Today in World War II History—July 29, 1944 On Guam, US Marines clear Orote Peninsula and take Orote Airfield.
Japanese resistance was increasing on Tinian, with the US now in control of half of the island.
The last Japanese resistance was eliminated on Biak, while U.S. forces pulled back at Afua near Aitape due to effective Japanese attacks.
The U.S. 1st Army advanced everywhere in Operation Cobra.
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Final Act of the International Peace Conference; July 29, 1899
The International Peace Conference, convoked in the best interests of humanity by His Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias, assembled, on the invitation of the Government of Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, in the Royal House in the Wood at The Hague on the 18th May, 1899.
The Powers enumerated in the following list took part in the Conference, to which they appointed the Delegates named below:
In a series of meetings, between the 18th May and the 29th July, 1899, in which the constant desire of the Delegates above mentioned has been to realize, in the fullest manner possible, the generous views of the August Initiator of the Conference and the intentions of their Governments, the Conference has agreed, for submission for signature by the Plenipotentiaries, on the text of the Conventions and Declarations enumerated below and annexed to the present Act:
I. Convention for the peaceful adjustment of international differences.
II. Convention regarding the laws and customs of war by land.
III. Convention for the adaptation to maritime warfare of the principles of the Geneva Convention of the 22d August, 1864.
IV. Three Declarations:
1. To prohibit the launching of projectiles and explosives from balloons or by other similar new methods.
2. To prohibit the use of projectiles the only object of which is the diffusion of asphyxiating or deleterious gases.
3. To prohibit the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily in the human body, such as bullets with a hard envelope, of which the envelope does not entirely cover the core, or is pierced with incisions.
These Conventions and Declarations shall form so many separate Acts. These Acts shall be dated this day, and may be signed up to the 31st December, 1899, by the Plenipotentiaries of the Powers represented at the International Peace Conference at The Hague.
Guided by the same sentiments, the Conference has adopted unanimously the following Resolution:
" The Conference is of opinion that the restriction of military charges, which are at present a heavy burden on the world, is extremely desirable for the increase of the material and moral welfare of mankind."
It has, besides, formulated the following wishes:
1. The Conference, taking into consideration the preliminary step taken by the Swiss Federal Government for the revision of the Geneva Convention, expresses the wish that steps may be shortly taken for the assembly of a Special Conference having for its object the revision of that convention.
This wish was voted unanimously.
2. The Conference expresses the wish that the questions of the rights and duties of neutrals may be inserted in the programme of a Conference in the near future.
3. The Conference expresses the wish that the questions with regard to rifles and naval guns, as considered by it, may be studied by the Governments with the object of coming to an agreement respecting the employment of new types and calibers.
4. The Conference expresses the wish that the Governments, taking into consideration the proposals made at the Conference, may examine the possibility of an agreement as to the limitation of armed forces by land and sea, and of war budgets.
5. The Conference expresses the wish that the proposal, which contemplates the declaration of the inviolability of private property in naval warfare, may be referred to a subsequent Conference for consideration.
6. The Conference expresses the wish that the proposal to settle the question of the bombardment of posts, towns, and villages by a naval force may be referred to a subsequent Conference for consideration.
The last five wishes were voted unanimously, saving some abstentions.
In faith of which, the Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Act, and have affixed their seals thereto.
Done at The Hague, 29th July, 1899, in one copy only, which shall be deposited in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and of which copies, duly certified, shall be delivered to all the Powers represented at the Conference.
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But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious,callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good,traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them.For some of these slip into homes and make captives of women weighed down by sins, led by various desires, always trying to learn but never able to reach a knowledge of the truth.Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so they also oppose the truth—people of depraved mind, unqualified in the faith.But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be plain to all, as it was with those two.
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A very interesting Canadian agriculturalist whom I follow on Twitter (I don't care with Elon Musk calls it), who is also an Eastern Rite Catholic, noted that he, like me, didn't watch the Olympic opener (as will be noted, I watched the very start of it, grew bored, and wondered off). So he, like me, was left with the media accounts, of which there are plenty, including video, of a group of drag queens mocking Da Vinci's The Last Supper. He goes on to make the point that the sex laden transvestite portrayal was likely calculated to offend, but that The Last Supper is not an icon, which is quite correct.
But, with some exception, the Latin Rite lacks icons. While not the same, the great Medieval and Renaissance works of art in the West tended to be commissioned by the Church, so they have an association with it. Put another way, in order to offend to the degree as denigrating an icon, there'd be little other choice. 1 Again, it's not an icon, but part of a set of religious works of art commissioned by and associated with Christianity in the West.
It's hard to grasp why this would occur, but the outrage in the Catholic Church, and there is a lot of it, is justified. So is the embarrassment in some French circles, particularly French conservative ones. The French far right came with in a gnat's breath of taking over the French government two weeks ago and the ultimate makeup of the upcoming French government is still unknown. Had this happened before the election, I have a strong feeling that the French far right would be forming a government now.
That provides a topic for another thread, which we will address, but we'll note here. Part of the rise of National Conservatism and Christian Nationalism, and even just far right populism, is due to debauchery such as this.
The Olympics itself was quick to claim that the portrayal wasn't not of The Last Supper, which of course is an Italian, not a French, Renaissance work, noting on Twitter:
The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.
Hmm. . . Dionysus is a Greek mythological figure, not a French one. . .
Dionysus was the Greek god of is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. His Roman equivalent was Bacchus. While celebrated in Roman times, the Romans also restricted unofficial celebrations dedicated to Bacchus due to the excess he was associated with it.
Whatever else Dionysus may stand for or have stood for, it certainly had nothing to do with being against violence between human beings. He really had a lot more to do with booze, drunkenness, sex and insanity, and its interesting that the ancient Greeks linked all of them together. Eirene or Irene was the divinity associated with peace, but she didn't engage in drunken excess.
Another Olympic official also reacted with a series of excuses that were fairly lame. Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Olympics Opening Ceremony, said the display was about "inclusion".
When we want to include everyone and not exclude anyone, questions are raised. Our subject was not to be subversive. We never wanted to be subversive. We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that.
Whatever diversity means, it doesn't mean "being together". At least to some significant degree, it means being apart, and in the modern era, when this is being self defined in a way contrary to nature, it literally means being a Dionysus until one's self.
Jolly noted:
In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.
Um, okay.
Le Filip, the winner of Drag Race France season three, probably got it more accurate.
I thought it would be a five-minute drag event with queer representation. I was amazed. It started with Lady Gaga, then we had drag queens, a huge rave, and a fire in the sky. It felt like a crowning all over again. I am proud to see my friends and queer people on the world stage.2
Whatever a person thinks of it, Le Filip grasped it better than Jolly did, quite frankly.
For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things.o
St. Paul to the Philippians, Chapter 3.
A portion of France, particularly urban France, has waged war with the Church and Christianity since the failed French Revolution. Like all the revolutions that were conducted by populist mobs, their god was their belly and they turned on the Church. The same is true of the Bolshevik Revolution and the Mexican Revolution. The Church stands for the proposition that there is something greater, much greater, than us, where as populism of the left and right, at the end of the day, doesn't. Modern "progressivism", heir to the extreme left that arose in 1798 and 1917 has the same ethos, rejecting anything outside of ourselves and rising each person to an individual Bacchus no matter how much a person's own nature may be corrupted in one fashion or another, as individual natures are the only thing that matters. The portrayal at the Olympic opener celebrated that ethos shamefully mocking Christianity in favor of a world outlook that goes no deeper than a person's gentiles. Their glory, is their shame.
The storms that are raging around you will turn out to be for God’s glory, your own merit, and the good of many souls.
St. Padre Pio.
I'll be frank that I quit watching the opening ceremonies of Olympic games some time ago. I think the last one I actually watched was the Moscow Olympics, which is now quite some time back. They've ceased to make sense to me. The Olympics are ostensibly about sports, not about the glorification of the country where they're held, or drag queens. Indeed, I've frankly lost interest in the Olympics themselves for some reason.
This really reinforces that view, particularly as to this particular Olympics.
I feel they should just be permanently placed in Greece, for the summer games.
Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows, because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit.
Galatians, Chapter 6.
I suspect most of the viewing audience will simply regard this attack on Catholicism as part of the show, shrug it off, and move on. In doing so, they benefit from the liberal culture the Church created in the West and the fact that central to the Christian worldview is turning the other cheek. In contrast, France has a very large Muslim population that nobody would dare attack in such a fashion, a cartoon depicting Mohammed for instance famously resulting in murder. There will be no drag queens taking on an Islamic topic. None. Islam doesn't turn the other cheek. Likewise, Hinduism, which of course would be completely foreign to France, can't be attacked in this fashion either without almost immediate retribution.3
Catholics aren't going to do that, nor will the rest of the Christian world.
Which doesn't mean that the offense should be ignored.
Footnotes:
1. One religious image that has endured this is the tilmahtli associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe. Back when there was a print Playboy magazine, the company issued a Mexican edition with a Mexican woman featured on the cover replicating the image in a pornographic fashion, which brought a firestorm of criticism.
That, and this, give credence to those who claim a diabolical origin to these events.
2. Are there no French singers to do an Olympic opening? Why Stefani Germanotta as the opening act? That alone is embarrassing for France.
Having said that, the Marseilles was beautifully sung by Axelle Saint-Cirel. They should have just stopped right there.
In case anyone wonders, my watching of the show was basically bookended by those two acts. I grew tired of the masked boofador running over roofs and wondered off to take a shower and watch something else.
3. One religion that has endured something like this is the LDS, Mormon, faith. Target of the satiric comedic The Book Of Mormon, it's basically shrugged it off, probably figuring, correctly, that as a minority religion, it might actually benefit from being mocked, as it at least puts a spotlight on it. I'd guess, however, that Mormons aren't keen on the portrayal, and while I've never seen it, and I'm not a Mormon, I'm not either. As noted, nobody would put on a Broadway satiric "The Koran", nor should they.
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The 4th Armored Division took Coutances in an action that featured accelerated ground advancement.
The Red Army began the Kaunas Offensive.
Pope Puix XII addressed the Polish people (in French).
DISCOURS DU PAPE PIE XII
AUX REPRÉSENTANTS DU PEUPLE POLONAIS
Salle Clémentine - Vendredi 28 juillet 1944
Il Nous serait bien difficile de trouver les paroles aptes à vous exprimer comme Nous la sentons, la vive et profonde émotion qui Nous étreint en ce moment, Fils très chers de la Pologne bien-aimée. Depuis les toutes premières alertes de l'horrible tourmente et à mesure que celle-ci, une fois déchaînée, sévissait de plus en plus furieuse, le regard du cœur tendu vers votre héroïque Nation. Nous suivions jour par jour, heure par heure, pourrions-Nous dire, dans la douleur et l'anxiété, le cours des événements qui l'accablaient, à peine ressuscitée et consolidée, de nouvelles et toujours plus dures épreuves. Mais pas plus que vous, Nous n'avons un seul instant désespéré d'une nouvelle résurrection de votre patrie, répétant avec vous le cri inspiré du juste souffrant : « Etiam si occiderit me, in ipso sperabo » (Iob 13, 15).
Qui eût pu prévoir que ces vicissitudes mêmes dussent vous amener aujourd'hui, avec vos illustres Chefs, du champ de bataille à la demeure du Père commun, après avoir donné des exemples magnifiques de religion et de piété, portant, sous l'habit de vaillants guerriers, le cœur des plus dévots pèlerins, pour offrir au successeur de Pierre le filial hommage de votre peuple.
À vous voir maintenant, pressés autour de Nous, Notre souvenir se reporte, cinq ans en arrière, à ce 30 septembre 1939, où la colonie polonaise de Rome venait, au milieu de ses angoisses, Nous apporter le témoignage de son imperturbable confiance et recevoir en retour Nos paroles de consolation et d'encouragement. Ce n'était alors pourtant que le prélude des douleurs, « initia dolorum » (cf. Mt 24, 8) et le flot de ces douleurs, montant, montant toujours, a submergé votre patrie : « intraverunt aquae usque ad animam meam » (Ps 68, 1). Malgré tout, après ces cinq longues années d'agonie, Nous pouvons, aujourd'hui comme alors, lire dans vos yeux la même confiance, la même fidélité, mais Nous y voyons briller, cette fois, la belle flamme de la noble fierté et de l'espérance.
En réalité, quoique votre sol national soit tout rouge du sang qui l'inonde, votre droit est si certain, que Nous avons le ferme espoir que toutes les nations prendront conscience de leur dette envers la Pologne, théâtre et trop souvent enjeu de leurs conflits, et que quiconque garde au cœur une étincelle de sentiment vraiment humain et chrétien tiendra à revendiquer pour elle toute la place qui lui est due, selon les principes de la justice et d'une véritable paix.
La vie des peuples est une succession continuelle d'ombre et de lumière ; nul plus que le vôtre ne présente ce clair-obscur dans son tragique passé. Parmi tant de vicissitudes, vos excellentes qualités : votre bravoure, votre esprit de sacrifice, votre patriotisme, vous ont sauvés dans les dangers extrêmes et jusque sur le bord de l'abîme. Relisez vos annales et retenez l'enseignement que vous verrez jaillir de l'histoire des temps meilleurs, comme celui du grand roi Casimir. Vous y trouverez qu'en ceci réside le précieux secret de la force nationale: un pouvoir qui n'a en vue que le vrai bien du peuple et, réciproquement, un peuple unanimement soumis avec confiance à ses chefs en vue du bien commun.
Mais Nous voyons surtout deux sources qui, aux heures les plus périlleuses, maintiennent chez vous la vie saine et forte. C'est d'abord l'énergie et la prudence de vos admirables femmes qui se sont montrées si souvent, dans le temps de la détresse, les fermes soutiens de votre espérance. Vos mères, vos sœurs, vos épouses, vos fiancées, au cours de ces années sombres, comme elles ont travaillé, comme elles ont souffert, comme elles ont prié pour vous et en union avec vous !
Et puis, c'est la vitalité de votre foi catholique bientôt millénaire. Elle date de cette année 966 où votre prince Mieszko I la reçut de l'Église Romaine et du souverain Pontife. Depuis, votre fidélité au Christ, à son Église, à son Vicaire est demeurée indéfectible. Elle a franchi la période troublée du XVIe siècle sans de graves dommages. Elle vous a coûté bien des combats soutenus avec intrépidité, bien des souffrances portées avec courage.
En dépit des problèmes, des préoccupations qui peuvent obscurcir encore l'horizon, Nous avons confiance que la Providence divine, en récompense de ces mille ans, vous fera goûter enfin la douceur d'une paix durable dans une heureuse prospérité. Elle vous en donne comme un avant-goût en cet instant même qui vous réunit auprès de Nous.
Halte bien brève au milieu de vos pénibles tribulations et de vos dures fatigues ; bien brève, oui, mais qui, Nous n'en doutons pas, vous laissera au cœur un parfum, un baume dont le bienfait ne passera pas aussi vite. Car ici, à Rome, en cette « Cité de Dieu » sur la terre, choisie par lui pour centre de son Église, tous les lieux, toutes les pierres parlent un langage auquel nul esprit chrétien ne saurait demeurer insensible. « Cité de Dieu » dont tous les citoyens, en dépit des divisions, des conflits d'intérêts, par-dessus les heurts inévitables en ce bas monde, sont tous frères, de la grande et véritable fraternité dans la charité du Christ, parce que tous sont également fils du Père qui est aux cieux, tous également frères et cohéritiers du Fils qui en est le fondateur, le sauveur et le roi.
C'est que, connaissant comme Nous le connaissons le noble cœur de votre peuple, Nous avons la conviction que l'amour du Christ saura vous inspirer ce que déjà la sagesse politique vous suggère. Il vous fera planer bien haut au dessus des calculs purement humains et dédaigner les âpres satisfactions des représailles et de la vengeance pour leur préférer la sublime tâche de faire valoir vos légitimes revendications, de relever et reconstituer votre patrie, de travailler en commun avec toutes les âmes droites, qui sont nombreuses en toutes les nations, à rétablir les relations fraternelles entre les membres de la grande famille de Dieu.
C'est en plaçant sous la protection de la Vierge Marie, Reine et Patronne de la Pologne, cette espérance d'un heureux avenir et en lui confiant Notre prière, que, du fond du cœur, Nous vous donnons à vous, à vos familles, à vos camarades, à tous ceux qui vous sont chers, à ceux qui, dans la patrie on dans l'exil, attendent votre retour, à tout le peuple Polonais enfin, en témoignage de Notre affection et en gage des faveurs divines, Notre Bénédiction apostoliqu
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The best posts of the week of July 21, 2024.
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The bipartisan House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to adopt the first of three articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon, obstruction of justice.
Richard M. Nixon, using the powers of his high office, engaged personally and through his subordinates and agents, in a course of conduct or plan designed to delay, impede, and obstruct the investigation.
Back when Congress actually acted responsibly, although 11 of the 17 Republicans did vote no.
The Rhodesian Army began Operation Overload, the relocation of 49,690 black civilians within the Chiweshe Tribal Trust Land to "protected villages" away from the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA).
Portugal's military government announced that it was granting independence to Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and Portuguese Guinea.
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The Lwów Uprising ended in Polish victory. The combatants would shortly be arrested by the Soviets, with the 1st Ukrainian Front entering that day. It also took Stanislav.
The Red Army took Daugavpils in the north, and Siauliai.
The 8th Corps of the 1st Army broke through at Lessy and Periers.
The jet fighter the Gloster Meteor entered active service with No. 616 Squadron RAF. It would be the only jet aircraft to see active service during the war for the Allies.
The Soviet submarine V-1, formerly the HMS Sunfish, was sunk by the RAF when it dove upon the airplane arriving, rather than fire a recognition signal.
Nimitz, MacArthur and Roosevelt were still meeting.
The 1st Army took Marigny and St. Gilles, and crossed the Lessay-Perieres Road.
After six months of combat, the Red Army took Narva, ending the Battle for Narva Bridgehead.
The Battle of Ilomantsi began between the Finns and the Red Army.
The 1st Ukrainian Front took Deblin.
President Roosevelt began a two day conference at Pearl Harbor on strategy in the Pacific. At the conference MacArthur urged an advance on the Philippines while Nimitz argued for making Taiwan the first priority and bypassing the Philippines. Roosevelt listened, but did not decide.
Fighting raged on around Aitape.
Japanese forces on Guam launched a banzai charge against Marines fighting for control of the island
The USS Robalo hit a mine sinking the sub off of Palawan Island. There were four survivors who disappeared forever into Japanese captivity.
The I-29 was sunk by the USS Sawfish in a submarine on submarine action.
The U-214 was sunk by the HMS Cooke in the English Channel. The U-2323 hit a mine off Kiel and sank.
A pilot with family in Merriam, Kansas, decided to buzz the family home with disastrous results.
The Merriam Bomber Crash of 1944
Oklahoma State Highway 89 was officially designated.
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Argentinian pilot Pedro Zanni and mechanic Felipe Beltrame began their rather belated attempt to fly around the world.
British/Virginian forces under Angus McDonald crossed the Ohio River to attack the Shawnee villages of Wakatomika.
