Not fair, I know, to compare those two dates.
June 6, 1944, after all, was one of the key dates in modern history. It was the day on which the Western allies mounted the biggest amphibious landing in history and began to write the final chapter in the history of the monstrous Hitlerite plague. It also inserted American power into the heart of Europe where it remained in an icy and ultimately successful confrontation with the Communist bloc, another monstrous product of the statist ideology that has so threatened liberty and killed hundreds of millions of persons.
The June 6 invasion was meticulously planned and orchestrated. As usually happens with such massive undertakings, however, not much went to plan. Naval bombardments hit the wrong targets; soldiers got taken to the wrong beachheads; paratrooper drops and glider landings went disastrously wrong. Within hours the master plan appeared in tatters, and the outcome highly uncertain.
Eisenhower had a statement ready to go accepting full responsibilty for the failure of D-Day.
He never had to use it. What saved the landing and the day was guts, grit, and dedication. American, British, and Canadian soldiers regrouped, concocted new plans on the fly, made do without dead or missing officers, pushed ahead, and fought pitched and confusing battles against also determined German soldiers, skillfully and bravely defending a repellent regime. In the end, somehow, it all came together for the allies. The Americans, British, and Canadians were ashore to stay.
Where are we now, June 6, 2014? We have a malevolent president; I can no longer call him inept and incompetent. He is malevolent. He is out to destroy the spirit that built and sustained the country, and was evident on the beaches and along the hedgerows of Normandy seventy years ago. He detests our military and makes no effort to hide that. His recent speech at West Point, of course, is either an example of how little this little man understands his role as Commander-in-Chief, or is the product of an ideology that hates the cadets and their values--I go with the second interpretation. He and his misadministration have abused our laws, our military, and our veterans and never spared an occasion to insult or degrade them and their ethos. The latest and most grotesque example being the "rescue" of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl; "rescue" is, of course, the wrong word. Obama swapped five murdering Taliban leaders for a man who had defected to the Taliban, converted to Islam, wanted to give up his US citizenship, and got several of his comrades killed in operations looking for him. We traded terrorists for a traitor. Nice job.
It was a cheap stunt meant to blow the VA scandal off the pages of the media, and to give Obama some sort of "Saving Private Ryan" patina as the anniversary commemorations in Normandy roll around.
One can only hope that it won't work. It's already embarrassing enough that Obama represents the US at those celebrations, turning June 6, 2014, into another cheap political PR stunt for the anti-American poseur from Chicago.
Intergenerational comparisons are so difficult, but your point is well made. Obama is a peak manifestation of a broader malaise that has infiltrated the West generally since the 1950's. Somehow I cannot see todays' West rising to challenges of the kind thrown up by the events of the first half of the last century. People have become too selfish and self-absorbed, and sacrifice for the common good or for the benefit of others is increasingly rare, almost to the point of exception. No wonder the likes of Putin see their chance; I suspect he knows that the West is in terminal decline, and cannot or will not rise to protect itself or its way of life.
ReplyDeleteWhen nobody is asked to sacrifice, even in the midst of war, then that malaise is all but inevitable.
DeleteWhen asked what the individual can do at home to help with the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, both administrations merely said: "Keep consuming stuff."
At least Obama didn't intend to win, I suppose.
- reader #1482
Maybe the selfishness is a manifestation of the creeping statism we have seen in the West since the 1950s. Systems reach a tipping point. There must be enough freedom in the market for individuals to pitch in and make the invisible hand work. The U.S. medical system reached a tipping point in the 1960s, when the expansion of Medicare and gold-plated union contracts set the course for inexorable price rises--again because the power of the individual had been eroded too much. The US public schools reached this point at some time in the last two decades--it is only the Common Core debacle that is making it clear to everyone that the system has now been deformed to the point where it no longer functions to serve the goal of education children. And so on.
DeleteHe is malevolent. A good, clear word. Great point about the plans on D Day quickly going disastrously wrong, but how all of the individuals involved stepped up and made it work anyway. God bless them.
As usual, the Obama administration's media has turned the tables on the Bergdahl issue. Instead of the main story being this guy's defection and inept or criminal trade, the story is about "how the conservative reaction is off base".
ReplyDeleteLA Times, CNN, Washington Post, NYT... all currently highlight opinions at the top of news.google and other sites. They've effectively thrown the real problem under the bus.
Frankly, I'm surprise it took them so long.
Anybody with a semblance of sense realizes that, by comparison to the policies and actions that got us to this point, people's responses to these actions mean *nothing*. But that's the only way to save the administration from criticism.
- reader #1482
I have some friends and relatives that are in the left side of the isle. Most of them are on benefits, which explains a lot of their brand loyalty; some are just die hard utopian thinkers. For the most part during the last few months the usual Facebook drivel touting Obama and deriding the Republicans has slowed to a trickle. It is like even the most hare core are starting to get that Obama is not who they thought he was. They are in the “Well maybe he has been getting some bad advice” stages now.
DeleteThere has been some attempts to rally based upon the overwhelming contempt about Obama swapping high value captives for a deserter. Their main argument is that we on the right are touting that 6 other solders died looking for the deserter. I am sure in the minds of those solders in his unit this is true. But, the facts are like Global Warming, correlation does not equal causation. It is the only thing they have to go on, so they say that we are unjustly pinning the deaths of solders of this “poor” guy. They leave out the deserter part and sub in “wandered away from his unit”, in order to soften the appalling decision.
Yup.. that's what I'm talking about. "You people are mean to say that it was a bad trade, why are you so hateful." doesn't defend the trade at all, it creates a straw man, and all our major media outlets see Obama's weakness on this issue and have moved aggressive to cover for him.
DeleteQuestions like: "What? Are you saying we shouldn't bring our troops home?" are just distractions, but they're distractions endorse by Obama's media.
- reader #1482
Well, observing Obama from afar, it's a tragedy how he appears to be systematically attacking pretty well everything that the US has stood for. Still he has nailed his colours to the mast ... and I'd say NASA (somehow) being required to outreach to the Muslim world said it all when that was revealed!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.space.com/8725-nasa-chief-bolden-muslim-remark-al-jazeera-stir.html
So what to expect for the next two years?
Obama is despot mark 1. It will get worse.
ReplyDeleteExhibit A is not just the crowd's joy in punishment of the class enemy (in this case Sterling) but its outright worship of the punisher (in this case Silver, head of the NBA), please see http://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/polishing-the-silver-tarnishing-the-sterling/
The Democrat who can deliver real punishment of the class enemies--expropriation, long prison sentences, physical assault by American tonton macoutes--has a splendid career ahead of him.
Of course, they can't start with the whole white race. Too damn big and well-connected. Maybe some smaller and distinctive group can serve as scapegoat. Hmm.
Of course, there's also denial ("delay") of medical care; but precisely because it's quasi-secret, it cannot be crowed about to the supporting mob.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is only the beginning. I expect him to empty Guantanamo and and offer it to Fidel Castro so that the US can never use it again. Then he will dare us to impeach him.
ReplyDeleteAt least Hitler's first putsch failed
That's exactly where I think this is going.
DeleteAs a lefty, Obama's all about the navel gazing.
What does it mean that he promised to close gitmo and suddenly found it 'more difficult than he expected, legally (supposed law prof huh)'?
It's likely that his only higher power is himself, and thus he must maintain consistency above the needs of the nation.
Queue up a sequence of lame excuses for letting gitmo prisoners go back to killing us. And yes, his treasury department is going to forget to deposit that gold into the savings account set aside for when Cuba has a legitimate government again. At *that* point, Obama will simply relinquish the site because "he has his hands tied, he's bound by law" (when he isn't when it otherwise suits his purpose and he invoke exec authority).
I give strong odds that gitmo will be entirely within Cuban hands by 2017. (Which would be fine if we were putting 51 stars on the next flag, I suppose... but wont be... because that wouldn't fit the Obama administration's doctrine that America is something which must be contained and strangled in order to ignite the *real* revolution.)
-- reader #1482
- reader #1482
- reader #1482
Friend 14,
DeleteCuba wouldn't make a suitable state of the United States. They speak Spanish there, you know.
That can certainly be fixed. Didn't Louisiana speak french? Sorry, that's probably a low blow to anybody from there. California spoke a lot of spanish before annexation, and probably will again.
Delete- reader #1482
It cannot be fixed by methods that Americans are now willing to employ.
DeleteMaybe Cuba would take the Guantanamo prisoners along with the base?
DeleteAnd give them a celebrity send-off back to the battlefield. Not much different from Obama, really.
DeleteI am proud of my own countries achievements at D-Day, but let me say something that does not get said too often from members of the British Commonwealth-God bless the United States of America and her fighting men and women. Without your materiel, fighting men, and economic support D-Day would have been impossible.
ReplyDeleteAs to todays situation, I still have confidence in the abilities and fighting spirit of the USA enlisted men and women, they proved in Kuwait and Iraq they could get the job done despite poor leadership, Afghanistan is another story, you cannot prosecute a war with rules of engagement. I have no confidence in its senior leadership, chiefs of staff, myriad layers of flunkies, intelligence capabilities, congressional leaders or the president. To even attempt to compare Eisenhower with Obama would be futile (and yes, I am quite aware Eisenhower only became president after the war)
I cringe at the thought of what Obama will say tomorrow.
Well, this Yank admires the British will to resist, the support it had from the Commonwealth, and lifts his hat to 2,000,000 Indians who volunteered to fight the Axis, despite Gandhi's opposition. I am ashamed to admit that I was raised on the "Russia killed Hitler" meme that forgot how the European war started with the Great Hope of All Oppressed Peoples kissing Hitler over the corpse of Poland. Yes, Britain, with Commonwealth, fought alone.
DeleteAs for our current leadership, I groan to think of them. They are tinsel stars lifted high by an ill-educated crowd of self-anointed pundits. As for Eisenhower's presidency, he was elected because many Americans recognized a proven and understood that their citizen soldier tradition that had little sympathy for the very idea of military rule of the sort exercised by a Napoleon or Santa Ana. Ike had his flaws, but the O couldn't lick the sole of his shoe even if he stood on tiptoe.
Sometimes I wonder if the film "The Manchurian Candidate" was not fiction, but merely prescient.
ReplyDeleteWell. (As George Will says.)
DeleteAbout brainwashing aspiring presidents. George Romney, famous automaker, Michigan Governor, Mitt Romney's dad, returning from a Vietnam trip in November 1965, said "Involvement was morally right and necessary, and probably reversed a shift in the balance of power greater than if Hitler had conquered Europe."
(Of course the quote is media-selected to highlight stupidity: he's a Republican. But he did say it. Stupidity is not a Democratic monopoly.)
Running for the Republican presidential nod, by summer 1967 he said he didn't think we should have been involved at all and President Johnson's (then-most-recent) decision to expand bombing wasn't going to resolve the problem.
(Arguably right and spot on, respectively. Diplomad, do you think we should have been involved at all?)
On August 31, 1967, Romney unfortunately resolved the ... tension among his expressed views by saying that in Vietnam, "I had the greatest brainwashing you can get."
Eugene McCarthy immortally quipped, "a light rinse would have done it."
In Obama's case, it was a lifelong work of his mother (father absent), teachers, professors, and higher-ranking political apparatchiks. It was more than his entire education, it was his entire socialization (sociologists invented this word exactly for this purpose). Does that count as brainwashing? That's really the question raised by "1984", isn't it?
(BTW: How many of us are old enough to remember when politicians were often famous at something else first? Other than acting, I mean.)
The White House occupant is illegal. Why expect anything else but lawlessness from a lawless POTUS?
Delete@a6z: The Viet Nam War was another one in which we fought with self-imposed handicaps. Its aftermath was also the signal for a tumbling of dominoes, and did indeed represent a major strategic shift. That Chinese Communist and Soviet interests clashed in a Third Indochina War (1978-91) was a monument to Communist confidence in its speedy victory. They were winning hands down in much of Africa and had even planted themselves athwart the American Isthmus in Nicaragua. Henry Kissinger himself understood his task as making a world under Soviet hegemony a little more bearable, and his turn to Mao's China as a Cold War "ally" had all the marks of an act of desperation, despite the brave words put on it at the time.
DeleteThis, by the way, is one reason why I see Kissinger as one of the most overrated people ever to pass through Washington, DC.
While I credit Reagan with the fortitude and optimism to keep the USA and West from going under, and for a real push-back against the Soviets, I believe we were saved chiefly by the inherent unworkability of the Marxist-Leninist model.
As for the O, he is indeed a child of the New Left, and socialized into the bitter, destructive Mr. Bean that he is--only Mr. Bean is sometimes funny.
BTW, I'm old enough to remember being told that Ike, our President, had been a general who fought the Germans in "The War" while a preschooler.
perhaps Americans, lulled and drowsey from years of political correctness and easy living need only to suffer some more. stagnant economy and high unemployment, nessesarily(sp?) sky rocketing energy prices against a back drop of a world spinning out of control may indeed cause a revolution. just not one the current bunch was counting on. The son's of the men who stormed ashore at Omaha are still alive and remember the lesson of WWII. Death to Tyrants.
ReplyDelete"T'was Ever Thus." -Dr.Atomic-
Oi, we were there too! Only a couple of thousand but still.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_contribution_to_the_Battle_of_Normandy
Lest we forget.
And we do remember with gratitude and respect the brave Aussies and all the members of the Anglosphere* that were part of the effort.
Delete*Yep, not PC but those were the men hitting the beach
Don't forget the brave Free French (of which there were some).
DeleteWhatever happened to the inclination of (some) Frenchmen to be free? For that matter, whatever happened to the stubborn determination of (almost all) British to be free?
Thanks Anon.
DeleteHip Hip Hooray for the Anglosphere and all the brave men therein!
Wouldn't have had the life I've had without them.
Got curious and did some research to see who else was there beside the main three.
The Free French as a6z said, also Belgium, Czechoslovakia,Greece, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.
"One can only hope that it won't work." Sadly it is going to work. Right now he is being brain washed in Germany. By the time he emerges his new story will completely debunk previous evidence from 2009 onwards. While he'll never be a hero he will get his back pay etc. When the released Taliban go back to killing the Reid's and Hillary's of the world will chime in with the now famous, "who really cares". Meanwhile the press will continue to vote 95% for their guys.
ReplyDeletePreviously I used to get upset with this kind of stuff until I realized this is the world that most people want--especially folks under 40. It's their world now. With Hillary's election a major corner will be turned. This will forever prevent a return--much like FDR's New Deal, to go back and change anything.
Despair is what they want from you. Do not give it to them.
DeleteI used to be under 40 not so long ago. My generation had its issues but we didn't actively seek, and cheer, the destruction of the West. What have they done to these kids?
DeleteKG
Sent them to "public" school.
DeleteIt broke my heart the last time I talked to my Dad. He's a 90 y/o WWI vet. He literally cried. "i don't recognized my country anymore. Why is this man trying to destroy the greatest country on earth". God Bless us all.
ReplyDeleteThe answer to your dad's question is, "Because the people of the United States were twice persuaded by the enemedia, and in many cases their own vanity, venality, racial animus, or other vice, to elect as president an enemy of the United States."
DeleteI do not propose that you say this to your dad. He already knows it, and in all likelihood it would pain him to hear it repeated. Spend time with him. If you are praying people, pray together. If you are political people, politic together; if not, consider becoming political people: the republic needs you.
I wouldn't worry too much about American soldiers. In 1982 much the same things were said about the British armed forces, but the right leader emerged and they sailed 8000 miles and in a short sharp campaign broke the Argentine forces. All you need is a new president.
ReplyDeleteAhoy BOE! (You know me as "otherwise" on the site found on Diplomad's sidebar, Duff & Nonsense!)
ReplyDelete"It was the day on which the Western allies mounted the biggest amphibious landing in history ... "
__________________
To be sure David (Diplomad). What with the paratroops, all the auxiliaries and the Mulberries and whatnots but ...
It should be noted that the landing phase of the invasion of Okinawa (186,000 initial assault) was even larger than that of Normandy (156,000 initial assault).
_______________________
Contained in comments on the tribute Cpl David Duff of Somerset posted this morning GMT. I "hotlink" there whereas I don't here. The site's on "the right side" of our host's sidebar.
Arkie
"Cuba wouldn't make a suitable state of the United States. They speak Spanish there, you know."
ReplyDeleteHave you been to California lately ?
I am also quite discouraged about the political trends of the past few years, at least back to 1992. I was not a fan of GW Bush but he was a pillar of strength compared to what we have. He was right to attack Afghanistan but wrong to make a Big Army war of it. Iraq was worth a try but Bremer botched it, I think.
I examine recruits for the US military now part time. The majority of recruits I see are Hispanic and Asian. That's not an exact measure but an interesting trend.
I live in California. It is every day less and less suitable as a state of the United States. Only partly because of the growing language problem.
DeleteSo many homeless and unemployed vets here while illegal aliens are reaping in the welfare payments for the anchor babies. Meanwhile, the illegal children are getting free housing and care at air force bases.
DeleteWell. There are doubtless many unemployed vets. And many "homeless" (usually crazy or druggies) claim to be vets on their mendicant signs. Surely some are. Not many, I suspect.
DeleteHe who can dodge death is smart enough and tough enough to go where the jobs are--North Dakota, as it may be, or Texas.
That is no excuse for the enablers of illegals.
In general I think that the law of deodand (civil forfeiture) is a relic, and ought to have been held unconstitutional. But since it has not been ...
Why would it not apply to an entire business, or farm, that through a deliberate policy of recklessness employs illegal aliens?
(I could name several large ones with branches in my burg, and there are apparently numerous dairy farms answering to that description in Paul Ryan's district. Just sayin'.)
Personally I like legal immigration, favoring those who demonstrably respect our laws, speak or are demonstrably willing to learn English, and have skill which we demonstrably lack (maybe that component should be auctioned).
But the prerequisite is the absolute destruction of the welfare state; which may come, but likely only on the other side of bankruptcy.
Well, I thought I had seen everything, but no I was wrong. Part of the D-Day commemoration at Sword Beach was an interpretive dance routine to describe the event. From the Daily Mail, I present:
ReplyDeletehttp://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/06/06/video-undefined-1E8A382100000578-664_636x358.jpg
James the Lesser
Sheesh.
DeleteOnly the mindset who thinks the EU in its present state is a great thing would find interpretive dance an appropriate to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day.
DeleteAnd reenact end the Battle of Trafalgar with "red" and "blue" fleets, rather than Brits and Corsicans.
DeleteI sent In early July, 1944, Gen. Eisenhower discovered a ]brief note that he had prepared on June 5, in case the landings were to fail. Ike started to destroy it, but an aide asked to keep it.
ReplyDeletein keeping with Ike's character, it is short, direct, and honorable--
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."
It crossed my mind today to speculate on how Obama might have prepared a similar statement. I think it would go something like this--
My troops have been ineffective in their efforts to land on the Normandy coast. of course, my plan was well prepared by a diverse staff which was a model of affirmative action. There is no avoiding the poor performance of my generals and admirals, Naturally, the neglect of our armed forces by the Coolidge and Hoover administrations severely hindered my efforts. Let me be perfectly clear--I will take every effort to improve the performance of our forces from now on. I plan on opening all of the Armed Forces to openly gay and lesbian partriots. our commitment to LGBT justice is all powerful, period.
Times have changed, no?
@a6z: As someone who had two American-born parents who heard a language other than English at home and who regularly speaks Chinese with wife and daughter-in-law (both of whom also have excellent English), I appreciate your liking legal immigration.
ReplyDeleteAs an ESOL teacher, I often get mail from "immigrant rights" organizations. One, which clearly used "immigrant" as a synonym for "illegal immigrant" prompted me to write back informing them that I felt personally insulted, and that I would thank them to delete my name from their mailing list.
Before I was with State, I was teaching in Taiwan. I had to obey their immigration laws when I lived and worked there; so I don't think it's too much to ask nationals of other countries to honor ours.
Nice post. I thought he was just incompetent, now he is acting malevolent.
ReplyDelete