Showing posts with label Franklin Roosevelt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Franklin Roosevelt. Show all posts
A Day which will always live in infamy
Every year I post something about Pearl Harbor as I strongly believe it is an event we should never forget, and we should never take our freedom for granted. So watch.
Today I thought I would take a moment to honor thousands of brave men
You can read more about their fascinating stories here. I strongly encourage you to.
If you have the time here is a documentary on the Normanday invasion aka Operation Overlord June 6, 1944.
And the prayer President Roosevelt said when he announced the invasion had taken place:
THANK YOU!
One sad note is on Tuesday the last of the original group of the Navajo Code talkers passed away at the age of 91. His name was Chester Nez.
Also this week Mary Churchill last surviving daughter of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill who was our ally during the war passed away also at the age of 91. Mary accompanied her father to a number of war conferences with Roosevelt, Truman, and Stalin and worked for the Red Cross and the Women's Voluntary Service from 1939 to 1941.
She also served with the Auxiliary Territorial Service with in London, Belgium and Germany in mixed anti-aircraft batteries, rising to the rank of Junior Commander (equivalent to Captain).
Sadly these fine men (and women) who served in the last necessary war, World War II are dying off pretty fast. Let's honor their memory today.
1933 and 2013 have a lot of similarities
From NPR
It was a dangerous time in America: The economy was staggering,
The newly elected president pursued an ambitious legislative program aimed at easing some of the troubles. But he faced vitriolic opposition from both sides of the political spectrum.
"This is despotism, this is tyranny, this is the annihilation of liberty," one senator wrote to a colleague. "The ordinary American is thus reduced to the status of a robot. The president has not merely signed the death warrant of capitalism, but has
Those words could be ripped from today's headlines. In fact, author Sally Denton tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz, they come from a letter written in 1933 by Republican Sen. Henry D. Hatfield of West Virginia, bemoaning the policies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Denton is the author of a new book, The Plots Against the President: FDR, a Nation in Crisis, and the Rise of the American Right.
She says that during the tense months between FDR's election in November and his inauguration in March 1933, democracy hung in the balance.
"There was a lot at
Though it's hard for us to imagine today, she says fascism, communism, even Naziism seemed like possible solutions to the country's ills.
"There were suggestions that capitalism was not working, that democracy was not working," she says.
Some people even called for a dictator to pull America out of the Great Depression.
When Roosevelt finally took office, he embarked on the now-legendary First Hundred Days, an ambitious legislative program aimed at reopening and stabilizing the country's banks and getting the economy moving again.
"There was just this sense that he was upsetting the status quo," Denton says.
Critics on the right worried that Roosevelt was a Communist, a socialist or the tool of a Jewish conspiracy. Critics on the left complained his policies didn't go far enough. Some of Roosevelt's opponents didn't stop at talk. Though it's barely remembered today, there was a genuine conspiracy to overthrow the president.
The Wall Street Putsch, as it's known today, was a plot by a group of right-wing financiers.
"They thought that they could convince Roosevelt, because he was of their, the patrician class, they thought that they could convince Roosevelt to relinquish power to basically a fascist, military-type government," Denton says.
"It was a cockamamie concept," she adds, "and the fact that it even got as far as it did is pretty shocking."
The conspirators had several million dollars, a stockpile of weapons and had even reached out to a retired Marine general, Smedley Darlington Butler, to lead their forces.
"Had he been a different kind of person, it might have gone a lot further," Denton says. "But he saw it as treason and he reported it to Congress."
Denton says that as she was writing the book, she was struck by the parallels between the treatment of Roosevelt and that of Barack Obama. For example, a cottage industry much like the birther movement grew up around proving that the Dutch-descended Roosevelt was actually a secret Jew.
"It seems to me that going through history here, there are times that we need to have a demon, somebody that's not of us, in order to solidify our fears and our anxieties," Denton says.
"And I don't know what that is in the impulse of the American body politic, but... this is 75 years later, and some of these same impulses continue."
I am really surprised the Tea Party of today hasn't tried something similar. I could see Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz, the Pauls, and Mitt Romney pulling shit like this. And they would like someone like Stanley McCrystal who was fired by President Obama to help.
If Franklin Delano Roosevelt were alive today
Today is the 130th anniversary of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's birth. He was our 32nd president. In my opinion he was the best president of the 20th Century. Abraham Lincoln was the best president of the 19th Century.
FDR and Obama have a lot in common.
Both are Democrats.
When they both took over the presidency they inherited an economic crisis.
FDR eventually became a war president. Obama was a war president from Day One.
Both their fathers died while they were in college
Speaking of college, FDR graduated from Harvard and attended Columbia Law School
Obama graduated from Columbia and Harvard Law School
The women that raised them (Sarah Roosevelt (FDR's mother) and Mrs. Dunham, (Obama's grandmother) both died when they were 86.
Both their Vice President's first names started with the letter J-John Nance Garner, FDR's first VP, and Joe Biden
Both their Vice Presidents were 65 when elected
Both have had assassination attempts
Both had wives who said controversial things and were accused of meddling
Both were accused of being a dictator, a communist, and a socialist
FDR ushered in reform the New Deal. Obama ushered in health care reform and DADT.
Both were viewed as demagogues.
Both had to deal with big money opposition. The Liberty League founded by the Du Ponts were against FDR and even tried to have him overthrown. Obama has the wrath of the Koch brothers who founded Americans for Prosperity.
FDR was born, raised, and lived in Hyde Park NY. Obama eventually settled in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.
Both started out as State Senators.
Both were concerned about the common man.
Right now we could use a little of FDR's guidance. I think what President Obama should have done was take a page from the New Deal playbook. Instead of bailing out banks, he should have declared a bank holiday, shut down the big banks in trouble and audit them.
As for the auto industry, what he should have done was have the Big 3 manufacture tanks, jeeps, and humvees instead of cars and trucks for two years for the military instead of the Cash for Clunkers programs. That way they were not getting free money. They did the same in World War 2.
Don't get me wrong. I like President Obama and most of what he has done, but the bailouts are something I didn't agree with at all.
In 1933 when FDR took office unemployment was at 25%, by the end of his first term it was down to about 12. Then he cut back on New Deal spending which caused another recession. Remember Dick Cheney once said deficits do not matter.
April 12-a sad day in American History
Two very significant events happened on April 12.
April 12, 1861-the first shots of the American Civil War fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The war lasted from April 12, 1861-April 9, 1865. President Abraham Lincoln was shot five days after the war ended in Ford Theatre and died the next day What led to the Civil War was the argument of slavery. Lincoln campaigned in the 1860 Presidential Election against expanding slavery beyond the states that already existed. Lincoln won the election against Stephen A. Douglas who felt should be left up to the states.
After Lincoln was elected in November, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee seceded from the Union forming the Confederate States of America. These states loved slavery and hated anyone who was not like them.
By April the war was started. For a few years the South was winning the war, but the Battle of Gettsyburg in 1863 which was won by the Union changed the tide of the War. Following the battle Lincoln made his famous Gettysburg Address. The North started pushing back and the following year led by William Tecumseh Sherman burned Atlanta and marched to the Sea Also in 1863 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all the slaves.
In 1864 Lincoln was re-elected president defeating one of his Generals George B McClellan. On April 9, 1865 Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse ending the war.
Fast forward to 80 years later. April 12, 1945 while at his summer home in Warm Springs GA, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt succumbed to a cerebral hemhorrage. He was only 63.
Roosevelt was one of the greatest presidents in US history along with Lincoln. He was also elected to four terms, more than any other president. He was born in Hyde Park NY on Jan 30, 1882. He was born into wealth and privilege, graduated from the Groton School and Harvard University. He married his 5th cousin Eleanor Roosevelt who was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was elected to the NY State Senate in 1910 and re-elected in 1912. In 1913 he was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He held this position until 1920 when he resigned to run for Vice President of the United States He was defeated.
In 1921 while vacationing with his family at Campobello Island in Canada, he was stricken with polio and spent several years recovering in Warm Springs and Hyde Park. He never fully recovered and had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. In public he would use crutches and a cane.
In 1928 and 1930 Roosevelt was elected Governor of New York. By 1932 he was considered a contender for the Democrat nominee for President. He won in a landslide over one of the worst presidents in history Herbert Hoover who would not do anything to stop the bleeding of the Great Depression.
Roosevelt's New Deal helped bring the Depression down some and gave people hope. Labor legislation such as overtime pay and better working conditions improved lives. Social Security helped old people retire and enjoy their twilight years. The FDIC made bank deposits secure. The SEC cracked down on unethical stock market manipulation which led to the Great Depression.
Roosevelt was elected three more times-1936, 1940, and 1944. On December 7, 1941 Japan forces bombed Pearl Harbor, dragging the US into World War II. Roosevelt showed his competence during the war, picking the right commanders, boosting morale at home and on the front lines, and working with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin. Unfortunately he did not see the end of World War II as he passed away on April 12, 1945. V-E Day was May 1 and V-J Day was Sept 2, 1945.
It is ironic that April 12 is linked to the two greatest presidents in US History, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. They both handled three of the greatest crises this country has had to endure (Civil War, Great Depression, World War II) very well and as a result the United State of America is a much better country.
April 12, 1861-the first shots of the American Civil War fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The war lasted from April 12, 1861-April 9, 1865. President Abraham Lincoln was shot five days after the war ended in Ford Theatre and died the next day What led to the Civil War was the argument of slavery. Lincoln campaigned in the 1860 Presidential Election against expanding slavery beyond the states that already existed. Lincoln won the election against Stephen A. Douglas who felt should be left up to the states.
After Lincoln was elected in November, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee seceded from the Union forming the Confederate States of America. These states loved slavery and hated anyone who was not like them.
By April the war was started. For a few years the South was winning the war, but the Battle of Gettsyburg in 1863 which was won by the Union changed the tide of the War. Following the battle Lincoln made his famous Gettysburg Address. The North started pushing back and the following year led by William Tecumseh Sherman burned Atlanta and marched to the Sea Also in 1863 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all the slaves.
In 1864 Lincoln was re-elected president defeating one of his Generals George B McClellan. On April 9, 1865 Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse ending the war.
Fast forward to 80 years later. April 12, 1945 while at his summer home in Warm Springs GA, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt succumbed to a cerebral hemhorrage. He was only 63.
Roosevelt was one of the greatest presidents in US history along with Lincoln. He was also elected to four terms, more than any other president. He was born in Hyde Park NY on Jan 30, 1882. He was born into wealth and privilege, graduated from the Groton School and Harvard University. He married his 5th cousin Eleanor Roosevelt who was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was elected to the NY State Senate in 1910 and re-elected in 1912. In 1913 he was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He held this position until 1920 when he resigned to run for Vice President of the United States He was defeated.
In 1921 while vacationing with his family at Campobello Island in Canada, he was stricken with polio and spent several years recovering in Warm Springs and Hyde Park. He never fully recovered and had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. In public he would use crutches and a cane.
In 1928 and 1930 Roosevelt was elected Governor of New York. By 1932 he was considered a contender for the Democrat nominee for President. He won in a landslide over one of the worst presidents in history Herbert Hoover who would not do anything to stop the bleeding of the Great Depression.
Roosevelt's New Deal helped bring the Depression down some and gave people hope. Labor legislation such as overtime pay and better working conditions improved lives. Social Security helped old people retire and enjoy their twilight years. The FDIC made bank deposits secure. The SEC cracked down on unethical stock market manipulation which led to the Great Depression.
Roosevelt was elected three more times-1936, 1940, and 1944. On December 7, 1941 Japan forces bombed Pearl Harbor, dragging the US into World War II. Roosevelt showed his competence during the war, picking the right commanders, boosting morale at home and on the front lines, and working with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin. Unfortunately he did not see the end of World War II as he passed away on April 12, 1945. V-E Day was May 1 and V-J Day was Sept 2, 1945.
It is ironic that April 12 is linked to the two greatest presidents in US History, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. They both handled three of the greatest crises this country has had to endure (Civil War, Great Depression, World War II) very well and as a result the United State of America is a much better country.
Happy President's Day!!
Best President of all time-Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Worst President of all time-George W. Bush
Who will never be president-Sarah Palin
Who should have been president-Al Gore and John Kerry
Worst President of all time-George W. Bush
Who will never be president-Sarah Palin
Who should have been president-Al Gore and John Kerry
No Sarah, your family has not been picked on the most!
Earth to Sarah Palin!
You think your family has been scrutinized the most, think again!
The children of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were esciverated (sp) by the Republican press back in the 1930's and 40's.
During FDR's presidency his daughter Anna and sons James and Elliott all got divorced, Elliott twice. During this time divorce was rare and was considered scandalous. In total the five Roosevelt kids had 19 marriages.
FDR's other sons Franklin Jr. and John did not get divorced during his presidency (they got their turn after their father died) but they were involved in a few incidents that generated a lot of publicity. Franklin Jr. got into a fight with photographer at a wrestling match he attended with his girlfriend (later his wife). John was accused of public drunkensess and dumping a bottle of champagne on the mayor of Cannes, France while attending a festival there. Also John chased down another photographer who was trying to take a picture of Franklin Jr going through a fraternity hazing, he was wearing a dress at the time so a pic of him would be embarrassing. Franklin Jr. also racked up a number of speeding tickets and was sued by a woman he had an accident with.
James was appointed by his father to be his personal secretary, and people screamed nepotism. James was accused of using his position at the White House for personal profit, it got to the point that he had to produce his income tax returns to prove the press wrong. Elliott was also accused of using his family name for personal profit too.
The worst scrutiny for the boys came during the war. All four of them enlisted, didn't even wait for the draft, all served bravely, were decorated on merit, Franklin Jr. won the Purple Heart for the battle of Casablanca, James the Silver Star and Navy Cross, John the Silver Star, and Elliott the Distinguished Frying Cross, and he flew over 300 combat missions during World War 2 and witnessed the death of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Yet the press and public accused the President of trying to see them safely during the war and awarding them rankings they did not deserve, when in fact he actually had citations held back for fear of the press.
Never mind the fact that the Roosevelt family (Theodore's family too) did more patriotic things for this country you claim to love, all the press wanted to do was dwell on the negatives, like Elliott's quick ascent to Captain, which became an issue in the 1940 election. Papa I want to be a Captain too, and I didn't raise my boy to be a Private were posted on Wendell Wilkie buttons. Or the "Blaze incident" where a private dumped two enlisted airman to make room for Elliott's Mastiff Blaze on a plane without Elliott's knowledge or consent. Or the fact that James's train was running late to Chicago and he had the conductor there hold his connecting train for him as the inconvienience of the other passengers. That incident was unexcusable.
FDR's wife Eleanor was villified by the likes of journalist Westbrook Pegler for getting involved in her husbands administration, just like Todd was accused of. All she did was go out to the tenement houses and coal mines to talk to people. She also visited the wounded troops and stood for anti-lynching laws. She wrote a newspaper column which she was accused of profting from, where in fact she donated her salary to charity. Eleanor was the Hillary Clinton of her time.
So Sarah the next time you want to bitch about Bristol being written up in the Enquirer, think of FDR's kids and your kids publicity pales in comparison to theirs. In other words SHUT THE FUCK UP!
You think your family has been scrutinized the most, think again!
The children of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were esciverated (sp) by the Republican press back in the 1930's and 40's.
During FDR's presidency his daughter Anna and sons James and Elliott all got divorced, Elliott twice. During this time divorce was rare and was considered scandalous. In total the five Roosevelt kids had 19 marriages.
FDR's other sons Franklin Jr. and John did not get divorced during his presidency (they got their turn after their father died) but they were involved in a few incidents that generated a lot of publicity. Franklin Jr. got into a fight with photographer at a wrestling match he attended with his girlfriend (later his wife). John was accused of public drunkensess and dumping a bottle of champagne on the mayor of Cannes, France while attending a festival there. Also John chased down another photographer who was trying to take a picture of Franklin Jr going through a fraternity hazing, he was wearing a dress at the time so a pic of him would be embarrassing. Franklin Jr. also racked up a number of speeding tickets and was sued by a woman he had an accident with.
James was appointed by his father to be his personal secretary, and people screamed nepotism. James was accused of using his position at the White House for personal profit, it got to the point that he had to produce his income tax returns to prove the press wrong. Elliott was also accused of using his family name for personal profit too.
The worst scrutiny for the boys came during the war. All four of them enlisted, didn't even wait for the draft, all served bravely, were decorated on merit, Franklin Jr. won the Purple Heart for the battle of Casablanca, James the Silver Star and Navy Cross, John the Silver Star, and Elliott the Distinguished Frying Cross, and he flew over 300 combat missions during World War 2 and witnessed the death of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Yet the press and public accused the President of trying to see them safely during the war and awarding them rankings they did not deserve, when in fact he actually had citations held back for fear of the press.
Never mind the fact that the Roosevelt family (Theodore's family too) did more patriotic things for this country you claim to love, all the press wanted to do was dwell on the negatives, like Elliott's quick ascent to Captain, which became an issue in the 1940 election. Papa I want to be a Captain too, and I didn't raise my boy to be a Private were posted on Wendell Wilkie buttons. Or the "Blaze incident" where a private dumped two enlisted airman to make room for Elliott's Mastiff Blaze on a plane without Elliott's knowledge or consent. Or the fact that James's train was running late to Chicago and he had the conductor there hold his connecting train for him as the inconvienience of the other passengers. That incident was unexcusable.
FDR's wife Eleanor was villified by the likes of journalist Westbrook Pegler for getting involved in her husbands administration, just like Todd was accused of. All she did was go out to the tenement houses and coal mines to talk to people. She also visited the wounded troops and stood for anti-lynching laws. She wrote a newspaper column which she was accused of profting from, where in fact she donated her salary to charity. Eleanor was the Hillary Clinton of her time.
So Sarah the next time you want to bitch about Bristol being written up in the Enquirer, think of FDR's kids and your kids publicity pales in comparison to theirs. In other words SHUT THE FUCK UP!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
