From YouTube:
“Disturbed’s ‘The Sound of Silence’ Ukraine Tribute”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdCScG9nBp8
^ Over 11 months of a needless War in which Russia Tortures, Rapes,
Kidnaps and Murders Innocent Ukrainian Men, Women and Children. This video with
its version of “The Sound of Silence” and the horrible pictures of what every day
Ukrainians have to suffer because of the Russians shows why the US and the
World can’t stop helping Ukraine and the Ukrainians. ^
From the BBC:
“Canada province experiments with decriminalising hard drugs”
Canada's province of British Columbia is starting a
first-in-the-nation trial decriminalising small amounts of hard drugs such as
cocaine and heroin. From Tuesday, adults can possess up to 2.5g of such drugs,
as well as methamphetamine, fentanyl and morphine. Canada's federal government
granted the request by the west coast province to try out the three-year
experiment. It follows a similar policy in the nearby US state of Oregon, which
decriminalised hard drugs in 2020.
Ahead of the pilot's launch, British Columbia and federal
officials outlined the rules under the federally approved exemption from the
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. While those substances will remain
illegal, adults found in possession of a combined total of less than 2.5g of
the drugs will not be arrested, charged or have their substances seized.
Instead, they will be offered information on available health and social
services.
Federal minister of mental health and addictions Carolyn
Bennett on Monday called the move "a monumental shift in drug policy that
favours fostering trusting and supportive relationships in health and social
services over further criminalisation". Some 10,000 residents have died
from drug overdoses since British Columbia declared drugs to be a public health
emergency in 2016, officials said.
Vancouver's unusual approach offers opioid users injection
sites, antidotes and even heroin on prescription. "Decriminalising people
who use drugs breaks down the fear and shame associated with substance use and
ensures they feel safer reaching out for life-saving supports," said
Jennifer Whiteside, the British Columbia minister for mental health and addictions.
Thousands of police officers in the province have been
offered training on the rule change, including those in Vancouver, the largest
city in the province. The programme will run from 31 January 2023 until 31
January 2026, unless it is revoked by the federal government. Some experts have
questioned the 2.5g limit, saying that it is not enough to account for the
habits of many addicts.
There are some exemptions to the scheme. The sale of drugs
remains illegal. It is also illegal to possess drugs on the grounds of schools,
childcare facilities and airports. Canada legalised the use of recreational
cannabis for adults nationwide in 2018. But the four drugs now allowed in small
quantities remain prohibited, meaning there are no plans to sell them in
stores, unlike marijuana. Trafficking them across borders also remains illegal.
^ This is beyond dumb. I don’t see anything good coming from
it. ^
From War Paws:
“HELP US REUNITE CHARLIE WITH HIS SOLDIER”
Charlie is a very special little pupper. We first learned about him back on October
2022. Charlie had been adopted by a
British soldier working in the Middle East but he was in a very remote place
that we could not get him from easily.
We put multiple plans into place but sadly none of them came to
fruition, we were beginning to lose hope that we could get him then out of the
blue in December the stars aligned and we were able to get him to the
shelter. The final plan did not come
without its problems though and on the day Charlie was due to arrive with us he
actually got run over by a car.
Thankfully he was not too seriously injured and within a few hours of
arriving at the shelter we had him on the operating table cleaning up and
stitching his wounds.
Charlie was incredibly nervous of us all when he arrived but
a few days of lots of love and bribery with treats soon changed his mind and
now he spends his days playing with the other dogs and the staff at the
shelter. We are just waiting on Charlies
FAVN test result to come in and we will then be able to plan for him to be
reunited with his soldier in the UK.
Charlies soldier tells his story in his own words below: “Charlie
was a stray who was subject to abuse from a partner force while UK armed forces
were working in the Middle East, 2 colleagues and myself decided we had to help
him out and took him away from them. we de wormed and flea’d him and gave him a
good scrub. from then, he became one of the lads. Vital to the company’s
morale, we decided he couldn’t be left behind and started the process to get
him home. he’s a typical boy who loves to eat til he pops and play every minute
he can, not to mention the fact he will chew anything he can get his chops on.
He’s become an extension of myself and I want to give him the happy and loving
life he deserves here in the UK so must desperately get him home.”
Please donate today and help us get Charlie back with his
soldier where he belongs.
^ Please use the link to help. ^
From AP:
“President Biden to end COVID-19 emergencies on May 11”
President Joe Biden informed Congress on Monday that he will
end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of
the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were
first declared. The move to end the national emergency and public health
emergency declarations would formally restructure the federal coronavirus
response to treat the virus as an endemic threat to public health that can be
managed through agencies' normal authorities. It comes as lawmakers have
already ended elements of the emergencies that kept millions of Americans
insured during the pandemic. Combined with the drawdown of most federal
COVID-19 relief money, it would also shift the development of vaccines and
treatments away from the direct management of the federal government.
Biden’s announcement comes in a statement opposing
resolutions being brought to the floor this week by House Republicans to bring
the emergency to an immediate end. House Republicans are also gearing up to
launch investigations on the federal government’s response to COVID-19.n Then-President
Donald Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar first declared a
public health emergency on Jan. 31, 2020, and Trump later declared the COVID-19
pandemic a national emergenc y that March. The emergencies have been repeatedly
extended by Biden since he took office in January 2021, and are set to expire
in the coming months. The White House said Biden plans to extend them both briefly
to end on May 11. “An abrupt end to the emergency declarations would create
wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system — for
states, for hospitals and doctors’ offices, and, most importantly, for tens of
millions of Americans,” the Office of Management and Budget wrote in a
Statement of Administration Policy.
More than 1.1 million people in the U.S. have died from
COVID-19 since 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, including about 3,700 last week.
Congress has already blunted the reach of the public health
emergency that had the most direct impact on Americans, as political calls to
end the declaration intensified. Lawmakers have refused for months to fulfill
the Biden administration’s request for billions more dollars to extend free
COVID vaccines and testing. And the $1.7 trillion spending package passed last
year and signed into law by Biden put an end to a rule that barred states from
kicking people off Medicaid, a move that is expected to see millions of people
lose their coverage after April 1. "In some respects, the Biden
administration is catching up to what a lot of people in the country have been
experiencing," said Larry Levitt, the executive vice president for health
policy at Kaiser Family Foundation. “That said, hundreds of people a day are
still dying from COVID.”
Still, some things will change for Americans once the
emergency expires, Levitt pointed out. The costs of COVID-19 vaccines are also
expected to skyrocket once the government stops buying them, with Pfizer saying
it will charge as much as $130 per dose. Only 15% of Americans have received
the recommended, updated booster that has been offered since last fall. People
with private insurance could have some out-of-pocket costs for vaccines,
especially if they go to an out-of-network provider, Levitt said. Free at-home
COVID tests will also come to an end. And hospitals will not get extra payments
for treating COVID patients. Legislators did extend for another two years
telehealth flexibilities that were introduced as COVID-19 hit, leading health
care systems around the country to regularly deliver care by smartphone or
computer. The Biden administration had previously considered ending the
emergency last year, but held off amid concerns about a potential “winter
surge” in cases and to provide adequate time for providers, insurers and
patients to prepare for its end.
Officials said the administration would use the next three months
to transition the response to conventional methods, warning that an immediate
end to the emergency authorities “would sow confusion and chaos into this
critical wind-down.” “To be clear, continuation of these emergency declarations
until May 11 does not impose any restriction at all on individual conduct with
regard to COVID-19," the administration said. “They do not impose mask
mandates or vaccine mandates. They do not restrict school or business
operations. They do not require the use of any medicines or tests in response
to cases of COVID-19.” Case counts have trended downward after a slight bump
over the winter holidays, and are significantly below levels seen over the last
two winters — though the number of tests performed for the virus and reported
to public health officials has sharply decreased.
On Monday, the World Health Organization said the coronavirus
remains a global health emergency, even as a key advisory panel for the group
found the pandemic may be nearing an “inflexion point” where higher levels of
immunity can lower virus-related deaths. China, for example, reported an
unprecedented surge in December after lifting most of its COVID-19
restrictions. Moments before the White House’s announcement, Rep. Tom Cole,
R-Okla., accused the president of unnecessarily extending the public health
emergency to take action on issues like forgiving some federal student loan
debts. “The country has largely returned to normal,” Cole said Monday,
introducing a Republican-backed bill calling for an end to the health
emergency. “Everyday Americans have returned to work and to school with no
restrictions on their activities. It is time that the government acknowledges
this reality: the pandemic is over.” The House was scheduled to vote Tuesday on
legislation that would terminate the public health emergency. The bill’s
author, Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., said he still hopes the House will proceed
with a vote. He said he was surprised by the White House move, but thinks the
legislation may have played a role in prompting the administration to act. “I
think we should go forward,” he said late Monday as lawmakers returned to the
Capitol. “If for some reason they don’t do it on May the 11th, the vehicle is
still there for Congress to take back its authority.”
^ Covid is still an issue (especially in Hospitals, Group
Homes, Jails, Nursing Homes, etc.) but is more like the Flu than when Covid
first appeared in 2020. I would still like to see free Flu and Covid Vaccines
moving forward for every American. ^
https://www.yahoo.com/news/president-biden-end-covid-19-223537214.html
We will get an Arctic Cold Front at the end of this week
where we will go down to a low of - 15 F (that's -26 C for my Metric Friends)
and will have 50 mph (80 kph) winds so our Windchill will be - 42 F (- 41 C.)
Please prepare: Your House, your Car, Yourselves now and
check in on those that may need extra help (the Elderly, the Disabled, etc.) as
well as on Pets and Animals.
From Reuters:
“UAE museum unveils Torah scroll that survived the Holocaust
in tolerance push”
(Visitors attend an event commemorating the Holocaust, in
which a 16th century Torah scroll that survived the Holocaust was officially
unveiled, at Crossroad of Civilizations Museum, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
January 28, 2023.)
A private museum in the United Arab Emirates unveiled on
Saturday a Torah scroll that survived the Holocaust, the latest sign of what
Israel and its new Arab allies describe as a new approach to understanding
Jewish history in the Middle East. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, founder of the
Crossroads of Civilizations Museum in Dubai's historic district, said the
display, unveiled for International Holocaust Remembrance Day would help combat
"big denial" of the Holocaust in the region. "For us peace is a
complete peace," Al Mansoori said. "Many people have forgotten the Jews
are part of the region. So here, we're trying to show ... the good days between
the Jews and the Arabs in the past." The scroll is on permanent loan to
the museum from the Memorial Scrolls Trust, which looks after more than 1,000
Czech scrolls saved from the Holocaust and later sent to London. "I lived
in the Arab world when I was young, and the term Holocaust does not exist ...
So this is a huge step," said Edwin Shuker, an Iraqi-Jewish businessman
and vice-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, who facilitated
the loan.
Israel has reached out to promote understanding of Judaism
among its new allies in the two years since the UAE and fellow Gulf state
Bahrain, followed by Morocco and Sudan, forged ties with it under U.S.-brokered
pacts known as the Abraham Accords. The history of the killing of six million
Jews by Nazi Germany is little taught in the Arab world, where some politicians
say it was wrongly used to justify the creation of Israel in 1948 at the
expense of Palestinian Arabs. In the years that followed Israel establishment,
major Jewish communities that had existed for centuries throughout the Middle
East largely disappeared, with hundreds of thousands of Jews emigrating from
Arab countries to the new state.
The Emirati embassy in Washington, in a Twitter post earlier
this month, said the UAE would include Holocaust education at schools, the
first country in the region to do so. "It's important to remember what
happened. It's important to make sure that it will never happen again. And it's
important to stand here together, all of us, Israelis, Emiratis and others in
order to say: Not anymore," Israeli ambassador to the UAE, Amir Hayek,
told Reuters on the sidelines of the museum event.
^ This is a major step in the right direction for the Arab
World. The Holocaust happened 78 years ago and it is long over-due for ALL
countries to teach about it. ^
Morris Frank
Morris Frank (March 23, 1908 – November 22, 1980) was a
co-founder of The Seeing Eye, the first Guide-Dog School in the United States.
He traveled the United States and Canada to promote the use of guide dogs for
people who are blind or visually impaired, as well as the right of people with
guide dogs to access restaurants, hotels, transportation, and other places that
are open to the general public.
Early life Frank was born in Nashville, Tennessee, as the third and
youngest son of wealthy Jewish parents, John Frank and Jessie Hirsch Frank.
Throughout his childhood, Frank had been the guide and helper for his mother,
who was blind. At age six, he went blind in his right eye after hitting an
overhanging tree branch while horseback riding; at age sixteen, he went blind
in the other eye while boxing with a friend. (In a bizarre coincidence, his
mother's blindness was also caused by two unrelated accidents: she went blind
in one eye when delivering her first son, and in the other fifteen years later
when she was thrown from a horse.) Before Frank reached his teens, he went to
summer camp at Camp Winnebago in Fayette, Maine, where he later returned for a
visit, and brought Buddy with him. Frank graduated from Montgomery Bell
Academy, then attended Vanderbilt University while working as an insurance
salesman. He hired young men to serve as guides, but found them to be
unreliable.
Guide Dogs On November 5, 1927, The Saturday Evening Post published an
article by Dorothy Harrison Eustis, an American dog trainer living in
Switzerland. The article, titled "The Seeing Eye", was Eustis's
first-hand account about a school in Germany where blinded World War I veterans
were being trained to work with guide dogs. Frank was one of many people who
wrote to her asking where he could get such a dog Frank not only asked
for information about the school in Germany, but also about trainers in the
U.S., and said he "would like to forward this work in this country".
On February 9, 1928, Eustis called Frank and asked him if he would come to
her dog-training school in Switzerland, called Fortunate Fields, to be paired
with a guide dog. Frank replied, "Mrs. Eustis, to get my independence
back, I'd go to hell."
Buddy At Fortunate Fields, Frank was partnered with a female German Shepherd
named Kiss – whom he promptly renamed Buddy. He was trained in how to work with
Buddy by Elliot "Jack" Humphrey, a self-taught animal trainer and dog
breeder who worked for Eustis, at Fortunate Fields and on the streets of nearby
Vevey. Frank and Buddy returned to New York City on June 11, 1928, and
immediately began telling reporters about how he could now travel independently
with his guide dog. Frank demonstrated Buddy's abilities to the media by
crossing West Street, a particularly dangerous waterfront street, and later on
Broadway during the evening rush. His one-word telegram to Eustis summed up his
experience: "Success". Frank worked with Buddy until her death
on May 23, 1938; he named her replacement Buddy, as he would all his subsequent
guide dogs.
The Seeing Eye Frank and Eustis then set about creating a guide-dog training
school in the United States, and on January 29, 1929, The Seeing Eye was
incorporated in Nashville, becoming the first guide-dog school in the United
States. Two years later, the school moved to Whippany, New Jersey, and in 1965
to its current location in Morristown, New Jersey.
Between 1928 and 1956, Frank, as The Seeing Eye's vice
president, traveled throughout the United States and Canada, spreading the word
about The Seeing Eye and the need for equal access laws for people with guide
dogs. He met with U.S. President Herbert Hoover in 1930 and with U.S. President
Harry Truman in 1949. Between 1954 and 1956 alone, Frank met with 300
ophthalmologists and met with Seeing Eye graduates in all 48 states and
throughout Canada.
Frank constantly championed for the right to be accompanied
by his guide dog. In 1928, Frank was routinely told that Buddy could not ride
in the passenger compartment with him; by 1935, all railroads in the United
States had adopted policies specifically allowing guide dogs to remain with
their owners on trains, and by 1939, The Seeing Eye informed the American Hotel
Association that the number of hotels that banned guide dogs from the premises
was small and "growing smaller constantly". By 1956, every state in
the country had passed laws guaranteeing blind people with guide dogs access to
public spaces. Frank retired from The Seeing Eye in 1956, at age 48, to found
his own insurance agency in Morristown. He died on November 22, 1980, at his
home in the Brookside section of Mendham Township, New Jersey.
Honors and Awards On April 29, 2005, a sculpture titled The Way to Independence
was unveiled on Morristown Green in Morristown. The sculpture of Frank and
Buddy, created by John Seward Johnson II, is made of bronze and painted in full
color. It captures the pair in mid-stride, with Frank motioning his hand ahead
as if he is giving Buddy the "forward" command. A plaque near
the original headquarters of The Seeing Eye in Nashville was dedicated in 2008;
it reads, "Independence and Dignity Since 1929. The Seeing Eye, the
world-famous dog guide training school, was incorporated in Nashville January
29, 1929, with headquarters in the Fourth and First National Bank Building at
315 Union St. Morris Frank, a 20-year-old blind man from Nashville, and his
guide dog Buddy, played a key role in the school's founding and subsequent
success. It was Frank who persuaded Dorothy Harrison Eustis to establish a
school in the United States." In 2010, Frank was posthumously inducted
into the Hall of Fame: Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field.
In Popular Culture Frank, along with co-author Blake Clark, wrote of his time
with Buddy in the book First Lady of the Seeing Eye, published in 1957. Frank's
life story was told in the 1984 Walt Disney television film Love Leads the Way:
A True Story. He was played by Timothy Bottoms. William Mooney wrote and
performed a one-man show about Frank's life, With a Dog's Eyes. Kate
Klimo wrote "Buddy", the second of a series of children's books
called Dog Diaries. Buddy was published in 2013. Writings First Lady of
the Seeing Eye, by Morris Frank and Blake Clark, Henry Holt, 1957.
From US History; Facebook:
“First U.S. Guide Dog School January 29, 1929”
Morris Frank, himself blind, founds The Seeing Eye in
Nashville, Tennessee. Frank had brought the first U.S. Seeing-Eye Dog, Buddy,
into the U.S. from Switzerland.
January 29th is National Seeing Eye Dog Day. Seeing Eye Dogs
are service dogs specially trained to be the eyes for their visually impaired
owners. Typically, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds
are chosen as Seeing Eye Dogs, since these breeds are capable of complex
training, and staying calm and focused when necessary.
^ This happened 94 years ago today. ^
From the BBC:
“Camphill Milton Keynes: 'This is a community that is almost
like a family'”
(A workshop at Camphill)
Camphill in Milton Keynes has been supporting people with
learning disabilities for more than 40 years. But as its residents have aged,
the needs of the charity are also changing. What is it like to live here? More
than 70 people with learning disabilities call Camphill Milton Keynes home. The
aim at Camphill is to give its residents a safe and fulfilling place to live
and work which is integrated with the wider community. Founded in 1981, those
living there are ageing, and the need for what it offers people is steadily
increasing. The charity is currently trying to raise £15m for extra and
improved accommodation.
(Liam Drinkwater describes Camphill as being "almost
like a family")
Liam Drinkwater says without Camphill he would most likely be
"living in Northampton not doing a lot". "I came to Camphill for
an open day when I was young," he says. "I really enjoy being here.
I've done many different workshops." Mr Drinkwater has explored weaving,
felting tool-making, and comic-book drawing among many other crafts. His comic
creations were recently displayed at the Now You See Me exhibition in Milton
Keynes. "You get support when and where you need it, and you get be to
part of the community and contribute to society," he says. "It is a
bit like a job, but there's a whole community - it is almost like a family. "I
really enjoy doing my theatre workshop on Tuesdays. We get to do community
events too which is great. "It is great really, I have learned so many
skills."
(Amy Prior is 46 years old and came to Camphill from
Gloucestershire)
Amy Prior is 46 years old and has lived here for the past 15
years after arriving at Camphill from Gloucestershire. "I like the
atmosphere around here and there are nice people," she says. "The
staff are here to look after you; they are very nice and helpful. "I've
got my own bedroom which I like to clean every Monday. "I like to go
swimming, shopping, the workshops - everything, really." A keen potter,
she says the planned improvements to the site are very much needed. "They
need to have more facilities for people who might need extra help. And people
are getting a bit older. "They need to get stairlifts and special beds in
when they need them." She says she hopes the new accommodation will mean
she will be able to stay at Camphill into her later years.
(Matthew Fisher, 51, loves working in the theatre and is
preparing for a performance of Twelfth Night)
"It is very nice because we quite often get celebrities
walking through," says Matthew Fisher, 51. "I love working in the
theatre here - it is my favourite workshop. "I like it here because I have
got loads of friends. I have been here 24 years." He is currently
preparing for a performance of Twelfth Night, and is involved in the technical
side of the production. One of his friends was former resident Alastair Shaw,
who moved from Camphill after developing dementia.
(Alastair Shaw, pictured here with his sister-in-law Martha
Kearney, was a former resident of Camphill)
Mr Shaw, who had Down's syndrome, died in 2021. His
sister-in-law, the BBC broadcaster Martha Kearney, has become a patron of
Camphill Milton Keynes and says the type of improvements planned at the
facility would mean people like Alastair would, in the future, be able to
remain at Camphill. "Anybody who met him knew what a truly and
exceptionally warm, fun and life-affirming person he was. "He really did
enhance his life here because it is a community, and he was a very sociable and
fun person. It gave him a real sense of fulfilment in his life. "When it
was first set up, Camphill was for younger people with learning
disabilities," she says. "But they got old, and at the moment it is
just not set up for older people. "Alastair's case shows the need there is
for the right type of care for older people to carry on living here in familiar
surroundings."
(Development manager Lucy Davies says they are building more
appropriate housing at Camphill)
Lucy Davies, development manager at Camphill, says the
community at Camphill "lives, works, plays and celebrates together". "Residents
get involved in creative workshops during the day and live together on
site," she says. "Living at Camphill is about having a real purpose
in life and meaningful activity. "Having a reason to get out of bed in the
morning is important to everybody, and that includes our residents here. "There
is now better medical care and a better awareness of how to support people with
disabilities so lifespans are being extended. "And as people age, they get
age-related illnesses such as dementia, sight loss and a loss of mobility. This
affects everybody. "Our houses need to adapt, and we are going to need to
build more appropriate housing for our residents and for more people with
disabilities so we can better serve Milton Keynes.
(Paddy Warr has become an expert in servicing tools since he
arrived at Camphill 18 years ago)
The site has its own tool workshop with a range of specialist
machines which can be used to refurbish a variety of items. Paddy Warr, 41, has
been at Camphill for 18 years and spends a lot of his week working servicing a
variety of tools which are then sent abroad. The types of tools he services
include bicycle repair kits. "Once they are serviced, we put them in a kit
and then they are sent abroad to be used." "I've got a lot of friends
here - and a girlfriend as well," he says. "I like it a lot
here."
^ This seems like such a nice place to live, educate and
grow. The Residents don’t just live here, but they learn a skill and work in
the community. That helps everyone. ^
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-64385565
From In Ukraine’s Facebook:
This is Mazhor - once a Puppy saved from the fire by Rescuers of the State
Emergency Service of Ukraine. Now he is a proud member of Rescue Team of one of
Odesa's Fire Brigades.
^ Every Ukrainian Man, Woman, Child, Pet and Animal is doing
whatever they can to defeat Russia and end their bloody War. ^
From Reuters/Yahoo:
“Russia not invited to Auschwitz liberation ceremony”
(The former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp
Auschwitz II-Birkenau in Brzezinka, Poland.)
Friday will mark the 78th anniversary of the haunting winter
afternoon when Red Army troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp of
Auschwitz-Birkenau, where more than a million people (the vast majority of them
Jews, but also political prisoners and Roma people) had been murdered.
But the annual commemoration in Oświęcim, Poland, will not
include Russian officials, the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum announced on Thursday.
That decision has less to do with the past — never far away in this sorrowful
corner of Europe — than with the present. “Because of the attack on free and
independent Ukraine, representatives of the Russian Federation have not been
invited to participate in this year's commemoration event of the anniversary of
the liberation of Auschwitz,” Pawel Sawicki, a press officer for the museum,
told Yahoo News in an email. Polish President Andrzej Duda will preside over
the ceremony, which takes place as fighting continues to rage in eastern
Ukraine. Poland has emerged as one of the strongest supporters of its neighbor
Ukraine, accepting hundreds of thousands of refugees and facilitating military
transfers from the West.
The ruined gas chambers, sparse wooden barracks and other
facilities that are toured by some 2.3 million visitors each year are “an
eloquent warning to mankind, how eloquent today in light of Russia's war crimes
in Ukraine,” the museum’s director, Piotr Cywinski, said when the 78th
anniversary ceremony was first announced. Russia responded sharply. "No
matter how our European 'non-partners' contrived in their attempts to rewrite
history in a new way, the memory of the Soviet heroes-liberators and horrors of
Nazism cannot be erased,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in
a social media post. Soviet prisoners of war in Auschwitz were among the first
to be subjected to the Nazi practice of using poison gas to commit mass murder
in 1941, before the first of the death camps in Poland opened the following
year. Hundreds of thousands of Jews would be murdered there and in a camp that,
by 1944, had expanded into a vast labor colony and killing factory known as
Auschwitz-Birkenau.
No other camp would survive intact, as Nazis sought to hide
evidence of their grotesque crimes against humanity. It was the Red Army’s
relentless advance that expelled Hitler’s forces from its conquered lands in
Eastern Europe, including Poland, leading to the eventual liberation of
Auschwitz-Birkenau by the 322nd Rifle Division of Russia's 60th Army. It was
the Red Army, too, that marched two months later into Berlin. The costs of the
triumph were great, with the Soviet Union losing an inconceivable 26 million
civilians and soldiers throughout the war. In her post, Zakharova recalled that
it was Soviet soldiers who “saved the world from the fascist plague.”
Both American and British authorities had known what had been
taking place at Auschwitz, but they had refused to bomb the rail lines that
brought thousands of Jews daily from across Europe to their deaths.
Although the Red Army was exceptionally diverse, drawing from
every segment of Soviet society, it was most closely identified with its
Russian history and core. And though Russia has a long history of antisemitism,
its defeat of Hitler relegated that — until the late 20th century — to a
background detail. Victory over Nazism remains central to Russian identity; the
conflict is known in Russia as the "Great Patriotic War."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has attempted to capture the
spirit of that time by claiming that he ordered the invasion of Ukraine to
“de-Nazify” its ruling regime. Putin’s narrative largely overlooks the fact
that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish. To address that fact,
some Russian officials have contorted World War II history to fit their
narrative, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov citing supposed Jewish
complicity in the Holocaust. His comments were denounced as false and
antisemitic, precipitating an apology from Putin to Israel’s then-prime
minister. The absence of Russian officials from Friday’s ceremony will prevent
a potentially awkward encounter: Slated to attend the event is U.S. second
gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a successful presidential
ticket (his wife is Vice President Kamala Harris) Emhoff, whose family is from
Eastern Europe, is currently touring Holocaust-related sites.
^ Putin and the Russians of today are committing Mass Murder
in places like Bucha, Ukraine and other War Crimes on Innocent Ukrainian Men,
Women and Children the same way that Hitler and the Germans did during World
War 2 so of course they shouldn’t be invited to this or any other Ceremony.
Hitler and the Germans tried to erase Jewish Culture and Life
during World War 2 and Putin and the Russians are trying to erase Ukrainian
Culture and Life today. ^
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-not-invited-to-auschwitz-liberation-ceremony-004815651.html
US Military Draft:
50 years ago today (January 27,
1973) the United States ended the Military Draft.
In Colonial America
(1492-1776) the Thirteen Colonies used a Militia System for Defense which
required able-bodied White Males to
enroll in the Militia, to undergo a minimum of Military Training, and to serve
for limited periods of time in War or Emergency.
The same Militia System
was used after the United States became independent in 1776, but was done at
the State Level (not the Federal Level) until 1789.
During the American
Revolutionary War, the States sometimes Drafted Men for Militia Duty or to
fill State Continental Army Units. This First National Conscription was
irregularly applied and failed to fill the Continental Ranks.
Post Ratification of the
Constitution in 1789, Article I.8.15, allows for Congress to Conscript.
Giving it the power to provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the
Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; Section 8.16 of
the same article, allows Congress to provide for organizing, arming, and
disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed
in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the
Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia
according to the discipline prescribed by Congress. Article II.2.1 makes the
President the Commander in Chief of the Militia. Conscientious
Objection was allowed and you could pay a fine instead of serving.
The Second Militia Act of 1792
defined the First Group who could be called up as "each and every free
able-bodied White Male Citizen" between the ages of 18 and 45.
During the War of 1812 (1812-1815):
President James Madison unsuccessfully attempted to Federally Draft 40,000 Men.
During the American Civil War
(1861-1865) both the Union and the Confederacy used the Draft.
In The Confederacy South: The
First Conscription Act, passed April 16, 1862, made any White Male between 18
and 35 years old liable to three years of Military Service. On September 27,
1862, the Second Act extended the age limit to 45 years. The Third Act, passed
February 17, 1864, changed this to 17 to 50 years old, for service of an
unlimited period. From 1862-1864 those Drafted could hire a Substitute to fight
for them. There were exemptions to the Draft (most notably the “Twenty Negro
Law” where any White Man that owned 20 or more Black Slaves couldn’t be
Drafted.) It lasted until the Confederacy was defeated in 1865. Conscientious
Objection was allowed and you could pay a fine ($500 or $9,141.41 in today’s
money) instead of serving.
In the Union North: The
Militia Act of 1862 authorized a Draft within a State when the State could not
meet its quota with Volunteers. The Act, for the first time, also allowed Blacks
to serve in the Militias as Soldiers and War Laborers, but in segregated Units
headed by White Officers. Anyone Drafted could hire a Substitute (someone not
themselves eligible to be Drafted) to fight for them. 2% of the Union Soldiers
who fought were Draftees and 6% of the Union Soldiers who fought were Draftee
Substitutes. Conscientious Objection was allowed and you could pay a fine ($300
or $5,484.85 in today’s money) instead of serving.
The Enrollment Act of 1863
also known as the Civil War Military Draft Act was the first genuine National
Conscription Law. The law required the enrollment of every Male Citizen and
those Immigrants who had filed for Citizenship, between 20 and 45 years of age,
unless exempted by the Act. The Act replaced the Militia Act of 1862. It set up
under the Union Army an elaborate machine for enrolling and Drafting Men for
Conscription. Quotas were assigned in each State, and each Congressional
District, with deficiencies in Volunteers being met by Conscription. The hiring
of Substitutes was still allowed. Draft Boards were local.
Once the Civil War ended in 1865
the Draft also ended and until 1917 the US Military had only Volunteers
(including during the Mexican-American War 1846-1848, the Second Opium War
1856-1859, the Various Indian Wars 1860s -1920s the Spanish-American War 1898,
the Philippine-American War 1899-1902, the Boxer Rebellion 1899-1901 and the
Mexican Border War 1910-1919.)
The Selective Service Act of
1917 allowed for the Draft during World War 1. All Males aged 21 to 30 were
required to register to potentially be selected for Military Service. At the
request of the War Department, Congress amended the Law in August 1918 to
expand the age range to include all men 18 to 45, and to bar further Volunteering.
Unlike during the Civil War no Draft Substitutes could fight for you. The US
Military was still segregated. Draft Boards were local. Conscientious Objection
was allowed, but you had to serve in Non-Combat Military Roles.
By the end of World War I, some 2
Million Men volunteered for various branches of the Armed Services, and some
2.8 Million had been Drafted. The Draft ended when World War 1 ended on
November 11, 1918.
From 1918-1940 the US Military
only had Volunteers.
The Selective Training and
Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke–Wadsworth Act, was the first Peacetime
Conscription in United States history. This Selective Service Act required that
Men who had reached their 21st Birthday but had not yet reached their 36th Birthday
register with local Draft Boards. From 1940-1942 there was a National Draft
Lottery.
When the U.S. entered World War
II in 1941, all Men from their 18th Birthday until the day before their 45th Birthday
were made subject to Military Service, and all Men from their 18th birthday until
the day before their 65th Birthday were required to register and those Drafted
served for the “duration of the War plus 6 months.” From 1942-1945 the National
Draft Lottery was replaced with the Local Draft Boards. Conscientious Objection
was allowed, but you had to join the Civilian Public Service (working in soil
conservation, forestry, fire fighting, agriculture, social services and mental
health services.) 12,000 Americans served in the CPS.
By 1945, 50 Million American Men
had registered for the Draft and 10 Million served.
From 1946-1948 the US Military
had all Volunteers.
The Selective Service Act of
1948, also known as the Elston Act, was a major revision of the Articles of
War of the United States enacted June 24, 1948 that established the current
implementation of the Selective Service System. The new Law required all Men of
age 18 to 26 to register. The US Military also
became integrated in 1948.
During the Korean War
1950-1953 The Selective Service System used Local Draft Boards to Draft 1.5
Million Men. In 1953 President Eisenhower ended the Paternity Deferment for Married
Men.
In 1962 President Kennedy ordered
that Men with Children be placed at the bottom of the Draft List and Married
Men without Children be placed right above those with Men with Children.
President Johnson ended both of these policies in 1965.
During the Vietnam War
1964-1973 8,744,000 Americans served in the US Military of whom 3,403,000
were deployed to Southeast Asia with 2,215,000 of them Draftees.
Of the nearly 16 Million Men not
engaged in active military service, 96% were Exempted (typically because of
jobs including other Military Service), Deferred (usually for Educational Reasons),
or Disqualified (usually for Physical and Mental Deficiencies but also for Criminal
Records including Draft Violations).
On December 1, 1969, a National
Draft Lottery was held to establish a Draft priority for all those born
between 1944 and 1950. This was done by President Nixon because the Local Draft
Boards were seen as favoring the White and Rich in whom they forced to serve. A
National Draft Lottery was also held in 1970, 1971 and 1972. Conscientious Objection was allowed, but you
had to serve in a Non-Combat Military Role or go to Prison.
On January 27, 1973 the US
officially ended the Military Draft (after the Paris Peace Accord between the
US and North Vietnam – also signed on January 27, 1973.
From 1973-1980 not only was the
US Military All-Volunteer, but Men no longer had to register for the Draft with
the Selective Service System.
In 1980, after the Soviets
invaded Afghanistan, President Carter started requiring all Men to register for
the Selective Service System from the time they were 18 until they were 25.
This requirement remains in place today with many Federal and State Penalties
for not registering (ie. a Federal Felony punishable by up to 5 years Imprisonment
or a $250,000 Fine.)
Today, the Selective Service
System continues to update its policies with Congress in case the Draft is ever
brought back. If the Draft was returned there would be a National Draft Lottery
to ensure equality (although Women still won’t be Drafted even though they have
been allowed in Combat Roles since 2016.) College Deferments would only last
until the end of that Semester and not when you graduated.
Current Changed to any
National Draft Lottery: the Men called first would be those who are or will
turn 20 years old in the calendar year or those whose Deferments will end in
the calendar year. Each year after, the Man will be placed on a lower priority
status until his liability ends.
For 50 years the US Military has
been an All-Volunteer Force. They have fought in: the last days of the Cold War
1973-1991, Lebanon 1982-1984, Grenada 1983, Libya 1986, Panama 1989-1990, the
Gulf War 1990-1991, Iraqi No-Fly Zone 1991-2003, Somalia 1992-1995, the Former
Yugoslavia 1992-1996, Haiti 1994-1995, Kosovo 1998-1999, Afghanistan 2001-2021,
Yemen 2002-Present, Iraq 2003-2021, Pakistan 2004-2018, Somalia 2007-Present,
Indian Ocean Pirates 2009-2016, Libya 2011, Uganda 2011-2017, Syria
2014-Present and Libya 2015-2019.
A Poll conducted in 1973 (when
the Draft ended) found that 84% of every American either served or knew a Loved
One that served in the US Military.
A Poll conducted in 2019 found
that 0.01% of every American either served or knew a Loved One that served in
the US Military.
Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords,
(Vietnamese: Hiệp định Paris về Việt Nam) officially titled the Agreement on
Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam (Hiệp định về chấm dứt chiến
tranh, lập lại hòa bình ở Việt Nam), was a peace treaty signed on January 27,
1973, to establish peace in Vietnam and end the Vietnam War. The treaty
included the governments of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam),
the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), and the United States, as well as the
Republic of South Vietnam (PRG) that represented South Vietnamese communists.
US ground forces up to that point had been sidelined with deteriorating morale
and gradually withdrawn to coastal regions, not taking part in offensive
operations or much direct combat for the preceding two-year period. The Paris
Agreement Treaty would in effect remove all remaining US Forces, including air
and naval forces in exchange. Direct U.S. military intervention was ended, and
fighting between the three remaining powers temporarily stopped for less than a
day. The agreement was not ratified by the United States Senate.
The negotiations that led to the
accord began in 1968, after various lengthy delays. As a result of the accord,
the International Control Commission (ICC) was replaced by the International
Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS) to fulfill the agreement. The main
negotiators of the agreement were United States National Security Advisor Henry
Kissinger and North Vietnamese politburo member Lê Đức Thọ; the two men were
awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts, although Lê Đức Thọ
refused to accept it. The agreement's provisions were immediately and
frequently broken by both North and South Vietnamese forces with no official
response from the United States. Open fighting broke out in March 1973, and
North Vietnamese offenses enlarged their control by the end of the year. Two
years later, a massive North Vietnamese offensive conquered South Vietnam on
April 30, 1975, after which the two countries, separated since 1954, united
once more on July 2, 1976, as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Part of the
negotiations took place in the former residence of French painter Fernand Léger
which was bequeathed to the French Communist Party. Ironically the street of
the house was named after Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque who had commanded
French forces in Vietnam after the Second World War.
The agreement called for:
The withdrawal of all U.S. and
allied forces within sixty days.
The return of prisoners of war
parallel to the above.
The clearing of mines from North
Vietnamese ports by the U.S.
A cease-fire in place in South
Vietnam followed by precise delineations of communist and government zones of
control.
The establishment of a “National
Council of National Reconciliation and Concord” composed of a communist, government,
and neutralist side to ensure democratic liberties and organize free elections
in South Vietnam.
The reunification of Vietnam
through peaceful means without coercion or annexation by either party, and
without foreign interference.
The establishment of “Joint
Military Commissions” composed of the four parties and an “International
Commission of Control and Supervision” composed of Canada, Hungary, Indonesia,
and Poland to implement the cease-fire. Both operate by unanimity.
The withdrawal of foreign troops
from Laos and Cambodia.
A ban on the introduction of war
material in South Vietnam unless on a replacement basis.
A ban on introducing further
military personnel into South Vietnam.
U.S. financial contributions to
“healing the wounds of war” throughout Indochina.
Aftermath
The Paris Peace Accords
effectively removed the U.S. from the conflict in Vietnam. Prisoners from both
sides were exchanged, with American ones primarily released during Operation
Homecoming. Around 31,961 North Vietnamese/VC prisoners (26,880 military, 5081
civilians) were released in return for 5942 South Vietnamese prisoners.
However, the agreement's provisions were routinely flouted by both the North
Vietnamese and the South Vietnamese government, eliciting no response from the
United States, and ultimately resulting in the communists enlarging the area
under their control by the end of 1973. North Vietnamese military forces
gradually built up their military infrastructure in the areas they controlled
and two years later were in a position to launch the successful offensive that
ended South Vietnam's status as an independent country. Fighting began almost
immediately after the agreement was signed, due to a series of mutual retaliations,
and by March 1973, full-fledged war had resumed.
Nixon had secretly promised Thiệu
that he would use airpower to support the South Vietnamese government should it
be necessary. During his confirmation hearings in June 1973, Secretary of
Defense James Schlesinger was sharply criticized by some senators after he
stated that he would recommend resumption of U.S. bombing in North Vietnam if
North Vietnam launched a major offensive against South Vietnam, but by August
15, 1973, 95% of American troops and their allies had left Vietnam (both North
and South) as well as Cambodia and Laos under the Case-Church Amendment. The
amendment, which was approved by the U.S. Congress in June 1973, prohibited
further U.S. military activity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia unless the
president secured Congressional approval in advance. However, during this time,
Nixon was being driven from office due to the Watergate scandal, which led to
his resignation in 1974. When the North Vietnamese began their final offensive
early in 1975, the U.S. Congress refused to appropriate increased military
assistance for South Vietnam, citing strong opposition to the war by Americans
and the loss of American equipment to the North by retreating Southern forces.
Thiệu subsequently resigned, accusing the U.S. of betrayal in a TV and radio
address:
At the time of the peace
agreement the United States agreed to only replace equipment on a one-by-one
basis. But the United States did not keep its word. Is an American's word
reliable these days? The United States did not keep its promise to help us
fight for freedom and it was in the same fight that the United States lost
50,000 of its young men.
Saigon fell to the North
Vietnamese army supported by Viet Cong units on April 30, 1975. Schlesinger had
announced early in the morning of April 29 the beginning of Operation Frequent
Wind, which entailed the evacuation of the last U.S. diplomatic, military and
civilian personnel from Saigon via helicopter, which was completed in the early
morning hours of April 30. Not only did North Vietnam conquer South Vietnam,
but the communists were also victorious in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge
captured Phnom Penh on April 17, as were the Pathet Lao in Laos successful in
capturing Vientiane on December 2. Like Saigon, U.S. civilian and military
personnel were evacuated from Phnom Penh, U.S. diplomatic presence in Vientiane
was significantly downgraded, and the number of remaining U.S. personnel was
severely reduced.
Assessment According to
Finnish historian Jussi Hanhimäki, due to triangular diplomacy which isolated
it, South Vietnam was "pressurized into accepting an agreement that
virtually ensured its collapse". During negotiations, Kissinger stated
that the United States would not intervene militarily 18 months after an
agreement, but that it might intervene before that. In Vietnam War
historiography, this has been termed the "decent interval".
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Today is International
Remembrance Day: 2023 is the 78th Anniversary of the liberation of the German
Concentration and Death Camps by the Allies and the end of the Holocaust.
Between March 1933 and May 1945
the Germans ran around 42,500 Concentration, Labor, POW and Death Camps and
Ghettos throughout occupied Europe. Between 15-20 Million Men, Women and Children
were imprisoned and/or died at these sites.
That number includes:
8 Death Camps (in German-Occupied
Poland: Auschwitz, Chełmno, Bełżec, Sobibór, Treblinka, Majdanek, Maly
Trostenets in German-Occupied-Belarus) and Sajmiste in German-Occupied Serbia)
980 Concentration Camps
30,000 Camp Slave Labor Camps
1,150 Jewish Ghettos
500 Brothels filled with Sex
Slaves
8 Disabled Killing Centers
(Am Spiegelgrund Clinic in Austria, Bernburg Euthanasia Centre in Germany,
Brandenburg Euthanasia Centre in Germany, Grafeneck Euthanasia Centre in
Germany, Hadamar Euthanasia Centre in Germany,
Hartheim Euthanasia Centre in Germany, Soldau Concentration Camp in
German-Occupied Poland and Sonnenstein Euthanasia Centrein Germany)
1,000 POW camps
Targeted Groups Murdered By
Nazi Germany: 1933-1945
Jews: 6 Million Men, Women and Children.
Soviet Prisoners of War:
3.3 Million Soldiers (including 50,000 Jewish Soldiers.)
Non-Jewish Polish Civilians:
3 Million Men, Women and Children.
Serb Civilians (on the
territory of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina): 600,000 Men, Women and Children.
People with Disabilities:
270,000 Men, Women and Children (doesn’t include the 375,000 Disabled who were
Forcibly Sterilized.)
Roma and Sinti (Gypsies):
500,000 Men, Women and Children.
Jehovah's Witnesses: 5,000 Men, Women and Children.
Homosexuals: 9,000 Men in Concentration Camps (Doesn’t
include the 50,000 Men held in Regular Prisons.)
From AF Times:
“VA officials work to raise awareness of cemetery, burial
services”
(Visitors walk the grounds of the Idaho State Veterans
Cemetery in Boise on May 29, 2021.)
Veterans Affairs officials want to remind vets that some
department benefits extend not only for the rest of their lives, but also after
they pass away.Only about 20% of veterans who died last year were buried free of charge in department
or state-run veterans cemeteries. Less than half of individuals eligible for
some type of burial or gravesite financial assistance took advantage of the
benefit. “I want even more veterans and family members to know about and take
advantage of the final benefits a veteran earns for their service,” said
Matthew Quinn, under secretary for memorial affairs at the National Cemetery
Administration, in a press event on Tuesday. “They have the option to choose VA
for their final wishes. And we will take care of them and their loved ones in a
manner that mirrors their own dedicated service and devotion to our nation, in
perpetuity.” We must honor our promises to the fallen and never forget their
families who sacrificed so much.
NCA officials are making the push to highlight VA burial
services as the country approaches the 50th anniversary of the agency assuming
control of national veterans cemeteries. Today, there are 155 such resting
places managed by VA and another 121 funded by the department. But use of the
burial benefits lags behind other well-known VA support services. About 85% of
veterans eligible for education benefits use those payouts. Roughly two-thirds
of veterans eligible for VA health care actively use those medical services. Quinn
said several factors play into the lower usage rate for burial services,
including “family wishes” that multiple individuals be interred in the same
plot. Only spouses and certain other dependents can be buried alongside a
veteran in a national cemetery. But other assistance — such as free headstones
for veterans being interred at private cemeteries and free medallions for
existing headstones to denote the deceased individual’s veterans status — are
often overlooked because family members and funeral homes aren’t familiar with
the benefits.
VA provided about 350,000 headstones for veterans graves last
year, and another 12,000 medallions. Quinn said while veterans are under no
obligation to use the services, individuals interested should consider applying
before any of the services are needed to ensure they have the options ready. “Applying
for eligibility prior to the veteran’s death ensures that necessary service
records are in order, so grieving family members do not have to search for
military discharge papers while they are already under great stress,” he said. More
information is available on the National Cemetery Administration website.
^ Veterans and their Spouses should be educated about these Benefits.
I have several Family Members buried in National Cemeteries and they are really
nice and well-kept. ^
