Huge Fire Destroys Hundreds of Buildings in Ancient Tibetan Town - Wooden Structures Fed The Inferno

A cellphone photo of  Dukezong burning (Xinhua)

January 11, 2014 - Flames devoured much of Dukezong, a 1,300 year old Tibetan town. The blazing inferno started around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday and quickly consumed old wooden buildings for about 10 hours.

More that 2,000 people were evacuated. No injuries have been reported. Dukezong, a popular tourist destination, is in the southwestern Chinese province Yunnan (see map), which is better known to Westerners as Shangri-la.

"Hundreds of buildings, including one with monument status dating to the early 17th century, were destroyed in the fire which began early yesterday in Dukezong Ancient Town," South China Morning Post reported. "Locals estimated that more than 70 per cent of Dukezong was destroyed, including the town's central Sifang Street and a white Tibetan prayer tower."

"According to local officials, more than 240 houses have been destroyed by the blaze, and at least two thousand people evacuated." reports CCTV. "Initial investigation has ruled out arson. The fire in Dukezong town of the resort county of Shangri-La broke out at around half past one on Saturday morning.... Most of the structures there are made of wood, making it easier for the fire to spread and difficult for fire-fighting operations."  More below video...


Dukezong means "the town of moon" in Tibetan and was "an important town on the South Silk Road, also known as the Ancient Road of Tea and Horse. It is now one of the most renowned resorts in Shangri-la, known for its well-preserved ancient Tibetan dwellings," according to Xinhua news agency.

Unique Video Documentary Examines the Sacrifices - and Physics - of D-Day Invasion of Normandy

June 6, 2013 - It was 69 years ago today that American soldiers, along with others from Allied nations, invaded the coast of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France in WWII. It was one of the deadliest days for Allies during World War Two, but one that turned the tide against Hitler's Nazi Regime. The invasion of Normandy was the biggest invasion ever made from the sea.

This video documentary (below) is a great look at the sacrifices made by so many soldiers on June 6, 1944. "Surviving D-Day: Omaha Beach 1944" not only examines the soldiers' struggles on that day, but gives us a fascinating look at "behind the scenes" factors that determined successes and failures: Magicians, the physics of water, breakfast choices and more. This is like no documentary about World War II that you've ever seen...

Napoleon vs Napoleon in Another Epic Rap Battle!

"Epic Rap Battles of History" is one of the funniest video series to grace the algorithms of YouTube - ever. They are spoofs, obviously, produced by "Nice Peter," one per month. You can follow Nice Peter on YouTube and on Facebook.

First Atlantic Radio Transmission Still Controversial

On December 12, 1901, a radio signal was sent across the Atlantic Ocean from England to Canada. It was the first time that a wireless transmission ever crossed such a distance, and in 2010 the credit for the invention of radio is still the subject of heated debate. Was the "father of radio" really Marconi, or was it a lesser-remembered scientist? "Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi succeeds in sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean, disproving detractors who told him that the curvature of the earth would limit transmission to 200 miles or less. The message--simply the Morse-code signal for the letter 's'--traveled more than 2,000 miles from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, to Newfoundland, Canada." (History.com) How did Marconi's transatlantic radio signal manage to cross the Atlantic? As any late-night listener of AM radio knows today, it "skipped" across, bouncing off of the ionosphere. When you're able to hear an AM radio station, or short wave or ham transmission for that matter, after the sun sets, it's because the ionosphere reflects the space-bound signal back to Earth, over the horizon. Marconi was certainly a brilliant scientist, and he deserved credit for making his transoceanic transmission. In fact, he won a Nobel Prize for Physics for his work in 1909 (shared with Ferdinand Braun). A century later, there is still debate over Marconi's role in the invention of radio technology. Guglielmo Marconi was a radio innovator, for sure, and he did much to advance radio. But who really invented the hardware, if you will, that made Marconi's work possible? Many, including the U.S. Supreme Court, say that it was really the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla. (There is no mention of Nikola Tesla anywhere on the official website of the Nobel Prize.) In an article titled "The Invention of Radio," writer Mary Bellis notes this: "Nikola Tesla is now credited with being the first person to patent radio technology; the Supreme Court overturned Marconi's patent in 1943 in favor of Tesla." Full article at About.com... Tesla was far ahead of the technology curve. So far, in fact, that he had already "invented radio and created the original basic design as early as 1892. In 1898 he patented a radio controlled robot-boat and demonstrated it at the Electrical Exhibition in Madison Square Garden." (Source: Tesla Society of USA and Canada) Tesla sued the Marconi Company for infringement after Marconi won his Nobel Prize, in 1915. Tesla, however, "was in no financial condition to litigate a case against a major corporation. It wasn't until 1943—a few months after Tesla's death— that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tesla's radio patent number 645,576." (Source: Timelines.com) Marconi died in 1937. Other Tesla inventions include a telephone repeater, rotating magnetic field principle, polyphase alternating-current system, induction motor, alternating-current power transmission, Tesla coil transformer, wireless communication, radio, fluorescent lights, and more than 700 other patents. (Source: Neuronet.pitt.edu) RELATED: Marconi sends first Atlantic wireless transmission History.com Tesla Files Lawsuit Against Guglielmo Marconi Timelines.com Who Invented Radio? PBS United States Supreme Court decision (320 U.S. 1, 38) radiomarconi.com Mayor Laguardia's eulogy to Tesla, January 10, 1943 TeslaSociety.org Nikola Tesla: The Genius Who Lit the World (with video) topdocumentaryfilms.com Tesla timeline, inventions, patents and more Tesla Universe Tesla Society of USA and Canada Directory:Tesla's Patent List peswiki.com Nathan Stubblefield - Forgotten Genius Of Wireless Phones Rense.com Earth Energy and Vocal Radio - Nathan Stubblefield HBCI.com

Film 'The Soviet Story' Reveals The Horror of Communism

Once upon a time, the socialists in Europe were united. Hitler and Stalin, both socialists, were friendly toward each other. Before Hitler began his campaign of genocide, Stalin starved seven million people to death in Ukraine in the winter of 1932-33. During that genocide, Stalin exported confiscated Ukrainian wheat to Nazi Germany. Six years after the Ukraine horror, Hitler and Stalin signed a nonaggression treaty. NOTE: We now have this video permanently embedded beneath our bookstore below.

Eventually, the eastern socialists and the western socialists of Europe split into two major camps: The Red camp and the Brown camp. The Reds were in Russia, under the hammer and sickle. The Browns were in Germany, under the swastika. Heresy? No, it's history ignored. "The Soviet Story" is a powerful film that everybody needs to watch. Released in 2008, it deserves more attention.

This is history that has been virtually purged from public school systems because it is "politically incorrect." It's disturbing, it's frightening, it is stark reality. The next time you see some ignorant fool wearing a Che Guevara tee-shirt, remember this film. The next time you hear somebody sing the praises of communism, remember this film. Watch the entire 86-minute movie uniterrupted at http://www.archive.org/details/TheSovietStory. Hat tip to Moonbattery

N. Korea Wants $65 Trillion From U.S. For Compensation

North Korea wants $65 Trillion (US dollars) for 60 years of "hostility." What makes the North Korean request so bizarre is the fact that they started the war for which they now want us to pay them damages. On June 25, 1950, the North Korean People's Army (NKPA) invaded South Korea across the 38th Parallel with 135,000 men. The South Korean military was badly outgunned and outnumbered and suffered heavy casualties. North Korean forces entered Seoul on June 28. The first battle between the U.S. Army and the NKPA was on July 5, 1950. (Source) In other words, North Korea started the war. Comrade Obama responded to the North Korean demand. The Associated Press reports today that "The Obama administration ridiculed North Korea on Friday for claiming $65 trillion from the United States in Korean War damages, saying the communist nation is an economic 'basket case' due its own failed policies." I do believe that this is the first time I have ever agreed with His Regime. Before the U.S. entered the war, however, it called on the United Nations on June 27th 1950, "to use force to get the North Koreans out as they had ignored the Security Council’s resolution of June 25th. This was also voted for and once again the Russians could not use their veto as they were still boycotting the United Nations..... On September 15th 1950, United Nations troops landed in an amphibious assault at Inchon. The landing was a huge success and the United Nations effectively cut the North Korean army in half and pushed them out of South Korea. MacArthur then advanced into North Korea – despite the warnings from Communist China. This resulted in a Chinese attack on United Nations troops and between November 1950 and January 1951, the Chinese managed to push back the United Nations force. After a clash with President Truman, MacArthur was sacked and the war degenerated into a war of stalemate with neither the United Nations or the Chinese managing to gain the upper hand." (Source) The fighting stopped in July 27, 1953, when the UN and North Korea signed an armistice. A permanent peace treaty between South Korea and North Korea has never been signed (source). It has been more than 50 years since the Korean War Armistice Agreement was signed "and what was intended to be a temporary measure is currently the only truce that prevents resuming the war. In 1954, an unsuccessful attempt was made to create a formal peace agreement. To date, no peace treaty has ever been signed and the demilitarization zone (DMZ) is still defended today by South Korean and American troops on one side and North Korean troops on the other." (Source) No peace treaty. Only an armistice, or cease-fire. Technically, we are still in a state of war with North Korea. (Be sure to watch the video below.) Since then, South Korea has rebuilt itself with U.S. aid and trade, and a lot of hard work and ingenuity by the South Koreans. Their recovery could not have happened without having a democratic and capitalist system. On the other hand, North Korea remains Communist and has been patronized and "protected" over the past 60 years by the communist Soviet Union (USSR) and China. No attempt was ever made by either of those powers to democratize North Korea or to improve their economic system. It remains a heavy handed dictatorship living in isolated paranoia and bitterness. And now they have the nerve to ask for compensation? If anybody should ask for compensation, it's South Korea, the United States and the other nations who joined the United Nations in keeping South Korea free from the boot heel of communist tyranny. South Korea was damaged directly, obviously, while every participating nation defending it lost men and women in battle, as well as considerable treasure. North Korea should be apologizing still for its unprovoked aggression and its continued beligerence and its attempts at nuclear blackmail. On a personal note, I'd like to sue Egypt for compensation for more than 3,000 years of continuous hostility toward my Jewish father's ancestors. Would $65 Million Billion Gazillion be too much to ask for? RELATED: US: N Korean war damages claim 'preposterous' (AP)‎ Legacy of Unresolved Korean Conflict Plagues US Policy‎ (VOA) South Korea Consumer Sentiment Rose in June for Second Month‎ BusinessWeek EDITORIAL: Our ongoing war in Korea‎ Washington Times Forgotten Korea war continues‎ Yuma Sun Inside North Korea (Video) National Geographic The UN Offensive, 16 September - 2 November 1950 The Korean War Armistice Agreement History of North Korea

British Tea Party Movement? It's No Surprise, Really

By now, unless you've been hiding in a cave, you know about the "Tea Party movement" in the United States. It's an all-American movement, right? Yes, and no. 

Daniel Hannan, MEP explains that the Tea Parties sweeping America draw inspiration from the Boston Tea Party, which he says was actually a protest by British citizens. 

Writing on his Telegraph UK blog page, Hannan said this on February 27, 2010: Some British Lefties – and some Americans – are thrown by the idea of a Brighton Tea Party. After all, they point out, the original Boston Tea Party was directed against the British Crown. Yes, it was. But where do you think its leaders drew their inspiration from? The American patriots didn’t see themselves as revolutionaries, but as conservatives. In their own minds, all they were asking for was what they had always assumed to be their birthright as freeborn Englishmen. 

This should not surprise anybody who has a basic familiarity with American history, which is of course deeply intertwined with British history. Hannan explains his reasons for hosting a Tea Party in Britain on Fox News (watch video). 

As the American Revolution was still in its embryonic stage, circa 1774-1775, people such as Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams, George Washington and others were Englishmen and considered themselve to be loyal to the British Crown. Their initial intentions were not to break away from England; for years they and others had tried diplomatic methods to pursuade Parliament to treat the American colonies as equals, on a par with their fellow Englishmen back in the British Isles. 

It didn't work, as you may know, and the rest is history. It's been correctly said that the grievances against King George III (left) in 1776 pale in comparison to those against the U.S. Congress in 2010. 

The Declaration of Indepedence was signed on July 4, 1776, about ten and a half months after the King George's Rebellion Proclamation of August 23, 1775, which officially declared the American colonies to be in rebellion. Keep in mind that on April 14, 1775, Massachusetts Governor Gage was given secret orders from the British to suppress "open rebellion" among American colonists by using all necessary force. 

Today, we have an American government that is taxing the people at higher rates than the British taxed the American colonists. Americans today are openly rebelling, albeit it non-violently, in hundres of groups called "tea parties." Like the revolutionaries of 1775 and 1776, the Tea Party people are not completely united. The 13 American colonies, while agreeing to cooperate in a struggle for independence, were also frequently bickering amongst themselves. As they did over 234 years ago, today's American revolutionaries will get their act together and come together as a united and formidable force. 

Back to the British Tea Parties. History and movements often move circularly. The American Revolution began as a movement by Englishmen in the British colonies of North America to be treated fairly. In early 2009, an American resistance to massive government and ever increasing suppression of financial and personal freedoms spawned the modern Tea Parties. That idea bounced over to the United Kingdom, where modern Englishmen (and women, of course) are fighting Parliament anew - and for reasons that would feel familiar to some of the most famous Englishmen in history: Franklin, Jefferson, Adams and Washington. 

Hannan and I agree, although he puts it differently: Those British Lefties who now sneer at what they regard as the Americanisation of the British Right would do well to remember their own history. They are the political heirs of Charles James Fox, of John Wilkes, or Tom Paine. I have no doubt that if the heroes of that age – Burke or Fox or Pitt or Johnson or Swift – could be transported to our own time, they would recoil with horror at the level of taxation and state intervention. 

This all comes with a caveat, however. Just as Franklin, Jefferson, Adams and Washington would find common ground with today's tea parties, whether in the United States or the United Kingdom, they would also see potential danger. King George III was, after all, rather tolerant toward the uppity American colonists for years before he ordered force to be used against them. Push any government too hard and too fast, and the resulting consequences could be dire. That's not meant to discourage Tea Parties, but to simply say that history must be used as a guide for victories that can be achieved, but also for mistakes and dangers to avoid. 

Better Than Democracy?

"A Republic - If You Can Keep It" by Belanne Pibal Those were the words of Benjamin Franklin upon being asked what kind of government the new nation had after the vote was taken to approve the Constitution. Yet, there is very little mention in the mainstream media these days about our republic. Schools for decades have taught that the USA is a democracy so maybe the media and so many of the adults who believe the same thing can be forgiven. However, it is imperative that Americans, as a nation know the difference between a democracy and a republic if we wish to keep our republic. In a democracy, the majority rules. The majority can vote each other out of house, home and freedom. The majority can vote in sharia law if they want. In a democracy, individuals have very little recourse if they want to go against the will of the majority. That's one of the reasons our founding fathers declined to make this nation into a democracy. In the words of James Madison, "Democracies have been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and in general have been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their death." How many times have Americans been bombarded by the notion of spreading freedom and democracy to other nations? In reality, we can only spread one, because freedom is incompatible with democracy. You can have one or the other, but not both. If we could spread the American form of government abroad, that would be spreading freedom, but democracy?, no. So what is a republic? If democracy is so unstable and violent, what is a republic and why is it more desirable than a democracy? The Oxford American dictionary defines a republic as "A country in which the supreme power is held by the people or their elected representatives or by an elected or nominated president." That may sound the same as a democracy, but it is not. In the case of America, it means that the people have approved a Constitution to define the powers of the government. This is one of the reasons why many Americans are upset about the president's speech to our children. The president is elected to serve America, not to turn our youngest Americans into government servants. In the debate to approve the Constitution in Pennsylvania, one of the delegates, Mr. Wilson stated that the supreme power of the uniquely American form of government resides in the people. "The truth is, that, in our governments, the supreme, absolute, and uncontrollable power remains in the people. As our constitutions are superior to our legislatures, so the people are superior to our constitutions. Indeed, the superiority, in this last instance, is much greater; for the people possess over our constitutions control in act, as well as right. The consequence is, that the people may change the constitutions whenever and however they please. This is a right of which no positive institution can ever deprive them." In a republic, we each have a personal responsibility to oversee and correct the government when it infringes on individual rights. In America, we are to do that by electing people of good character to office - regardless of their party affiliation. And "We the People" retain the right to change those legislators and even the Constitution itself. The supreme power of our government resides with the people, but not in such a way that the majority can run roughshod over the rights of the individual. That is the essential difference between a democracy and a republic. The question before Americans now is still "Can we keep it?" Belanne Pibal is a Liberty Features Syndicated Writer Cool Hats & Shirts for Cool Conservatives Leave a Comment... Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

The Fascist Preservationists of Edgewater

The government tells you that you cannot sell your house because "preservation" and "history" are more important to a handful of elitist, petty dictators than is the right of private property. Screw you, private citizen, we are the Chosen Ones. What we dictate must be obeyed.

That's what was attempted last year on Chicago's north side. The Edgewater Historical Society did not want Brigitta Riedel to sell her house at 6018 North Kenmore. (Photo by T.H.Mannis, May, 2008) Now, she's suing the bastards for money she says she lost because of interference in selling her house. We hope she wins.

Mark Konkol reports in the Chicago Sun-Times today:

... when members of the Edgewater Historical Society got wind of a developer's plan to buy the yellow-brick behemoth at 6018 N. Kenmore and tear it down to build condos, they rallied to save the place, seeing it as a potential city landmark.

Now, the neighborhood preservationists are being sued. Property owner Brigitta Riedel says she lost out on more than $1 million when the sale went south and is suing to the historical society and four of its board members, accusing them of carrying off a "calculated, sophisticated attack" to kill the sale. Full Story, Chicago Sun-Times... 

I reported on this subject in May, 2008 for the Chicago Journal (which they have thoughtlessly removed from their web site). Take a look:

Edgewater Landmarking Effort Defeated May, 2008

Community representatives voted down an attempt to impose landmark status on 15 buildings in Chicago's Edgewater and Rogers Park neighborhoods. Eleven of the structures are in Alderman Mary Ann Smith's 48th Ward and four are within Alderman Joe Moore's 49th Ward.

Approximately 50 people crowded into Alderman Smith's office on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 to discuss, and then vote on, the proposal. The comments were heated on both sides.

The meeting was hosted by Ald. Smith at her 5533 N. Broadway office. Most of the buildings are private homes. The landmakring effort met vehement resistance from community members. Voting was restricted to delegates from block clubs and community organizations. The proposal was defeated in a roll call vote: 20 "No," 8 "Yes," 7 abstained.

Valerie Leopold owns one of the houses that was targeted for landmakring by the City of Chicago. Leopold, of Leopold & Associates, LLC law firm, spoke to group and stated her opposition to the landmakring process.

"I hear [them] talk about voluntary landmakring," Leopold said to the crowded room, "I think that's great. That's not what's happening here."

The controversial landmakring process started late last year when the Edgewater Historical Society (EHS) asked Alderman Smith to save 6018 N. Kenmore from demolition. According to Leroy Blommaert of EHS, Smith went to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks for help in preserving 6018. But, says, Blommaert, the Commission added 14 more houses to be considered for landmakring.

Blommaert told the community meeting that this "is not our project or proposal. We categorically reject that. We were concerned about a proposed demolition [at 6018] N. Kenmore." He said the EHS "sent letters to property owners in April, 2008. Blommaert told News-Star that EHS had "no role" in expanding the list to 15 properties. He said the letters to property owners were mailed to some of the targeted property owners in early April and to others in late April.

Valerie Leopold had more to say at the May 28 meeting. "This is a situation where the Edgewater Historical Society is the organization moving behind landmakring. Now, they just finished telling you they weren't, but I refer to a letter by the alderman." She then quoted from a May 9, 2008 letter from Alderman Smith's office.

Smith's letter said, "The Edgewater Historical Society, not this office or the city, asked that the community consider landmakring some of the older buildings in the northeast section of Edgewater." The rest of the paragraph that Leopold quoted from says that the landmakring request "was prompted by a development proposal to demolish a single family home at 6018 N. Kenmore that is considered 'significant.' Our response was that we would not advance the proposal for a 'scattered' historic district....without engaging in our community review process."

Had the landmark status been imposed on the structures, the owners would not have been compensated. Landmakring often causes significant loss of property value. Several of the targeted buildings are "vacant and crumbling," according to Smith's May 8 letter. "We do not want vacant and deteriorating buildings to become a problem for the community. We are reluctant to repeat our experience with 5416 N. Winthrop….where the owner's demolition by neglect resulted in threats to public safety, squatters, structural hazards, a fire and other serious problems."

"Developers don't look for landmakred properties," one neighbor said at the meeting. Once landmakred, few potential buyers want to consider purchasing it. Indeed, landmakring a structure can be a disincentive for the owner to maintain it. With lost value and costly restrictions as to how the landmakred building can be refurbished, owners are sometimes reluctant to put out the cash. Selling a landmakred building can be difficult, too.

"If you can't stand behind what you propose," Leopold said of EHS, "I think there's something wrong. I think at a deep level you know what you're doing isn't right."

"I asked Edgewater Historical Society," Leopold said, "would you please, at least, allow us to come and present our side, like you're having an opportunity here tonight. They said 'no, won't do it.' An organization that won't take credit for their proposal, an organization that wants to talk to block clubs where only they can be present? There's something wrong with that. Why do you need to hide if you're doing the right thing?"

Leopold's comments were representative of many of the property owners. Owners and many community organizations alike expressed concern about the way the process was handled. EHS, said Leopold, pitched the proposal to community groups but did not approach the property owners.

Kathy Gemperle, President of the Edgewater Historical Society, asked the group "to think 100 years in the future. We believe these 15 homes are evidence of another time, they are public works of art."

Jean Johnson is an architect who has owned the house at 6032 N. Winthrop for 22 years. Johnson responded to Gemperle's remarks. " I've heard the word 'fairness' but have we heard the word 'justice'? Why do you want to landmark my building? To stand in front of it and admire it? Why don't you pick up the litter from the people who live in the seven-story building next door to me?"

The proposal was defeated in a roll call vote. One attendee moved that Alderman Smith meet with representatives of EHS and targeted property owners to "work out a program for TIF money to help owners."

"Over my dead body," said Alderman Smith. She said TIF monies are for schools and other more urgent needs. Smith chided EHS by telling them that "If you want to be a viable historical society you'll sit down with banks and owners and become a viable organization."

Bush Hatred Subsiding Already?

Watching the inauguration had an unexpected effect on some people, particularly those who have hated him for so long. They suddenly realized that George W. Bush is not an evil man, after all. Oh, those people have not suddenly stopped thinking that Bush was a bad president. But many who saw the Obamas say a touching goodbye to the Bushes outside the Capitol Building on Tuesday suddenly saw a human kindness in Bush that they never dreamed was there before that moment. The moment was brief, and it was seconds before George Bush stepped into the helicopter. After final embraces, Bush paused and leaned close to Michelle Obama so she could hear him through the noise of the chopper's engines. We could not hear him. But we could plainly read his lips as he said, "Call if you need anything." Those aren't the exact words, but it's close. I wish now that I had written it down. A friend of mine who hated despised Bush for eight years saw it too, and she wrote an email about her reaction. She said she suddenly sees Bush in a new light, no longer evil. Inept, she still calls, but no longer evil. History will be fair to George W. Bush, more fair to him than were so many of his fellow Americans that he protected for eight years. Perhaps not soon or even in his lifetime, but historians will one day note the disproportionate, rabid hatred thrown at him daily, and they will marvel at the intensity of that hatred. On Tuesday, some of those haters stopped hating a man they had painted as the Second Coming of Hiter. The historians of the next generation will have no emotional investment in George Bush, either pro or con. The historians may not be kind to him, but they will not be mercilessly cruel, either. Barack and Michelle learned that George W. Bush is no Hitler. They embraced him, literally. I suspect there will be cordial phones calls between Texas and the Oval Office. Barack Obama knows that Bush is not evil. I hope the rest of America will come to grips with that, too.

###

I am reminded that author Carol Felsenthal has a good post today at Chicago Daily Observer, in which notes the contrast between the Bush Departure and the Clinton Departure. As all of her columns are, this one is a must-read: If George W. Bush’s approval ratings are any indication, the vast majority of Americans could not wait to see him go. But that said, at least he left in a quiet, dignified manner; nothing like the circus surrounding the White House exit of Bill Clinton eight years earlier. (I tracked Bill’s painfully long goodbye in the opening pages of my book, Clinton in Exile: A President Out of the White House.) Full Post at Chicago Daily Observer... Subscribe to Chicago News Bench

Quiz for Obama Supporters

A quiz for Obama supporters is a must-read. Most Obama supporters would probably fail this test. Hat tip to Chicago Bungalow!

Party Pooper: End of Partisan Politics?

Professor Alan Brinkley describes the decline of partisan politics and the rise of the independent voter. Brinkley presents both anecdotal and history evidence of millions of American voters abandoning the Republican and Democrat parties, and what he calls "the birth of a post-partisan world." Brinkley, writing in the Wall Street Journal, is the Allan Nevins professor of history and the provost at Columbia University, and after reading his Sept. 6th article you'll probably wish you could have had him as a professor. I offer that with a caveat, however, which I will explain at the end of this post. (Hint: Brinkley is an academic...) "Rarely has this post-partisan world," writes Brinkley, "been more visible than in the campaign of 2008. Sen. Obama has few ties to any party leaders or organizations and nevertheless edged out one of the most famous, well-connected and well-funded candidates of recent decades. For a time, at least, many supporters of Hillary Clinton appeared likely to vote for Sen. McCain." Actually, a significant number of Hillary supporters may still vote for McCain-Palin, a Sept. 9 poll shows the McCain ticket surging ahead of of Obama's with white female voters. "An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll..." writes Deborah Charles at Reuters, "showed ... [that] Before the Democratic National Convention in late August, Obama held an 8-point lead among white women voters, 50 percent to 42 percent, according to the Washington Post/ABC News poll. After the Republican convention in early September, McCain was ahead by 12 points among white women, 53 percent to 41 percent, that survey found. "In the Republican race," continues Brinkley, "the nominee is a man who has spent much of his career as a self-proclaimed maverick, crossing party lines on many issues. In 2004, he was so faintly identified with the Republican party that he was even considered as a possible Democratic vice presidential candidate; and in 2008 primaries, he nearly lost the race for the Republican nomination because conservatives in his own party did not trust him. Since clinching the nomination, he has been repudiating some of the Bush administration's policies and embracing ideas that were once taboo in the current Republican party. Not surprisingly, some of the most ardent Republican supporters of George W. Bush have claimed they will not vote for McCain in the same way that some Clinton voters say they will not vote for Obama -- although the selection of the extremely conservative Gov. Palin as McCain's running mate might change this dynamic." THE CAVEAT... This is all very interesting. However, polls are polls and they have been shown to be wrong often enough in the past that we should take them with a grain of salt. Even so, taking inaccuracies into account, well conducted polls can show us the general direction that a campaign is headed in, just as an inaccurate map can still get you to the correct city, even the right block, but misdirect you the exact address. Close enough for general purposes. Brinkley misses a number of points, some of which I will touch on. He claims that we are now in a post partisan world, where party politics matter less. He cites the near-abandonment of John McCain by his own Republican Party as evidence of this, but Brinkley does not understand that this came from a groundswell of Republican -and conservative GOP sympathizers - who did not favor McCain precisely because they viewed him as incompatible with the party's foundations and platforms. How Brinkley misses this simple and obvious fact is mysterious. Republicans in 2004 rejected McCain because they felt he would not serve the party well. In 2008, many Republicans rejected McCain for the same reason, but rallied to him recently because of his choice of Governor Sarah Palin. Palin is seen as good for the party, another glaring fact that Brinkley seems to see but not comprehend. Finally, one must wonder how accurate Brinkley is. He is, after all, living in the world of academia, where it is fashionable to proclaim oneself to be independent. I live in Rogers Park, Chicago, which has a population of about 60,000 within a two-square mile area. Here, there are 20,000 registered Democrats and a mere 250 registered Republicans. There is a high percentage of the local Democrats who can accurately be described as "very liberal," and this leads to many amusing reactions when one reveals himself to be conservative. They have trouble believing it initially. Surely you must be joking, their widened eyes silently scream. Rogers Park, like academia, is politically insulated and in no way representative of the norm of American society. Sure, there are many Democrats everywhere, but very few who are as liberal as those in Rogers Park. Here, liberal Democrats and "progressives" have marinated in their own delusion of being representative of the average American for so long that they have trouble believing that there are people "out there" who actually disagree with their world view. To return to Brinkley, then, his own marinade of academia has flavored his outlook. I say this with certainty. Although his WSJ article is excellent, he seems out of touch with mainstream America. He refers to Sarah Palin as "extremely conservative." She is certainly conservative, moreso, arguably, than Senator McCain. But "extremely?" (Would Brinkley call Barack Obama "extremely liberal?" How about Ted Kennedy or Hillary Clinton?) The use of the adjective "extremely" is a disturbing signal that Brinkley does not understand what conservatism is, let alone what is would take to be "extremely" so. In fact, Brinkley mentions Palin only twice in his WSJ piece. The other reference is to her "slashing, sarcastic acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention," which gives us one more signal of Brinkley's academia-tainted vision. What Brinkley misses is the fact that Palin is playing the heart strings not only of "extremely conservative" Republicans, but of mainstream and moderate Republicans as well - including John McCain. Brinkley notes that in 2004, McCain "was so faintly identified with the Republican party that he was even considered as a possible Democratic vice presidential candidate; and in 2008 primaries, he nearly lost the race for the Republican nomination because conservatives in his own party did not trust him." Okay, but this is the same John McCain who chose, as Brinkley describes her, "the extremely conservative" Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008. There seems to be a disconnect inside of Brinkley's head. He sees the trees, examines them closely, but does not see the forest. If McCain and his advisers thought that Palin was truly an "extreme" conservative, they probably would not have chosen her. Rather, they recognized that Palin is more closely an orthodox conservative than is McCain. To be orthodox anything is not extremist. The choice of the phrase "extremely conservative," then, exposes Brinkley's otherwise informative article as having a bias, although it is probably unintentional. For him to describe Palin that way is as accurate as describing Brinkley as "extremely isolated." No, he's probably not "extremely" isolated, just isolated in an orthodox kinda way.

The Whole World is Watching

Today, the world is STILL watching Chicago, AGAIN for the wrong reasons. Forty years ago, the Democrats had their convention in Chicago. While delegates hid in their hotel rooms downtown, hooligans ran wild through the streets and parks of Chicago. Rioting engulfed large portions of the city. That's why the world was watching then. The world is watching Chicago again, ironically because of the current Democrat National Convention. It is ironic for several reasons. In 1968, Chicago's police had their hands full as lunatic nutjobs overturned cars, set fire to cars, pissed on cars, shat on cars... they liked cars back then. Chicago, it seemed, was about to self destruct. The world was watching Chicago, but for all the wrong reasons. Footnote to the 1968 Chicago Democrat Convention: Hubert Humphrey was the nominee. He lost to Nixon. In 2008, Denver's police have their hands full as lunatic nutjobs overturn cars, set fire to cars, piss on cars... you get the idea. There are worries about the safety, as in 1968, of the delegates and the nominees. Denver, it seems, could explode into real violence, but probably won't in any scale near what Chicago suffered in 1968. The irony: Chicagoan Barack Obama is this year's presidential nominee, a Black man who has built a career in large part on the false propagandist claim that a Black man cannot get ahead in this "racist" nation. His presence in Denver this week puts the lie to that. Another irony is that even though the 2008 convention is in Denver, the world is watching Chicago - again - because of bad things happening here. Tony Rezko. Joseph Cari, Jr. William Ayers. Reverend Wright. Father Pfleger. Cardinal George, the patron saint of child molesting priests. UIC-Annenberg. Delmarie Cobb, the Chicago political consultant that Illinois Senate President Emil Jones called an Uncle Tom. The mess in the labyrinth of Cook County "government." Inefficient schools. A murder rate that's nearly 20% higher now than a year ago. The highest taxes in the nation. The most corrupt city government in the nation. The dumbest City Council in the nation. City laws that make Chicago more restrictive than any other city in the nation. And so on and on. The world is watching. Again. More irony: The goofballs who were rioting in 1968 Chicago thought they were going to change the world, presumably for the better. Some, notably their "leaders," went on to become the very things they despised and spat on. The result of the 1968 riots, here and across the U.S., was a shake up in the political and social climate. That's the grist for twenty books right there, so let's just summarize by noting a few of the things that the Failed Revolution of the 1960's brought us: Tony Rezko. Joseph Cari, Jr. William Ayers. Reverend Wright. Father Pfleger. Cardinal George, the patron saint of child molesting priests. UIC-Annenberg. Delmarie Cobb, the Chicago political consultant that Illinois Senate President Emil Jones called an Uncle Tom. The mess in the labyrinth of Cook County "government." Inefficient schools. A murder rate that's nearly 20% higher now than a year ago. The highest taxes in the nation. The most corrupt city government in the nation. The dumbest City Council in the nation. City laws that make Chicago more restrictive than any other city in the nation. And so on and on. After all those broken windows and broken bones, broken dreams and broken promises, that's what their "revolution" has given us: More of the same with a dose of cynicism and resignation. Barack Obama was born in 1961, four years before the events in Selma that he falsely claims brought his parents together. He did not know the 1960's first hand; he was only nine in 1970. By the time Obama was 14, disco had replaced the protest music. Today Obama tells us that the United States is more racist than ever, more compassionless than ever, more despised by the world community than ever. Obama was only 14 when the United States pulled out of Saigon, Vietnam in 1975. The world's opinion of us was pretty low then, after it realized that the sudden withdrawal allowed the slaughtering of more than a million South Vietnamese by there "brothers" from the communist North. We were seen as irresponsible, uncaring losers. Obama wanted to repeat that script in the theater of Iraq. He may yet get the chance to produce that script. That, and so much more.

Charnley House Worth a Look

I've taken a recent interest in the famous James Charnley House at 1365 North Astor Street in Chicago's Gold Coast. It's a beautiful building, one that I've walked past many times. But only recently have I looked into the story behind this unusual residence. "While many have ascribed the scheme to Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan's chief assistant at the time, this book sheds new light on how the house relates significantly to the work of both master and apprentice." [Source] If you love landmark buildings as I do, read more about it... For more info see: Charnley-Persky House by Keith Morgan Chicago Landmarks Charnley House SAH.org - Society of Architectural Historians Urban Remains Chicago

Obama: Channeling Neville Chamberlain

"My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor. I believe it is 'peace for our time.' Go home and get a nice quiet sleep." So said British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain on September 30, 1938. On the eve of World War II, Chamberlain had just returned to London from the infamous Munich Conference of 1938, where he had a nice chat with "Mr. Hitler." Chamberlain told the British people that Germany was their friend, and the future looked bright. Flash forward to Charleston, South Carolina on July 23, 2007. Democrat Presidential candidate Barack Obama participated in a YouTube debate: Q: Would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea? OBAMA: I would. And the reason is this: the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them--which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration--is ridiculous. Ronald Reagan constantly spoke to Soviet Union at a time when he called them an evil empire. He understood that we may not trust them and they may pose an extraordinary danger to this country, but we had the obligation to find areas where we can potentially move forward. And I think that it is a disgrace that we have not spoken to them. (Source: 2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate) Obama did not advise his audience to go home and have a nice quiet sleep. Note: Chamberlain was quite relieved to have spoken with Mr. Hitler. Until, at least, the German bombs started falling on London.

Motorama 1955 Chicago

Flashback: Friend and photo contributor George sent this in today. The scene: General Motors Motorama car show in 1955 on the Chicago lakefront. Soldier Field is visible in the background, and George is in the lower left (also in enlargement). Click images to enlarge.

Related: Concept Car History, Chicago Auto Show

Still Waiting for Reparations

My father was Jewish, my mother was Protestant. I am, therefore, not a Jew by strict Jewish law, and in fact I took Jesus into my heart late in my life. My Christianity is a private matter; I am no evangelist. I am proud of my Jewish heritage and cherish my Jewish friends. No, this is not a religious rant, so my secularist friends can just calm down. This Is A Political Rant Today is the first day of Passover. The definition of Passover: Pesach (Passover) begins on the night of the fifteenth day of the month of Nissan and lasts for eight days. This holiday commemorates the departure of the nation of Israel from Egypt. Pesach marks the birth of the Jewish people as a nation led by Moshe (Moses) [about 3,300]years ago. This is a as much a celebration of our spiritual freedom as the physical liberation from slavery. (More information at http://www.torah.org/learning/yomtov/pesach/) Let's repeat that last line: "This is a as much a celebration of our spiritual freedom as the physical liberation from slavery." Yes, slavery! See, folks, nobody has a monopoly on suffering. Virtually all of us have slaves somewhere in our lineage, whether it was 143 years ago or 3,300 years ago. No Reparations from Egypt The enslavement of the Jews in Egypt ended over 3,000 years ago. They were slaves in Egypt for centuries. Leaving Egypt, they walked into a desert of uncertainty, fear, hard times. Three thousand years of persecution and numerous attempts to wipe all of them out awaited. Yet somehow, the Jews recently produced Albert Einstein. They had no welfare programs waiting for them, no affirmative action plans to help them, and to this day Egypt has not paid one penny of reparations. Egypt has never apologized for enslaving the Jews. The Egyptians did not kill half a million of their own to free the Jews, and there sure as hell were no equal rights laws or voting rights amendments waiting for them. Get Back To Me in 3,000 Years I was walking down Morse Avenue a few months ago with a friend. He and I are both white. As we passed a group of five or six young guys, one of them told us to get the f*** off the street. "Come back after you pay us reparations, honky," he said. Tell you what, friend. We'll talk about reparations for you in another 3,000 years. Let's see if you've produced an Einstein by then. In the meantime, I check my mailbox everyday, looking for a check from the Egyptian government. Perhaps Jesse Jackson will get involved and urge them to make reparations to a people so wronged so long ago. Perhaps.

Remembering Mary Jo Doyle

December 20, 2007 By LORRAINE SWANSON News-Star Staff Writer Mary Jo Doyle had four loves in her life: Family, history, computers and the Chicago Cubs. The founder and executive director of the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, Doyle was 68 when she died on Dec. 17--105 in God's years--and with her passing, the community lost its most important piece of living history. FULL STORY at News-Star... RELATED: SERVICES FOR MARY JO DOYLE

Upchucking History

Flashback (not drug-induced) to 1968.

The 1968 Democratic National Convention protests were a glorification platform for the SDS and the New Lefties, but it was a Pyrhhic victory--the chaos of old guard Democrat Richard J. Daleys cops' beating up the newbies ensured Richard Nixon's victory a few months later.

Sadly we've got almost 400 days of 1968 love-ins to suffer through. But there is good news. In 2009 we can celebrate the 20th anniversary of the revolutions of 1989. This time, "Power to the People" wasn't just an empty phrase. FULL POST at MARATHON PUNDIT...

Dear Mr. Moore

Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2007 From: "Tom Mannis" Subject: Add me to your mailing list To: ward49@cityofchicago.org Dear Alderman Moore: I have lived in the 49th Ward for nearly nine years. I run a blog in the neighborhood. The fact that I am a blogger certainly does not make me special, but I know that you and your people are aware of my blog. You and I have had conversations about my blog. Alex Armour, one of your campaign workers, was well aware of my blog and sometimes wrote comments on it. You also know that I am making a video oral history of Rogers Park. I am certain that, as our alderman, you will be supportive of a video oral history project. I have an open invitation to anyone who lives or works in Rogers Park to be part of the project as an interview subject. I've been rough on you on my blog, but the video project is not a political piece in any way. If you were a major politician, would you snub an interview with CBS or NBC or ABC if one of their shows was critical of you? Not if your publicist was smart, you wouldn't. So think of me as a very tiny, microscopic CBS. One of my shows has been critical. Now another of my shows hopes for your participation in an objective, non-partisan production. As our alderman, Mr. Moore, you are (obviously) an important part of the community. It would be a shame to finish the project without you having consented to a brief interview, in which you are welcome to say anything you wish. Anything at all. No tough questions, Mr. Moore, just a rolling video camera. You are encouraged to say whatever you wish for posterity. You can even call me names, any names you wish, and I would not edit that out. I promise. I - and many others - hope you will participate. We look forward to hearing from you. P.S. - Mr. Moore, I have never been added to your office's email list, although I've asked on several occassions to be added. Please add me now to your email list so that I - like other residents of the ward - can receive your valuable information updates about meetings and events. Please add rogersparkbench@yahoo.com to your email info blast list. That would be appreciated. Sincerely, Tom Mannis