To All,
Good Sunday morning March 5 2023.
I hope that you are all having a great weekend.
Regards,
Skip
.NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History March 5
1942—The "Seabees" name and insignia are officially authorized. Rear Adm. Ben Moreell personally furnishes them with their official motto: Construimus, Batuimus -- "We Build, We Fight."
1943—Auxiliary aircraft carrier USS Bogue (ACV 9) begins the first anti-submarine operations by an escort carrier in the Atlantic as the nucleus of the pioneer American anti-submarine hunter-killer group.
1945—USS Sea Robin (SS 407) sinks three Japanese gunboats and USS Bashaw (SS 241) sinks two Japanese tankers.
1960—USS Newport News (CA-148) and personnel from Port Lyautey complete emergency relief operations at Agadir, Morocco after Feb. 29 earthquake.
2005—USS Nitze (DDG 94) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer is named after former Secretary of the Navy Paul Nitze, who was in attendance for the ship's launching and christening in April 2004, but died before the commissioning ceremony.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This day in world history
March 5
1624 Class-based legislation is passed in the colony of Virginia, exempting the upper class from punishment by whipping.
1766 Antonio de Ulloa, the first Spanish governor of Louisiana, arrives in New Orleans.
1793 Austrian troops crush the French and recapture Liege.
1821 James Monroe becomes the first president to be inaugurated on March 5, only because the 4th was a Sunday.
1905 Russians begin to retreat from Mukden in Manchuria, China.
1912 The Italians become the first to use dirigibles for military purposes, using them for reconnaissance flights behind Turkish lines west of Tripoli.
1918 The Soviets move the capital of Russia from Petrograd to Moscow.
1928 Hitler's National Socialists win the majority vote in Bavaria.
1933 Newly inaugurated President Franklin D. Roosevelt halts the trading of gold and declares a bank holiday.
1933 Hitler and Nationalist allies win the Reichstag majority. It will be the last free election in Germany until after World War II.
1943 In desperation due to war losses, fifteen and sixteen year olds are called up for military service in the German army.
1946 In Fulton, Missouri, Winston Churchill tells a crowd that "an iron curtain has descended on the Continent [of Europe]."
1956 The U.S. Supreme Court affirms the ban on segregation in public schools in Brown vs. Board of Education.
1969 Gustav Heinemann is elected West German President.
1976 Britain gives up on the Ulster talks and decides to retain rule in Northern Ireland indefinitely.
1984 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that cities have the right to display the Nativity scene as part of their Christmas display.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
… For The List for Sunday, 5 March 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 5 March 1968… The McNamara era ends…
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
(He certainly deserves it but suing the government is almost impossible!)
March 4, 2023
General Michael Flynn is finally suing for the wrongs against him
By Andrea Widburg
One of the most despicable things the Deep State did during the Trump era was its persecution of General Michael Flynn. Finally, though, Flynn is pushing back, having filed a claim for $50,000,000 against the United States of America for malicious prosecution and abuse of process.
What happened to Flynn, which was the first act in the Russia hoax, was an utter travesty. His phone calls were illegally unmasked, he was immorally inveigledwithout an attorney into a conversation with unprincipled FBI agents, his words during both the phone call and the FBI interview were twisted out of their obvious meaning so that the government prosecuted him relentlessly based upon nothing, his cowardly attorneys gave him harmful advice, and a biased, unprincipled judge did everything he could to keep the Justice Department from making things right by finally dismissing the lawsuit. What Flynn experienced was an American combination of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables and Franz Kafka's The Trial.
For a long time after the nightmare ended, and his case was finally dismissed, Flynn seemed to have gone to ground. Thankfully, though, it appears that he was gearing up for his $50,000,000 malicious prosecution case against the United States:
Flynn contends that the DOJ was aware the prosecution against him lacked merit and cites a DOJ motion from then-U.S. Attorney Timothy Shea saying "The Government is not persuaded that the January 24, 2017 interview was conducted with a legitimate investigative basis and therefore does not believe Mr. Flynn's statements were material even if untrue. Moreover, we [sic] not believe that the Government can prove either the relevant false statements or their materiality beyond a reasonable doubt."
"The DOJ therefore admitted that they should never have brought this prosecution against General Flynn because the interview that formed the basis of the criminal information should never have happened and, even though it did happen, it was not a proper basis for the felony charge," his legal team asserted.
The filing names the United States of America as a defendant.
Flynn is seeking compensatory damages to be determined by the court but that he expects to exceed $50 million, in addition to his legal fees and any other court-determined relief.
You can see the complaint here. On the facts already known, it should be a slam dunk.
There's only one thing that bugs me about the complaint: the actual malfeasors will walk away unscathed. As I noted above, when he wins—and he deserves to win—the taxpayers will be on the hook. None of the people who actually persecuted him—James Comey, the FBI agents, the DOJ attorneys, Judge Emmet Sullivan— will be affected, either professionally or economically. They will continue in whatever jobs they're currently holding, people like Comey will continue to be leftist media darlings, and their bank accounts will not suffer.
That's the problem right there with an out-of-control bureaucracy: There are no consequences for the individuals involved. They never get fired and, in the unlikely event that they do lose their jobs, they actually make more money in the leftist private sector. It's always the citizens who suffer, never the actors.Just think of the utterly malevolent Peter Strzok and his documented role in the Russia hoax. As soon as Biden took over, he got his pension back, and every record showing that he was fired for cause was purged.
Even though, as a taxpayer, I'll be on the hook for Flynn's damages (an outcome that should be inevitable), I sincerely hope he wins. And I equally sincerely hope that the next Republican president, whether it's Trump, DeSantis, Ramaswamy, or someone else, has the moral strength to impose his constitutional Article II power on the federal bureaucracy and bring its individual members to heel.
One more thing: when I went to YouTube to find a good image of Flynn for this post, I discovered that he's the subject of a new leftist attack. This time, he's being held up as a dangerous Christian warrior out to destroy America.
I honestly don't know the details of what he's been doing and saying of late, including whether it's sane and sensible or as scary as the mainstream media insists it is. I just know that I enjoy seeing the mainstream media so terrified by his newfound power.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Carl
Many years ago I had a note in the List with many pictures about a major tunnel system that was purported to link many of the major Chinese cities. I could not find it but it was 4 lane highways as far as the photographs could show. I never saw it or any reference to it again….skip
Iran's Notes from the Underground
Iran has just revealed to the world what it claims is a vast network of underground bases where airplanes, anti-missile systems, and other weapons can securely be stored, and brought up quickly onto the surface as needed in case of war. It has shown off what it describes as only one of its underground airbases, where it plans to keep the two-dozen Su-35 fighter jets that Russia has promised to send – by mid-summer – to its loyal ally. The airbase is huge, big enough to keep all 24 planes parked at one time, both wide and tall enough so that they can maneuver all around the base without running into each other. The Iranians have also revealed one example of what it claims, again, are a network of tunnels built deep underground, where it has been keeping its Khordad air defense system. The footage Iran released shows the Khordad air defense system being driven out of a tunnel to the surface, ready to shoot down incoming missiles. More on this sudden release of information about Iran's underground bases can be found here: "Iran shows off underground tunnels for air defenses – analysis," by Seth J. Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, February 28, 2023:
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Interesting Facts
Girl Scout Cookies
Thanks to Mac's granddaughter Gracie I got reloaded with 4 more boxes of the Trefoils Friday. Now I will have to hide them away and put myself on a strict use plan. But if the book I am reading is really good that may go out the window quickly.
6 Delectable Facts About Girl Scout Cookies
The Girl Scouts organization is known for exuding compassion, promoting leadership, and perhaps most famously of all, selling cookies. Since the group was established in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low, Girl Scouting has blossomed into a global movement — a far cry from its humble origins as a single tthose shortbread cookies just melt in ou mouth. roop of 18 girls in Savannah, Georgia. In the United States, Girl Scouts raise money for their cause by selling their highly popular and ultra-decadent namesake brand of cookies. In honor of those mouthwatering snacks (which are on sale now!), here are six delectable facts about Girl Scout Cookies to sink your teeth into.
1 of 6
There Are Three Mandatory Flavors Sold Each Year
Though there have been many changes to the kinds of Girl Scout Cookies sold over the decades, three stalwart flavors are mandated each year: Thin Mints, Do-si-dos (also called Peanut Butter Sandwiches), and Trefoils. None of these varieties existed in their current form in the earliest years of cookie sales, but a version of Thin Mints can be traced back to 1939, when troops started selling a flavor known as "Cooky-Mints." By the 1950s, shortbread had joined the lineup, alongside the renamed Chocolate Mints and sandwich cookies in vanilla and chocolate varieties. Peanut Butter Sandwiches hit the scene soon after, and by 1966, all three of the aforementioned flavors were among the group's bestsellers. Other cookies came and went in the decades that followed, but Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, and Trefoils have been staples since the 1970s — and for good reason.
Thin Mints are the Girl Scouts' No. 1 bestselling cookie variety, and the most searched-for Girl Scout Cookies in the majority of U.S. states. Do-si-dos rank fifth in sales (after Samoas/Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs, and Adventurefuls), and Trefoils feature a version of the Girl Scout logo and were inspired by the original Girl Scout Cookie recipe.
2of 6
The "Cookie Queen" Sold 100,000 Boxes
Colorful boxes of Girl Scout cookies fill the back of a minivan.Credit: MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
Elizabeth Brinton may not be a household name, but she's a legend among Girl Scout Cookie sellers. From 1978 to 1990, Brinton sold 100,000 boxes of cookies before ultimately hanging up what she called her "cookie coat." She began by selling cookies door to door, but in 1985 she pivoted to setting up shop at a local Virginia metro station to sell the treats to passengers during rush hour. Brinton sold 11,200 boxes in that year alone, and was soon dubbed the "Cookie Queen" by the media. She went on to set the record for the most Girl Scout Cookies sold in a single year, with 18,000 boxes, though that number was nearly doubled in 2021 by Girl Scout Lilly Bumpus, who sold a staggering 32,484 boxes. Brinton's career record of 100,000 boxes has since been surpassed, too, but the Girl Scout who broke it, Katie Francis, actually consulted the Cookie Queen for advice.
Brinton told Francis to "think outside of the box" — a maxim that served her well back in the 1980s. In 1985, Brinton wrote to her local congressman, Frank Wolf, to ask for his help in selling cookies to then-President Ronald Reagan, and in 1986, Wolf accompanied her to the White House, where she sold one box of every flavor to President Reagan. She also sold a few boxes to Reagan's Vice President, George H.W. Bush, and Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Harry A. Blackmun, and William H. Rehnquist.
3of 6
Girl Scouts Sold Calendars Instead of Cookies During World War II
Girl Scout displaying a calendar.Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images
Due to wartime shortages, the Girl Scouts briefly pivoted away from the culinary world during World War II. The U.S. government began rationing sugar in May 1942, and butter in March 1943 — both integral ingredients in the Girl Scout Cookie creation process. Because of this, the Girl Scouts had trouble filling orders, though in certain instances local troops were supplied ingredients by benefactors, or Girl Scouts baked cookies specifically for members of the military. Most troops, however, had to find other ways to raise money, so in 1944, the Girl Scout National Equipment Service began producing calendars to be sold for 25 cents.
Fortunately for both the Scouts and their customers, the cookie drought was only temporary. By 1946, ingredients were no longer being rationed, and cookie sales resumed and then grew; by 1950, the line of Girl Scout Cookies had been expanded to add new flavors.
4 of 6
Girl Scout Cookies Were Originally Homemade
Girl Scout offers cookie to TV's Jinx Falkenburg McCrary.Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images
It may be hard to fathom today, given the sheer breadth of the current cookie operation, but Girl Scout Cookies were originally homemade. A troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, baked and sold the first cookies in a school cafeteria in 1917, and other troops soon followed suit. A few years later in 1922, a Chicago-based magazine called The American Girl published a recipe to be used by Girl Scouts all over the country. It was just a simple sugar cookie containing butter, sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, flour, and baking powder, but it was a hit with consumers.
Throughout the 1920s, Girl Scout Cookies were baked by troop members with help from their parents and members of the local community. The treats were subsequently packaged in wax paper, sealed with a sticker, and sold for 25 to 35 cents per dozen. It wasn't until 1934 that the Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia Council became the first council to sell commercially baked cookies; within two years, the national organization began licensing the cookie-making process to commercial bakeries.
5 of 6
Girl Scout Cookies Differ Slightly Depending on Which Bakery Made Them
An array of Girl Scouts cookies.Credit: Mariah Tauger/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
In the late 1940s, 29 bakers were licensed to make Girl Scout Cookies. Today, Girl Scouts get their goods from just two licensed bakeries: ABC Bakers in Virginia and Little Brownie Bakers in Kentucky. Depending on which bakery produces the cookies your local troop sells, you may find that the snacks have slightly different names. For instance, Tampa residents receive Samoas from Little Brownie Bakers, whereas people who live just a few hours away in Orlando chow down on the virtually identical Caramel deLites from ABC Bakers.
And it's not just the branding that may differ from city to city. Cookies might also look or taste different due to minor discrepancies in each bakery's recipes. For example, ABC's Thin Mints are crunchier and mintier than Little Brownie's richer and chocolatier version, and Caramel deLites are heavier on the coconut flavor than Samoas. A few cookies are also specific to one bakery: Currently, S'mores are made only by Little Brownie Bakers, while Lemonades are exclusive to ABC Bakers. (Little Brownie has a completely different lemon cookie called Lemon-Ups.) No matter which bakery provides the cookies, though, you're in for an indulgent treat.
6 of 6
Over 50 Flavors Have Been Discontinued
A pile of different Girl Scout Cookies.
Some Girl Scout Cookie flavors are likely never to go away, due to their enduring popularity, but not all cookies are so lucky. Some 51 former varieties have come and gone in the decades since the snacks were first introduced. That's not to say these bygone flavors didn't have their fans, of course; many people look back fondly upon these scrumptious but discontinued treats, which include Kookaburras, a combination of Rice Krispies and chocolate, and Golden Yangles, a savory cheddar cheese cracker. There's always the possibility of a comeback, though, as Lemon Chalet Cremes made a brief return in 2007 after having been phased out in the 1990s. It was a short-lived run, but you can still hold out hope that your favorite former flavor may return someday.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Rob
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Brett
THE WEEK AHEAD
Turkish Opposition Alliance Set to Announce Presidential Candidate. On 6 March, Turkey's opposition alliance is expected to name the head of the Republican People's Party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, as their combined presidential candidate to challenge Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the polls set for May. But already the decision has invited controversy, as the Iyi Party, nominally a member of the opposition, said they didn't believe Kilicdaroglu could win and were splitting from the alliance. Such splits could dampen voter enthusiasm for the opposition at the presidential level. If another candidate emerges, it could result in a three- or four-person race that would make a second presidential round of voting more likely -- a scenario that would probably favor President Erdogan.
The IAEA Meets Amid Concerns over Iran's Nuclear Development. The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting on 6-10 March. One of the main discussion points will be Iran's enrichment of uranium to 84% purity earlier this year without notifying the UN nuclear watchdog first. Iranian officials claim it was an accident, while the IAEA also points out Iran did not stockpile the highly enriched uranium. Nonetheless, 84% enriched uranium is close to the 90% level generally considered weapons-grade, which is putting pressure on the West to respond. The so-called E3 – France, Germany and the United Kingdom – are pushing the IAEA's board to formally censure Iran, while the United States prefers a more muted public and wants to see a full investigation of Iran's intent before taking such a drastic measure. Following a censure at the IAEA's last board meeting in November, Iran announced it would begin enriching uranium to 60% purity at its Fordow facility, which is located under a mountain and more difficult for an Israeli or US military strike to destroy. Should the IAEA censure Iran at its next meeting, Tehran will likely again retaliate by significantly upping its nuclear activities.
Please read on for some of our coverage of the week that was…
• Key Developments - Analysis • Other Stories We're Tracking - Curated Content
KEY DEVELOPMENTS - ANALYSIS
US Government Ups Efforts to Counter Russian Sanctions Busting
What Happened: As part of a renewed effort to ensure that companies and individuals aren't helping Russia evade US sanctions, the US Justice Department will add at least 25 new prosecutors to its counterintelligence and export controls sections, The Wall Street Journal reported on 2 March. The broader effort also included a joint note issued by the Departments of Justice, Commerce and Treasury with a list of ''red flags'' businesses should be looking out for in terms of potential sanctions evasion.
Why It Matters: The hiring of new prosecutors reflects the United States' belief that additional security will be necessary for the months and years ahead to further deter deliberate or inadvertent sanctions violations by further increasing the costs of such conduct. It also reflects the growing stakes of associated compliance risks for companies. The joint guidelines by the US government are intended to help encourage companies to proactively and preemptively wind down business activities that carry sanctions risk out of an abundance of caution. The note also called out several countries – including the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, China, Armenia, Turkey and Uzbekistan – as being commonly used as transshipment points and financial hubs for the illegal redirection of restricted items to Russia, underscoring the heightened scrutiny activities involving these countries should elicit from compliance personnel.
Source: RANE Worldview
US House Committee Puts Forward a Series of Bills to Isolate China
What Happened: The US House Financial Services Committee put forward a number of bills intended to isolate China and support Taiwan, Bloomberg reported on 1 March. The bills include measures to bar Chinese officials and their families from US financial services; lobby the International Monetary Fund to block increases of the Chinese renminbi in Special Drawing Rights; direct US officials to exclude Chinese officials from G-20 and other international bodies' meetings; direct US officials to support Taiwanese membership in the IMF; require the Treasury Department to issue a report on the economic risks in the Chinese financial sector; and lobby the IMF to advocate for more transparency from China on its exchange rate.
Why It Matters: Ultimately, a hawkish US House likely signals deteriorating US-China business relations as the US legislative body broadly seeks to decouple the US and Chinese financial systems. New measures would also put a larger compliance burden on US companies seeking to navigate the regulatory environment, and the spotlight on China's political system implies further reputational risks. Given Republican control of the US House of Representatives, more such bills intended to isolate China from US and international institutions are likely forthcoming this term, though this sentiment is largely bipartisan. With bipartisan support, even more hawkish bills could pass the House, though the Senate may be less inclined to harsher measures.
Source: RANE Worldview
Assessing The Prospects for a Third Palestinian Intifada
Since April 2022, Israeli-Palestinian violence has escalated significantly. The elevated violence comes amid simmering Palestinian anger due to long-term economic and political trends and more recent aggressive Israeli counterterrorism measures that are driving retaliatory militant and grassroots attacks. This emergence of new Palestinian militant groups, lack of PA cooperation with Israeli security forces and widespread Israeli anger, especially on the far-right, over continued terrorist attacks is helping drive the Israeli security response. Despite the increase in violence by radicalized individuals and small cells, larger groups like Hamas and PIJ appear reluctant to overtly join in the conflict, either by organizing more deadly attacks or by launching large-scale rocket barrages, in contrast to prior uprisings. Despite popular support for a hard line against Palestinian militancy, Israeli concerns that a wider conflict would damage the economy and its international standing, public opposition to casualties and concerns that it may not be able to control a conflict once it begins are powerful constraints on escalation. Driven by grassroots forces, a new Palestinian intifada is increasing in likelihood, with the intensity of violence in the coming months key to assessing the potential for an uprising this year. However, unlike in previous uprisings, the PA and associated factions are unlikely to join a potential conflict, leaving other Palestinian militant groups to try and lead the violence.
Source: RANE Worldview
Democratic Republic of the Congo: M23 Rebels Gain Ground West of Goma
The March 23 (M23) rebel group has seized control of multiple towns located west of Goma, the provincial capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's North Kivu province, Reuters reported on 25 February. The rebel advance reportedly forced the Congolese military, which has been battling the group since its resurgence last year, to initiate a "strategic withdrawal" on 24 February from Mushaki (located approximately 30 kilometers northwest of Goma). M23's advance comes amid fresh clashes between the group and the Congolese military that have stalled the peace process led by Nairobi and the East African Community. After remaining dormant for nearly a decade following its defeated rebellion in 2012, the Congolese Tutsi rebel group revived attacks in late November 2021 and has since gained considerable territory in North Kivu province, displacing hundreds of thousands of Congolese civilians along the way. M23's recent offensive highlights a geographic expansion of the conflict that will worsen the situation in Goma and likely elevate tensions between the Congolese and regional forces deployed to the area, while lowering prospects for a revitalization of the peace processSource: RANE Worldview
OTHER STORIES WE'RE TRACKING - CURATED CONTENT
ASIA
Pakistan's Twin Crises, the Dangerous Convergence of a Collapsing Economy and Surging Terrorism
Pakistan is beset by twin crises. An economic meltdown, underway for several years, has metastasized into a full-blown balance of payments emergency. Concurrently, an anti-Pakistan terrorist group, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has resurged, fueled by the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan—enabled, ironically, by Pakistan's own policy of supporting the Taliban over the last two decades.
Source: Foreign Affairs
One of the World's Most Dangerous Places Is About to Have One of Its Most Important Mines
On 9 February, India's government announced a discovery with massive implications for its environment, international relations, and political scene: an untapped 5.9 million-ton stash of lithium reserves located within the region of Jammu and Kashmir. Now India is preparing to extract and refine the stuff, begin lithium auctions to private actors by this summer, reduce its dependence on mineral imports from other countries, accelerate the development of the country's flagging electric vehicle sector, and enjoy a newly opened pathway for India to meet its internal clean-tech and clean-energy goals. But Jammu and Kashmir is the world's most militarized region, and a longtime victim of India's ugliest political disputes.
Source: Slate
Hun Manet: Cambodia's Rising Son
Three out of four Cambodians have never known life without Hun Sen. The Prime Minister, currently the longest serving one in the world, came into power during the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia in 1985. When Hun Sen said in December 2022 that Hun Manet would succeed him, leaders like Interior Minister Sar Kheng and Defense Minister Tea Banh hesitated to offer their endorsements. The fact remains that if Hun Manet comes to power, he will have done so in a nondemocratic way. This makes it difficult for any US administration to rebuild ties with Phnom Penh, given long-running congressional frustration with the Hun clan.
Source: East Asia Forum
EUROPE
To Save France, Macron Is Dividing Europe
It's become clear that Macron's vision for so-called European strategic autonomy—never backed up by any serious strategy or military capabilities—crashed and burned in Ukraine. And rather than lead Europe into a glorious age of integration, Macron is widening the very divisions in Europe he warned against in 2017. The meeting of lofty aspiration and cold reality has exposed a diminished France, a more powerful Central and Eastern Europe, and an increasingly disconnected Macron.
Source: Foreign Policy
The War in Ukraine Has Made Eastern Europe Stronger
The countries on the eastern fringe of the eu feel their time has come. In their telling, a tectonic shift to the east is taking place. Power is rapidly seeping from the "old Europe"—delegitimized by having been so wrong for so long about Russia—in favor of countries now on the frontlines of President Vladimir Putin's aggression. For Poland and other frontline states the threat from Russia is unlikely to abate soon. Leaders in the region have long said that Mr Putin's imperialist ambitions would turn to them one day.
Source: The Economist
Georgia and the West Fall Out
The Georgian parliament has begun discussing two draft laws on "foreign agents", both of them endorsed by the ruling majority. Proposed by former Georgian Dream members of parliament, the bills have caused significant internal dissent, and criticism from Georgia's Western partners.
Source: Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
AMERICAS
El Salvador's President Is Flaunting a New Mega Prison. Activists Are Worried.
The mega prison can house up to 40,000 prisoners, Bukele said last year. It's officially called the "Center for the Confinement of Terrorism" and was unveiled earlier this month. El Salvador's crackdown on crime has been met with allegations of indiscriminate arrests and police abuses. Despite the mass arrests and deaths, Bukele remains popular in the country. Human Rights Watch argues that it is difficult to independently verify how much crime in the country has truly reduced.
Source: The Washington Post
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
Israel's Dangerous Shadow War With Iran: Why the Risk of Escalation Is Growing
Israel has long made clear its penchant for applying military pressure to disrupt Iran's nuclear advances and weapons exports—and, more recently, its drone technology program. These recent attacks continue a decades-long pattern of largely unclaimed tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran in what is described as a "shadow war" with fronts on land, air, and sea. Diplomacy itself seems to be off the table, not just for the Biden team but even for European leaders who had traditionally been predisposed to engage with Iran. Iran's current leaders appear less interested in nuclear diplomacy as Tehran's nuclear capabilities advance.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in U S Military History
March 5
1836 – Samuel Colt manufactured the 1st pistol, a 34-caliber "Texas" model. Samuel Colt patented a revolver mechanism that led to the widespread use of the revolver. According to Samuel Colt, he came up with the idea for the revolver while at sea, inspired by the capstan, which had a ratchet and pawl mechanism on it, a version of which was used in his guns to rotate the cylinder. Revolvers proliferated largely due to Colt's ability as a salesman. But his influence spread in other ways as well; the build quality of his company's guns became famous, and its armories in America and England trained several seminal generations of toolmakers and other machinists, who had great influence in other manufacturing efforts of the next half century.
1946 – In one of the most famous orations of the Cold War period, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill condemns the Soviet Union's policies in Europe and declares, "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent." Churchill's speech is considered one of the opening volleys announcing the beginning of the Cold War. Churchill, who had been defeated for re-election as prime minister in 1945, was invited to Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri where he gave this speech. President Harry S. Truman joined Churchill on the platform and listened intently to his speech. Churchill began by praising the United States, which he declared stood "at the pinnacle of world power." It soon became clear that a primary purpose of his talk was to argue for an even closer "special relationship" between the United States and Great Britain-the great powers of the "English-speaking world"-in organizing and policing the postwar world. In particular, he warned against the expansionistic policies of the Soviet Union. In addition to the "iron curtain" that had descended across Eastern Europe, Churchill spoke of "communist fifth columns" that were operating throughout western and southern Europe. Drawing parallels with the disastrous appeasement of Hitler prior to World War II, Churchill advised that in dealing with the Soviets there was "nothing which they admire so much as strength, and there is nothing for which they have less respect than for military weakness." Truman and many other U.S. officials warmly received the speech. Already they had decided that the Soviet Union was bent on expansion and only a tough stance would deter the Russians. Churchill's "iron curtain" phrase immediately entered the official vocabulary of the Cold War. U.S. officials were less enthusiastic about Churchill's call for a "special relationship" between the United States and Great Britain. While they viewed the English as valuable allies in the Cold War, they were also well aware that Britain's power was on the wane and had no intention of being used as pawns to help support the crumbling British empire. In the Soviet Union, Russian leader Joseph Stalin denounced the speech as "war mongering," and referred to Churchill's comments about the "English-speaking world" as imperialist "racism." The British, Americans, and Russians-allies against Hitler less than a year before the speech-were drawing the battle lines of the Cold War.
1947 – The 7th Marine Regiment disbanded at Camp Pendleton following their return from China. Personnel and equipment were transferred to the 3rd Marine Brigade..( Did you know that the Marines Landed in China during WWII Read The Pacific by Ambrose)
1953 – Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union since 1924, dies in Moscow. Like his right-wing counterpart, Hitler, who was born in Austria, Joseph Stalin was not a native of the country he ruled with an iron fist. Isoeb Dzhugashvili was born in 1889 in Georgia, then part of the old Russian empire. The son of a drunk who beat him mercilessly and a pious washerwoman mother, Stalin learned Russian, which he spoke with a heavy accent all his life, in an Orthodox Church-run school. While studying to be a priest at Tiflis Theological Seminary, he began secretly reading Karl Marx and other left-wing revolutionary thinkers. The "official" communist story is that he was expelled from the seminary for this intellectual rebellion; in reality, it may have been because of poor health. In 1900, Stalin became active in revolutionary political activism, taking part in labor demonstrations and strikes. Stalin joined the more militant wing of the Marxist Social Democratic movement, the Bolsheviks, and became a student of its leader, Vladimir Ilich Lenin. Stalin was arrested seven times between 1902 and 1913, and subjected to prison and exile. Stalin's first big break came in 1912, when Lenin, in exile in Switzerland, named him to serve on the first Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party-now a separate entity from the Social Democrats. The following year, Stalin (finally dropping Dzugashvili and taking the new name Stalin, from the Russian word for "steel") published a signal article on the role of Marxism in the destiny of Russia. In 1917, escaping from an exile in Siberia, he linked up with Lenin and his coup against the middle-class democratic government that had supplanted the czar's rule. Stalin continued to move up the party ladder, from commissar for nationalities to secretary general of the Central Committee-a role that would provide the center of his dictatorial takeover and control of the party and the new USSR. In fact, upon Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin began the consolidation of his power base, conducting show trials to purge enemies and rivals, even having Leon Trotsky assassinated during his exile in Mexico. Stalin also abandoned Lenin's New Economic Policy, which would have meant some decentralization of industry. Stalin demanded-and got-absolute state control of the economy, as well as greater swaths of Soviet life, until his totalitarian grip on the new Russian empire was absolute. The outbreak of World War II saw Stalin attempt an alliance with Adolf Hitler for purely self-interested reasons, and despite the political fallout of a communist signing an alliance with a fascist, they signed a nonaggression pact that allowed each dictator free reign in their respective spheres of influence. Stalin then proceeded to annex parts of Poland, Romania, and Finland, and occupy Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In May 1941, he made himself chairman of the Council of People's Commissars; he was now the official head of the government and no longer merely head of the party. One month later, Germany invaded the USSR, making significant early inroads. As German troops approached, Stalin remained in the capital, directing a scorched-earth defensive policy and exercising personal control over the strategies of the Red Army. As the war progressed, Stalin sat in on the major Allied conferences, including those in Tehran (1943) and Yalta (1945). His iron will and deft political skills enabled him to play the loyal ally while never abandoning his vision of an expanded postwar Soviet Empire. In fact, after Germany's surrender in April 1945, Stalin oversaw the continued occupation and domination of much of Eastern Europe, despite "promises" of free elections in those countries. Stalin did not mellow with age; he prosecuted a reign of terror, purges, executions, exiles to the Gulag Archipelago (a system of forced-labor camps in the frozen north), and persecution in the postwar USSR, suppressing all dissent and anything that smacked of foreign, especially Western European, influence. To the great relief of many, he died of a massive heart attack on March 5, 1953. He is remembered to this day as the man who helped save his nation from Nazi domination-and as the mass murderer of the century, having overseen the deaths of between 8 million and 10 million of his own people.
1953 – Good weather permitted Fifth Air Force to complete 700 sorties. Sixteen F-84 ThunderJets attacked in northeastern Korea an industrial area at Chongjin, just sixty-three miles from the Siberian border, destroying buildings and two rail and two road bridges, damaging seven rail cars, and inflicting several rail and road cuts. Fighter-bombers flying ground support missions reported damage or destruction to fifty-six bunkers and gun positions, fourteen personnel shelters, and ten supply stacks.
1979 – Voyager I's closest approach to Jupiter (172,000 miles). Voyager 1 is a 722-kilogram (1,592 lb) space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, to study the outer Solar System. Operating for 37 years, 1 month and 12 days as of October 17, 2014, the spacecraft communicates with the Deep Space Network to receive routine commands and return data. At a distance of about 129.18 AU (1.933×1010 km) (approximately 12 billion miles) from Earth as of September 2014, it is the farthest spacecraft from Earth.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BOURY, RICHARD
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 1st West Virginia Cavalry. Place and date: At Charlottesville, Va., 5 March 1865. Entered service at: Wirt Courthouse, W. Va. Birth: Monroe County, Ohio. Date of issue: 26 March 1865. Citation: Capture of flag.
FRANKS, WILLIAM J.
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1830, Chatham County, N.C. Entered service at: Duvalls Bluff, Ark. G.O. No.: 32, 16 April 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Marmora off Yazoo City, Miss., 5 March 1864. Embarking from the Marmora with a 12-pound howitzer mounted on a field carriage, Franks landed with the gun and crew in the midst of heated battle and, bravely standing by his gun despite enemy rifle fire which cut the gun carriage and rammer contributed to the turning back of the enemy during the fierce engagement.
LAFFEY, BARTLETT
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1841, Ireland. Accredited to: Massachusetts. G.O. No.: 32, 16 April 1864. Citation. Off Yazoo City, Miss., 5 March 1864, embarking from the Marmora with a 12-pound howitzer mounted on a field carriage, Laffey landed with the gun and crew in the midst of heated battle and, bravely standing by his gun despite enemy rifle fire which cut the gun carriage and rammer, contributed to the turning back of the enemy during the fierce engagement.
STODDARD, JAMES
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1838, North Carolina. Accredited to: North Carolina. G.O. No.: 32, 16 April 1864. Citation: Off Yazoo City, Miss., 5 March 1864. Embarking from the Marmora with a 12_pound howitzer mounted on a field carriage, Stoddard landed with the gun and crew in the midst of heated battle and, bravely standing by his gun despite enemy rifle fire which cut the gun carriage and rammer, contributed to the turning back of the enemy during the fierce engagement.
*HIBBS, ROBERT JOHN
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B, 2d Battalion, 28th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Place and date: Don Dien Lo Ke, Republic of Vietnam, 5 March 1966. Entered service at: Des Moines, Iowa. Born: 21 April 1943, Omaha, Nebr. G.O. No.: 8, 24 February 1967. Citations: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. 2d Lt. Hibbs was in command of a 15-man ambush patrol of the 2d Battalion, when his unit observed a company of Viet Cong advancing along the road toward the 2d Battalion's position. Informing his command post by radio of the impending attack, he prepared his men for the oncoming Viet Cong, emplaced 2 mines in their path and, when the insurgents were within 20 feet of the patrol's position, he fired the 2 antipersonnel mines, wounding or killing half of the enemy company. Then, to cover the withdrawal of his patrol, he threw hand grenades, stepped onto the open road, and opened fire on the remainder of the Viet Cong force of approximately 50 men. Having rejoined his men, he was leading them toward the battalion perimeter when the patrol encountered the rear elements of another Viet Cong company deployed to attack the battalion. With the advantage of surprise, he directed a charge against the Viet Cong, which carried the patrol through the insurgent force, completely disrupting its attack. Learning that a wounded patrol member was wandering in the area between the 2 opposing forces and although moments from safety and wounded in the leg himself, he and a sergeant went back to the battlefield to recover the stricken man. After they maneuvered through the withering fire of 2 Viet Cong machine guns, the sergeant grabbed the dazed soldier and dragged him back toward the friendly lines while 2d Lt. Hibbs remained behind to provide covering fire. Armed with only an M-16 rifle and a pistol, but determined to destroy the enemy positions, he then charged the 2 machine gun emplacements and was struck down. Before succumbing to his mortal wounds, he destroyed the starlight telescopic sight attached to his rifle to prevent its capture and use by the Viet Cong. 2d Lt. Hibb's profound concern for his fellow soldiers, and his intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
*JENKINS, ROBERT H., JR.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Fire Support Base Argonne, Republic of Vietnam, 5 March 1969. Entered service at: Jacksonville, Fla. Born: 1 June 1948, Interlachen, Fla. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a machine gunner with Company C, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, in connection with operations against enemy forces. Early in the morning Pfc. Jenkins' 12-man reconnaissance team was occupying a defensive position at Fire Support Base Argonne south of the Demilitarized Zone. Suddenly, the marines were assaulted by a North Vietnamese Army platoon employing mortars, automatic weapons, and hand grenades. Reacting instantly, Pfc. Jenkins and another marine quickly moved into a 2-man fighting emplacement, and as they boldly delivered accurate machine gun fire against the enemy, a North Vietnamese soldier threw a hand grenade into the friendly emplacement. Fully realizing the inevitable results of his actions, Pfc. Jenkins quickly seized his comrade, and pushing the man to the ground, he leaped on top of the marine to shield him from the explosion. Absorbing the full impact of the detonation, Pfc. Jenkins was seriously injured and subsequently succumbed to his wounds. His courage, inspiring valor and selfless devotion to duty saved a fellow marine from serious injury or possible death and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
*JOHNSON, RALPH H.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company A, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Near the Quan Duc Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 5 March 1968. Entered service at: Oakland, Calif. Born: 11 January 1949, Charleston, S.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a reconnaissance scout with Company A, in action against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces. In the early morning hours during Operation ROCK, Pfc. Johnson was a member of a 15-man reconnaissance patrol manning an observation post on Hill 146 overlooking the Quan Duc Valley deep in enemy controlled territory. They were attacked by a platoon-size hostile force employing automatic weapons, satchel charges and hand grenades. Suddenly, a hand grenade landed in the 3-man fighting hole occupied by Pfc. Johnson and 2 fellow marines. Realizing the inherent danger to his 2 comrades, he shouted a warning and unhesitatingly hurled himself upon the explosive device. When the grenade exploded, Pfc. Johnson absorbed the tremendous impact of the blast and was killed instantly. His prompt and heroic act saved the life of 1 marine at the cost of his life and undoubtedly prevented the enemy from penetrating his sector of the patrol's perimeter. Pfc. Johnson's courage, inspiring valor and selfless devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 5, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
5 March
1913: Army Field Order No. 1 officially organized Headquarters 1st Aero Squadron (Provisional) in a field near Texas City, Tex. It was the first unit created to conduct aircraft operations. (4) (24)
1923: An auxiliary jettisonable belly tank, fitted on an MB-3A's bomb rack at Selfridge Field, boosted the aircraft's flying radius to about 400 miles. (24)
1939: Norman Rintoul and Victor Yesulantes used a Stinson Reliant, equipped with a trailing hook, to demonstrate a nonstop airmail system. They picked a mailsack off a pole at Coatesville, Pa. (8)
1944: Operation THURSDAY. Through 11 March, allied aircraft and gliders airlifted Brig Gen Orde C. Wingate's Special Force with 9,000 personnel and 1,400 mules and horses from India at night to a location 200 miles behind enemy lines in Burma. (21)
1952: KOREAN WAR. While jet fighters stilled enemy antiaircraft fire, an USAF helicopter lowered a hoist sling and rescued a downed US Navy pilot in the vicinity of Yongyon, Korea. (28)
1957: The USAF issued initial operational capability directives to place 40 Atlas and 40 Titan I ICBMs on alert between March 1959 and March 1961 and 60 IRBMs on alert between July 1959 and July 1960. (6)
1962: MACKAY TROPHY. Capt Robert G. Sowers and crew flew a 43 BMW B-58 Hustler to three FAI records in a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to New York: round-trip speed of 1,044.46 MPH in 4 hours 41 minutes 15 seconds; Los Angeles to New York in 2 hours 59 seconds at 1,214.65 MPH; and New York to Los Angeles in 2 hours 15 minutes 50 seconds at 1,081.8 MPH. Sowers and his crew received the Mackay Trophy for this flight. (1) (9) (21)
1964: At Grand Forks AFB, workers began building Minuteman II operational facilities. (6)
1965: The F-111 made its first supersonic flight at Fort Worth. (6) At Vandenberg AFB, SAC launched its last Titan I. (6)
1971: The ADC started a realignment of its operational elements, moving from a concept of a broad defense of the Continental U. S. (CONUS) to a perimeter defense along America's northern border and its east and west coasts. This move affected 19 bases in 13 states and transferred all remaining ADC F-101s to the ANG. (16)
1975: Students flew the last navigator-training sortie in a T-29 at Mather AFB, Calif. (16)
1976: An AFSC aircrew, flying a B-52G, launched the first ALCM at White Sands Missile Range. (6)
1985: Through 9 March, airlift crews flew 123 tons of food and medicine as part of four famine relief missions to Sudan, Niger, and Mali. (16)
1986: MACKAY TROPHY. From the 68 AREFG, Capt Marc C. Felman and his KC-10 Extender crew provided emergency refueling to a KC-10 and three A-4s Skyhawks over the Atlantic Ocean when a crippled plane on the runway at Santa Maria AB, Portugal, prevented a landing. The KC-10 and A-4s did not have enough fuel to divert to another base. Learning of their plight while on the ground at Santa Maria, Captain Felman stopped the refueling of his KC-10, left two crewmen behind in Base Operations, did not pay for his fuel or get a flight clearance, and did not align his inertial navigation system before taking off in near zero-zero weather to intersect and save a crippled Marine A-4M. He received the Mackay Trophy for the flight. (16) Under the 1986 McCollum Amendment, the USAF began airlifting Afghan patients and refugees from Pakistan to the US. (26)
1988: Operation ELECTION DISTRICT. Through May 1989, C-5s, C-130s, and a C-141 airlifted a UN Transition Advisory Group and its cargo to Namibia. Altogether, the airlift moved 854 passengers and 1,023 tons of cargo. The operation supported UN peace objectives to withdraw Cuban troops from Angola, pullout South African forces from Namibia, and give independence to Namibia. (18)
1995: Under the START agreement, the first Russian weapons inspectors arrived at Malmstrom AFB to monitor the dismantling of LGM-30F Minuteman IIs. (16) (26)
1996: A C-141 from Charleston AFB flew nonstop to Tel Aviv, Israel, with 2,800 pounds of highly sophisticated explosive-detection devices after four terrorist suicide-bombings in two weeks. A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100 AREFW at Mildenhall refueled the C-141 en route. (18)
2001: The Space Shuttle landed at Cape Canaveral AFS for the first time. NASA's modified 747 carried the Columbia there from Palmdale, Calif. (AFNEWS Article 0313, 7 Mar 2001)
2002: An AFFTC test aircrew from Edwards AFB dropped the first Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) from an F-15E. The WCMD, a tail kit for conventional bombs, achieved accuracy by automatically compensating for the effects of wind, launch transients, and ballistic errors. (3)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SkipsList" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to skipslist+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/skipslist/CACTjsm3KL8B4BG5_mQsbaLWsMPmoMm744oXB2uvEEHDCm%2BEecg%40mail.gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.