Wednesday, April 9, 2025

No Parade

 


No to June 14, 2025.

80: Bonhoeffer

 


80 years ago today (April 9, 1945) Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran Pastor and Anti-Nazi Resistance Member, was hanged by the Germans at the Flossenbürg Concentration Camp in Germany.

He was 39 years old.

Bonhoeffer was born on February 4, 1909 in Breslau, Germany (today Wroclaw, Poland.)

He had a Twin Sister, Sabine.

He took Hebrew has an Elective in School.

He studied at both the University of Berlin and Humboldt University (graduating Summa Cum Laude.)

In 1930  Bonhoeffer moved to the United States to with the intent of attending New York City's Union Theological Seminary, but instead  taught Sunday School at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem and became aware of the Social Injustices of Black Americans in the US.

He returned to Germany in 1931  where he was a Lecturer in Systematic Theology at the University of Berlin.

At this time he underwent a personal Conversion, as he changed from being a Theologian primarily attracted to the Intellectual Side of Christianity, to being a dedicated man of personal faith, resolved to literally carry out the teachings of Christ, revealed in the Gospels.

Bonhoeffer was ordained a Pastor on November 15, 1931.

In January 1933, two days after Hitler was installed as Chancellor, Bonhoeffer delivered a radio address in which he attacked Hitler and warned Germany against slipping into an idolatrous cult of the Führer (Leader), who could very well turn out to be Verführer (Misleader, Seducer).

In April 1933 Bonhoeffer raised the first Church Resistance to Hitler and the Nazis’ discrimination of the Jews.

In August 1933, Bonhoeffer was deputized by opposition Church Leaders to draft the "Bethel Confession," as a statement of faith in opposition to the Deutsche Christen Movement.

It is notable for affirming God's Fidelity to Jews as His Chosen People, the "Bethel Confession" was eventually so watered down to make it more palatable that ultimately Bonhoeffer refused to sign it.

In September 1933, the Nationalist Church Synod at Wittenberg voluntarily passed a resolution to apply the Aryan Paragraph within the Church, meaning that Pastors and Church Officials of Jewish Descent were to be removed from their posts.

Regarding this as an affront to the principle of Baptism, Martin Niemöller founded the Pfarrernotbund (Pastors' Emergency League). In November, a rally of 20,000 Deutsche Christens demanded the removal of the Jewish Old Testament from the Bible, which was seen by many as heresy, further swelling the ranks of the Pastors Emergency League.

It was the forerunner of the Bekennende Kirche (Confessing Church), which aimed to preserve historical, Biblically based Christian Beliefs and Practices.

Bonhoeffer joined the Confessing Church in opposition to the Nazis.

When Bonhoeffer was offered a Parish Post in eastern Berlin in the autumn of 1933, he refused it in protest at the Nationalist Policy, and he accepted a two-year appointment as a Pastor of two German-speaking Protestant Churches in London: the German Lutheran Church in Dacres Road, Sydenham and the German Reformed Church of St Paul's, Goulston Street, Whitechapel.

In 1935, Bonhoeffer was offered a coveted opportunity to study Non-Violent Resistance under Mahatma Gandhi in his ashram.

However Bonhoeffer decided to return to Germany instead, where he was the head at an Underground Seminary in Finkenwalde for training Confessing Church Pastors.

August 1936, Bonhoeffer's authorization to teach at the University of Berlin was revoked after he was denounced as a "Pacifist and Enemy of the State."

In 1937 the Nazis declared the Confessing Church to be illegal.

Bonhoeffer had just published his best-known Book, The Cost of Discipleship, a study on the Sermon on the Mount in which he attacked "cheap grace" as a cover for ethical laxity against the virtues of "costly grace".

Martin Niemöller was arrested in July 1937 by the Nazis.

Bonhoeffer spent the next two years secretly traveling from one eastern German Village to another to conduct a "Seminary on the run" supervising the continuing education and work of his Students, most of whom were working illegally in small Parishes

In 1938, the Gestapo banned Bonhoeffer from Berlin.

Bonhoeffer's Twin Sister, Sabine, along with her Jewish-classified Husband Gerhard Leibholz and their two Daughters, escaped to England by way of Switzerland in 1938.

In February 1938, Bonhoeffer made an initial contact with Members of the German Resistance when his Brother-in-Law Hans von Dohnányi introduced him to a Group seeking Hitler's overthrow at the Abwehr, the German Military Intelligence Service.

In June 1939 he went back to the United States but returned two weeks later.

Back in Germany, Bonhoeffer was further harassed by the Nazi Authorities as he was forbidden to speak in public and was required regularly to report his activities to the Police.

In 1941, he was forbidden to print or to publish anything.

He then joined the Abwehr to fight the “enemy from the inside.”

It is here that he learned of the Nazis’ Atrocities against the Jews.

Under cover of the Abwehr, Bonhoeffer served as a courier for the German Resistance Movement to reveal its existence and intentions to the Western Allies in hope of garnering their support.

In May 1942 he tried to meet with British Government Officials, but the British Government refused since they believed all Germans to be the enemy.

He also helped German Jews escape the Nazis and flee to Switzerland.

On January 13, 1943 Bonhoeffer had become engaged to Maria von Wedemeyer, the Granddaughter of his close Friend and Finkenwalde Seminary Supporter, Ruth von Kleist Retzow.

On April 5, 1943 Bonhoeffer was arrested by the Nazis.

For a year and a half, Bonhoeffer was imprisoned at Tegel Prison awaiting trial.

There he continued his work in Religious outreach among his fellow Prisoners and Guards. Sympathetic Guards helped smuggle his letters out of Prison

One of those Guards, a Corporal named Knobloch, even offered to help him escape from the Prison and "disappear" with him, and plans were made for that end; eventually Bonhoeffer declined it, fearing Nazi retribution against his Family, especially his Brother Klaus and Brother-in-Law Dohnányi, who was also imprisoned.

On April 4, 1945, the diaries of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr, were discovered, and in a rage upon reading them, Hitler ordered that the other Abwehr Members be executed.

Bonhoeffer was sentenced to death on April 8, 1945 by SS Judge Otto Thorbeck at a drumhead Court-Martial without Witnesses, without any evidence against him, with no records of the proceedings or a Defense.

Bonhoeffer was led away from prison just as he concluded his final Sunday Service and told an English Prisoner, Payne Best: "This is the end—but for me it is the beginning of Life” and sent to the Flossenbürg Concentration Camp.

On April 9, 1945, Bonhoeffer was stripped of his clothing and led naked into the Execution yard where he was hanged with five others.

His remains were most likely cremated by the Nazis.

Bataan Day

 


Vimy Ridge

 


Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Dog Language

 


7 Days

 


Don't Forget: You have exactly 7 days to either File your Taxes or request an Extension.

Americans Leaving



The U.S. is withdrawing troops from a key Ukraine aid hub in Poland.

U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command has announced the relocation of American military personnel and equipment from Poland’s Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport.

It seems that everything is being set up for the U.S. to hand Ukraine over to Russia through so-called “capitulation negotiations.”

Awareness Day

Today is Roma and Sinti Awareness Day:

 


Study of Anti-Roma and Sinti Feelings (2019):

Italy: 83%

Bulgaria: 68%

Czech Republic: 66%

Hungary: 61%

Russia: 54%

Poland: 51%

Spain: 40%

France 44%

Germany: 37%

 

Roma and Sinti Populations Around the World (as of 2024):

United States: 1 Million

Spain: 800,000

Romania: 1.8 Million

Turkey: 2.7 Million

Bulgaria: 700,000

France: 1.2 Million

United Kingdom: 200,000

Russia: 205,000

Italy: 120,000

Germany: 105,000

Roma & Sinti Day

Today is International Roma and Sinti Day.

It is a Day to raise awareness of the Sinti and Roma (often called Gypsies)

The Roma and Sinti originally came from the Indian Subcontinent and arrived in Europe between the 7th and 15th Centuries and in North America starting in 1498 when Spain shipped their Romani Slaves there.

Most Roma and Sinti are either Christian (Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox) or Muslim – depending on the region they live in.



(Roma and Sinti Men, Women and Children waiting near the Gas Chamber at the Belzec Death Camp in German-Occupied Poland in the 1940s not realizing they are about to be murdered.)

History:

Most Roma and Sinti were used as slaves in Europe and the Middle East from Roman Times until the 1850s.

In 1545, the Diet of Augsburg declared that "whosoever kills a Gypsy (Romani), will be guilty of no murder."

In England, the “Egyptians Act 1530” passed by the Crown in Parliament banned Romani from entering the country and required those living in the country to leave within 16 days.

In 1660, the Romani were prohibited from residing in France by King Louis XIV.

In 1695, Charles II restricted Spanish Romani to certain towns.

In 1710, Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, issued an edict against the Romani, ordering "that all Adult Males were to be hanged without trial, whereas Women and young Males were to be flogged and banished forever."

In 1749, The Great Gypsy Round-up was a raid authorized and organized by King Ferdinand VI of Spain in that led to the arrest of 120,000 Romani in Spain. Although a majority were released after a few months, many others spent several years imprisoned and subject to Forced Labor.

In 1774, Maria Theresa of Austria issued an edict forbidding marriages between Romani.

In 1866, During the US Congressional Debate over the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which would subsequently grant Citizenship to all persons born within U.S. Territory, an objection raised (by Pennsylvania Senator Edgar Cowan) was that a consequence of enacting the Amendment would be to grant Citizenship to Roma and other groups perceived by some as undesirable. It was passed with no exclusions of groups.

In 1899, the Nachrichtendienst für die Sicherheitspolizei in Bezug auf Zigeuner (Intelligence Service for the Security Police Concerning Gypsies) was set up in Munich under the direction of Alfred Dillmann and catalogued data on all Romani Individuals throughout the German-speaking lands. It did not officially close down until 1970.

From 1906-2013 Sweden Forcibly Sterilized many Groups, including 30,000 Roma and Sinti.

From 1934-1977 Finland Forcibly Sterilized Romani and Sinti.

World War 2:

From 1933 the Germans systematically persecuted the European Roma and Sinti first through forcible Internment and Compulsory Sterilization and then through Forced Labor, Deportation and Mass Murder in Concentration and Death Camps.

1.5 Million Roma and Sinti were murdered by the Germans (out of a total European Population of 2 Million at the time) during the 1933-1945 “Porajmos” or “Destruction.”

From 1945-1982 the Roma and Sinti were not considered Victims of Nazism – even those murdered by the Nazis - by most European Governments.

In 1982, West Germany formally recognized that Nazi Germany had committed Genocide against the Sinti and Roma People.

In 2011, Poland officially adopted August 2nd as a Day of Commemoration of the Romani Genocide.

In Communist Countries: 1917-1991:

The Communist Governments Officially and Openly Discriminated against the Roma and Sinti by forcing them to stop their traditional traveling lifestyle and stay in one place forever, by imprisoning them in Prisons and Gulags and by Forcibly Sterilizing them.

Present-Day:

In 1999 the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania started building “Roma Walls to segregate the Roma from the Czechs, Slovaks and Romanian Non-Roma.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II issued a formal public apology to, among other groups of people affected by Catholic Persecution, the Romani People and begged God for forgiveness.

In 2005, Germany deported 50,000 Roma to Kosovo despite the majority of People having lived in Germany over 10 years (and coming to escape the Kosovo War.)

From 2009-2010 France deported 10,000 Roma to Bulgaria and Romania despite both Romania and Bulgaria joining the European Union in 2007 (like France) and the Roma being EU Citizens.

A 2011 Report found 10 Million Roma and Sinti face open discrimination from both Governments and Ordinary People throughout Europe.

In 2019, Pope Francis acknowledged during a meeting with members of the Romanian Romani Community the Catholic Church's history of promoting "discrimination, segregation and mistreatment" against Romani people throughout the world, apologized, and asked the Romani people for forgiveness.

According to the latest Human Rights First Hate Crime Survey, Romanis routinely suffer assaults in city streets and other public places as they travel to and from homes and markets.

In a number of serious cases of violence against them, Attackers have also sought out whole Families in their homes or whole communities in settlements predominantly housing Romanis.

The widespread patterns of violence are sometimes directed both at causing immediate harm to Romanis, without distinction between Adults, the Elderly, and small Children and physically eradicating the presence of Romani people in towns and cities in several European Countries.

The practice of placing Romani Students in Segregated Schools or classes remains widespread in Countries across Europe.

Many Romani Children have been channeled into all-Romani Schools that offer inferior quality Education and are sometimes in poor physical condition.

Many Romani children are sent to classes for Pupils with Learning Disabilities.

They are also sent to so-called "Delinquent Schools", with a variety of Human Rights Abuses.

Own Words

 


Those who fell for this are now experiencing being fired from their Jobs for no reason, the smallest Paychecks (if any at all) and the worst economic future the world has ever seen.

Pretty soon these same People won't even be able to afford the Kool-Aid he sells them (and I'm sure there's a Tariff on it.)

Tuesday

 


30: Ryan White

35 years ago today (April 8, 1990) Ryan White died.



He was 18 years old.

Ryan was born on December 8, 1971 in Kokomo, Indiana.

When he was 3 days old Ryan’s Doctors diagnosed him with severe Hemophilia A, a Hereditary Blood Coagulation Disorder associated with the X Chromosome, which causes even minor injuries to result in severe bleeding.

For treatment, he received weekly infusions of Factor VIII, a blood product created from pooled Plasma of Non-Hemophiliacs, an increasingly common treatment for Hemophiliacs at the time.

On December 17, 1984, when he was 13 years old, Ryan was diagnosed with AIDS.

Ryan had received a contaminated treatment of Factor VIII that was infected with HIV, as did thousands of other Americans with Hemophilia and Hemophiliacs around the world.

At that time, because the AIDS Virus had only recently been identified and there was no screening of blood products, much of the pooled Factor VIII concentrate was tainted.

Doctors predicted Ryan only had 6 months to live.

Despite Doctors telling Ryan and his School Board that Ryan poised no risk to other Students he was denied returning due to Angry Parents, Students and Teachers who didn’t understand that AIDS wasn’t Air-Borne.

In the School of 360 total Students, 117 Parents and 50 Teachers signed a Petition encouraging School Leaders to ban Ryan from School.

A lengthy Administrative Appeal Process ensued, and news of the conflict turned Ryan into a popular Celebrity and Advocate for AIDS Research and Public Education.

When Ryan was permitted to return to School for one day in February 1986, 151 of 360 Students stayed home.

He also worked as a Paperboy, and many of the People on his route canceled their subscriptions, believing that HIV could be transmitted through newsprint.

Ryan attended Western Middle School for 8th  Grade during the 1985–1986 School Year.

He was deeply unhappy and had few Friends.

The School required him to eat with disposable utensils, use separate bathrooms, and waived his requirement to enroll in a Gym Class.

Threats continued. When a bullet was fired through the Whites' Living Room window (no one was home at the time), the Family decided to leave Kokomo.

After finishing the School Year, his Family moved to Cicero, Indiana, where he began 9th Grade at Hamilton Heights High School, in Arcadia, Indiana.

On August 31, 1986, a "very nervous" Ryan was greeted by School Principal Tony Cook, School System Superintendent Bob G. Carnal, and a handful of Students who had been educated about AIDS and were unafraid to shake Ryan’s hand.

While isolated in Middle School, Ryan appeared frequently on National Television and in Newspapers to discuss his tribulations with the disease.

 Eventually, he became known as a Poster Child for the AIDS Crisis, appearing in Fundraising and Educational Campaigns for the Syndrome.

Singers John Mellencamp, Elton John and Michael Jackson, actor Matt Frewer, Diver Greg Louganis, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, Indiana University Basketball Coach Bob Knight and Basketball Player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all befriended Ryan.

His Celebrity Crush, Alyssa Milano of the then-popular TV show “Who's the Boss?”, met Ryan and gave him a friendship bracelet and a kiss.

In 1989, ABC aired the Television Movie “The Ryan White Story”, starring Lukas Haas as Ryan, Judith Light as Jeanne and Nikki Cox as his Sister Andrea.

 Ryan White had a small cameo appearance as "Chad" in the film, playing a Boy who also has HIV and later befriends Haas.

Nielsen estimated that the movie was seen by 15 Million Viewers.

Ryan died on April 8, 1990 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Over 1,500 People attended Ryan's Funeral on April 11th, a standing-room only event held at the Second Presbyterian Church on Meridian Street in Indianapolis.

Ryan’s Pallbearers included Elton John, Football Star Howie Long and Phil Donahue.

 Elton John performed "Skyline Pigeon" at the Funeral.

The Funeral was also attended by Singer Michael Jackson, and then-First Lady Barbara Bush.

 On the day of the Funeral, Ronald Reagan wrote a tribute to White that appeared in The Washington Post. Reagan's statement about AIDS and Ryan’s Funeral were seen as indicators of how greatly Ryan had helped change perceptions of AIDS.

The U.S. Congress passed a major piece of AIDS Legislation, the Ryan White CARE Act, shortly after White's death, which was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in August 1990 and reauthorized twice.

 Through the "Ryan White Programs" it funds, the Act has become the largest provider of services for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.

In 2024, over half of the People diagnosed with HIV in the United States (more than 550,000) were provided care and treatment from the funded programs, and 57,000 Health Care Professionals treating People with HIV received education and training.

Monday, April 7, 2025

Say The Line

 


59 Hostages

 


1 year and 6 months (and counting.)

American Thing

 


May 7th

 


Saving Animals

 


Patrick Rooney

 




August 14, 1969 in Belfast, Northern Ireland a 9 year old Catholic Boy, Patrick Rooney, was killed in his bedroom by the Royal Ulster Constabulary – RUC -  (the Pro-Protestant Police Force of Northern Ireland at the time.)

From August 12-16, 1969 Northern Irish Protestants went across Northern Ireland burning Norther Irish Catholic Homes and Businesses – hoping to force them to move to the Republic of Ireland.

1,505 Northern Irish Catholic Families had their homes bombed and were forced to leave their neighborhoods.

While Patrick and his Family of 8 huddled in their house against the violence outside the RUC fired bullets at their house.

Patrick Rooney was the first Child murdered during The Troubles (1969-1998.)

From 1969 until 2018 the RUC, the British Military and the London Government did whatever it could to blame the Catholic Victims for their own Deaths and Woundings – including hiding evidence and giving Awards to those who Shot the Victims.

The 2018 Scarman Report found that there had been no justification for the firing which killed Patrick.

The Police Ombudsman also stated the use of machine guns by Officers to deal with rioting in Belfast in 1969 was "disproportionate and dangerous".

As with most Cases involving the RUC and the British Military in Northern Ireland - no Former Officers were brought to justice for their crime of killing 9 year old Patrick Rooney.

Background: In 1922 the UK broke-up a united Ireland and created Northern Ireland (and along with it the official 3 Tier Discrimination Policy: British (English, Welsh and Scots) at the top, Northern Irish Protestants in the middle and Northern Irish Catholics at the bottom.

Catholics in Northern Ireland did not receive the same equal and basic Civil Rights that every other citizen of the UK held until the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 (77 years after N.I. was created) that ended the 30 Year violence that was The Troubles.

The Troubles started when Northern Irish Catholics peacefully started using civil disobedience (following Martin Luther King's example in the US) in 1966. The Northern Irish Protestants did not want to give up what little power the British gave them and so attacked and killed the Northern Irish Catholics (the same way American White Southerners did to American Black Southerners in the 1950s-1960s.)

The British sent in their Military in 1969 and at first the Northern Irish Catholics saw the British Military as a buffer between them and the Protestants and welcomed them (Northern Irish Catholics hoped the British Government and the British Military would be like the American Federal Government and the Federalized National Guard who went into the American South and stopped the White Southern Racists and the violence.)

That support changed after the British Military openly sided with the Northern Irish Protestants and started massacring unarmed and peaceful Northern Irish Catholics (ie. The 1970 Falls Curfew, the 1971 Ballymurphy Massacre, the 1972 Bloody Sunday, etc.)

After Bloody Sunday, the Northern Irish Catholics and the world had direct proof that the British Government and Military fully supported the Northern Irish Protestants and sought to keep the Northern Irish Catholics “in-their-place” through any means  - including murder. The British Government and the British Military covered-up and lied about their role for decades, but have since openly admitted their crimes.

From 1972 until 1998 it was open-warfare with the British Government, the British Military, the Police and the Northern Irish Protestants on one side and the Northern Irish Catholics on the other. The death and violence hit not only Northern Ireland, but the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, West Germany, Gibraltar, the Netherlands, Germany, etc.

The Troubles only ended when the United States stepped-in to get all the sides together (the same way we did in the Former Yugoslavia around the same time.) 1,935 civilians were killed and over 50,000 wounded, injured or permanently disabled.

The Pro-Protestant and Anti-Catholic Royal Ulster Constabulary was replaced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in 2001.

Sunday, April 6, 2025

Stick Library

 


96: Nanette Blitz Konig

 


Happy 96th Birthday Nanette Blitz Konig!

Nanette was born on April 6, 1929 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Martijn (a native of Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and Helene (a native of Kimberley, South Africa.)

In 1940 the Germans occupied the Netherlands.

In 1941 the Germans forced all Jews out of the Public Schools and so Nanette went to the Jewish Lyceum where she met and became Friends with Anne Frank.

In September 1943 Nanette and her Family were arrested by the Germans and sent to the Westerbork Transit Camp in northern the Netherlands.

On February 15, 1944 Nanette and her Family were deported to the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany and kept in a Special Section of the Camp that was to be used to barter for German Prisoners Overseas.

Her Father died in November 1944 and the rest of the Family lost their “Special Status.”

Her Mother and Brother were deported from Bergen-Belsen to different Camps in 1944 leaving Nanette all alone at the age of 15.

Her Mother was sent to the Beendorf Salt Mines in Germany where she worked as a Forced Laborer. She died in April 1945 while on a train headed to Sweden for recuperation after her Liberation.

Her Brother was sent to the  Orangeburg Concentration Camp in Germany where he died.

In January 1945 Nanette was transferred from the Special Section to the Regular Female Section of Bergen-Belsen where she reunited with Anne Frank and Anne’s Sister, Margot.

She also said that she had seen Anne and Margot shortly before they died:

"When I found Anne and Margot in Camp 8, that was the original Camp 8, which was then a women's camp, [...] they were both skeletons and I, I know about Anne that she was wrapped in a blanket. Margot I can't remember if she was also wrapped in a blanket, but she was also very weak, completely, well, consumed so to speak. And maybe she was wrapped in a blanket too, the clothes were impossible to wear because they were full of lice."

Nanette was liberated from Bergen-Belsen by the British Army and spent 3 years in a Hospital with Typhus (the disease that killed Anne Frank.)

Nanette moved to England where she met and married John Konig in 1953 and they moved to Brazil where they had 3 Children.

John died in 2022.

In 2015 Nanette published her Memoirs in Portuguese with an English Version published in 2018.

Following the death of Jacqueline van Maarsen in February 2025, she is one of the last living People to have known Anne Frank.

Nanette is also the last living person who saw Anne Frank closest to her death.

Protecting The House

 


Reciprocal Tariffs

 


I am so sick of all our American Products being made in Middle-Earth with all the Hobbits getting rich and costing Americans so much extra money. 

Saturday, April 5, 2025

No Weakness



After a Russian Ballistic Missile killed 18 People—including 9 Children—in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, President Zelenskyy demands accountability: "Staying silent about Russia killing children only emboldens the scum in Moscow."

The strike comes as the Trump Administration continues pushing for a Ceasefire that Analysts warn could give Russia time to prepare for a new War.

Zelenskyy appeared to criticize US Ambassador Brink, whose statement on the attack avoided explicitly naming Russia as responsible—calling such Diplomatic ambiguity "wrong and dangerous."

Collasping Economy

 


Protests are happening across the United States, the Stock Market is Crashing, Prices on Everything are Rising, a Recession is Looming, Russians continue to kill Ukrainians because Putin is playing Trump, DOGE continues to not be efficient and randomly firing Thousands of People with no worry about the effects on the American People, Tariffs have caused unnecessary harm and expense to Ordinary Americans, etc.

Trump ran on fixing the American Economy and so far he is only destroying the American Economy.

While the Country falls apart because of his Direct Rule (ie. Executive Actions) Trump goes golfing while Americans struggle to feed their Families.

Friday, April 4, 2025

80: 1st Camp

80 years ago today (April 4, 1945) the US Military liberated their first Concentration Camp: Ohrdruf (south of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany.)

It was a sub-camp of Buchenwald.

It housed 20,000 Russians, Poles, Hungarians, Jews, French, Czechs, Italians, Belgians, Greeks, Yugoslavians and Germans.

From November 1944 until April 1945 7,000 people were murdered by the Germans here.

The Camp was liberated by the 4th Armored Division, led by Brigadier General Joseph Cutrona, and the 89th Infantry Division.

When the soldiers of the 4th Armored Division entered the camp, they discovered piles of bodies, some covered with lime, and others partially incinerated on pyres.

The ghastly nature of their discovery led General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, to visit the camp on April 12th, with Generals George S. Patton and Omar Bradley (pictured.)

 After his visit, Eisenhower cabled General George C. Marshall, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington saying “I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to 'propaganda.'”

On April 19, 1945, Eisenhower again cabled Marshall with a request to bring members of Congress and Journalists to the newly liberated Camps so that they could bring the horrible truth about German Nazi atrocities to the American public.

That same day, Marshall received permission from the Secretary of War, Henry Lewis Stimson, and President Harry S. Truman for these delegations to visit the liberated Camps.

80: Ohrdruf

 


80 years ago today (April 4, 1945) the US Military liberated their first Concentration Camp: Ohrdruf (south of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany.)

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Backseat Speaker

 


Axis Of Evil

 


This is how Iran, North Korea, China and Russia support each other and how Iran gets the missiles it uses to bomb Israel and how Russia gets the drones and missiles it uses to bomb Ukraine as well as using North Korean Troops to fight the Ukrainians.

Helping any of these countries (especially Russia) is helping all of these countries commit their Crimes.

50: Babylift

 


50 years ago today (April 3, 1975) Operation Babylift started.

Operation Babylift was the Mass Evacuation of Children from South Vietnam to the United States, Australia, France, West Germany and Canada at the end of the Vietnam War.

On April 4, 1975 a plane carrying Children flying from Saigon, South Vietnam to the Philippines crashed during an Emergency Landing shortly after takeoff.

Of the 314 People on-board the death toll included 78 Children, 35 Defense Attaché Office Employees and 11 U.S. Air Force Personnel; there were 176 Survivors.

When American Businessman Robert Macauley learned that it would take more than a week to evacuate the surviving Orphans due to the lack of Military Transport Planes, he chartered a Boeing 747 from Pan American World Airways and arranged for 300 Children to leave the country, paying for the trip by mortgaging his house.

When it ended on April 26, 1975 3,300 Vietnamese Babies and Children had been airlifted to safety from the Communist North Vietnamese.

91: Jane Goodall

 


Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Always ice Cream

 


UKETA Expanded

United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)



Required Since: January 8, 2025

Required For Citizens Of: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, The European Union (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden), Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, the United States, Uruguay and Vatican City.

Exemptions For: Ireland, British Subjects with right of abode in the United Kingdom and British Overseas Territories Citizens.

Cost: 16 British Pounds ($21 US Dollars)

Procedure: You have to go to the ETA Website (available in English) fill out the online form, pay the fee, print the Confirmation Page and bring that with your Foreign Passport when travelling to the United Kingdom.

As of today (April 2, 2025) all EU Citizens except the Irish need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before they travel to the United Kingdom.

Note: American and Canadian Citizens have needed a UK ETA since January 8, 2025.

Wednesday

 


160,000

 


Putin has called for 160,000 Russian Men (18-30) to be Conscripted into the Russian Military this Spring.

This is the largest number of Conscripts since 2011.

Russia Drafts Men every Spring and Fall.

That means 160,000 will be Drafted this Spring and another 160,000 in the Fall for a total of 320,000 Russian Men Drafted and sent to fight in Ukraine (despite the Official Line that no Conscripts are sent to Ukraine.)

918,180 Russian Soldiers have been killed or wounded in Ukraine since February 2022.

They are dying as Putin’s Cannon Fodder and so he needs to replace them quickly so more can die.

Val Kilmer

 


Less Money

Trump has called today “Liberation Day.”

Do you feel liberated?

I don’t.

The only thing that Trump is liberating us from is more of our hard-earned money since his Tariffs on nearly every single Country will cost the Ordinary American an extra $1,200 Dollars a year on just the basics.

Add to that buying electronics, cars, houses, etc. and the Ordinary American pays even more money for the same items that were cheaper before January 20, 2025.

Holidays Off

Easter Holidays

While most of the Countries of the World get either Good Friday, Easter Monday or Both (Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox Christian) off the United States only gets Easter Sunday off as a Federal Holiday – and we only get it off because it’s a Sunday.

Easter Sunday Only: Albania, Kosovo, Moldova, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Ukraine and the United States (Federal)

Good Friday Off: Angola, Argentina, Bermuda, Bolivia, Cameroon, Canada (Federal), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, East Timor, Ecuador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faroe Island (Denmark), Honduras, Indonesia, Lebanon, Macau, Malta, Marshall Islands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, the United Kingdom (the Falkland Islands, Scotland), the United States (Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands and Wake Island)

Easter Monday Off: Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Canada (Northwest Territories and Quebec), Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Gabon, Guinea, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Senegal, Slovenia, Spain (Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Rioja, Navarre, Basque and Valencia), Togo, Tonga and Vatican City

Good Friday and Easter Monday Off: Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Eswatini, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guernsey (UK), Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Isle of Man (UK), Jamaica, Jersey (UK), Kenya, Kiribati, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Malawi, Namibia, Nauru, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, the United Kingdom (Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, England, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Northern Ireland, Saint Helena, Turks & Caicos Islands, and Wales), Vanuatu, Venezuela and Zimbabwe

Passover Off: Israel

Autism Day

 


Tuesday, April 1, 2025

April Fool's

April Fools’ Day

April Fools’ Day—celebrated on April 1 each year—has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, though its exact origins remain a mystery. April Fools’ Day traditions include playing hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often yelling “April Fools!” at the end to clue in the subject of the April Fools’ Day prank. While its exact history is shrouded in mystery, the embrace of April Fools’ Day jokes by the media and major brands has ensured the unofficial holiday’s long life.

Origins of April Fools' Day Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.  People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.” These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.

Hilaria in Ancient Rome Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to festivals such as Hilaria (Latin for joyful), which was celebrated in ancient Rome at the end of March by followers of the cult of Cybele. It involved people dressing up in disguises and mocking fellow citizens and even magistrates and was said to be inspired by the Egyptian legend of Isis, Osiris and Seth.

Vernal Equinox and April Fools' There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather.

History of April Fools’ Day April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with “hunting the gowk,” in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them.

April Fools’ Day Pranks In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes. Newspapers, radio and TV stations and websites have participated in the April 1 tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences.

In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees. In 1985, Sports Illustrated writer George Plimpton tricked many readers when he ran a made-up article about a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a fastball over 168 miles per hour.

In 1992, National Public Radio ran a spot with former President Richard Nixon saying he was running for president again… only it was an actor, not Nixon, and the segment was all an April Fools’ Day prank that caught the country by surprise.

In 1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food restaurant chain, duped people when it announced it had agreed to purchase Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. In 1998, after Burger King advertised a “Left-Handed Whopper,” scores of clueless customers requested the fake sandwich. Google notoriously hosts an annual April Fools’ Day prank that has included everything from “telepathic search” to the ability to play Pac Man on Google Maps.

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/april-fools-day

My Look

 


Holidays

April 2025 Holidays - Monthly Celebrations

National Card and Letter Writing Month

Global Astronomy Month

International Guitar Month

Keep America Beautiful Month

Lawn and Garden Month

National Frog Month

National Humor Month – Spread a little laughter.

National Kite Month

Pecan Month

Poetry Month

Records and Information Management Month

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Stress Awareness Month

 Welding Month

 

April Weekly Events

First Week of the Month – Library Week

First Week of the Month – Read a Road Map Week

Second Week of the Month – Garden Week

Third Week of the Month – Organize Your Files Week

Third Week of the Month – Medical Labs Week

Fourth Week of the Month – Administrative Assistants Week

Fourth Week of the Month – National Karaoke Week

 

April 1

April Fool’s Day

Atheist Day

International Fun at Work Day

International Tatting Day

April 2

Children’s Book Day

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

National Walking Day

Reconciliation Day

April 3

Don’t Go to Work Unless it’s Fun Day

Find a Rainbow Day

National Burrito Day –

Tweed Day

World Party Day

April 4

Hug a Newsman Day

National Walk to Work Day

School Librarian Day

Tell a Lie Day

Walk Around Things Day

World Rat Day

April 5

Deep Dish Pizza Day

Go for Broke Day

National Dandelion Day

Read a Road Map Day

April 6

California Poppy Day

National Tartan Day

New Beer’s Eve

Plan Your Epitaph Day

Sorry Charlie Day

Teflon Day

April 7

Caramel Popcorn Day

International Beaver Day

National Beer Day

National Coffee Cake Day

No Housework Day

World Health Day

April 8

All is Ours Day

Draw a Picture of a Bird Day

International Be Kind to Lawyers Day

National Library Workers Day

Zoo Lover’s Day

April 9

Bookmobile Day

Name Yourself Day

Winston Churchill Day

April 10

Golfer’s Day

National Farm Animals Day

National Siblings Day

Safety Pin Day

April 11

Barbershop Quartet Day

Eight Track Tape Day

National Pet Day

National Submarine Day

April 12

Big Wind Day

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

International Day of Human Space Flight / Russian Cosmonaut Day

National Licorice Day

Passover

Walk on Your Wild Side Day

April 13

International Plant Appreciation Day

National Peach Cobbler Day

Palm Sunday

Scrabble Day

April 14

Ex Spouse Day

International Moment of Laughter Day

Look up at the Sky Day

National Dolphin Day

National Pecan Day

Reach as High as You Can Day

April 15

Income Taxes Due

Rubber Eraser Day

Take a Wild Guess Day

That Sucks Day

Titanic Remembrance Day

World Art Day

April 16

Bean Counter Day

Eggs Benedict Day

Mushroom Day

National Librarian Day

National Orchid Day

Save the Elephant Day

Stress Awareness Day –

April 17

Bat Appreciation Day

Blah, Blah, Blah Day

Herbalist Day

International Haiku Poetry Day

National Cheeseball Day

National High Five Day

April 18

Good Friday

International Juggler’s Day

Newspaper Columnists Day 

Pet Owners’ Independence Day

April 19

Husband Appreciation Day

National Garlic Day

National Hanging Out Day

Record Store Day

World Circus Day –

April 20

Chinese Language Day

Easter Sunday

Look Alike Day

Volunteer Recognition Day

April 21

Dyngus Day

Kindergarten Day

Patriot’s Day

April 22

Earth Day (U.S.)

Girl Scout Leader Day

National Jelly Bean Day

April 23

Administrative Professionals Day

Lover’s Day

English Muffin Day

National Picnic Day

National Zucchini Bread Day

Take a Chance Day

World Laboratory Day

April 24

Pig in a Blanket Day

Take Your Daughter to Work

April 25

Arbor Day

East Meets West Day

National DNA Day

National Teach Children to Save Day

World Penguin Day 

April 26

Hug an Australian Day

National Pretzel Day

 Richter Scale Day

April 27

Babe Ruth Day

Morse Code Day

National Prime Rib Day

Tell a Story Day

April 28

International Astronomy Day

Great Poetry Reading Day

Kiss Your Mate Day

April 29

Greenery Day

International Dance Day

National Shrimp Scampi Day

National Zipper Day

April 30

Hairstyle Appreciation Day

Honesty Day

International Jazz Day

National Raisin Day

National Mahjong Day

https://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/april.htm