Limited sympathy
Merrill Edward Newman is 85 years of age. At this moment he's being detained by the government of North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea if you prefer) and to be honest, this is mostly his own fault.
Not for the heroic actions that he was involved with during the Korean War. For being foolish enough to journey there, given the fact that the war isn't officially over. Particularly in the eyes of the North Koreans. Especially in the eyes of their leadership. In a time when they are starving for attention AND food, this is a great propaganda tool in their eyes.
What did Mr. Newman do during the war that is considered criminal? He was involved as an advisor to a unit of Koreans from the South who conducted operations deep behind enemy lines in the North. Their exploits are little known and that's sad. They are part and parcel of the history of U.S. military actions that led to the formation of the incredibly well-trained, special operations forces we have today.
The government of North Korea knew who Lt. Newman was before the armistice was signed. They had obtained a roster of the "Kuwol" unit he was assigned to. Their operations were so secret that U.S. personnel didn't receive credit for "combat" while involved in these clandestine operations.
They will let him go. He's a brave man for trying to reach out to those he trained and those he fought against. But going to North Korea without first having ensured he would not be detained was at best, naïve.
* * *
Once again, the moronic leadership of the Republican Party has shot itself in the foot. Even when their intentions were mostly good and benign, they still can't get it right. Here's the tweet they sent out:
"Today we remember Rosa Parks' bold stand and her role in ending racism," its Twitter page read.
Attached was a photo of a young Parks. They sent out a clarification a few hours later but the damage was done.
Racism may not be as bad as it was as shown in "12 Years A Slave", and there aren't "whites only" signs in the South, but things are far from resolved in terms of ending racism. In fact, one has to wonder if any real progress has been made since 1964, in terms of changing the hearts and minds of those who were raised on racism.
Reaching out to the African-American community is a good move by the RNC. Doing it dumbly isn't going to help at all. Making things worse than they already are is the current Republican recipe for disaster.
Wise up. Hire people with something on the ball.
* * *
There's a homeless man in Seattle who has a business idea that may resonate. Pay him $2,000 and you get to experience three days living like a homeless person.
Mike Momany wants to give people an opportunity to understand his world, so he's offering his "Course in Applied Homelessness" and there are a few people interested in taking him up on the offer. Pay him the money and you can spend three days and two nights living mostly on the streets of Seattle. It includes a night in a shelter and another in a hotel, although another description of the course included nights in a $15 per night hostel.
Some people are upset at this, saying that pretending to be homeless is not a good thing, and that the money would be much better spent in a donation to any of the numerous organizations who work to help the real homeless.
I think he's an entrepreneurial sort and he may find a niche business. Might even get himself off the streets, if that's what he really want. But then how would he deliver on what he calls "the Sub-Urban Experience".
* * *
Random Ponderings:
Bringing in Steve Sarkisian to coach the Trojan football team is good, maybe. Time will tell. But I think Pat Haden will be sorry for this decision. I think Ed Orgeron was the right guy to bring back a national title to USC.
Who is a bigger idiot? The one who listed one small packet of Sriracha sauce for sale on EBay for $10,000 and not a cent less, or anyone who decides to buy it? Considering full bottles are still on the shelf, and that this packet isn't even from Huy Fong Foods, makers of the version with the rooster and green cap on the bottle, anyone involved with this listing is clearly not thinking straight.
Dodgers signing Orel Hershiser as they hope to would be a good thing. He'd ultimately become the "face" of Dodgers broadcasting. Nomar Garciaparra has been signed to do commentary and that should be interesting.
I won't be surprised if sales on Cyber Monday exceed the projection of $2 billion.
Now someone's going around and leaving really big tips for servers and putting a stamp that reads "tipsforjesus" stamped on the restaurant's copy of the receipt. One was for $10,000.
I know that people pay upward of $200 for those ugly Ugg shoes, but more than $700 for some models? Sheesh that's a lot for sheep footwear.
While your loved one may want their ashes spread on the field of their college football team, is that really appropriate? One Auburn fan did that after Saturday's incredible Auburn victory.
I'd be upset too if I bought what was supposed to be a new iPad at Target and it turned out to be used. I'd be really upset though, if I were the person whose personal data was on that iPad when it was re-sold as new.
Hold up a sign on national TV reading "Mom, send money", add the address of your Bitcoin wallet and get $24,000 in donations? Hell, let me get to opening a wallet and making some signs!
Will Han Solo's blaster from Episodes V and VII fetch more than the very rare phaser rifle that brought $231,000 at auction earlier this year? I predict it will.
Good for the late James Gandolfini, he was honored by a New Jersey street being named for him.
* * *
December 2nd in History:
1409 – The University of Leipzig opens.
1697 – St Paul's Cathedral is consecrated in London.
1755 – The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire.
1763 – Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island, the first synagogue in what will become the United States.
1775 – The USS Alfred becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes); the flag is hoisted by John Paul Jones.
1804 – At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French, the first French Emperor in a thousand years.
1805 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Austerlitz – French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force.
1823 – Monroe Doctrine: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James Monroe proclaims American neutrality in future European conflicts, and warns European powers not to interfere in the Americas.
1845 – Manifest Destiny: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James K. Polk proposes that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
1848 – Franz Josef I becomes Emperor of Austria.
1851 – French President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte overthrows the Second Republic.
1852 – Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte becomes Emperor of the French as Napoleon III.
1859 – Militant abolitionist leader John Brown is hanged for his October 16 raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
1867 – At Tremont Temple in Boston, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States.
1899 – Philippine–American War: The Battle of Tirad Pass, termed "The Filipino Thermopylae", is fought.
1908 – Puyi becomes Emperor of China at the age of two.
1917 – World War I: Russia and the Central Powers sign an armistice at Brest-Litovsk, and peace talks leading to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk begin.
1920 – Following more than a month of Turkish-Armenian War, the Turkish dictated Treaty of Alexandropol is concluded.
1927 – Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Model A as its new automobile.
1930 – Great Depression: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposes a US$150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy.
1939 – New York City's La Guardia Airport opens.
1942 – World War II: During the Manhattan Project, a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
1943 – World War II: A Luftwaffe bombing raid on the harbour of Bari, Italy, sinks numerous cargo and transport ships, including the American SS John Harvey, which is carrying a stockpile of World War I-era mustard gas.
1947 – Jerusalem Riots of 1947: Riots break out in Jerusalem in response to the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine.
1954 – Cold War: The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to censure Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute".
1954 – The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, between the United States and Taiwan, is signed in Washington, D.C..
1956 – The Granma reaches the shores of Cuba's Oriente province. Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution.
1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist-Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.
1962 – Vietnam War: After a trip to Vietnam at the request of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield becomes the first American official to comment adversely on the war's progress.
1970 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency begins operations.
1971 – Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, and Umm Al Quwain form the United Arab Emirates.
1975 – The Pathet Lao seizes the Laotian capital of Vientiane, forces the abdication of King Sisavang Vatthana, and proclaims the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
1976 – Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba, replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado.
1980 – Salvadoran Civil War: Four U.S. nuns and churchwomen, Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Jean Donovan, and Dorothy Kazel, are murdered by a military death squad.
1982 – At the University of Utah, Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.
1988 – Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state.
1993 – Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is shot and killed in Medellín.
1993 – Space Shuttle program: STS-61 – NASA launches the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
1999 – Glenbrook Rail Accident: Seven passengers are killed when two trains collide near Sydney, New South Wales.
1999 – The United Kingdom devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive.
2001 – Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Famous Folk Born On December 2nd:
Li Cunxu, Emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty
John Breckinridge, 5th Attorney General of the U.S.
George Richards Minot
Maria Callas
General Alexander P. Haig (I'm in control)
Julie Harris
Gary Becker
Edwin Meese, 75th Attorney General of the U.S. (and he was a jerk when I attempted to interview him)
Harry Reid
Cathy Lee Crosby
Penelope Spheeris
Pedro Borbon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nL21u2fCZk)
Gianni Versace
Elizabeth Berg
Ron Raines
Dan Butler
Stone Phillips
Rick Savage
Brendan Coyle
Lucy Liu
Nate Mendel
Rena Sofer
Jason and Jarron Collins
Nelly Furtado
Britney Spears
Michelle Banzer (former Miss Kentucky and WPT Royal Flush Girl)
Daniela Ruah
Movie quotes today come from the very underrated "Red Tails" because Daniela Ruah had a small but significant role in it:
Colonel A.J. Bullard: Politics is the art of postponing a decision until it is no longer relevant.
#2
Lieutenant General Luntz: Colonel, the word is you're arrogant.
Colonel A.J. Bullard: If arrogant is the only word people use to describe me now, I would say I think I am making progress.
#3
Leon 'Neon' Edwards: When you get upset, when you get mad, you turn red, right? When you get envoius, or sick, you turn green. When you become cowardly, you turn yellow; and ya'll got the nerve to call us colored?
#4
Declan 'Winky' Hall: Experience is a cruel teacher, gives the exam first and then the lesson.
Not for the heroic actions that he was involved with during the Korean War. For being foolish enough to journey there, given the fact that the war isn't officially over. Particularly in the eyes of the North Koreans. Especially in the eyes of their leadership. In a time when they are starving for attention AND food, this is a great propaganda tool in their eyes.
What did Mr. Newman do during the war that is considered criminal? He was involved as an advisor to a unit of Koreans from the South who conducted operations deep behind enemy lines in the North. Their exploits are little known and that's sad. They are part and parcel of the history of U.S. military actions that led to the formation of the incredibly well-trained, special operations forces we have today.
The government of North Korea knew who Lt. Newman was before the armistice was signed. They had obtained a roster of the "Kuwol" unit he was assigned to. Their operations were so secret that U.S. personnel didn't receive credit for "combat" while involved in these clandestine operations.
They will let him go. He's a brave man for trying to reach out to those he trained and those he fought against. But going to North Korea without first having ensured he would not be detained was at best, naïve.
* * *
Once again, the moronic leadership of the Republican Party has shot itself in the foot. Even when their intentions were mostly good and benign, they still can't get it right. Here's the tweet they sent out:
"Today we remember Rosa Parks' bold stand and her role in ending racism," its Twitter page read.
Attached was a photo of a young Parks. They sent out a clarification a few hours later but the damage was done.
Racism may not be as bad as it was as shown in "12 Years A Slave", and there aren't "whites only" signs in the South, but things are far from resolved in terms of ending racism. In fact, one has to wonder if any real progress has been made since 1964, in terms of changing the hearts and minds of those who were raised on racism.
Reaching out to the African-American community is a good move by the RNC. Doing it dumbly isn't going to help at all. Making things worse than they already are is the current Republican recipe for disaster.
Wise up. Hire people with something on the ball.
* * *
There's a homeless man in Seattle who has a business idea that may resonate. Pay him $2,000 and you get to experience three days living like a homeless person.
Mike Momany wants to give people an opportunity to understand his world, so he's offering his "Course in Applied Homelessness" and there are a few people interested in taking him up on the offer. Pay him the money and you can spend three days and two nights living mostly on the streets of Seattle. It includes a night in a shelter and another in a hotel, although another description of the course included nights in a $15 per night hostel.
Some people are upset at this, saying that pretending to be homeless is not a good thing, and that the money would be much better spent in a donation to any of the numerous organizations who work to help the real homeless.
I think he's an entrepreneurial sort and he may find a niche business. Might even get himself off the streets, if that's what he really want. But then how would he deliver on what he calls "the Sub-Urban Experience".
* * *
Random Ponderings:
Bringing in Steve Sarkisian to coach the Trojan football team is good, maybe. Time will tell. But I think Pat Haden will be sorry for this decision. I think Ed Orgeron was the right guy to bring back a national title to USC.
Who is a bigger idiot? The one who listed one small packet of Sriracha sauce for sale on EBay for $10,000 and not a cent less, or anyone who decides to buy it? Considering full bottles are still on the shelf, and that this packet isn't even from Huy Fong Foods, makers of the version with the rooster and green cap on the bottle, anyone involved with this listing is clearly not thinking straight.
Dodgers signing Orel Hershiser as they hope to would be a good thing. He'd ultimately become the "face" of Dodgers broadcasting. Nomar Garciaparra has been signed to do commentary and that should be interesting.
I won't be surprised if sales on Cyber Monday exceed the projection of $2 billion.
Now someone's going around and leaving really big tips for servers and putting a stamp that reads "tipsforjesus" stamped on the restaurant's copy of the receipt. One was for $10,000.
I know that people pay upward of $200 for those ugly Ugg shoes, but more than $700 for some models? Sheesh that's a lot for sheep footwear.
While your loved one may want their ashes spread on the field of their college football team, is that really appropriate? One Auburn fan did that after Saturday's incredible Auburn victory.
I'd be upset too if I bought what was supposed to be a new iPad at Target and it turned out to be used. I'd be really upset though, if I were the person whose personal data was on that iPad when it was re-sold as new.
Hold up a sign on national TV reading "Mom, send money", add the address of your Bitcoin wallet and get $24,000 in donations? Hell, let me get to opening a wallet and making some signs!
Will Han Solo's blaster from Episodes V and VII fetch more than the very rare phaser rifle that brought $231,000 at auction earlier this year? I predict it will.
Good for the late James Gandolfini, he was honored by a New Jersey street being named for him.
* * *
December 2nd in History:
1409 – The University of Leipzig opens.
1697 – St Paul's Cathedral is consecrated in London.
1755 – The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire.
1763 – Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island, the first synagogue in what will become the United States.
1775 – The USS Alfred becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes); the flag is hoisted by John Paul Jones.
1804 – At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French, the first French Emperor in a thousand years.
1805 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Austerlitz – French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force.
1823 – Monroe Doctrine: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James Monroe proclaims American neutrality in future European conflicts, and warns European powers not to interfere in the Americas.
1845 – Manifest Destiny: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James K. Polk proposes that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
1848 – Franz Josef I becomes Emperor of Austria.
1851 – French President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte overthrows the Second Republic.
1852 – Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte becomes Emperor of the French as Napoleon III.
1859 – Militant abolitionist leader John Brown is hanged for his October 16 raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
1867 – At Tremont Temple in Boston, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States.
1899 – Philippine–American War: The Battle of Tirad Pass, termed "The Filipino Thermopylae", is fought.
1908 – Puyi becomes Emperor of China at the age of two.
1917 – World War I: Russia and the Central Powers sign an armistice at Brest-Litovsk, and peace talks leading to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk begin.
1920 – Following more than a month of Turkish-Armenian War, the Turkish dictated Treaty of Alexandropol is concluded.
1927 – Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Model A as its new automobile.
1930 – Great Depression: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposes a US$150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy.
1939 – New York City's La Guardia Airport opens.
1942 – World War II: During the Manhattan Project, a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
1943 – World War II: A Luftwaffe bombing raid on the harbour of Bari, Italy, sinks numerous cargo and transport ships, including the American SS John Harvey, which is carrying a stockpile of World War I-era mustard gas.
1947 – Jerusalem Riots of 1947: Riots break out in Jerusalem in response to the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine.
1954 – Cold War: The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to censure Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute".
1954 – The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, between the United States and Taiwan, is signed in Washington, D.C..
1956 – The Granma reaches the shores of Cuba's Oriente province. Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution.
1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist-Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.
1962 – Vietnam War: After a trip to Vietnam at the request of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield becomes the first American official to comment adversely on the war's progress.
1970 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency begins operations.
1971 – Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, and Umm Al Quwain form the United Arab Emirates.
1975 – The Pathet Lao seizes the Laotian capital of Vientiane, forces the abdication of King Sisavang Vatthana, and proclaims the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
1976 – Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba, replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado.
1980 – Salvadoran Civil War: Four U.S. nuns and churchwomen, Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Jean Donovan, and Dorothy Kazel, are murdered by a military death squad.
1982 – At the University of Utah, Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.
1988 – Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state.
1993 – Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is shot and killed in Medellín.
1993 – Space Shuttle program: STS-61 – NASA launches the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
1999 – Glenbrook Rail Accident: Seven passengers are killed when two trains collide near Sydney, New South Wales.
1999 – The United Kingdom devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive.
2001 – Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Famous Folk Born On December 2nd:
Li Cunxu, Emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty
John Breckinridge, 5th Attorney General of the U.S.
George Richards Minot
Maria Callas
General Alexander P. Haig (I'm in control)
Julie Harris
Gary Becker
Edwin Meese, 75th Attorney General of the U.S. (and he was a jerk when I attempted to interview him)
Harry Reid
Cathy Lee Crosby
Penelope Spheeris
Pedro Borbon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nL21u2fCZk)
Gianni Versace
Elizabeth Berg
Ron Raines
Dan Butler
Stone Phillips
Rick Savage
Brendan Coyle
Lucy Liu
Nate Mendel
Rena Sofer
Jason and Jarron Collins
Nelly Furtado
Britney Spears
Michelle Banzer (former Miss Kentucky and WPT Royal Flush Girl)
Daniela Ruah
Movie quotes today come from the very underrated "Red Tails" because Daniela Ruah had a small but significant role in it:
Colonel A.J. Bullard: Politics is the art of postponing a decision until it is no longer relevant.
#2
Lieutenant General Luntz: Colonel, the word is you're arrogant.
Colonel A.J. Bullard: If arrogant is the only word people use to describe me now, I would say I think I am making progress.
#3
Leon 'Neon' Edwards: When you get upset, when you get mad, you turn red, right? When you get envoius, or sick, you turn green. When you become cowardly, you turn yellow; and ya'll got the nerve to call us colored?
#4
Declan 'Winky' Hall: Experience is a cruel teacher, gives the exam first and then the lesson.
posted by me at 11:55 AM
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