Sunday, April 13, 2025

Friday, April 13, 1945. Bitter end.


"Bitter end. Downcast German prisoners rounded up in the clean-up of bitterly-resisting Heilbronn, are marched to the rear. Key to Southern Germany, Heilbronn was stubbornly defended by these and other Nazis but finally fell before Seventh Army onslaught after nine days of severe fighting. 13 April, 1945. 100th Infantry Division, VI Corps. Photographer: T/4 Irving Leibowitz, 163rd Signal Photo Co."

The Red Army took Vienna and began the Samland Offensive.

Members of the SS and Luftwaffe German SS and Luftwaffe burned 1,016 slave laborers alive in a large barn at Gardelegen.

New Zealander troops captured Massa Lombarda, southwest of Lake Comacchio, Italy.

American forces land on Fort Drum,"the Concrete Battleship", in Manila Bay. They poured 5,000 gallons of oil fuel into the fortifications and set it on fire, whereupon it burned for five days.

Last edition:

Thursday, April 12, 1945. The death of Franklin Roosevelt

Monday, April 13, 1925. Renewed Riffian War, Follow the Yellow Brick Road.

Abd el-Krim of the Riffians attacked French forces in Morocco renewing the Riffian War.


Newfoundland granted women the right to vote.  It was not yet part of Canada.

Ford Air Transport Service, the first dedicated cargo airline, began operations with a Stout 2-AT Pullman airplane transporting 1,000 pounds of freight from Detroit to Chicago.

The Larry Semon-directed version of the film The Wizard of Oz was released. Semon himself starred as the Scarecrow, Dorothy Dwan as Dorothy, and comedian Oliver Hardy as the Tin Man.

Last edition:

Easter Sunday, April 12, 1925. Metropolitan Peter of Krutitsy (Pyotr Fyodorovich Polyansky) installed as the Patriarch of Moscow.

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Best Posts of the Week of April 6, 2025

We usually don't start with the last posts first, but this week has pretty much demonstrated that something is grossly wrong with Donald Trump, the options being real stupidity, or dementia, or both.

Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist 82nd Edition. The This Is Your Economy On Dementia Edition.

This past week, Trump, for no good reason, destroyed the global economic order and made the US a weaker nation than it was, something he's been doing pretty much on a weekly basis.

There was a protest in Casper, and elsewhere.

Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist. 81st Edition. Protests and Golfing.


We made some blog changes:

A few changes.

Things 150, 200, and 250 years ago are outside the expressed target range of the blog, so we're discontinuing posting on those events.

For the most part, at this point, things 100 years ago, which would be 1925, are also, so we likely will discontinue those as well. 

Things 80 years ago and 50 years ago, clearly are, but we're going to keep on keeping on with those for other reasons.


Europeans are preparing for war.

Britain, Germany Issue Emergency Guidance


People who should have been court-martialed were allowed back into the service, if they want back in.

A Canadian newspaper pegged it:

Opinion | Donald Trump has pushed America into a golden age of stupid. Now’s Canada’s chance to be smart.


Musk said the quiet part out loud:


The ARVN was giving a surprisingly good account of itself:



People pretended to reinvigorate coal:















Last edition:

Best Posts of the Week of March 30, 2025. The Week of Trump the Destroyer.


Independent Record Store Day, 2025.


 

Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist 82nd Edition. The This Is Your Economy On Dementia Edition.

Substitute brain for economy, and drugs for dementia, and you get a picture of what might very well be going on with the administration of the United States right now.

Is Trump Insane?

As Donald Trump’s tariff plan slams the stock market, investors are beginning to wonder if the president doesn’t have some broader economic agenda—but rather if he’s just mentally ill.

As Donald Trump’s tariff plan slams the stock market, investors are beginning to wonder if the president doesn’t have some broader economic agenda—but rather if he’s just mentally ill.

“In the last few days, we have had many conversations with macro fund managers,” wrote Tom Lee, the head of research at the financial analysis firm FSInsights.

“And their concern is that the White House is not acting rationally, but rather on ideology. And some even fear that this may not even be ideology,” Lee continued. “A few have quietly wondered if the President might be insane.”

The New Republic.

They're just asking this now?  Some of us have been stating that Trump is probably demented for a long time.

This is a serious, not a rhetorical, question.

Some psychologist have looked at his behavior and said no, others, have said a definite yes.  For instance, an April 1, 2025 interview of Dr. John Gartner states the following, and accuses the press of "sanewashing" Trump:

He is losing his capacity for coherent speech. We’ve collected dozens and dozens of Trump’s phonemic paraphrasias, in which you use sounds in place of an actual word  (a hallmark of brain damage and dementia).  What happens is that someone is trying to say a word and then they get the first part out but they have to end it or create one because they can’t remember the rest. Trump will say something like ‘mishiz’ for missiles, or “Chrishus” for Christmas, because he can’t complete the word. Then we see also a lot of semantic paraphrasias, in which he uses a word incorrectly, as in “the oranges of the situation” because it rhymes with “the origins of the situation.” This is not within normal limits; his basic ability to use language is breaking down.

So there is that verbal deterioration. And then there is the physical deterioration. He used to be quite graceful, and now he uses a wide-based gait typical of frontotemporal dementia, sometimes he swings his right leg in a semi-circle. He also has trouble getting up the ramp; he has trouble doing physical things.

The other way we see deterioration is in his behavior. Actually, this is where people say, ‘Well, how can you tell? He’s a bad person; he breaks every rule of law and decency, what is new?’ But he is much more impulsive and erratic now. He blurts things out; he makes impulsive decisions that he has to then reverse, like his many reversals on tariffs.

‘The Press Has Sanewashed Trump’s Dementia and Mental Illness’: Dr. John Gartner by Diana Hembree

I think there's a lot to this, and have for some time.  I don't think he's a well man. The amazing thing is that there are an army of people backing him up.  Gartner notes some are doing so for their own purposes:

Now people may think that because Donald Trump is demented that he won’t be very effective in his agenda. But the problem is he has the whole Project 2025 team behind him, led by Russell Voight. And he’s got Elon Musk, who is a mental health study in and of himself. Musk is on the spectrum; like Trump, he is hypomanic, and like Trump, he is clearly also a sociopath. He feels no remorse in inflicting pain on people; in fact, he feels a sense of glee and mastery in doing it. He was joking about using a chainsaw (to cut federal jobs), holding one up and laughing about it. He’s taking away the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. He’s a monster, just as Trump is a monster, and Trump attracts monsters. Now we have a real Trump problem, because we now have a whole government that is populated by people who have some version of his personality disorder.

‘The Press Has Sanewashed Trump’s Dementia and Mental Illness’: Dr. John Gartner by Diana Hembree.

Okay, that's pretty extreme, but that doesn't mean that he's incorrect on Trump. . . and Musk.

Some related threads on this one:

We should worry.



And there's plenty of evidence of this.  Consider this statement when the Dodgers recently visited the White House:
When you ran out of healthy arms, you ran out of really healthy, you had great arms, but they ran out, it’s called sports, it’s called baseball in particular, and pitchers I guess you could say in really particular.

Donald Trump

What the f***? 

Or this, about the Great Lakes, this past week:

I assume the lakes are all interconnected.

Or this, earlier this month, on groceries.

 An old-fashioned term that we use – groceries. I used it on the campaign. It's such an old-fashioned term, but a beautiful term. Groceries. It says a bag with different things in it.

The last two comments are monumentally stupid.

By the way, if Trump is demented, this will get worse.  His dementia will get worse, and his erratic behavior will get worse.  His meanness will likely get worse, and its already pretty evident.

And I say this as a person who has witnessed the onset and advance of frontotemporal dementia in a person up close, and personal.  Let's take a look at the symptoms, according to Mayo, keeping in mind they advance over time:

The most common symptoms of frontotemporal dementia involve extreme changes in behavior and personality. These include:

  • Increasingly inappropriate social behavior.
  • Loss of empathy and other interpersonal skills. For example, not being sensitive to another person's feelings.
  • Lack of judgment.
  • Loss of inhibition.
  • Lack of interest, also known as apathy. Apathy can be mistaken for depression.
  • Compulsive behaviors such as tapping, clapping, or smacking lips over and over.
  • A decline in personal hygiene.
  • Changes in eating habits. People with FTD typically overeat or prefer to eat sweets and carbohydrates.
  • Eating objects.
  • Compulsively wanting to put things in the mouth.

Speech and language symptoms

Some subtypes of frontotemporal dementia lead to changes in language ability or loss of speech. Subtypes include primary progressive aphasia, semantic dementia and progressive agrammatic aphasia, also known as progressive nonfluent aphasia.

These conditions can cause:

  • Increasing trouble using and understanding written and spoken language. People with FTD may not be able to find the right word to use in speech.
  • Trouble naming things. People with FTD may replace a specific word with a more general word, such as using "it" for pen.
  • No longer knowing word meanings.
  • Having hesitant speech that may sound telegraphic by using simple, two-word sentences.
  • Making mistakes in sentence building.

Movement conditions

Rare subtypes of frontotemporal dementia cause movements similar to those seen in Parkinson's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Movement symptoms may include:

  • Tremor.
  • Rigidity.
  • Muscle spasms or twitches.
  • Poor coordination.
  • Trouble swallowing.
  • Muscle weakness.
  • Inappropriate laughing or crying.
  • Falls or trouble walking.
For a man in command of the world's most powerful Army and Air Force, and second largest Navy, this should be a matter of grave concern for everyone.

What were you thinking?

That's what those who voted against Trump have been wondering about those who voted for him.  New stats on this, however, suggest that many rank and file Trump voters now are at the point that they understand why those who voted against Trump wonder that. They're wondering a bit themselves.

In spite of the embarrassing spectacle of Trump apologist struggling to keep up with his meandering and dangerous policies from day to day, most Trump voters didn't vote for anything like what we're seeing.  They simply discounted the warnings.

Is White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stupid?


There's a fair number of people who are asking this question.

She is a college graduate, but she comes across as a somebody who obtained her position for her looks.  It's embarrassing.

As a co religious of mine, she's embarrassing.  Married to somebody 32 years her senior (that's odd) and who lies without hesitation, which is sinful, she also comes across as simply dumb.

Catholics, who fit into a group that a lot of "Evangelical Christians" of the type Trump supports that, while being the first Christians, aren't regarded by the latter as Christians, are, I'm convinced, really going to come out with the short end of the stick the longer the Trump Administration lasts and the association of a certain brand of  Christianity, which they aren't part of, with Trump, is going to hurt Christianity in the US overall.

No Female Four Stars


There are 27 four star officers in the U.S. military, including two in the Space Farce.*

Not one of them is a woman.

It hasn't been really noticed, but with dismissals in the Trump administration, they're all gone.

I doubt this is an accident.

Now, this is where I'm probably legitimately a target for the charge of hypocrisy, as I don't feel that women should serve in combat.** I don't object to them being in the service, however.

Now, a person could, an d rightfully, point out, that if women can't serve in combat, it'd be difficult for them to obtain a combat command, and that would be true. . . except history has demonstrated the opposite.

Dwight Eisenhower never had a combat command. Neither did George Marshall.  And the Coast Guard arguably has no combat commands, although a person could argue that.  The Space Farce very clearly has no combat commands and there's no earthly reason whatsoever that the various occupations occupied by their junior birdmen couldn't be occupied by either sex equally well.

Indeed, the dirty little secret of the US military is that at some point after World War One, and before World War Two, most occupations in the military are in fact non combat roles.

And speaking of the Space Farce. . . 

Getting fired for being sane.

U.S. Space Force Col. Susan Meyers, 821st Space Base Group, noted her support for Denmark after J. D. Vance visited her base and got canned immediately thereafter.  She noted that her base in Greenland proudly flew the US and Danish flags.

For Release

Published April 10, 2025

By Space Operations Command Public Affairs

Pituffik Space Base, Greenland --  Colonel Susannah Meyers, commander of Pituffik Space Base was removed from command by Colonel Kenneth Klock, commander of Space Base Delta 1, on April 10, 2025 for loss of confidence in her ability to lead. 

Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties.

Colonel Shawn Lee has assumed command.

Col. Meyers may be the first serving officer to publicly criticize the Trump administrations per World War One colonialist views.  She surely knew she'd be relieved and fell on her sword.  Good for her.

J. D. Vance seems to have something against Europeans.  He may really be a hillbilly.  Whatever it is, in spite of being very well educated, he just doesn't seem to like them, which may be proof that you can take the hillbilly out of Appalachia, but you can't take the Appalachia out of the hillbilly, even if he is from Ohio.

I just can't see how this is a good thing.

Degenfelder Cheers Dismantling of U.S. Dept. Of Education At White House Signing Ceremony

Wyoming Superintendent of Education Megan Degenfelder was in attendance.  Governor Gordon begged off, saying he had other things to do.  

Maybe he did, or maybe he just didn't want to be associated with this populist bad idea.

Trump, in signing the executive order, stated; "“We want education to come back to them — to come back to the states — and they’re going to do a phenomenal job".  Yeah, well clearly they aren't all doing a phenomenal job now, and they're already in charge of education.  Frankly, tha'ts a pretty uneducated statement, but then its not like Donny or his family have every had to depend on public education.

The Wyoming Education Association, which is made up of teachers, was less thrilled.

“The Wyoming Education Association stands in strong opposition to the dismantling of the Department of Education (DOE),” 

Wyoming's Secretary of Education stated:

“It’s just a truly momentous and historic day for education in America, and it’s a win for American students,” said Degenfelder. “We’re taking out the middle man in education, putting education back where it belongs — in the classroom and not in D.C. offices.”

Degenfelder ran in the last election against Sergio Maldonado.  I voted for Maldonado who is a Native Wyomingite and Native American.  He's also a professional teacher, which Degenfelder is not, who is a graduate of BYU and Arizona State University. While he's no spring chicken, he's a doctoral candidate at the University of Wyoming.  He had served during the Bush Administration as a member of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education.

He's also a Democrat.

Footnotes:

*What the crap?

**

Women and combat



Related threads:



M939 Truck. National Museum of Military Vehicles.


This is a M939 5 ton truck.  A heavier U.S. military truck is behind it.  I can't identify what the truck  is carrying, unfortunately.

Part of the final series of US 6x6 trucks, it went into production in 1982 and were produced in the US only for a few years.  They're still produced in South Korea.  It featured a diesel engine and an automatic transmission.

Last edition:

LARC-V. National Museum of Military Vehicles.


Blog Mirror: Mammoth featured heavily in Western Clovis diet

Mammoth featured heavily in Western Clovis diet


Mammoth, it's what was for dinner.

No vegans on the paleo steppes.

Saturday, April 12, 1975. Eagle Pull.

US ambassador John Gunther Dean stepping off Marine Corps helicopter in Thailand.

Operation Eagle Pull took place with the US closure of its Cambodian embassy and the insertion of 180 Marines into Phnom Penh to start the evacuation of US civilians.  Approximately 300 people were evacuated, of which 82 were Americans.

Deputy Prime Minister Sisowath Sirik Matak refused to leave, stating in a letter to the American Ambassador, "I cannot, alas, leave in such a cowardly fashion....I have only committed this mistake of believing in you, the Americans."

The ARVN deployed aircraft against NVA units at Xuan Loc, with the South Vietnamese air force flying up to 120 sorties per day.

Six Catholic civilians are killed in a Ulster Volunteer Force gun and grenade attack on Strand Bar in Belfast, North Ireland

Josephine Baker died at age 68.

Last edition:

Friday, April 11, 1975. The looming end for Cambodia and the NVA takes the Spratlys.

Blog Mirror: 100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #104: The Searchers (1956)

 

100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #104: The Searchers (1956)

Thursday, April 12, 1945. The death of Franklin Roosevelt

Franklin Roosevelt on April 11, 1945.

Franklin Roosevelt died on this day in 1945.

His death was a surprise to nobody close to him but came as a shock to the nation.  He'd been fading steadily for months.  His final moments came while sitting for a portrait in Warm Springs, Georgia.  His last words were "I have a terrific headache", reflecting that he died of a massive intracerebral hemorrhage.

He was 63 years of age.

Harry S. Truman was inaugurated President.  Immediately thereafter, Secretary of War Harry Stimson and James F. Byrnes informed him of the nature of the Manhattan Project.  He'd been kept in the dark about it previously, in spite of trying to learn of its nature while in Congress.  At noon he met reporters and said “last night the whole weight of the moon and stars fell on me. If you fellows ever pray, please pray for me.”

Much about Truman's approach to things would be different than Roosevelt's, and FRD's death and Truman's inauguration cannot be regarded as a seamless transition.  Roosevelt was politely hostile to European colonialism and did not desire to see European powers return to their former colonial domains where they had been pushed out of them. Truman was rapidly approached by France and the UK and became sympathetic to their positions.  Roosevelt was naive in some ways to the dangers of Communism and while Truman was not really enlightened to them at first, he'd become so after the war, while also being saddled with an administration that had seen significant left wing penetration.  Truman was, also, blunt.

Roosevelt is arguably the last great President of the United States.  The country has certainly had some good ones since then, but none who were great.

Hitler was ecstatic about Roosevelt's death, maintaining it was a sign that German fortunes in the war were turning.

The US 3rd Army took Erfurt. The French took Baden Baden.

The USS Lindsey, Mannert L. Abele and Zellars were severely damaged off of Okinawa by kamikazes.

The Srmian Front was broken by the Red Army.

The Battle of Authion ended in Allied victory.

The Battle of Buchhof and Stein am Kocher ended after one week.

The Royal Navy sank the U-486 and U-1024.

The Berlin Philharmonic gave one of its last Third Reich performances at the Philharmonic Hall in Berlin, with various members of the military and political elite in attendance.  Robert Heger conducted Brünnhilde's last aria (the Immolation Scene) and the finale from Richard Wagner's Götterdammerung, Beethoven's Violin Concerto, and Anton Bruckner's Romantic Symphony.  Members of the Hitler Youth offered cyanide capsules to the audience as they left the building, many of those in attendance being military and political elites.

Easter Sunday, April 12, 1925. Metropolitan Peter of Krutitsy (Pyotr Fyodorovich Polyansky) installed as the Patriarch of Moscow.

Portable radio?

Radio in the Canadian Rockies, 1925



Metropolitan Peter of Krutitsy (Pyotr Fyodorovich Polyansky) was installed as the Patriarch of Moscow on the same day as the funeral for his predecessor, Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow. 

Peter had been identified in Tikhon's will as one of his three potential successors.  He was selected by the council of 59 bishops because "the first two were already in prison."  Peter would later suffer imprisonment himself and was executed by the barbarous Soviet state in 1937.  The Russian Orthodox Church has declared him to be a Hieromartyr.

Tikhon's funeral in Moscow was the last major public Russian Orthodox Church event and the last major religious event in the Soviet Union for over 60 years.

It should be noted that in the Orthodox East, it was not Easter Sunday, like it was in the west.  Easter for the Orthodox would fall on April 19.

France, following the UK's example, agreed that its indemnities for the Boxer Rebellion should go to railway construction in China.

Last edition:

Holy Saturday, April 11, 1925. East of the Sun, West of the Moon.Labels: