Barry

Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak still stands and it's hard to imagine that it will ever be broken, though I guess one should never say anything like that.

The streak began on May 15th and ended on July 17th, but on July 16th he got that 56th hit. He had a .408 batting average during the streak, going 91 for 223, with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs.

Here we are just after the All-Star break, moving into the middle of July, the dog days of summer. It's a perfect time to remember the Yankee Clipper's phenomenal feat and how truly incredible it was.

(Yes, yes, let's do that, it was truly, utterly amazing what he did, even if he had a bit of help along the way, but that shouldn't detract from our loathing of the damn Yankees generally. I was at the game last night, a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the Blue Jays, and it was, as always, a genuine pleasure to see them go down. -- MJWS)

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 15, 1979: Jimmy Carter does not use the word "malaise" in a speech

By Richard K. Barry

In one of the more interesting examples of an important political speech that did not contain the word most associated with it, President Jimmy Carter, on this day in 1979, gave his so-called "Crisis of Confidence" speech, which is more commonly known as the "malaise" speech, though that word is never used.

In the speech, Carter spoke of "this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation," which apparently suggested malaise to a lot of people.

A year and a half later Ronald Reagan was president. The moral of the story would appear to be: don't ever get all philosophical with the American people, and for god's sake don't try to tell them the truth about themselves. That's never a good idea.

Better to tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear, if your goal is to win elections.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 12, 1962: The Rolling Stones perform their first ever concert, at the Marquee Club in London

By Richard K. Barry

A short while ago, I posted a reference to the date on which Paul McCartney and John Lennon met. It seems only fair to give the Stones their due. Maybe it's because I'm working my way through Keith Richard's bio that I'm thinking of the group.

Reading Richard's book, one is reminded how important the blues tradition was to The Rolling Stones and how completely immersed in it they were before they became one of the most notable Rock 'n' Roll bands of all time.

Here's a clip from 1966 of the boys doing "Paint It Black."

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 11, 1804: Former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton is mortally wounded in a duel

By Richard K. Barry

The duel in question was between Hamilton and Vice President Aaron Burr. It took place on July 11, 1804, and Hamilton, having been shot in the lower abdomen above the right hip, died the next day.

The cause of the duel was, of course, some sort of affront to Burr's honor, which required that he receive what I think they called in the day "satisfaction." All in all, it ended badly for Hamilton.

I thought the item interesting this week in particular because Hamilton was the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.

I note that he was involved in 1790 in writing something called the First Report on the Public Credit, which analyzed the financial standing of the United States of America and made recommendations for the retirement of the national debt.

Hmmm. What advice would Hamilton offer our national leaders today on the debt ceiling as one who worked so hard to ensure that the debt and honor of his fledging country would be secured following the American Revolution and the debt incurred to conduct it?

I'll bet Glenn Beck could tell me.

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 8, 1889: The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published

By Richard K. Barry

The Wall Street Journal is the largest newspaper in the United States by circulation and, sadly, since 2007 owned by the Rupert Murdoch news empire, which also owns the Fox News Channel among many other media entities.

In a week in which another Murdoch-owned media outlet, the British tabloid News of the World, announced that it will shut down due to despicable invasions of privacy, it seems important to remind ourselves what a cancer on the world of journalism Murdoch has been.

Despite earlier assurances from him that he would not turn the Journal into a right-wing advocacy rag, that is exactly what he has done.

And Fox News is just another "objective news source." Yeah, right.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - July 6, 1957: John Lennon and Paul McCartney first meet

By Richard K. Barry

John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles (as if you didn't know) were introduced on this day in 1957 when Lennon's band, The Quarrymen, performed at the St. Peter's Church Hall fete in Woolten.

Some might argue that this hardly qualifies as a momentous historical occasion. I would argue that they are wrong. I prefer to live in a world where The Beatles once existed and their music is still frequently heard. Yes, I feel pretty strongly about that.

And I will also admit that I posted this for the immensely cool picture.

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - June 28, 1894: Labor Day becomes an official US holiday

By Richard K. Barry

So, to which governor should I send a copy of Pete Seeger's Carry It On! The Story of Working People in America in Song and Picture? Should it be Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey or Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin? It is difficult to decide.

To which champion of working men and women everywhere should I make such a gift? I'm sure they would both cherish it.

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - June 23, 1926: The College Board Administers the first Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

By Richard K. Barry

 
I go back and forth in my own mind about the value of standardized tests. Mostly I end up being pretty traditional about the whole thing, thinking that some kind of national benchmark is necessary if not desirable, but I could easily be convinced otherwise.

What I do remember from high school is the potential for damage to a student's sense of self-worth based on that number, two numbers actually (verbal and math), that seemed to have far too much significance in determining how each us thought about ourselves and each other.

Were you a 1220 or a 940 or even a 1540? The highest score, if I remember correctly, was a combined 1600 (800 math, 800 verbal).

[The highest possible score was 1600 when I took it back in the early '90s, but changes in 2005, specifically the addition of a writing section, made it 2400. For more on the SAT, in my view a thoroughly ridiculous and wildly overvalued "test," see here -- MJWS]

Yes, it's true. Life is about winners and losers and there is always someone standing there with a clipboard to tell you which camp you're in.

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - June 13, 1997: Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh is sentenced to death

By Richard K. Barry

 

On this day in 1997, a jury sentenced Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995.

I guess extremism in the defence of some screwed-up anti-government understanding of liberty is a vice after all.

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - June 8, 1949: George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is published

By Richard K. Barry

 

As I watch and listen to Republicans go about their daily business with their constant use of doublespeak, George Orwell is never far from my mind. It seems, though, that Orwell never used the term doublespeak but rather coined newspeak and doublethink.

Apparently someone helpfully combined these other terms and came up with doublespeak as a word that Orwell might have coined, to the point that most think he did.

One source defines newspeak as "deliberately ambiguous and contradictory language used to mislead and manipulate the public." 

Doublethink is defined as "thought marked by the acceptance of gross contradictions and falsehoods, especially when used as a technique of self-indoctrination." 

Doublespeak is defined as:

Language that deliberately disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., downsizing or layoffs), making the truth less unpleasant, without denying its nature. It may also be deployed as intentional ambiguity, or reversal of meaning (for example, naming the state of war "peace"). In such cases, doublespeak disguises the nature of the truth.

As an example of Orwellian language, I need only go back a couple of days to a post I did on New Hampshire Congressman Charlie Bass's attempt to sugarcoat what the Ryan budget plan wants to do to Medicare.

He writes:

The Budget Resolution [i.e., the Ryan Budget Plan] ensures that Americans aged 54 and younger will still have Medicare when they retire by implementing a new, sustainable model of Medicare.

He goes on to say that Democratic attempts to characterize the plan as "ending Medicare" are "blatantly and wholly false, and have been deliberately crafted to mislead and frighten voters."

I don't know, Representative Bass; I don't think George Orwell would have any difficulty recognizing what you and your friend are up to.

Yes, someone is engaging in deliberately ambiguous and contradictory language and gross contradictions and falsehoods in an attempt to disguise the nature of the truth, and it's not the Democratic critics of Ryancare. It's you.

War is not peace, and a privatized voucher system is not Medicare.

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - June 6, 1944: The Allied invasion of Normandy

By Richard K. Barry

Having been born just over a decade after the end of WWII, I grew up hearing stories about the war and watching documentaries like The World at War and Victory at Sea. I suspect that few of my generation would be unable to identify June 6, 1944 as the day of the Allied invasion of Normandy, which began and essential part of the bloody process of defeating the Nazis on Continental Europe.

The declaration of war in Europe, the bombing of Pearl Harbour, VE-Day, and VJ-Day all occurred on dates many of us still recall.

As I've remarked before, WWII has been called the last good war and it does seem to have been the last war about which so many of us took any significant interest in learning the history.

I don't exactly know what it means that so few of us have taken the time to learn much about our current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Are there likely to be remembered dates and battles that will be significant to people in 10, 20, 50 years? (Aside, of course, from 9/11, which is different).

It's not my intention to glorify war, it's only that the costs are so high that if we paid more attention we'd be in a better position to judge if the sacrifices are worth it. It is surely not something we should take for granted.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - June 5, 1963: John Profumo resigns

By Richard K. Barry

The Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary or State for War. Profumo had an affair with Christine Keeler (pictured above), who was also reputed to have been involved with a Russian spy.

Not only was Profumo married but Keeler was a "London call girl" (a quaint term of the time). And an affair that close to a Russian spy was surely bad form in the middle of the Cold War.

Revelation of the whole sordid entanglement was, as one would imagine, devastating, as was the fact that Profumo lied about it in the House of Commons when questioned.

He was forced to resign, which badly damaged the reputation of Prime Minister Harold Macmillian's government. Macmillan himself resigned a few months later due to ill health.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - June 1, 1980: Cable News Network begins broadcasting

By Richard K. Barry 

 I don't typically trust any news organization that makes too much out of its lack of journalistic bias. I could go on at length about how foolish CNN has looked in the past attempting to appear balanced by entertaining "both" sides of any given issue when one of those sides was clearly just plain kooky.

But let's give credit where credit is due. CNN was the first to provide 24-hour television news coverage and the first all-news television station in the United States. It was an exciting time for the political and news junkies among us.

It's interesting to remember that the Persian Gulf War in 1991 was a moment in time for CNN, which did more than any other event to establish their brand due to the fact that CNN was able to communicate from inside Iraq during the first hours of the Coalition bombing with live reports from the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad by reporters Bernard Shaw, John Holliman, and Peter Arnett. It was spectacular.

Mostly I remember that it was during the Persian Gulf War that I first heard the name Wolf Blitzer, though I was sure it was a send up, clearly something made up by the writing team at Saturday Night Live. (I imagined that Dana Carvey would be cast to play the character). Alas, Blitzer was a real person and he has been annoying me ever since.

(Cross-posted Lippmann's Ghost.)

This day in history - May 27, 1933: The Century of Progress World's Fair opens in Chicago

By Richard K. Barry

 

I went to the New York World's Fair in the mid-1960s. I was quite young, but I vaguely remember it. Mostly I remember that I couldn't get that insipid little tune "It's a Small World (After All)" out of my head for months afterward.

One of the best things about world fairs is the inevitable exhibitions that describe what life will be like in the future and how they always get it so incredibly wrong. Apparently the Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition featured futuristic homes with the promise that personal helicopter pads would be available as an accoutrement for those so inclined.

In fact, the overall theme of the fair was technological innovation.

One interesting fact is that the first Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held at the Chicago White Sox Comiskey park in conjunction with the fair.

All in all I understand that the Chicago World's Fair of 1933 -- "A Century of Progress International Exposition" -- was a splendid and highly successful event. No doubt.