Thursday, February 3, 1944. Formation of the New Zealand Corps, Victory at Kwajalien.

Today in World War II History—February 3, 1944: 80 Years Ago—Feb. 3, 1944: In Italy, New Zealand Corps is formed under Lt.-Gen. Sir Bernard Freyberg, over New Zealand 2nd Division and Indian 4th Division.

Freyberg was born in the United Kingdom but raised in New Zealand.  He was a championship swimmer when young, and was licensed as a dentist in New Zealand in 1911.  He left New Zealand in 1914 to join the Villista's, and served as a Captain in those forces.  He left the fighting in Mexico, however, in August of that year upon learning that World War One had broken out, taking time to win a swimming championship in Los Angeles, and having earned passage to the UK by boxing.  He served first in a ground unit of the Royal Navy, and then transferred to the British Army.  He remained in the British Army between the wars.

A controversial general outside of British circles, he's somewhat emblematic of the British Army of the period in that his nationality was pretty fluid, but always British.  He was appointed Governor General of New Zealand after World War Two, and passed away in 1963.

German POW's, Anzio.  February 3, 1944.  Note the mixed uniforms, and also that some of these men are wearing camouflage smocks.  German POWs at this stage of the war often look very bitter about having been captured.

The Germans sealed off the Anzio beachhead.

Eniwetok, February 3, 1944.

The U.S. prevailed at Kwajalein.  Task Group 58 raided Eniwetok.  US forces landed on Burton Island.

Soldier's of the 7th Infantry Division moving a light artillery piece on Kwajalein.  Note the mid to late war characteristic baggy clothing of the US Army, with cargo pockets appearing.

75mm Pack howitzer on Kwajalein.

Bangalore torpedo team, 7th Infantry Division, Kwajalein.  February 3, 1944.

The Red Army encircled the Germans at the Korsun Pocket, where Hitler, on the same day, ordered them not to retreat.  Manstein organized an armored force with the goal of relieving the pocket.

The movie The Fighting Sullivan's was released, memorializing the November 1942 death of the Sullivan brothers, which we've discussed previously.

Off of the Solomon's, the Japanese sank the U.S. Navy light cruiser Juneau, which took 687 men with it, including five brothers of the Irish Catholic Sullivan family of Iowa.

The Sullivans.

It's commonly asserted that after this the U.S. military would not allow siblings to serve together, but in fact many siblings were already serving together in combat in North Africa as members of Federalized National Guard units. Entire towns would end up loosing huge numbers of their male citizens in the combat actions to come. There was a policy change, which relieved a sole survivor from military service, but it did not come until 1943, and was partially due to the deaths of the Borgstrom brothers of Utah as well.  Indeed, the Navy already had a policy precluding siblings from serving on the same vessel, but they did not actively enforce it.

A sister of the Sullivan brothers remained in Navy service.  Indeed, their enlistment in the Navy, or in once case a reenlistment, was to avenge the death of her boyfriend, who died at Peal Harbor.

The Sullivan family was not informed of the death of their sons until 1943, at which time their father was informed of all of their deaths at one time.  The Navy would commission a ship in their honor during the war, and oddly enough, one of the sons of the one of the men lost would later serve as a post-war officer aboard it. That ship has been decommissioned, but a second The Sullivans was commissioned to take its place.  

The current The Sullivans.

The tragic story was also made into a patriotic movie during the war itself, which was released in 1944.

The Sullivan story was the inspiration for the film Saving Private Ryan, although it's obviously in a much different setting.

The Renunciation Act of 1944 made it possible for a US citizen to renounce their citizenship during time of war by applying to the US Attorney General.  The hope was that interned Japanese Americans would do so, so that they could be deported to Japan.

It's doubtful that many would have ever exercised that option, but it should be noted that by this time of the war, the news was dealing with American advances in the Pacific nearly daily.  Hard fighting was occurring, but the Japanese were losing and that was fairly obvious.  Internees had full access to the news and to the extent that this tempted anyone, that surely would have reduced that desire.

Australian lumberjacks, February 3, 1944.  New South Wales.

Thursday, November 11, 1943. Armistace Day.

It was Armistice Day for 1943.

Japanese American Girl Scouts walking in front of barracks and carrying American flags while incarcerated at Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming, 11/11/43.

The Moscow Conference came to an end.

French security forces raided the homes of President El Khoury, Prime Minister Riad Al Solh, and all but two members of the Cabinet, including future President Camille Chamoun, in reaction to the unilateral Lebanese repeal of the League of Nations' mandate over the country.

High Commissioner Helleu suspended the Lebanese constitution and appointed Émile Eddé as the new President.

The dissolution and unraveling of the French Empire had commenced.

In France, Armée Secrète Resistance fighters led by Colonel Henri Romans-Petit placed flowers at the foot of the memorial for the dead of the Great War in an act of bold defiance of the Germans.

The Red Army took Radomyshi.

Allied bombing of Rabaul ended following a final raid, with nearly every Japanese ship there disabled or destroyed.

Sarah Sundin notes something about that raid:

Today in World War II History—November 11, 1943: In Rabaul raid, US Navy Curtiss SB2C Helldiver makes its combat debut. US Eighth Air Force activates “Carpetbagger” squadrons to deliver supplies to resistance.

The film Sahara, with heroic Allies stranded in the desert, and even a sympathetic Italian character, holding off the Germans, was released.

Three Allied transport ships and a tanker are sunk east of Oran in a major Luftwaffe raid.

1943  The Commander of the Prisoner of War Camp in Douglas announced that 1,000 Italians held at the camp would be helping with the fall harvest. Given the timing of the announcement, it would have to be presumed that the harvest was well underway at the time.  As Douglas itself is not in a farming belt, it would be interesting to know where the POWs actually went, and how they were housed.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

Thursday, July 15, 1943. Segregation for loyalty to Japan, US reorganization on Sicily, Changes in command on New Guinea, Italian participation in Holocaust in France.

Tule Lake Segregation Center in California was established by the War Department to house Japanese Americans who were deemed to be loyal to Japan.  The site is administered by the National Park Service today.

Loyalty to Japan was determined in a number of ways, but it included refusing to be inducted into the U.S. Armed forces and having attempted to return to Japan prior to the war.

Gen. Patton formed a provisional corps to advance up the western coast of Sicily, while the U.S. 2nd Corps was to drive northward under Bradley.  Axis forces retreated behind the Simeto River.

Major General Oscar W. Griswold took over field command of US Army forces on New Guinea.

Italian occupation police authority Renzo Chierici agreed to a German demand to return German Jews who had fled into Italian occupied regions of France.

Chierici was a fascist and warned Mussolini when it was clear that the Grand Council was going to vote him out of office, but he remained loyal to the new government, resulting in his arrest by the Germans and subsequent murder.

The fact that Italy occupied Provence and Savoy after November 1942 is often missed.

Saturday, June 19, 1943. Internees released, Murders planned at Obersalzberg, Eagles and Steelers merge.

Japanese American servicemen of the 442 Regimental Combat Team at a dance, June 1943.

On this day in 1943 a large number of Heart Mountain internees were released for seasonal employment or on indefinite leave.

Hitler summoned Himmler to Obersalzberg to discuss ending all Jewish resistance in Easter Europe over the next four months by mass evacuation, which of course would ultimately entail mass extermination, of the Eastern European Jewish population.  

This implicitly acknowledged, it should be noted, declining German fortunes on the Eastern Front.

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers combined into a single wartime team, due to wartime manpower shortages.

Tuesday, May 4, 1943. How did they intend to pay for the war?

The Federal Government, oddly for wartime, was looking for ways to reduce income tax and nearly passed an income tax holiday for 1943.

The Germans lost three U-boats, two in accidents, in a month that would later be called Black May by German submariners.

Tail Gunner, Cpt. Clark Gable, flew on his first mission:

4 May 1943

Taketora Yamamoto,  Santa Fe Rail Road machinist, at the Winslow. Colorado River Relocation Center, Poston, Arizona:

The 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session. The road ahead, again. (Vol 6).

Well, we have another edition.  It's been an interesting session.

February 12, 2023

Today we start off with an item that isn't actually legislative, but given as the GOP controls the legislature, related to it.

Yesterday, we noted that the GOP apparently sent an email to legislatures urging them not to vote for HB7, the bill which would eliminate, and indeed invalidate, marriages involving anyone under 16 years of age.  We noted there that this proposal has been made before, and failed.  Now the GOP has apparently come out in some capacity against it, for reasons which you can read in the last edition of this thread.

Now the GOP leadership has come out with a condemnation of Cynthia Lummis for her vote in the Senate on the bill which statutorily adopted the holding of Obergefell, thereby protecting same gender unions as marriages from state revocation.  Lummis, by voting the way she did, was likely demonstrating her uncanny ability to switch directions and tack with the winds in advance of their shifting, but the local GOP isn't happy about it and passed a resolution condemning her actions.

All of this somewhat demonstrates that the GOP organization remains solidly very right wing, but its influence isn't extending out as far as it likely thought it would.  The host of really populist bills in the current legislature have not done well, and the new populist firebrands have not extended much influence so far.

February 14, 2024

HB 104 allowing the taking of predatory animals at night has passed both houses but was amended by the House of Representatives to include laser sighting systems, and so is back to the Senate for concurrence.

Frankly, as a hunter, I feel that this bill is a bad technological trend.  Probably an inevitable one, but one hunters will regret.

HB131 allowing for online sports wagering, amended to require licenses and permits, passed both houses.

The Cowboy State Journal did an article on teenage marriages in the state which was somewhat interesting, with this coming up in the context of HB 7.  The article noted, and I quote:

The Busy Teen Wedding Year  

In Department of Health data spanning from 1978 to recent months, the peak year for underage marriages was 1980. There were 670 teens who married that year. Three of them were 14 years old, 30 were 15, 217 were 16 and 370 were 17.   

13 And Younger  

In only four years since 1978 have people 13 and younger received marriage licenses in Wyoming.  

Those years were 1978, when one person 13 or younger was married; 1979, when there were two; 1987 (one); and 1995 (one).   

Age 14  

There were, however, 20 years in which 14-year-olds married in Wyoming since 1978. The most recent of those was in 2012, when one 14-year-old was married. There have been 37 people married in the state at age 14 overall since 1978.   

The year with the most 14-year-olds wedded was 1979, when there were six.   

Age 15  

The most recent marriage involving a 15-year-old in Wyoming was 2015. It was the first since 2009, when four 15-year-olds were married.   

The numbers tapered off significantly starting in about 1984. Before then, between 22 and 36 people married each year at age 15.   

In 1984 there were 14 people married at 15. The numbers dropped again in 1987, with eight. They continued to dwindle with occasional jumps: to nine in 1994 and nine in 2006, though they never crested the single digits after 1986.   

Age 16  

In every year since 1978, including last year, 16-year-olds have gotten married. There were six in 2022.   

That’s a mere fraction of the figures of the late 1970s and 1980s, with 215 in 1978; 226 in 1979; 217 in 1980 and 148 in 1981.   

The numbers first dropped below 100 in 1985, at 96. They didn’t hit single digits until 2010, when there were six.   

Age 17  

Likewise, 17-year-olds get married every year in Wyoming.   

There were 374 wed in 1978 and 420 in 1980.   

But there were only 10 people that age married last year. So far this year, 2023, there have been four 17-year-olds married.   

Totals  

The totals of minors’ marriages are in the same descent as individual categories, with 627 minors married altogether in 1978 and 16 in 2022. Though the numbers fluctuated in between those two dates, the pattern of descent has been mostly consistent.   

An online journal also went after a leading figure in the GOP in the state in a really blistering fashion, accusing that person of serial infidelities and making house outside of marriage, as well as other things.  If the author is correct, and I'm going to hold off naming people as I don't know if he is or not, it would be a shocking example of outright hypocrisy, particularly in regard to the GOP's opposition to HB 7 on moral grounds.

Not that this has been unusual in recent years.  Donald Trump is hardly a moral paragon, but nonetheless he was embraced by some on the evangelical right.

February 14, 2023, cont

Governor Gordon to Sign First Bills of 2023 Legislative Session on Wednesday, February 15

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon will hold a formal bill signing ceremony on Wednesday February 15 at 3 pm in the Governor's Ceremonial Conference Room in the State Capitol Building. The ceremony is open to the public.

The Governor will sign the following bills:

Bill No.   Enrolled Act # Bill Title

SF 0023    SEA 0003         Treatment courts - transfer to judicial branch.

HB 0028   HEA 0008        Community College Capital Construction

HB 0029   HEA 0007        Community College Funding- Distance Education Credit Hours

-END-

February 15, 2023

The crossover voting bill, designed to address Republican fears that vast hordes of Democrats will cross into the GOP seconds before a primary, and which had died in a Senate Committee, was moved to a more favorable committee in a parliamentary move in hopes of keeping the remaining three Democrats from switching parties in this fashion.

Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who campaigned on stolen election fantasies, is in favor of the bill, as of course he would have to be.

This move, which is a little chickensh** in my view, is being reported as rare, but I can recall it happening in the last general session.

It should be noted that if Democrats crossing over was effective, Cheney would still be our Representative, which she didn't even come close to being.

It should also be noted that all the hardcore really left wing Democrats that made a big deal of their crossing over should have shut up, as they sure didn't do anything any favors by being vocal about their decision.

House Bill 147 has passed, banning improper posting of public lands in an effort to deter hunters.

ENROLLED ACT NO. 18,  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING

2023 GENERAL SESSION

AN ACT relating to game and fish; amending the crime of interference with lawful taking of wildlife; prohibiting acts that restrict access to or use of state or federal land as specified; providing an exception; specifying applicability; and providing for effective dates.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

 

Section 1.  W.S. 23‑3‑405(a) by creating a new paragraph (iii) and (g) by creating a new paragraph (iii) is amended to read:

23‑3‑405.  Interference with lawful taking of wildlife prohibited; penalties; damages; injunction.

(a)  No person shall with the intent to prevent or hinder the lawful taking of any wildlife:

(iii)  Knowingly and without authorization post or maintain in place signs that restrict access to or use of state or federal land on which the lawful taking of or the process of lawfully taking any wildlife is permitted. For purposes of this subsection, "knowingly" means the person has received prior notice from a peace officer that the sign is located on state or federal land.

(g)  This section shall:

(iii)  Not interfere with any landowner's right to prevent trespass on the landowner's private property.

Section 2.  This act is effective July 1, 2023.

This is a good bill, and I'm glad it passed.

This odd bill passed:

 ENROLLED ACT NO. 17, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING

2023 GENERAL SESSION

AN ACT relating to defense forces and affairs; authorizing veterans to present their driver's licenses or identification cards as proof of their veteran status as specified; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.  W.S. 19‑14‑113 is created to read:

19‑14‑113.  Veteran designation on driver's license.

(a)  Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, if a person has a veteran designation on their Wyoming driver's license or identification card pursuant to W.S. 31‑7‑141, any local government entity as defined by W.S. 9‑2‑3219(a)(vi) shall allow the person to present their Wyoming driver's license or identification card instead of a military form DD 214 as proof of their status as a veteran.

(b)  At the request of the military department or if information other than the person's status as a veteran is required, the military department or other local government entity may ask for further documentation including a military form DD 214.

Section 2.  This act is effective July 1, 2023.

I'm not sure why a person would have a veteran designation on their license, but they can.  Maybe I'll add one if it'll help prevent me from getting speeding tickets or something. 

February 16, 2023 

Governor’s First Bill Signing Advances Mental Health Care in Wyoming and Bolsters Ability to Fight to Protect Coal Industry

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Mark Gordon signed the first bills of the 2023 Legislative session during a public signing ceremony at the Capitol today.

The first bill to be signed by the Governor was Senate File 0023- Treatment courts - transfer to judicial branch. The "Court Supervised Treatment Programs Act” transfers responsibility and oversight of court-supervised treatment programs from the Wyoming Department of Health to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Governor Gordon praised the legislation as an example of a collaborative effort between the Legislative, Judicial and Executive Branches, and said it offered an opportunity to strengthen the state’s drug treatment courts. At the signing, Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court Kate Fox expressed her support for the legislation, saying the bill will help improve the way the judicial branch addresses mental health and substance abuse issues. 

The Governor also signed House Bill 0069 Coal-fired facility closures litigation funding-amendments. That bill provides additional flexibility for the Governor to utilize an account dedicated to funding litigation against entities that “impede Wyoming's ability to export coal, that cause the early retirement of coal-fired electric generation facilities located in Wyoming, that result in the decreased use of Wyoming coal or the closure of coal-fired electric generation facilities that use Wyoming coal.”

“Coal has a future in Wyoming. Thank you to the Legislature for helping to make a broader use of these funds, so we can be much more proactive in protecting our coal industries’ future,” Governor Gordon said. 

The Governor signed the following bills today:

Enrolled Act # Bill# Bill Title

HEA0001 HB0112 Theft-penalty for fifth or subsequent offense.

HEA0002 HB0111 Endangering children-fentanyl.

HEA0003 HB0097 Chancery court jurisdiction amendments.

HEA0004 HB0050 Solid waste cease and transfer program funding.

HEA0005 HB0045 Peace officer retirement and rehiring.

HEA0006 HB0039 Verifying the veteran designation on a WY driver's license.

HEA0007 HB0029 Community college funding-distance education credit hours.

HEA0008 HB0028 Community college capital construction.

HEA0009 HB0012 Presumptive child support amounts-updated tables.

HEA0010 HB0010 County officers-bond amounts and surety requirement.

HEA0012 HB0069 Coal-fired facility closures litigation funding-amendments.

HEA0013 HB0070 Definition of home-based educational program.

HEA0014 HB0026 School facilities-appropriations.

SEA0001 SF0002 Wyoming telecommunications act-sunset date.

SEA0002 SF0004 North American Industry Classification System amendments.

SEA0003 SF0023 Treatment courts-transfer to judicial branch.

SEA0004 SF0077 Public works apprenticeship programs-repeal.

SEA0005 SF0013 Bar and grill liquor license phaseout

SEA0006 SF0026 Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact

SEA0007 SF0122 Nonresident workers-vehicle registration extension

SEA0008 SF0118 Fund balance calculations-federal encumbrances excluded

SEA0009 SF0057 State held drainage district bonds

SEA0010 SF0036 Investment funds committee-selection panel amendments

SEA0011 SF0033 Defining aircraft for purposes of hunting prohibitions

SEA0012 SF0028 Livestock infectious disease control-tribal inclusion

SEA0013 SF0017 Off-road recreational vehicles-safety and insurance

SEA0014 SF0015 Military leave for state employees

SEA0015 SF0014 Wyoming national guard professional malpractice liability

SEA0016 SF0005 Medical malpractice statutory update

SEA0017 SF0006 Insurance rebating modernization

SEA0018 SF0024 Financial exploitation of vulnerable adults

SEA0019 SF0063 Tax administration revisions

SEA0020 SF0059 State parks account-agency expenditure authority

SEA0021 SF0020 Driver's license and ID card photo quality

SEA0022 SF0018 Benefits for spouses of law enforcement members

SEJR1      SJ0007 Support for Taiwan

-END-

On the coal litigation item, the money that's dedicated to that might as well just be shoveled into the furnaces itself.  It's going nowhere, and everybody in the know is aware of that.

February 7, 2023

HB7 banning kiddie marriages passed the Senate, but in amended form, so it's back to the house for reconciliation.

The voting on the bill in the Senate was interesting.  It was as follows:

Ayes: Anderson, Barlow, Biteman, Boner, Bouchard, Brennan, Case, Cooper, Ellis, French, Furphy, Gierau, Jones, Kinskey, Kolb, Landen, Laursen, Nethercott, Pappas, Rothfuss, Schuler, Scott, President Driskill

Nays: Baldwin, Dockstader, Hicks, Hutchings, Ide, McKeown, Salazar

Excused: Steinmetz

So it split the far right to at least a slight extent, with Bouchard, the only one who has personal experience in this area, voting aye.

In the House, before it was amended in the Senate, and before the GOP came out against the bill, it was as follows:

Ayes: Andrew, Berger, Brown, Burkhart, Jr, Byron, Chadwick, Chestek, Clouston, Conrad, Crago, Eklund, Harshman, Henderson, Larsen, Lloyd, Larson, JT, Lawley, Nicholas, Niemiec, Oakley, Northrup, Obermueller, O'Hearn, Olsen, Provenza, Sherwood, Stith, Storer, Trujillo, Walters, Washut, Western, Wylie, Yin, Zwonitzer, Dan, Zwonitzer, Dave, Speaker Sommers

Nays: Allemand, Allred, Angelos, Banks, Bear, Davis, Haroldson, Heiner, Hornok, Jennings, Knapp, Locke, Neiman, Ottman, Pendergraft, Penn, Rodriguez-Williams, Singh, Slagle, Smith, Strock, Styvar, Tarver, Ward, Winter

Here you can see the far right was against it, and it only passed the House by ten votes.

Essentially, we can take it from this that the far right opposes this bill for some reason, but why?

In other news, the Cowboy State Daily did a piece on Lester Hunt noting his position on Japanese internees during World War Two.  

I'd wondered if this would come up in regard to the resolution to honor him.

February 18, 2023

Senate Bill 152, the sweeping abortion ban bill, might not get assigned to a Senate Committee.  In another surprising parliamentary move, the Senate President might simply keep it in his drawer over concerns about the bill's constitutionality and views of constituents.

February 19, 2023

Governor Gordon Takes Action on 8 Bills on Saturday, February 18

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Mark Gordon took action on eight bills on Saturday, February 18. The Governor signed the following bills into law today: 

Enrolled Act # Bill # Bill Title

 

HEA0015 HB0035 Day-care certification requirement amendments

HEA0016 HB0082 Defendant mental illness examinations-amendments

HEA0017 HB0160 Drivers license veterans designation replacing DD form 214

HEA0018 HB0147 Unlawful trespass signage-taking of wildlife

HEA0019 HB0019 State Indian Child Welfare Act task force

SEA0023 SF0078 Apprenticeship and job training promotion in schools

SEA0024 SF0176 Solid waste disposal districts-consolidation

SEA0025 SF0041 Skill based amusement games-authorized locations.

 

With this, posting public land to deter hunters is now illegal.

February 20, 2023

The Tribune, in its editorial from yesterday, accused the legislature of hypocrisy.  Among the bills causing that charge was the efforts to kill the underage marriage bill.

February 21, 2023

Governor Gordon to Hold Public Bill Signing Today, Tuesday, February 21

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon will hold a formal bill signing ceremony today, Tuesday February 21 beginning at 2 pm in the Governor's Ceremonial Conference Room in the State Capitol Building. The ceremony is open to the public.

The Governor will sign the following bills:

Enrolled Act #  Bill# Bill Title

SEA0027 SF0011 Cancer early detection amendments

HEA0020 HB0018 Missing person alert systems

HEA0022 HB0061 Source material associated with mining-agreement

HEA0026 HB0175 Excused absence-state fair events

HEA0028 HB0057 Armed forces-amendments.

HEA0031 HB0239 Vehicle idling-decriminalization.

HEA0032 HB0142 Notice of annexation.

February 22, 2023

The legislature grew testy yesterday as the sponsor of a bill on pharmaceutical regulation complained about edits being made without notice.

This is the second time in a week when there's been an open spat regarding committee edits to bills being made and a legislator feeling that something about the process was improper.

Governor Gordon Signs Bill to Help Advance Rare Earth Elements Mining in Wyoming

Also signs bill to advance Missing and Murdered Indigenous People response and vetoes first bill of the session

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon signed a bill to advance Wyoming’s leadership on developing rare earth and critical minerals today. He also took action on 25 other bills on Tuesday, February 21. 

At a ceremony in the Capitol the Governor signed into law a bill  giving Wyoming primacy to permit and regulate parts of the rare earth and critical minerals industry. House Bill 0061 amends the existing Agreement State Status with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow Wyoming the permitting and regulatory authority for rare earth elements source materials. The Legislature passed this bill with unanimous support and today, the Governor signed both HB 0061 and sent a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Governor also signed House Bill 0018 - Missing person alert systems. Sponsored by the Select Committee on Tribal Relations, the bill aids in the administrative establishment of a new Ashanti Alert. The alert will function similarly to an Amber alert, sending out rapid notifications to cell phones and other media regarding missing adults. Local law enforcement can request these alerts, which will be initiated statewide by the Wyoming Highway Patrol upon meeting specific alert criteria. The legislation came from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force the Governor established. 

Governor Gordon exercised his veto authority on House Bill 0106 - Eminent domain-wind energy collector systems. The Governor said that the bill’s nine-year moratorium on the use of eminent domain is likely to stall development in Wyoming. Previously the moratorium had only been in place for two years at a time. He also expressed concern that the bill would interfere with the rights of private landowners to exercise their private property and contractual rights, as well as their right to contract with whomever they choose. He noted that many ranchers and farmers in Wyoming have successfully negotiated with wind developers and are enhancing the ability of their lands to provide income for their families. While recognizing eminent domain is a delicate issue, the Governor asked the Legislature to examine the use of eminent domain authority, and then revisit the need for a moratorium in a future session and consider a shorter moratorium if it is necessary.

The Governor signed the following bills into law today: 

Enrolled Act #

Bill #

Bill Title

HEA0020 HB0018 Missing person alert systems

HEA0021 HB0020 Land exchanges-notice

HEA0022 HB0061 Source material associated with mining-agreement

HEA0023 HB0181 Online sports wagering-amendments

HEA0024 HB0013 Office of guardian ad litem-program references

HEA0025 HB0079 Voter I.D. requirements

HEA0026 HB0175 Excused absence-state fair events

HEA0027 HB0086 Disclosure of private cryptographic keys.

HEA0028 HB0057 Armed forces-amendments.

HEA0029 HB0015 County authority to dissolve museum boards-clarification.

HEA0030 HB0005 Voter registry list-voter ID and absentee ballots.

HEA0031 HB0239 Vehicle idling-decriminalization.

HEA0032 HB0142 Notice of annexation.

HEA0034 HB0041 Lightweight trailers-permanent registration.

SEA0026 SF0008 Essential subsidy payments to behavioral health centers

SEA0027 SF0011 Cancer early detection amendments

SEA0028 SF0031 Adjacent land resource data trespass-repeal

SEA0029 SF0025 District and prosecuting attorneys-bar license requirement

SEA0030 SF0068 Prescriptive easement for water conveyances.

SEA0031 SF0173 Financial institutions-similar names

SEA0032 SF0139 Unlawful use of a charge card or debit card

SEA0033 SF0069 Electronic records retention

SEA0034 SF0055 Chancery court vacancies-extension amendment

SEA0035 SF0040 Federal political action committees-reports

SEA0036 SF007 Definition of opiate antagonist-amendment.

The Governor vetoed the following bill. His veto letter is attached and linked below.

HEA0033 HB0106 Eminent domain-wind energy collector systems.

The full list of bills the Governor has taken action on during the 2023 Legislative Session can be found on the Governor's website.

-END-

The bill that got vetoed pertained to eminent domain and wind turbines. The Governor's letter stated:

February 22, cont.

Interesting news on parliamentary procedure was in evidence today.

SF 117 was subject to an attempt by Jeanette Ward to go around the Speaker of the House, who has simply kept the bill on "parental rights on education" on his desk for over 20 days.  Ward tried to move to assign it to a committee, and the Speaker torpedoed the move.

It'll likely never move off the desk, amounting to another defeat for the populist right.

SF 144, Chloe's Law, also failed in committee, which is frankly very surprising.  It's not dead, but the chances of it advancing seem quite limited now. A similar bill by Charles Scott remains active.

February 23, 2024

The Life Is A Human Right bill, HB 152, which was lingering unassigned in the Senate, has now been assigned to the Agricultural Committee where it will likely pass.  There is apparently speculation it would not pass the Health Committee.

The bill designed to allow the state to negotiate with the Tribes on hunting rights, HB 83, failed.  It largely failed as the Tribes came out against it.

February 23, cont.

Governor Gordon to Hold Public Bill Signing Today, Thursday, February 23

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon will hold a formal bill signing ceremony today, Thursday, February 23 beginning at 2 pm in the Governor's Ceremonial Conference Room in the State Capitol Building. The ceremony is open to the public.

The Governor will sign the following bills:

Enrolled Act #       Bill#               Bill Title

HEA0036               HB0065          988 suicide prevention.

SEA0039               SF0010            Licensed professional counselor compact.

SEA0038              SF0043            EMS districts.

HEA0044              HB0007           Underage marriage-amendments.

HEA0041              HB0127           Health care facilities and clergy.

HEA0050              HB0056           Purple star schools

HEA0048              HB0134           Alcohol sales to licensees

HEA0042              HB0044           Road and bridge construction-alternative contracting.

HEA0046              HB0279           Voter identification requirements

February 24, 2023

And the following were in fact signed into law yesterday.

Governor Gordon Takes Action on 8 Bills on Saturday, February 18

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Mark Gordon took action on nine bills on Thursday, February 23. The Governor signed the following bills into law today:  

Enrolled Act # Bill # Bill Title 

HEA0036 HB0065  988 suicide prevention.

HEA0041 HB0127  Health care facilities and clergy.

HEA0042 HB0044  Road and bridge construction-alternative contracting.

HEA0044 HB0007  Underage marriage-amendments.

HEA0046 HB0279  Voter identification requirements

HEA0048 HB0134  Alcohol sales to licensees

HEA0050 HB0056  Purple star schools

SEA0038 SF0043   EMS districts.

SEA0039 SF0010   Licensed professional counselor compact.

The full list of bills the Governor has taken action on during the 2023 Legislative Session can be found on the Governor's website.

Therefore, take note would be Romeo's and Juliet's, you have to wait until you are 16 to seek to marry.

An amended Life Is A Human Right Act passed out of Senate Committee, but stripped of the provisions that tied it to a Wyoming Supreme Court decision, and adding rape and incest exceptions.

Anthony Bouchard has called on the Wyoming GOP to censure the Speaker of the House for putting Chloe's Law in his bottom drawer.  If the bill doesn't make it out by Monday, it will fall due to a legislative deadline for bills passing one chamber to make it out of committee in the next.

Part of the problem here is that the bill was amended significantly in the House and then came back with a "do not pass" from committee, which means that its chances are poor otherwise.   Bills that suffer that fate are automatically put in the bottom drawer, although the speaker feels that it is likely to come out before the deadline.

The Speaker indicates he flat out won't let SF117, the Parental Rights In Education Act, out on the floor, in part because he feels it intrudes on local control by school boards.

Sommers  has also put Senate File 86, allowing Wyomingites to use their concealed carry permits as voter identification in the drawer, but due to  House Bill 79 which was a mirror already being passed into law. He put Senate File 143 also is stuck in Sommers’ drawer, establishing a scholarship fund to send some Wyoming students to private schools instead of public, as a nearly identical bill has already failed.

February 25, 2023

HB 103, the Cross Over Voting bill designed to prevent an imaginary problem of imaginary Democrats crossing over to spoil primary elections, has passed the Legislature.  It's unknown if the Governor will sign it.

HB 104, allowing use of infrared scopes to hunt predators at night was signed into law.  I frankly don't think this was a good idea.

The bill also cleared up some questions about predator hunteres being able to hunt on state lands.

Governor Gordon Signs Supplemental Budget with Historic Savings to Keep Taxes Low For Future Generations

**Corrected with updated budget letter**

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon signed a supplemental budget that places more than $1 billion in savings, allowing the state to keep taxes low and generate higher investment returns that will benefit future generations. Today, the Governor also took action on 16 other bills.

“I congratulate the Legislature for its work on my budget recommendations,” Governor Gordon said. “It is gratifying that the budget submitted to me is closely aligned with my original recommendations. Where we disagreed, or where they overstepped the separation of powers embedded in our Constitution, I exercised my veto authority. The fiscal condition of the State remains strong.”

The Governor thanked the Legislature for delivering a budget that reflects the approach he outlined in his supplemental budget proposal – one that sets aside funds for leaner times ahead and addresses the inflationary pressures facing Wyoming citizens and the concerns of the state’s most vulnerable and those living on fixed incomes. Most notably, this budget provides for more property tax relief for citizens. 

Governor Gordon noted that for every dollar of state revenue spent in the supplemental budget, it saves roughly $3.50. In addition to savings, the Supplemental Budget makes strategic investments in Wyoming. These include additional funding for the Property Tax Refund Program, support for the state’s energy industries and a market adjustment for state employees and teachers to offset the impacts of inflation. 

The Governor used his authority to issue several line-item vetoes, including items that are overly prescriptive and those that present separation of powers concerns. The Governor’s budget letter explaining his line-item vetoes is attached and may be found here.

Governor Gordon also exercised his veto authority on Senate File 0071- State loan and bond programs. In his letter, the Governor pointed out that the bill reduces the amount of funding available to the State Loan and Investment Board for farm loans, shrinking the safety net available to the agriculture industry. The Governor also expressed concern that the changes the legislation makes to the interest rates for farm loans put the State in competition with private financial institutions.

The Governor signed the following bills into law: 

Enrolled Act Bill # Bill Title

HEA0035 HB0021 State lands-use of land qualification requirements.

HEA0038 HB0031 BOCES as local education agencies.

HEA0039 HB0174 Homestead exemption-amendments.

HEA0040 HB0027 School facilities-consolidated remediation schedule.

HEA0043 HB0165 Living organ donor protection.

HEA0045 HB0096 Transfer on death deed-insurance coverage.

HEA0047 HB0148 Airport liquor licenses-amendment

HEA0049 HB0062 Open banking

HEA0051 HB0042 Off-road recreational vehicle operation

HEA0052 HB0104 Hunting of predatory animals-amendments

SEA0040 SF0037 Podiatry medical services-Medicaid.

SEA0041 SF0029 Brucellosis management updates.

SEA0042 SF0095 Moon landing day.

SEA0043 SF0065 Compensation of local registrars-repeal.

SEA0044 SF0058 Sutton archaeological site administration.

The Governor exercised his line-item veto authority on the following bill. The Governor's letter is attached:

HEA  0037 HB001 General government appropriations.

The Governor vetoed the following bill. The Governor’s letter is attached and linked:

SEA0037 SF0071 State loan and bond programs..

-END-

Last prior edition:

The 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session. The road ahead. (Vol 5).

Friday, February 5, 1943. Depriving the vote. Introduction of the M1943 Combat Boot.

Today In Wyoming's History: February 5: 1943 1943  The Legislature passes a bill denying American citizens interned at Heart Mountain Relocation Camp the right to vote.

Not exactly a proud, or even legal, moment for the state.

Sarah Sundin notes something grim on her blog:

Today in World War II History—February 5, 1943: 80 Years Ago—Feb. 5, 1943: Nazis begin liquidating Bialystok ghetto; 1,000 Jews are killed and 10,000 are sent to Treblinka extermination camp.

Events such as these accelerated and climbed in scale following the German defeat at Stalingrad.  The focus of the war began to turn less on Eastern European colonization and more on murder.

Mel Brooks, oddly enough, made Bialystok a name that's at least recognizable to fans of his comedy, as one of the two principal characters in The Producers bears that as his last name.  I don't know if that was intentional or not, but it's interesting.

The Polish city remains a significant one in Poland today.  Prior to World War Two, Poland had the largest Jewish population in Europe.  Germany's was actually relatively small.  3.3 million Jews lived in Poland, not all of whom claimed a Jewish identity, although many did.  By the war's end, approximately 380,000 Polish Jews remained.  Many would subsequently emigrate out of the country.  Polish Jews would undergo a renewed wave of repression following World War Two, following the same in the Soviet Union, during which Jewish Poles were accused of being in league with the United States and Israel against Communism, and the state officially worked to eliminate the unique distinction of Jews as particular victims of German atrocities.

Mussolini fired his Foreign Minister, his son-in-law Count Galeazzo Ciano, along with most of his cabinet.  Il Duce took over the position of Foreign Minister, along with being Interior Minister, War Minister, and Air Minister.

Lt. Gen. Frank M. Andrews.

Lt. Gen. Frank M. Andrews was appointed commander of U.S. Forces in Europe, relieving Gen. Dwight Eisenhower of that post in a little noted change of command.  Eisenhower was, at that time, engaged in the combat command in North Africa.

Andrews was the grandson of a Confederate cavalryman and was a cavalryman himself, having been commissioned in that branch in 1906.  His career benefited from him having married well.  He switched to Army aviation during World War One, although he returned briefly to the cavalry after the war.

Lt. Col Georges Doriot, a later pioneer in venture capitalism, an immigrant from France, and a wartime volunteer, convinced Gen. George Marshall to adopt what would become the M1943 combat boot, which would replace the Army Service Shoe and leggings, for the most part, by the end of the war.  The M1943 would also officially replace the Army paratrooper boot as well.  In reality, the Service Shoe and the jump boot were never fully replaced by the M1943, and paratroopers resisted adopting the M1943.

How the U.S. Army imagined its troops to look in an official painting illustrating the Army in Europe, late war.  The tankers in this painting are probably wearing the overalls that were issued to tankers, but for coats they are wearing the Winter Combat Jacket.  It wasn't a tanker only item, but it became heavily associated with them.  Originally they were part of the overall winter uniform and were popular with soldiers.  You can find photographic evidence of officers having some altered by tailors to include epaulets for rank insignia, which they otherwise lacked.  The Thompson submachine gun is correct for an armored crewman.  The walking Colonel is an officer of the 5th Infantry Division and is shown wearing the M1943 Field Jacket, and he is wearing the M1943 Combat Boots.  These solders are wearing the M1943 cotton trousers, which were issued, but often solders in the winter continued to wear their wool service pattern trousers, and indeed did so even in warmer months.   Both walking soldiers are shown wearing helmet covers, which were rarely worn in Europe as it caused confusion with German snipers, who also did.  Helmet netting was much more common.

The reason for the adoption was that Service Shoes were not lasting long, with a reported thirteen days of durability, although that is likely explained by materials rather than the design itself, which had an extremely long run and which survives as a very tough civilian pattern to this day.  The M1943 was in fact based on the Service Shoe, but incorporating cuff buckles which had been used on prior civilian hunting and outdoors boots.  It was also made of rough out leather, as "Pershing Boots" had been during World War One, which was known to be highly durable, but which was resistant to polishing.

One solder comforting another during the Korean War.  All of these men wear the M1943 Combat Boot. They're also wearing Field Pants, modeled on the trousers worn by U.S. paratroopers in World War Two and which have continued to be the pattern to the present day.

The M1943 was seen as a huge improvement by soldiers when they came out, save for paratroopers, but it was replaced in 1948, theoretically, by a boot based on the theoretically replaced jump boot.  In reality, however, M1943s would be in use well into the late 1950s.  They also saw use in other armies, which adopted the pattern, and which used them for many years.

U.S. troosp in Italy during World War Two.  The sniper in the center of the photo is wearing a helmet cover, rare for U.S. troops during the war, and he's wearing M1942 Jump Boots, which were hugely popular with U.S. servicemen during the war, and for decades thereafter.  Made on the Munson Last, they were very comfortable boots.  His rifle is a M1903A5.  To the right, as we view the photo, an infantryman is equipped also with the bolt action M1903, as are two of the men behind him.  The number of M1903s in this photo is not uncommon, but there are too many to be explained by their being scout snipers or grenadiers, both of which used the M1903 throughout the war.

The M1943 boots came in as part of the M1943 Combat Uniform, which featured not only new boots, but a new field jacket, the M1943, which formed the distinctive appearance of the American soldier for decades thereafter.  The Field Jacket was a huge improvement over prior patterns, and it did successfully replace the various competing variants, although examples of the earlier patterns did endure throughout the war.  Through various updates and modifications, the basic M1943 style of uniform remained in general service up until the adoption of the Battle Dress Uniform in the early 1980s, which was itself ironically patterned on the earlier M1941 Paratroopers Uniform which had inspired Vietnam era jungle fatigues.  The successor of the M1943 Field Jacket would remain in use until the very recently, and is still an acceptable private purchase item.

U.S. Army officers during the Korean War wearing the pattern of uniform closely based on the M1943 uniform.  The officer on the right wears the M1951 Field Jacket, which was of a greener color than the M1943.  Both men are wearing russet M1948 Combat Boots, a pattern that had been introduced after the war and which was based on the M1942 Paratrooper Boot, but which was in fact slightly different, even though by this time the M1942 had been reintroduced.  The boots should be black, but many were russet as that had been the color they were first adopted in and soldiers were expected to die them black, something that wasn't easy to do.  Both men are wearing "patrol caps", which also came in with the M1943 uniform as the M1943 Field Cap.  The Army has retained the Patrol Cap to this day, after briefly toying with replacing it.

It might be noted that the M1943 uniform was only an Army uniform during World War Two.  The Marine Corps adopted the field jacket after the war, but only the field jacket.

Monday, February 1, 1943 The birth of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a U.S. Army unit made up of Japanese American, Nisei, enlisted men, with white officers, was authorized.

The unit served in Europe during the war and became the most decorated unit in American military history.

44nd's DI.

Operation Ke (ケ号作戦), the Japanese evacuation of Guadalcanal, commenced. 10,652 Japanese soldiers were evacuated from the island with the US not realizing that the Japanese Navy runs were taking troops out, not in, until February 8, when the mission was over.

Vittorio Ambrosio became Chief of Staff of the Italian Army.  He ultimately supported removing Mussolini when the latter would not take Italy out of the war and helped negotiated the treaty that resulted in Italy changing sides.  He also supported taking the Italian Army out of the war against the Soviet Union.  

He was nonetheless demoted to Inspector-General after the Italian switch in sides, as the Allies did not trust him.

He was married to a Croatian and passed away at age 79 in 1958.

Thursday, January 28, 1943. Glyndwr Michael.

Glyndwr Michael, age 34, died.  The homeless Welsh man's body would be used in Operation Mincemeat, in which he was set adrift off of Spain with a fictional British Army identify carrying invasion plans for Sardinia. The Sardinian operation was a deception for the anticipated invasion of Sicily.

Michael's true identity would not be revealed for 55 years, something typical of the British mania for secrecy.

His tomb, baring honors, is in Spain.

The recent movie on this matter, Operation Mincemeat, is excellent, and does a superb job of depicting the events of Operation Mincemeat from beginning to end, including selecting Michael's body.  This is the first references to the film here, but it's a very good film in all respects.

Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson announced the US would "ease restrictions on Americans of Japanese ancestry and employ loyal ones in war work", meaning the U.S. would form a Japanese American Army unit.  In fact, the US was already employing some Japanese American servicemen as interpreters, but this paved the way to wider use of Japanese American volunteers 

The Japanese submarine I-65 shelled Port Gregory, Western Australia, to no effect.

Saturday, January 2, 1943. Horse Meat Won't Hurt, Beachead at Buna-Gona.

 

Basketball game, Colorado River Relocation Center, Poston, Arizona, 1/2/43.

American and Australian forces captured the beachhead at Buna in the Battle of Buna-Gona, New Guinea.

Gen. Eichelberger was under orders from MacArthur to "Take Buna, or don't come back alive".

The Saturday Evening Post featured a Leyendecker with a helmeted naked baby swinging into the New Year on holding tenuously onto a musket.

Science News assured its readers that Horse Meat Won't Hurt.  The article noted, amongst other things, that very few horses were actually slaughtered for meat in the US in any event.

According to Sarah Sundin:

Today in World War II History—January 2, 1943: In Libya, the port of Tripoli is closed to Axis ships due to Allied bombing. New songs in Top Ten: “Moonlight Becomes You,” “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To.”