Casper Daily Press for May 17, 1918. Loafers Must Go To Work, Nonproducers Will Be Barred From Casper By Orders of City Fathers, "Get Work, Enlist, Or Go"

It was a hard day for leisure in Casper, 100 years ago.

Chesterton on Conservatives and Progressives.

The whole modern world has divided itself between Conservatives and Progressives.  The Business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes.  The business of Conservatives is to prevent he mistakes from being corrected.

G. K. Chesterton

Today In Wyoming's History: May 16, 1918. The Sedition Act of 1918 passed into law.

Today In Wyoming's History: May 16: 1918  The Sedition Act of 1918 passed by the U.S. Congress making criticism of the government an imprisonable offense of 20 years or fined $20,000.  Attribution:  Western History Center.

New York Herald's pro Sedition Act cartoon.  Included in the treasonous pack was the IWW and Sein Fein.

It provided, amongst other things:

SECTION 3. Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success of its enemies, or shall willfully make or convey false reports, or false statements, . . . or incite insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall willfully obstruct . . . the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, or . . . shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States, or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States . . . or shall willfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or shall willfully . . . urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production . . . or advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated and whoever shall by word or act support or favor the cause of any country with which the United States is at war or by word or act oppose the cause of the United States therein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both....

Not one of the U.S. prouder moments in World War One.  Of note, Theodore Roosevelt had editorialized against it.  It would in fact be abused as during wartime its easy to imagine a traitor behind every negative statement.

Airmail! Lt. Torrey Webb gets a watch and New York and Philadelphia get air mail service (and meanwhile on the Western Front). May 15, 1918.

Lt. Torrey Webb on the day of the inauguration of air mail between New York City and Philadelphia.  They gave him a Hamilton watch.  Dignitaries showed up. . . including ones from France.

The plane was a Curtis JN-4, a "Jenny".  The Jenny had, fwiw, just been commemorated by way of a postage stamp a few days prior.

Torrey Webb was was in the Army 's air service during the war, but he was studying engineering prior to it and would return to it.  He ended up the vice president of Texas Oil Company (Texaco).

Meanwhile, on the Western Front, these two RAF crewmen were were taking off in their RE8.

All of these air missions, we would note, were incredibly dangerous.

The news. . . Germans stall. .. Soviets react. . . .Airmail starts. . . Mayor Speer of Denver dies. . . The news from May 15, 1918.

A familiar name, even if most people don't recall who his was.  Mayor Speer, after whom Speer Blvd in Denver is named, passed.

One of the 1918 epidemic tally?

The Soviets had apparently had enough of German encroachment and were now fighting back.

Perhaps the Germans should have thought that through. It's not as if they had a lot of spare men, after all.

That Bisbee thing was back in the news.

And airmail was getting rolling!

The Finnish Civil War Ends

On this day in 1918 the brief but violent Finnish Civil War ended.

 German soldiers in Helsinki following the surrender of the Reds there.

Finnish Reds and Finnish Anarchists were already defeated in the field.  No peace treaty was concluded, nor could there have really been one. The end of the war came with Finnish Whites taking over Fort Ino from the Russians.

The war had been very violent, to say the least, with executions on both sides.  The Whites had been substantially assisted by German intervention, and the Germans remained in the country and would indeed find themselves fighting in the Balkans post World War One.

Babylon Berlin, Seasons 1 and 2

Hmmmmm

This film, or actually German television series, was recommended to me by my son whom, like me, has the same taste in films and the same interest in history.  We'd started off watching Foyle's War last year and there was really nothing to replace it.  He watched Generation War, which I haven't, and then picked up this German television series set in the very late 1920s.  I wasn't too sure but I do like film noire type films and historical dramas, so I went and head and watched it. Indeed, while I wouldn't call it binge watching, I did watch the two series pretty much straight through.

I'm still not too sure. 

Indeed, I'm not going on to Season 3.

This television series is sort of a neo film noire detective series, as noted.  It's set in Berlin, at least in seasons 1 and 2, in 1929.  The main protagonist is a young German First World War veteran who is a detective from Cologne, sent to Berlin by his police official father, to investigate some unknown blackmail scandal.

In the course of investigating the hidden scandal, the detective encounters every single thing going on in a city that's steeped in vice and license, all while the Communists, Nazis and fifth columns from within and without seek to overthrow the government.  It's a lot.  It's too much in fact, although it is oddly compelling which is why I can say that I've watched both of the first two seasons.

It also stretches over the boundaries of decency in quite a few places as the vice investigated tends towards being sexual vice and there's a lot of gratuitous female nudity.  Indeed, at some point it edge up on being pornographic.  If it didn't quite get there, and that's questionable, it's because it was depicting the moral sewer that Weimar Germany had become.

Which is more than a little disturbing.  Almost nobody in the series is who they seem to be and all sense of decency has been lost or cripplingly impaired.  Even the characters you hope to like are pretty damages and often in a really icky way.  Of course, late 1920s Germany was cripplingly impaired and perhaps that's the point.  But if it is, you can almost grasp the logic of the people I used to hear when I was very young who smaintained that the moral sewer nature of Weimar Germany gave rise to the Nazis when average people got disgusted and wanted to clean things up.  That thesis is addressed in Nazi Germany; A New History and there's a little truth to it but its far too simplistic, and inaccurate, explanation of actually occurred.

In terms of historical details, this drama isn't a pure history and so it leans, rather purely relies, upon the history of the age.  On major themes they are set generally correctly if not necessarily purely portraying actual events.  Material details are well done.  Fairly wide liberties are taken with cultural details.

The series fails, in my view, for really stretching the bounds of credibility with its plots.  The concluding episode lacks credibility.  As a drama, it relies entirely too much on the female nudity of its female characters and really takes enormous liberties to explain it.  I'd give this one a pass and will do so on future episodes.

Darkest Hour

I saw this movie last year.

Like a lot of the running topics that I supposedly update, I've gotten really bad about updating my move reviews, if that's what they are, here.  Not sure why.

Anyhow, this is the move that I've most recently seen at the actual theater. There were a couple of others I intended to go see but didn't, so I've not only gotten bad about my reviews, but even about seeing the films. So, other than work, it seems, I'm not getting out much.

Hmmm. . . .

Anyhow, this film is an excellent look at the tense days following the British evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940, which itself was the topic of an excellent 2017 movie.   This film covers the evacuation as well, but more than that its a tense study of Winston Churchill's rise to power in the crisis and his immediate reaction to it.

It's superb.

Gary Oldman does an amazing job of portraying Churchill in the tense weeks in which he can legitimately be credited with saving the Allies from a complete collapse and surrender to Nazi Germany.  The movie accurately portrays Churchill's peculiar character, something that would be more than a little difficult to do.  It also very nicely shows the central role in the decision making process that lead to the British staying in the war when it was far from certain that they would.

All in all, this is an excellent historical drama that takes very few liberties with the facts.  In terms of material details it has things right, but it's mostly an indoor drama (which nonetheless must pay attention to details to be correct).  It's an excellent portrayal.  Interestingly, it's also one of two British World War Two dramas that were big budget major films this year that did well in the United States and which are completely focused on British, not American, topics. Something that is very much the exception to the rule.  Highly recommended.

And fifty years later, in France (on May 13, 1968) . . .

French labor unions called a general strike in support of the students of the Sorbonne.  Of course, French labor unions will call a strike on about any occasion, but this was a serious matter. . . even if it did have the effect of making the weekend a three day one.

It wasn't a day off for diplomats. The peace talks between North and South Vietnam, and the United States, commenced in Paris.

Casper Daily Press for May 13, 1918. Germans used up their reserves and have the Czar?

The Germans really were using up their reserves and had passed the point of diminishing returns by this date in 1918, but they were still messing around in the East which made the story about the Czar and his family credible, if erroneous.  They would have been lucky if the Germans had taken them into custody.

At the same time, reports of Wyoming men getting killed in action were starting to appear on the front page.

Sunday Morning Scene: Churches of the West: Church Ruin, West Laramie, Wyoming

Churches of the West: Church Ruin, West Laramie, Wyoming:

This striking church ruin is located in West Laramie, Wyoming

The structure is clearly that of a classic Gothic style church, which was constructed out of stone and cement.  The structure of the church itself would tend to indicate that it was likely built in a classic

Catholic church manner, which would indicate here that the church was likely built with a Catholic or Episcopalian congregation in mind, although its location might possibly indicate that it was built as a chapel for the Territorial Prison in Laramie.  The structure is very old, and its been in ruins for as long as I personally can recall.  It's now located on the grounds of a farm, but at the time it was built it would have been actually several miles outside of Laramie, and indeed it would have been at least three miles from the territorial prison.

This church is a mystery to me, and if anyone knows what it was, I'd appreciate knowing.

Poster Saturday, L'Emprunt de la Victoire

The Best Post of May 6, 2018.

Best posts of the week of May 6, 2018

Exit the Boy Scouts Stage Left. Boys, Men, the "Masculinity Crisis" and the "BSA" as an example of it.

The Monopolization of America

Lex Anteinternet: The 2018 Wyoming Election. Volume Two

Push back against the age

Push back against the age as hard as it pushes against you.

Flannery O’Connor

And today, in 1918, the Imperial German Army attacked . . .

the Polish II Corps in the Ukraine.

This particular Eastern battle after the peace between Russia, or rather the soon to be Soviet Union, and Germany is really confusing and perhaps the German action is somewhat understandable, although it once again demonstrates how the Germans managed to keep on fighting in the East after the Russians. .. or rather the Soviets, had surrendered.

Poland was mostly a Russian province prior to World War One but parts of it were in Germany.  During the war both the Central Powers and Imperial Russia formed Polish units, the Imperial Russian ones mostly by default but some with the goal of achieving some sort of Polish independence.  The Central Powers formed them with the same ostensible purpose, a safer bet for them as Polands vague borders put most of it in the East.  One of those units was the Polish Legions, which was a unit in the Austro Hungarian Army.

The II Brigade of the Polish Legion, lead by Polish patriot Jozef Haller von Hallenburg, had defected across the front lines to join the Russian Polish II Corps.  Haller, an eclectic Pole who had served before the war as an Austrian officer, viewed the terms of the Brest Litovsk Treaty as creating poor chances for Poland and lead that effort.  The Germans, for their part, viewed the Polish II Corps as a violation of the treaty and a threat to the Germans, which may have been a correct view.  On the night of May 10 they attacked the unit achieving a complete surprise but without the effect they hoped for.  Their casualties were heavy in the day long battle.  They did achieve a Polish surrender but only after a bloody fight.

Haller went on to become a Polish hero, surviving the battle and fleeing first to Moscow and subsequently ending up as a major campaigner for recruits for the Poles to serve on the Western Front.  He lead the Polish Blue Army in France.  

He was a significant military figure in post war Poland, commanding troops in the Polish war on its eastern borders that occurred in 1919 and again in the Russo Polish War (peace didn't really come to Poland in 1918).  He became a politician following the Russo Polish War and was living abroad when World War Two started, during which he became part of the Polish Government in Exile.  He did not return to Poland following World War Two and died in old age in London in 1960.

Today In Wyoming's History: May 8. The LDS severs ties with the BSA.

 From our companion blog, Today In Wyoming's History:

Today In Wyoming's History: May 8: 2018  Following the Boys Scouts official departure from being an organization in anyway dedicated to the development of young men, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) severed association with the Boy Scouts.  The joint statement issued by the Boy Scouts and the Mormon church stated the following:

A Joint Statement from
 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 and
 The Boy Scouts of America
May 8, 2018 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America have been partners for more than 100 years. The Scouting program has benefited hundreds of thousands of Latter-day Saint boys and young men, and BSA has also been greatly benefited in the process. We jointly express our gratitude to the thousands of Scout leaders and volunteers who have selflessly served over the years in Church-sponsored Scouting units, including local BSA districts and councils. 

In this century of shared experience, the Church has grown from a U.S.-centered institution to a worldwide organization, with a majority of its membership living outside the United States. That trend is accelerating. The Church has increasingly felt the need to create and implement a uniform youth leadership and development program that serves its members globally. In so doing, it will be necessary for the Church to discontinue its role as a chartered partner with BSA. 

We have jointly determined that, effective on December 31, 2019, the Church will conclude its relationship as a chartered organization with all Scouting programs around the world. Until that date, to allow for an orderly transition, the intention of the Church is to remain a fully engaged partner in Scouting for boys and young men ages 8–13 and encourages all youth, families, and leaders to continue their active participation and financial support.  

While the Church will no longer be a chartered partner of BSA or sponsor Scouting units after December 31, 2019, it continues to support the goals and values reflected in the Scout Oath and Scout Law and expresses its profound desire for Scouting’s continuing and growing success in the years ahead.

While the severance of relations, effective on December 31, 2019, more than one year away at the time it was announced, was issued as a "joint statement", it was a slam to the the BSA in more ways than one.  For one thing the Mormons had been traditionally huge supporters of Scouting,

continuing on a relationship with churches that in some ways reflected an earlier era when Scouting was heavily invested in churches.  The line "While the Church will no longer be a chartered partner of BSA or sponsor Scouting units after December 31, 2019, it continues to support the goals and values reflected in the Scout Oath and Scout Law" is a shot right under the water line at the Scouts at that, as by severing its relationship with the BSA it implicitly is indicating that it feels that the BSA itself is no longer really true to its original mission and that the LDS church must accordingly break its ties to it.

Where this will go is far from clear, but the public severance by the Mormons nearly closes out an era of close association of various religions with the BSA and reflects a wider societal split on what some very basic values in our society are going to be.  It's also a brave move for the LDS as its takes them very decidedly out into the currently prevailing winds, while at the same time it may be one more move that indicates that Scouting itself is basically coming to an end as it tries to accommodate social trends which run contrary to its original existential purpose.

This is posted here on this site, of course, as the Mormon church is widely represented in some areas of Wyoming as are Scout troops associated with it.

I could have gone on from here.  It was clear that the Mormons were having trouble with their association with the BSA the last few years in general.  With the latest BSA move the Mormons simply could no longer, apparently, accommodate themselves to the socially "progressive" direction the BSA seems to be determined to accommodate, or at least knuckle under to.  In its statement it notes that the LDS church has more members overseas than it does in the US, and that too is telling as the Mormons may have correctly picked up on something that some other churches in the US and Europe have failed to grasp, which is that not only is the majority of the globe not following the western world in certain "progressive" developments, the opposite is in fact the case.  Most of the world, including those parts that have adopted western liberal democratic ideas, are increasingly socially conservative, not socially liberal.  Organizations with a global reach should be at least somewhat aware of that.

It'll be interested to see how this develops.  It would seem likely that the Mormons will form their own Scouting type organization based on the original Scouting concepts.  If they do, they won't be forming the first such organization.  I'll be curious if, assuming they do that, they limit that organization to an all Mormon one or unite it with other severing groups.  I'd guess  they'd do the latter.

Mid Week At Work: The Canadian Piper - #WeAreNATO

The Monopolization of America

Trouser wearing outlaw girls and the Germans getting ready to try again. May 9, 1918.

Apparently girls wearing men's clothing wasn't illegal.

Go figure.

And how exactly a person gets turned over to the Salvation Army for their welfare isn't exactly clear. . . but it was a different era.

Meanwhile, the Laramie Boomerang was reporting that the Germans were mustering for yet another push. . .

Oh no. . .

Rust above the wheel well.  And it's only eleven years old.

This is my Dodge 3500.  I've had it since it was new and it was (and is) my confirmed plan never to trade it in and to never buy a new truck.

Never.

But the engine on starts now runs sort of weirdly out of time occasionally.  I can hear the turbocharger seemingly coming in and out at prolonged highway speed.  And now rust.

It was rust that took out my black 1996 Ford F250. . . poor thing.  That and the engine having a lot of miles on it and having a really hard time on cold winter mornings.

Uff.