February 4, 2004. Uncle Mike's Musings: Facebook Goes Live

 

February 4, 2004: Facebook Goes Live

On the anniversary of 9/11, in this a year with an election campaign going on, it's worth remembering. . .

that the plot was hatched in an Afghanistan ruled by the Taliban.

That resulted in George Bush launching a campaign against the Taliban regime.

Bush's focus on Iraq, however, which wasn't involved in 9/11, and Rumsfeld's belief that he could wage war with a minimum of forces, lead to us initially grossly under committing to Afghanistan.

Barack Obama committed to a surge there, which lead to the war being ultimately a low grade one, albeit one that Afghan forces did poorly in, overall.

Donald Trump arranged a deal with the Taliban to withdraw, which would ultimately mean its return to power.  Joe Biden merely carried it out.

Saturday, August 28, 1943. Change of governments.

King Boris III of Bulgaria died after becoming suddenly ill.  He had met with Hitler two weeks prior, and there was suspicion at the time, and some still believe, he was poisoned while in Germany.

He was 49 years of age.

His six year old son Simeon became king, with a regency.  He'd be the last King of Bulgaria, but would later become Prime Minister as Simeon Sakskoburggotsk in 2001.

The Danish government resigned rather than prosecute saboteurs in German military courts.

Monday, August 9, 1943. Blessed Franz Jägerstätter

 

Franz Jägerstätter, 36, Austrian farmer and conscientious objector, was executed by the Germans.

Born into poverty and illegitimacy, he was the son of a farmer and chambermaid who could not afford to marry.  He was initially raised by his grandmother, the pious Elisabeth Huber.  His father was killed in World War One and his mother latter married Heinrich Jägerstätter, who adopted him and who gave him his farm upon his marriage.

Irreligious in his youth, he underwent a sudden religious conversion after fathering an illegitimate child and spending a period of time in community exile, during which he worked for several years in iron mines.  Upon returning he became profoundly religions and in turn married a deeply religious spouse.  Upon the German invasion of Austria he openly opposed the Nazis and while he did serve in the German Army in 1940 he refused to take the Hitler oath.  Called back into service in 1943 he refused combat duty, although he did offer to serve as a medic, which was ignored.  He was ultimately died and executed on this day.

He was beatified in 2007.

From Sarah Sundin's blog:

Today in World War II History—August 9, 1943: 80 Years Ago—Aug. 9, 1943: On New Georgia in the Solomon Islands, US northern and southern landing forces link.

The US signed a military assistance treaty with Ethiopia.

Life Magazine hit the stands with an article on female steelworkers.

Sunday, June 17, 1923. Dry Sunday

The Irish Free State saw its pubs swamped with visitors as Northern Ireland experienced its first "Dry Sunday", a day brought about due to a new law in Ulster.

Northern Ireland, reflecting its Presbyterian heritage, had a particularly notable set of Blue Laws.  Soccer was banned on Sundays prior to 2008.  Public playgrounds were closed on Sundays, and swings locked, in Belfast until 1965.  Stores over 280 square meters in size are still restricted to the hours of 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Mount Etna erupted.

Released on this day in 1923.  The plot involved a woman who is widowed at 38 and takes a job as a college librarian and starts dating over the objection of her children.

Mid Week At Work. The Danger of Ossified Punditry.

This slams a post by Robert Reich, who as readers here know I have sort of a love/hate reading relationship with.

Reich's an old liberal in an era in which it seems the ancient hands of the Baby Boom Generation just won't let go of the levers of government, even though they started operating those levers when they were mechanical rather than electronic.  Given that, like all people do, they tend to have an understanding of problems based on the world of their youth, rather than reality,

Witness:

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Conversatio

Robert Reich

@RBReich

This is the graph everyone needs to see for International Workers' Day.

2:01 PM · May 1, 2023

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Lex Anteinternet

@Lex_Anteinterne

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6m

I suspect Mr. Reich doesn't appreciate what this illustrates, which would principally be the introduction of technology more than anything else. Technological advances are making individual workers more productive, and therefore decreasing their need, and depressing wages.

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Lex Anteinternet

@Lex_Anteinterne

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4m

By way of illustration, how many workers in heavy industry in 1955, when this graph basically peaks for union membership, were needed to do a task, as opposed to 2023?

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Lex Anteinternet

@Lex_Anteinterne

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3m

Additionally, this graph goes from the point at which US industry was the major western survivor of World War Two, and therefore serving the world, through the point where much of American industry left to go overseas. That was a joint project of the left and the right. . .

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Lex Anteinternet

@Lex_Anteinterne

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1m

gave rise to Rust Belt discontent, and fed the populist movement the nation is now contending with. I'm not saying the decline in Union membership is a good thing, but I am saying that the way politicians and pundits seem to imagine . . .

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Lex Anteinternet

@Lex_Anteinterne

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44s

American industry as frozen in time when in fact the march of time and technology has totally changed the landscape needs to be recognized. So, yes, Mr. Reich, this really is the May 1 graph people need to see and understand, yourself included.