In a war replete with suffering, sacrifice and courage, June 6, 1944, or “D-Day,” stands out as a unique example of courage and heroism.
Stars and Stripes is marking the 75th anniversary with a look at the events of D-Day in tribute to the men who fought and died for the liberation of Europe from Nazi tyranny.
For something totally off topic but totally on topic too
Sometimes I miss having Patsi’s pov on the Nashville scene. It looks like one thing is constant everytime country music advances there are a lot of loud voices screaming, “but that ain’t country”
Jack
For a little background to the video
In today’s NYT, after being (once again) called out on his latest lie, this time about his comments on Meghan Markle being nasty:
The article is a fun, sad, read.
And this is a proud, sad day.
Ya know our parents lived through abnormal times. Their lives encompassed truly great communal events from the great depression, WWII and then the post war boom that lasted through the 60s. Compared to their experiences, for the generations before and those since, things were pretty boring and undramatic.
Just thinkin’
Jack
Pogo
It has got to where nobody believes him, He has threatened a trade war with with Mexico and the market didn’t even drop enough to be worth placing a bet on the bounce. The market and the world basically just went “yawn”
Trumps big problem is that he is politically dishonest. You can’t trust his word and that is really the only thing a politician has to trade on. You can lie to the people but when you make a deal with your fellow leaders/politicians you stick with it.
Jack
Jack,
You’ve hit the nail on the head.
Newsflash. For the third year in a row under SFB the Dow crossed the magic 25000 threshold. To SFB’s credit 2017 was gang busters for the Dow. Since then, as Jack put it, yawn.
politico:
[…]
Nadler pressed Pelosi to allow his committee to launch an impeachment inquiry against Trump — the second such request he’s made in recent weeks only to be rebuffed by the California Democrat and other senior leaders. Pelosi stood firm, reiterating that she isn’t open to the idea of impeaching Trump at this time.
“I don’t want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison,” Pelosi said, according to multiple Democratic sources familiar with the meeting. Instead of impeachment, Pelosi still prefers to see Trump defeated at the ballot box and then prosecuted for his alleged crimes, according to the sources.
They said she was expressing solidarity with pro-impeachment Democrats who want to hold the president accountable while disputing the idea that it is now time to take that step. Pelosi has long argued that certain conditions must be met before Democrats begin impeachment — public support and strong bipartisan backing, neither of which have so far materialized.
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The last wagon…..Richard Widmark as Comanche Todd 1956
the train robbers with John Wayne as Lane. 1973. With Ann- Margaret and Bobby Vinton.
Wonder if I’ll ever see another Wild Bill Elliot film.
for those who enjoy a good dose of sarcasm to start the day, I recommend this from the guardian’s Hadley Freeman:
What we learned from the Trump family’s London vacation
[…]
Quite why US taxpayers were funding Trump’s four very definitely adult children to come on a family holiday to London has never been explained by a White House administration whose only consistent policy has been “never explain, never apologise”. Yet, in an administrative snafu, someone with self-awareness has been hired to run the White House’s Instagram account and he or she notably cut the Trump juniors out of all photos posted of National Lampoon’s London Vacation. Even Ivanka only makes a fleeting, possibly accidental appearance, even though, as we all know, she has a very important job in the White House that she totally got on her own merit.
Yet while the White House itself might have been strangely reluctant to record this made-for-TV sequel to the 90s comedy King Ralph, the Trump juniors were documenting their every move online with the enthusiasm of, well, hopelessly basic American embarrassments. And given that this presidency was pretty much won on social media, it makes sense to recall its high points the same way.
Ivanka kicked things off with a photo of her outside the V&A, on her way to visit the Christian Dior show, and as an American taxpayer, can I just say how thrilled I am to have paid for her to do this? Other highlights include what is now known as the Children of the Corn photo, in which Ivanka peers mournfully through a window in Buckingham Palace alongside her husband, Jared Kushner, who, judging from his recent TV interview appearance, has Botoxed his brain. Another photo shows her sitting at a boardroom table “to discuss advancing our bilateral trade relationship”, and of course she would be there, being the – wait a minute, let me check my notes. I need more time. Ah! She is the “informal adviser to the president”. Is that just code for “favourite child”? Nothing strange AT ALL about her being at these talks, looking very much like Boardroom Barbie. And before anyone cries “sexist”, I say that not because Ivanka is an attractive woman. I say it because she is an idiot.
Which brings us to Dumb and Dumber, AKA Donnie Jr and Eric. Donnie, sadly, left his girlfriend, former Fox News presenter Kimberly Guilfoyle, back in the US, which is a shame, because she would have been the sludge on this whole trip’s cowpat pie. Still, Donnie wasn’t a total bust: the photo he posted of him and his siblings in the Churchill War Rooms was a real insight for those who ever wondered what Britain would have looked like if the Nazis had won the war. Eric Trump is best known for the lawsuit issued against his charity, and his presence here, alongside his pregnant wife Lara, was so inexplicable I have nothing to say about it. Other than that his fondness for placing a hand on his wife’s stomach (“Look what I did!!!”) in photos is so creepy it should be illegal.
I loved youngest Trump daughter Tiffany’s decision to dress like Aunt Pittypat for the dinner at Buck House. But more than that, I loved that dinner. One day, can the person who decided which American was paired with which Brit – Ivanka with Liam Fox! Kate Middleton with Steve Mnuchin! Sarah Sanders with Prince Michael! – explain how those decisions were made? And will I go to hell for wheeling out the shamelessly predictable Star Wars cantina analogy? Ah well, too late.
But it was the King of Social Media, the big Don, who definitively won this trip’s social media war, when he marked D-day by furiously tweeting at 1am on Wednesday about “psycho Bette Midler”. You can take the Trump out of America, but you can’t take the Trump out of Trump.
The last wagon had a great ending dialog between the military judge and Comanche Todd on the nature of freedom and justice.
vanity fair also had a go at backstage antics during the state visit. here’s the lead in to:
Trump Uses State Visit to Pimp Money-Losing Golf Course
For most government officials, the purpose of a state visit is to burnish ties with another nation, emphasizing friendship and cooperation between the two sovereign states. For Jed Clampett in the White House, it’s been an opportunity to score a free vacation for his adult children who’ve flouted their host’s (clearly marked!) rules while their father has insulted the locals; described a member of the royal family as “nasty”; threatened to go after the U.K.’s beloved health care system; and called a woman a “washed-up psycho” while staying at the ambassador’s residence. Truly, it’s a wonder he wasn’t caught shoving a pair of silver candlesticks down his pants during dinner at Buckingham Palace, and/or asking Prince Charles if he’s ever considered trading Camilla in for a younger model. Luckily, he did remember to use his trip abroad to—what else?—hype one of the for-profit businesses whose proceeds go directly into his pocket.
The Washington Post reports that Donald Trump, who’s never missed an opportunity to funnel money from taxpayers directly into his wallet, will spend the night at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Ireland, the Trump Organization’s property in Doonbeg, after his brief meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. He’ll then fly to France Thursday morning for D-Day commemorations, return to Doonbeg for another sleepover, and fly back to Washington Friday.
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Sturg, for me the most memorable John Wayne flick of that period is the Quiet Man. And, wasn’t he in African Queen? No, no that was Bogart
Pat, because of Ireland’s virulent anti-WW2 stance to include jailing of people who violated their concept of neutrality by joining our, or our Allies forces to fight the Nazis. For Trump to spend the night in Eire is an insult to my Irish heritage.
Dammit, have the smoke detectors doing their give me fresh batteries chirp. Off to Batteries and Bulbs.
jack, earlier you said “ You can’t trust his word and that is really the only thing a politician has to trade on.” that also applies to countries and their treaties/pacts/agreements.
not so sure nowadays allies (or even frenemies) feel they can trust deal making with us anymore.
he’s pulled us out of so many in just these 2 years.
last year even Iran warned North Korea: “Never Negotiate With The United States” .
Jack
The last period of a feeling of true community completely broke down following Viet Nam. How many of the kids growing up today are familiar with whole family events such as Canasta Parties, Social groups such as Moose & Elks, bowling leagues etc. Sure they still exist, but in an age of two job families, long commutes, cable TV, and fast food it is definitely the age of isolation in a wasteland of too many choices.
Flatus,
“The Man Who Never Was” was based on the deception to convince the Germans that a major landing would be elsewhere other than Sicily. It is now being remade as “Mincemeat” which was the code name. Central to the story was an IRA Nazi spy.
Jamie, during the process of learning more about all this, Guinness with all its machinations, came into the picture. Most of the information I just came across is in a woven trail through the pages of ancient issues of the Economist. Fits right in with the drama of your link.
Gonna get out the ladder and start changing batteries. It’ll take an hour
and there was [per wiki]
also from raw story: Inflatable tanks and ‘fake news’: the little-known side of D-Day
[…]
– Inflatable tanks –
“Fake news” might be considered a modern phenomenon, but the British led a deception campaign, codenamed Operation Fortitude, to try and fool the Germans into thinking the Allies planned to attack Scandinavia, then France’s Calais region, rather than Normandy.
Inflatable tanks were positioned on the British coast facing Calais, and metallic lures were used to make it appear to German radar that a large force was about to land near Calais. Fake radio messages were leaked to German intelligence services.
Even after the D-Day landings on June 6, the Germans believed a second attack was planned in the Calais region. Hitler eventually ordered troops to join the Normandy front.
– Native American ‘code talkers’ –
Communicating through coded messages would have taken too long during the landings and commanders couldn’t speak in English in case they were intercepted by the Germans.
Instead, the Americans used Native American “code talkers”, especially the Comanche, who worked in their indigenous language.
John Parker, son of “code talker” Simmons Parker, remembers that “bomber plane” was translated as “pregnant bird”.
He said his father told him that in the Comanche language, “crazy white man” meant Hitler.
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back at the guardian on the trump family vacation across the pond, this time with photos:
A collective sigh of relief as the Trumps left the UK en masse; the land a little less orange, a little less Sad! The palace staff keen to get cracking on Febrezing the shit out of all the furniture any of them touched. Harry unclenching his fists for the first time in 48 hours.
Unfortunately for the Irish, Donald and Melania Trump arrived at Shannon airport to inflict themselves on another nation’s hospitality – like a less charming double-act version of Edward Gorey’s Doubtful Guest.
The taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, last seen mixing with the Trump administration on American soil when he pointedly introduced his fit doctor boyfriend to anti-LGBT deputy president, Mike Pence, played another blinder. He refused to meet the Trumps at their Doonbeg golf course and instead “hosted” them in an airport lounge. Which is about as welcoming as spitting in someone’s tea in addition to making it the colour of a greyhound. Let’s take a look.
[continues with several pictures with witty captions ]
I am real Melania. I am being held against will. When he eats hamburger in bed, he wipe grease on the duvet cover. He tweets in shower, and then doesn’t understand why phone break. Please help me. I want live in basement with Tiffany. But he not let me. Do you have basement here in Ireland? Meet me at midnight.
Wait ’til SFB gets the bill for his 800-number.
For peat’s sake Melania, go to the nearest village and they’ll help you dig.
Pat, the stacks depicted on today’s New Yorker cover mirror my situation. I can’t see to read and my fingers won’t turn pages.
Jack…..one week a while back as I happened to be in the truck a lot, (my only radio), for 3 days I listened to the “Country Music” station. I began to notice something and began to count the songs which had the same drum beat. As time went by I gave that up and decided to count instead the songs which did NOT have that same drum beat. At the end of 3 days, that number was “zero”. Yep, I bet Patsi would have an opinion of that.
Once I drew up a cartoon which showed an average country singer of the time—think hat and boots and music note sport coat by Nudie of Hollywood—he’s out on the savannah in Africa, just him and a Pygmy and he has just finished his song and is standing there as if waiting for the applause. The Pygmy says, “That ain’t country.”
I sent it to the New Yorker and they wrote me a nice letter saying how they only published cartoonists who have an agent.
The IA Straw Vote is coming in August. We’ll soon see if the Iowegian people have a sense of humor, drama, and revenge.
IA makes and sells corn, soybeans, pigs, and cattle. It also makes and sells farm and construction equipment, like Vermeer. That’s Iowa, and it is therefore on the front lines of trump’s Trade Wars.
If they aren’t feeling the pain yet, the good news is that the Iowa Caucuses are six months after the Straw Vote. Perhaps by then a fair number of IA Dems will feel that it is more important to inject panic into the trump Campaign than it is to winnow their own party candidates.
Gawd, how I love politics.
Tonight: “The guns of Fort Petticoat”
Audie Murphy as union army deserter who organizes a bunch of women in a defense against the marauding band of native americans. 1957
One of the themes of O Brother, Where Art thou ? was the battle of ‘Old Timey Music’ vs the new-fangled, tin pan alley, New York City-type of country music that had recently become fashionable among the Rural Set. It seems that each succeeding generation falls for a brand new style of ersatz country. We also see this phenomenon in the musics called Folk, Gospel and the Blues. It seems that people just can’t leave well enough alone, darn ’em.
I wonder if there were ‘purists’ who bidged about the music of Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven. Hey there, that ain’t Classical !
Audie Murphy as a deserter. I’d find it hard to gin up the old ‘willful suspension of disbelief ‘ for a movie like that. I mean, over and above Murphy’s unconvincing thespian effort. I just don’t think I could make my brain accept Murphy as a deserter. I mean, really !
XR, when the young upstarts tried introducing their music into the royal court circles there were tremendous amounts of resistance–some things never change
Casting Audie Murphy as a deserter is sort of like casting John Wayne as a German naval officer or as Genghis Khan. You might as well cast Spring Byington as Rasputin.
He was a good deserter…..deserted Chivington who ordered the Sand Creek massacre.
And now it’s “Bullet for a Bad Man” with Audie Murphy and Darren McGavin as the bad man. 1964
Spring Byington is a regular on tv show “Laramie”
and murphy the deserter goes back to stand trial for desertion after saving the ladies from the native americans. then the ladies burst into the trial and turn the tables on Chivington who has to stand trial for the Sand Creek massacree.
My favorite of the war film type is The Longest Day with its phenomenal cast and one cute story.
Richard Todd who actually was with the Brits on the Normandy Invasion as part of Operation Overlord played his commanding officer, Major John Howard, while another younger actor played Richard Todd.
Jennifer Rubin, WaPo:
Trump, in carving his path of destruction through Anglo-American relations, declared in an interview with Piers Morgan on Wednesday that “I would not have have minded that at all. I would have been honored” to serve in Vietnam. Now, he got out of service for “bone spurs,” so one wonders if he really didn’t mind.
Moreover, Trump sounded like he had — don’t laugh — conscientious objections to the war: “I thought it was very far away, and at that time nobody ever heard of the country. So many people dying, what is happening over there? So I was never a fan — like we’re fighting against Nazi Germany, we’re fighting against Hitler.”
Neville, we’ve missed you.
More from Jen:
Yes, and thank you.
I just saw a headline- “Trump Calls Nancy Pelosi a Mean, Nasty, Vindictive, Person.” Talk about the pot calling the kettle black…
NEW THREAD