Ferndale Film Festival

05/27/2024

The destruction of HMS Hood spurred a relentless pursuit by the Royal Navy involving dozens of warships. Two days later, steaming for occupied France and her needed repairs, Bismarck was attacked by 16 obsolescent Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal; one scored a hit that rendered the battleship’s steering gear inoperable. In her final battle Bismarck was severely damaged during a sustained engagement with two British battleships and two heavy cruisers; scuttled upon order by her crew, she sank with some 2,200 hands still aboard.

On May 27, 1941, The Schlachtschiff KMS Bismarck, pride of the Kriegsmarine, was sunk by the combined effects of shellfire, torpedo hits…

05/25/2024

How different would the franchise and society look if Han Solo had been portrayed by any of the several other men who read for the role, including Sly Stallone, Christopher Walken, Bobby De Niro, Nick Nolte, Kurt Russell, John Travolta, or Flip Wilson, rather than perpetually tormented every-man Ford?

On May 25, 1977, cinema changed forever as Star Wars was released to rave reviews and packed theaters; initially opening in only 42…

05/24/2024

After Roebling's paralysis, his wife Emily Warren Roebling worked on sight providing the higher mathematics, calculations of catenary curves, strengths of materials, bridge specifications, and intricacies of cable construction to make the project run. She spent the next 11 years directly supervising the bridge’s construction.

It is essentially her bridge.

On May 24, 1883, the The New York and Brooklyn Bridge is opened for cart, carriage and pedestrian traffic. Thousands of people attended the…

05/06/2024

On this day in 1937, as newsreel cameras rolled, the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg explodes in a fireball during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in Manchester Township, New Jersey. Of the 97 people on board (36 passengers and 61 crewmen), 35 were killed (13 passengers and 22 crewmen). One worker on the ground was also killed, raising the final death toll to 36.

The zeppelin was built to be the fastest, largest and most luxurious flying vessel of its time. It was more than 800 feet long, had a range of 8,000 miles, could carry 97 passengers and was elegantly propelled by state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz engines. It was filled with 7 million cubic feet of hydrogen, even though helium was known to be far safer, as the US had banned the export of helium and hydrogen made the flying ship more maneuverable.

The theory that hydrogen was ignited by a static spark is the most widely accepted cause as determined by official crash investigations. Offering support for the hypothesis that there was some sort of hydrogen leak prior to the fire, accounts recall the airship remained stern-heavy before landing, despite efforts to put the airship back in trim.

The nearly 1,000 spectators awaiting the Hindenburg‘s arrival felt the heat of its explosion and fire on their shocked faces from a mile away. Some on the blimp attempted to jump for landing cables at the docking station but most died when they missed. Others waited to jump until closer to the ground as the flaming mammoth fell. Those who were not critically injured from their burns often suffered broken bones from the jump.

On WLS radio, announcer Herbert Morrison gave an unforgettably harrowing account of the disaster known by millions: “Oh, oh, oh. It’s burst into flames. Get out of the way, please...this is terrible...it’s burning, bursting into flames, and is falling...Oh! This is one of the worst...it’s a terrific sight...oh, the humanity.”

04/27/2024

SATURDAY!! SATURDAY!! MAY 11!! 2 SHORT WEEKS!! COME CELEBRATE NATIONAL ARCHERY DAY WITH THESE MOTHERS!! ENJOY AMERICANA, BRITANNICA, HARMONICA AND HOME-COOKIN' LIKE MAMA USED TO MAKE!! THE RITES OF SPRING ARE IN FULL FLING, LIVE AT THE LEGION!! BE THERE, ALOHA AND DON'T YA DARE MISS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See The Calcutta Rugs at American Legion on May 11th

04/22/2024

SATURDAY!! SATURDAY!! MAY 11!! COME CELEBRATE NATIONAL ARCHERY DAY WITH THESE MOTHERS!! ENJOY AMERICANA, BRITANNICA, HARMONICA AND HOME-COOKIN' LIKE MAMA USED TO MAKE!! THE RITES OF SPRING ARE IN FULL FLING, LIVE AT THE LEGION!! BE THERE, ALOHA AND DON'T YA DARE MISS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See The Calcutta Rugs at American Legion on May 11th

04/20/2024

On this day 25 years ago, Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 classmates and one teacher in a mass shooting. They injured 21 additional people, and three more were injured while attempting to escape the school. After exchanging gunfire with responding police officers, the pair subsequently committed su***de.

In addition to the shootings, the complex and highly planned attack involved a fire bomb to divert firefighters, propane tanks converted to bombs placed in the cafeteria, 99 explosive devices, and car bombs. Although their precise motives remain unclear, the personal journals of the perpetrators document that they wished their actions to rival the Oklahoma City bombing and other deadly incidents in the United States in the 1990s. The attack has been referred to by USA Today as a "suicidal attack (that was) planned as a grand--if badly implemented--terrorist bombing."

Those victims of the initial shooting near and in the cafeteria are listed as follows:
1. Rachel Scott, age 17. Killed by shots to the head, torso, and leg alongside the west entrance of the school.
2. Richard Castaldo, age 17. Shot in the arm, chest, back, and abdomen alongside the west entrance to the school.
3. Daniel Rohrbough, age 15. Fatally injured by shots to the abdomen and leg on the west staircase, shot through the upper chest at the base of the same staircase.
4. Sean Graves, age 15. Shot in the back, foot, and abdomen on the west staircase.
5. Lance Kirklin, age 16. Critically injured by shots to the leg, neck, and jaw on the west staircase.
6. Michael Johnson, age 15. Shot in the face, arm, and leg to the west of the staircase.
7. Mark Taylor, age 16. Shot in the chest, arms, and leg to the west of the staircase.
8. Anne-Marie Hochhalter, age 17. Shot in the chest, arm, abdomen, back, and left leg near the cafeteria's entrance.
9. Brian Anderson, age 17. Injured near the west entrance by flying glass.
10. Patti Nielson, age 35. Hit in the shoulder by shrapnel near the west entrance.
11. Stephanie Munson, age 17. Shot in the ankle inside the North Hallway.
12. William David Sanders, age 47. Died of blood loss after being shot in the neck and back inside the South Hallway.

Victims of the library shooting are listed as follows:
13. Evan Todd, age 15. Sustained minor injuries from the splintering of a desk he was hiding under.
14. Kyle Velasquez, age 16. Killed by gunshot wounds to the head and back.
15. Patrick Ireland, age 17. Shot in the head and foot.
16. Daniel Steepleton, age 17. Shot in the thigh.
17. Makai Hall, age 18. Shot in the knee.
18. Steven Curnow, age 14. Killed by a shot to the neck.
19. Kacey Ruegsegger, age 17. Shot in the shoulder, hand and neck.
20. Cassie Bernall, age 17. Killed by a shotgun wound to the head.
21. Isaiah Shoels, age 18. Killed by a shot to the chest.
22. Matthew Kechter, age 16. Killed by a shot to the chest.
23. Lisa Kreutz, age 18. Shot in the shoulder, hand, arms and thigh.
24. Valeen Schnurr, age 18. Injured with wounds to the chest, arms and abdomen.
25. Mark Kintgen, age 17. Shot in the head and shoulder.
26. Lauren Townsend, age 18. Killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the head, chest and lower body.
27. Nicole Nowlen, age 16. Shot in the abdomen.
28. John Tomlin, age 16. Killed by multiple shots to the head and neck.
29. Kelly Fleming, age 16. Killed by a shotgun wound to the back.
30. Jeanna Park, age 18. Shot in the knee, shoulder and foot.
31. Daniel Ma**er, age 15. Killed by a single shot to the face.
32. Jennifer Doyle, age 17. Shot in the hand, leg and shoulder.
33. Austin Eubanks, age 17. Shot in the hand and knee.
34. Corey DePooter, age 17. Killed by shots to the chest and neck.

Since Columbine, there have been not less than 404 school shootings in the US, with nearly 370,000 students exposed to gun violence during classroom hours. There were 632 mass shootings (four or more victims) in 2023, with 125 so far this year, statistcally occuring at roughly 1.12 incidents per day. Included in these cumulative numbers are 20 students under age eight from Sandy Hook Elementary School killed by a lone gunman in 2012, and 19 students from Uvalde under age 12 killed in 2022.

A nation awash in guns, there are currently 1.25 fi****ms for every man, woman and child in the US, summing to over 393 million weapons. Meanwhile at a futile session of the Texas State House debating a modest gun safety bill in 2023, it was confirmed that entry team officers waited outside an Uvalde classroom for 77 excruciating minutes, while the shooter inside methodically slaughtered children between ages 9 and 11 at his chosen pace.

It was revealed last year that the Uvalde shooter scrawed "LOL" on a classroom whiteboard with a victim's blood.

04/16/2024

Despite Louis and Arthur’s talents for racing and design they had little gift finance, often pushed out of their own ventures. Long after the death of racing baby-brother Gaston both men were eventually broke; Louis returned to Detroit to work in GM’s Chevrolet division and a defeated Arthur drifted down to Louisiana and “early retirement.” Louis died June 6, 1941, and Arthur hanged himself five years later.

On this day in 1946, Arthur Chevrolet, an auto racer and the brother of Chevrolet auto namesake Louis Chevrolet, commits su***de in…

04/15/2024

Robinson made several stops in Detroit on his way to baseball immortality. He first visited in October 1947 for an exhibition game at Dequindre Park on the city’s northeast side; mayoral candidates incumbent Edward Jeffries Jr. (R) and challenger Eugene Van Antwerp (D) lined up for photos with him...In 1951, Robinson played the annual MLB All-Star Game held at Briggs Stadium, the home of the Detroit Tigers...And finally in ’68, Robinson took in a World Series game at Tiger Stadium. Infamously having supported Dick Nixon (R) in 1960, Robinson had switched parties and was also in town to campaign for presidential hopeful Veep Hubert Humphrey (D).

On April 15, 1945, Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier and the great game changed forever when Brooklyn Dodgers general manager…

04/14/2024

On this day in 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was assassinated by well-known stage actor John Wilkes Booth while attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C.

Shot in back of the head with Booth's derringer as he watched the action on stage, Lincoln passed the following morning at 7:22 a.m., in the Petersen House opposite the theater. He was the first American president to be assassinated and the subsequent funeral and burial marked a deep and extended period of national mourning, altering the course of American history.

Though Lincoln’s roots lay deepest in Kentucky and Illinois, he nurtured some noteworthy ties to Michigan and developed abiding bonds with our beloved mitten. In 1848, then-Rep. Abraham Lincoln (Whig-IL) invented the nickname for natives of our state; taking a good-natured shot at presidential hopeful and former Michigan Territorial Governor Lewis Cass (D-MI), Lincoln referred to Cass as a “Michigander,” meaning to say silly goose.

In1856, Lincoln was the only out-of-state pol to speak at a rally in Kalamazoo for the newly-minted GOP’s first presidential candidate, John C. Fremont. Presaging his “House Divided” speech in support of the western adventurer’s candidacy, Lincoln told a crowd of over 10,000 Michiganders “The question of slavery at the present day should be not only the greatest question, but very nearly the sole question. Our opponents, however, prefer that this should not be the case.”

As to his latter Michigan moments, in May of 1861, just weeks before the first major land battle of the Civil War, President Lincoln uttered “Thank God for Michigan” as members of the 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry marched into Washington. The 24th Michigan would go on to distinguish itself at Gettysburg, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor.

After Lincoln was felled, the 24th was selected to es**rt the funeral train and procession in Springfiled, IL. And of course no self-respecting Michigander has failed to have their breath taken away at Greenfield Village as they gazed at the chair in which The Railsplitter was slain.

Occurring near the end of all Civil War hostilities and five days after Gen. Lee's official surrender, the assassination was part of a larger conspiracy intended by Booth to revive the Confederate cause by eliminating the three most important officials of the United States government. Conspirators Lewis Powell and David Herold were assigned to kill Secretary of State William H. Seward, and George Atzerodt was tasked with killing Vice President Andrew Johnson.

Beyond Lincoln's death the plot failed; Seward was only wounded and Johnson's would-be attacker lost his nerve. After a dramatic initial escape, Booth himself was killed at the climax of a 12-day manhunt, and several other conspirators were later hanged.

Succeeding the beloved Lincoln, who'd been seen by many as the very savior of the Nation, Andrew Johnson became the 17th President. An erratic and imperious Democrat who ran with Lincoln on the National Union ticket, Johnson favored quick restoration of the seceded states to the Union. His plans did not give protection to the former slaves, and he opposed the 14th Amendment and African American citizenship.

Isolated and ever angry, Johnson came into heated conflict with his own cabinet and the Republican-dominated Congress, finally culminating in his impeachment by the House of Representatives. He was acquitted in the Senate by one vote, and for his piss-poor leadership, craven conduct and disruption of the delicate dawn of Reconstruction, he is regarded by most historians as among the worst presidents in American history.

04/13/2024

On this day in 1970, approximately 205,000 miles from Earth, an explosion aboard Apollo 13 ruptured an oxygen tank in the service module. The resulting shortage of power and oxygen forced the abandonment of the Moon mission and imperiled the lives of three astronauts and the very space program itself.

On what was to be the third mission to land on the moon, Astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise were two days into their flight, and the mission was proceeding exceptionally well; so well in fact that two planned course corrections were scrubbed due to the ship's precise trajectory. Early on the evening of April 13, the astronauts pressurized the lunar module Aquarius, and Lovell and Haise passed from the command module Odyssey through the connecting tunnel while checking all systems for the forthcoming landing.

Suddenly, as Lovell was moving through the tunnel on his way back from Aquarius to Odyssey, a loud explosion was heard. All three astronauts quickly gathered in Odyssey to study the instruments and determine what had happened. When the astronauts radioed mission control to report the incident, Swigert uttered the famous quote, "Houston, we've had a problem."

About an hour after the accident, mission control announced that “we are now looking toward an alternate mission, swinging around the Moon and using the lunar module power systems because of the situation that has developed here this evening.” Meanwhile, on newsflashes across the radio dial, the plight of the mission and a simulation of the tank explosion sound struck terror into the hearts of "space-bugs" and NASA devotees, including a 7-year-old version of your humble scribe.

Still three days away from Earth, the astronauts moved into the lunar module Aquarius, which they powered up before shutting down the command module Odyssey to conserve the latter’s emergency battery power for the atmospheric reentry maneuver at the end of the mission. Only their command module could pass through Earth’s atmosphere; the lunar module would have to be discarded, along with the service module, before the outer atmosphere was reached. In the meantime, however, the lunar module would be their chilly home.

Along with the U.S. Navy, Soviet, French and British warships moved to the planned rescue area in the Pacific, as teams of NASA experts worked feverishly to explore all feasible maneuvers and scenarios in flight simulators, feeding every plan and contingency through computers. A pensive world watched and waited.

The three shivering men eventually had to return to their service module for reentry, and were unaware if the heat shield had been damaged by the explosion. Having missed their moon shot, Apollo 13 had purposefully crashed the long-since-discarded S IVB third stage onto the Moon as part of a planned experiment to cause an artificial moonquake, and had set the record for farthest flight from Earth, at 249,205 miles. The ultimate objective, mere survival, remained an open question for the ages.

By divine good fortune, training, experience, the skill of mission control and the leadership of NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz, Lovell, Swigert and Haise triumphantly splashed down in the Pacific Ocean south of Samoa on April 17. To the collective relief of our planet, after 142 hours 54 minutes 41 seconds from the time the huge Saturn V had roared to life, the men were safely home with no lasting ill affects from their ordeal.

While Lovell, Swigert and Haise continued service toward the program in various capacities, none of the three ever flew in space again.

04/12/2024

On this day in 1861, the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, SC, the resulting battle and eventual surrender by the US Army garrison mark the start of the American Civil War.

Following the declaration of secession by South Carolina on December 20, 1860, its "government" demanded that the US Army abandon facilities in Charleston Harbor. On December 26, Major Robert Anderson of the Union Army surreptitiously moved his small command from the vulnerable Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island to Fort Sumter, a substantial fortress built on an island controlling the entrance of Charleston Harbor.

An attempt by US President James Buchanan to reinforce and resupply Anderson using the unarmed merchant ship Star of the West failed when it was fired upon by shore batteries on January 9, 1861. South Carolina authorities then seized, or stole, all Federal property in the Charleston area except for Fort Sumter.

The resupply of Fort Sumter became the first crisis of the administration of newly-minted President Abraham Lincoln. He notified the Governor of South Carolina, Francis W. Pickens that he was sending supply ships, which resulted in an ultimatum from the Confederate government for the immediate evacuation of Fort Sumter; Major Anderson refused.

Beginning at 4:30 a.m. on April 12, the Confederates bombarded the fort from artillery batteries surrounding the harbor, firing on fellow citizens and soldiers they had served with just weeks before, with munitions looted from the US. Although the Union garrison returned fire, they were significantly outgunned and, after 34 hours, Major Anderson agreed to evacuate.

After the four ensuing years of bloody, epic conflict claiming 620,000 souls on both sides in a fight for the very purpose of a nation, the active combat ceased with a hollow victory. Hollow in that the battle of decency and justice against sedition, avarice, prejudice and ignorance continues to be fought to this very hour.

04/12/2024

Embarking on a grievance tour upon his return to the US, MacArthur railed at Truman's "appeasement" and "mismanagement." Thorugh Detroit, Ann Arbor and Lansing, the old soldier’s motor caravan was greeted by crowds, bands and applomb in every burg and village along the way as he began flirting with a run for the White House.

On April, 11,1951, President Harry S. Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his commands due to the General’s insubordination and…

04/10/2024

CURATED FROM THE GREAT LAKES AND SEAWAY SHIPPING NEWS: On 09 April 1868, SEABIRD (wooden side-wheel steamer, 638 tons, built 1859, at Newport (Marine City), MI was sailing on her first trip of the season from Manitowoc to Chicago. Off Waukegan, the porter cleaned out the cabin stove ashes, throwing them to the wind from whence they came back. A blaze quickly engulfed the vessel, and 102 souls were lost, with two survivors.
09 April 1890 – W.H. SAWYER (wooden propeller freighter, 201 foot, 746 gross tons) was launched by F. W. Wheeler (Hull #66) at West Bay City, MI. She lasted until 1928, when she sank off Harbor Beach.
1913: Ice sliced through the wooden hull of the steamer UGANDA in the Straits of Mackinac and the vessel sank near White Shoal. The crew was rescued by the JOHN A. DONALDSON, and there was no loss of life.

Auf der Klippe, they are enjoying 56 degrees under sunny skies, S winds of 3 knots, pressure falling at 30" and 10 miles visibility. ROBERT S PIERSON is upbound for Meldrum Bay, ON, ALGONOVA is downbound for Nanticoke, PA, I am standing my last watches downstate and all is well.

04/10/2024

7 Tage und es zählt....

04/10/2024

On this day in 1970, an amalgam of Paul McCartney's remarks on his solo project acts as the official death notice of the greatest rock band on Earth: The Beatles.

There were numerous causes for the Beatles' break-up. It was not a single event but rather a long transition, including the cessation of touring in 1966, and the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, in 1967. Conflict arose from differences in artistic vision; both George Harrison and Ringo Starr temporarily left the group at various points during 1968–69 and all four band members had begun working on solo projects by 1970 as they realized it unlikely the band would regroup.

Additional challenges arose with Lennon's he**in addiction, and his infatuation with and insertion of avant garde artist Yoko Ono deep into the interior life of the band. Denigration of the previously warm relations between the boys is exemplified by Lennon's serious suggestion that Eric Clapton be substituted for George Harrison on the Let it Be sessions, and McCartney's own drum tracks being laid over those of Ringo Starr.

Whatever his intent at the time, Paul’s statements and new relationship with Linda Eastman drove a further wedge between himself and his band-mates. In the May 14, 1970, issue of Rolling Stone, John Lennon lashed out at Paul in a way he’d never done publicly: "He can’t have his own way, so he’s causing chaos," John said. "I put out four albums last year, and I didn’t say a f*cking word about quitting." Ed. Note: any reader of this account owning all four 1969 "albums" of Lennon and/or Ono occupies a very special place among mere music aficionados.

By year’s end, Paul would file suit to dissolve the Beatles’ business partnership, a formal process that would eventually make official the unofficial breakup he announced on this day in 1970.

04/09/2024

Demonstrating the same frontier tenacity as their men, several Michigan women found their way to the fray during the Civil War. These included Julia Susan Wheelock Freeman, a spy and missionary who became known as the “Florence Nightingale of Michigan,” Lorinda “Gentle Annie,” Etheridge, a “daughter” of the 2nd Michigan Infantry, and Bridget “Irish Biddy” Deavers. It was in fact Deavers who served under Monroe’s own General George Custer in the 1st Michigan Calvary and was likely present at Gettysburg.

On April 9, 1865, with his army surrounded and his men weak and exhausted, Robert E. Lee realized there was little choice but to consider…

04/09/2024

On this day in 1865, with his army surrounded and his men weak and exhausted, Robert E. Lee realizes there is little choice but to consider the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant. After a series of dispatches between the two generals, they agree to meet at the relocated home of grocer Wilmer McLean, in the village of Appomattox Courthouse. The meeting lasted approximately two and one-half hours and at its conclusion the curtain slowly fell on bloodiest conflict in the nation's history.

Three years and 362 days previously, the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, SC, the resulting action and eventual surrender by the US Army garrisoned there marked the start of the American Civil War. In July of that year, 1861, the first full battle of the war erupted near the home of the same Wilmer McClean near Manassas, Virginia.

Confederate forces under P. T. Beauregard hurled back Union General Irvin McDowell’s troops along the Bull Run stream, sending them in a hasty retreat to Washington before stunned picnic-goers. For his part, McClean vowed to move his family to safer environs, 150 miles south in the sleepy crossroads of Appomattox Courthouse.

Prior to the Battle of First Manassas, CSA President Jefferson Davis proclaimed “I know that there beats in the breasts of Southern sons a determination never to surrender, a determination never to go home but to tell a tale of honor... Give us a fair field and a free fight, and the Southern banner will float in triumph everywhere.”

Over the preceding 47 months of combat, north of 90,000 Michigan men, about 23 percent of the 1860 male population, served in the Union forces. This contingent included some 1,600 black soldiers. All told, Michigan raised 30 infantry regiments, 11 cavalry regiments, one light artillery regiment, two light batteries, two companies of sharpshooters, and the 1st Michigan Engineers.

Among these regiments was the famous 24th Michigan Infantry, mustered together at Detroit in the summer of 1862. It joined the existing Iron Brigade, so christened by General George McClellan himself, also featuring units from Wisconsin and Indiana. The 24th was under the command of Colonel Henry Morrow, a veteran of the Mexican War who had served as a Detroit Recorder’s Court Judge before receiving his commission. This same 24th Michigan was chosen as part of the Honor Guard for Lincoln’s funeral and burial in Springfield Illinois less than a month after Lee’s surrender.

Demonstrating the same frontier tenacity as their men, several Michigan women found their way to the fray during the Civil War. These included Julia Susan Wheelock Freeman, a spy and missionary who became known as the “Florence Nightingale of Michigan,” Lorinda “Gentle Annie,” Etheridge, a “daughter” of the 2nd Michigan Infantry, and Bridget “Irish Biddy” Deavers. It was in fact Deavers who served under Monroe’s own General George Custer in the 1st Michigan Calvary and was likely present at Gettysburg.

A “Roll of Honor”prepared upon order of the Michigan Legislature in 1869 lists the 14,855 names of those who perished in service to the Union, decency and opportunity. In a letter to his wife, one dying Michigan soldier shared his motivations for fighting for Union, relating “The more I learn of the cursed institution of slavery, the more I feel willing to endure, for its final destruction … After this war is over, this whole country will undergo a change for the better ... Abolishing slavery will dignify labor; that fact of itself will revolutionize everything ... Let Christians use all their influence to have justice done to the black man.

With honor juxtaposed against dishonor, providence against perfidy, and decency against against division, four years of bloody, epic conflict claimed 620,000 souls on both sides; the active combat finally ceased with a hollow victory in the home of the same befuddled grocer. Hollow in that the battle for emancipation and justice against sedition, avarice, prejudice and ignorance continues to be fought to this very hour.

On a final note, at this very time in 2022, 157 years after Appomattox and 232 years after the original six Supreme Court justices were named, Judge Ketangi Brown Jackson was confirmed as the first female of color to sit on the high court.

04/08/2024

Come back in here! You'll burn your eye out!

04/08/2024

9 Tage und es zählt....

04/08/2024

On this day in 1945, Lutheran pastor, theologian and N**i-resistance leader Dietrich Bonhoeffer is hanged at Flossenburg, only days before the American liberation of his concentration camp. Bonhoeffer was focused on ecumenism and his view of Christianity’s role in a secular world, and his involvement in a plot to overthrow Adolf Hi**er led to his imprisonment and ex*****on.

Bonhoeffer grew up amid the academic circles of the University of Berlin, where his father, Karl Bonhoeffer, was a professor of psychiatry and neurology; the elder Bonhoeffer was one of the most prominent psychiatrists to oppose the T4 (euthanasia) Program initiated by Hi**er in 1939. Dietrich himself studied theology at the universities of Tübingen and Berlin.

At Berlin he was influenced by the historical theologians Adolf von Harnack, Reinhold Seeberg, and Karl Holl but also was strongly attracted to the new “theology of revelation” propounded elsewhere by Karl Barth. He was also enthralled by transcendental philosophy and ontology, as well as Kantian and post-Kantian theories of knowledge.

After serving in 1928-29 as a pastor of a German-speaking congregation in Barcelona, Bonhoeffer spent a year as an exchange student at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. On his return to Germany in 1931, he became a lecturer in systematic theology at the University of Berlin.

Soon enough, with the N**i accession to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer became involved in protests against the regime, especially its anti-Semitism. Bonhoeffer continued professing his philosophies and faith, and in 1935 was appointed to organize and head a new seminary for the Confessing Church at Finkenwalde (Pomerania), which continued in disguised form until 1940.

In 1939 Bonhoeffer had considered taking refuge in the United States but returned after only two weeks in New York City, writing to his sponsor, the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, that “I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people.” Approximate to this time, Bonhoeffer responded personally by helping Jews flee to neutral Switzerland.

Despite the tightening restrictions imposed on him, Bonhoeffer was able to continue his work for the resistance movement under cover of employment in Germany’s Military Intelligence Department, which in fact was a center of the resistance. In May 1942 he flew to Sweden to convey to the British government, the conspirators’ proposals for a negotiated peace; these hopes were thwarted, however, by the Allies’ “unconditional surrender” policy.

Bonhoeffer was soon arrested on April 5, 1943, and imprisoned in Berlin. Following the failure of the attempt on Hi**er’s life on July 20, 1944, the discovery of documents linking Bonhoeffer directly with the conspiracy led to his further interrogation and eventual ex*****on.

At the penultimate moment, the last words of the brilliant and courageous 39-year-old opponent of N**ism were “This is the end--for me, the beginning of life.”

Note: Abroad, Ukraine continues to fight for the life of its nation and people. At home, division, disinformation and dark money threaten the healthy functioning of the world's greatest democracy; we can no longer ensure a safe school day for our children. Please consider a donation to the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (www.unwla.org) for the former, or the Bridge Alliance (www.bridgealliance.us), a coalition of 107 centrist public policy organizations, for the latter.

Thank You.