National Security Agency

The NSA was founded in 1952 to "...collect information from foreign signals for intelligence purposes". However, it was meant to be a secret agency and it was, until General Lew Allen Jr-director-testified before the House Select Committee on Intelligence about the activities of the agency referred to as "no such agency". He did so on Aug 8, 1975 and his testimony included info on the "...widespread eavesdropping on Americans..." who the FBI and Secret Service considered to be "...suspicious, including opponents of the Vietnam War". Allen stated that the spying "...helped chase down narcotics traffickers and prevent an act of terrorism". Allen did end the program in 1973. At some point thereafter, Congress set up a "...secret court to issue warrants for domestic wiretapping". (This was the court Bush II ignored when he ordered surveillance on suspects. Should be the FISA court; the article does not say). Allen took the position that once a "...secret presidential directive established the NSA..." the spying was legal. He also said that if anything is illegal it is their act of "...testifying publicly".

(Source: "Gen. Lew Allen, Who Lifted Veil on Security Agency, is Dead at 84" by Douglas Martin. Obit for the New York Times. On www.nytimes.com on 1/9/10.)

Atomic Bombs

There is only one "...officially recognized..." survivor of both atomic bomb attacks on Japan in 1945. His name was Tsutomu Yamaguchi, and he died recently at the age of 93. "He suffered serious burns to his upper body...", left the hospital for a return to his home in Nagasaki, there to encounter the second bomb. There are others who claim to have been in both cities during the attack but have not been recognized as such by the government. This source notes that 140,000 died in Hiroshima, 70,000 in Nagasaki and 260,000 survived the attacks. "Certification" means a person gets a government compensation with monthly payments "...free medical checksups and funeral costs". Mr Yamaguchi gave talks about his experience and spoke out against the use of nuclear weapons.

(Source: "Two-time A-bomb survivor dies" by Jay Alabaster of The AP. Obit in The Record on 1/09/10)

Anti Nazi Resistance

Freya von Moltke, age 98, died recently in Vermont. She and her husband-Helmuth James Graf von Moltke-were members of a anti Hitler organization in Germany during WWII. He was executed in January of 1945 for warning a friend he was to be arrested. The group they founded was called Kreisau Circle and based on their estate of that name in Poland. Their objective was not to overthrow Hitler but plan for a new democratic Germany after the war ended. In 1943 the group did contact Col. Claus von Stauffenberg who was leading a military resistance group that planned to kill Hitler. This source claims the Kreisau Circle supported the effort to kill Hitler. Wikipedia may not agree. The effort to kill Hitler was recently portrayed in the movie "Valkyrie". Google "Kreisau Circle" for more info.

(Source: "Freya von Moltke, WWII resistance leader". Obit by The AP. In The Record on 1/5/10)

Terrorist threat

The US has identified 14 countries that are called "countries of interest" in regard to the threat of terrorist attack. Anyone flying from or through these countries will face an increased level of search. There are four countries listed as "sponsors of terrorism"; they are Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. Ten other countries are listed as "countries of interest". They are Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudia Arabia, Somalia and Yemen. This all seems in response to the Nigerian who tried to blow up a Northwest airliner on Christmas day.

(Source: "Certain fliers face tougher screening" by The AP. In The Record on 1/4/10. Also on web site for USA Today: www.usatoday.com on this date)

WW II Second Front

Albert Speer-German armaments minister during WWII-noted that the English and American airwar over Germany and the bombing of major German cities like Hamburg and Berlin prior to March of 1943 amounted to the "second front" that the Russians were pushing for. The damage to German cities and morale was considerable but the cost to allied planes and crews was very high. This same source also noted that the Allies gained daytime air superiority over Germany with the introduction of the US long range fighter the P-51 Mustang; the version equipped with a British Rolls Royce engine by March of 1943.

(Source: Video series World at War program 12 "Whirlwind")

Winston Churchill

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened". (I don't know the source of this quote, but if he didn't say it someone should have).

Honduras

There had not been a military coup in Latin America for 20 years until this past June when the Honduran President-Jose Manuel Zelaya-was forced into exile in Costa Rica. The Washington Spectator claims "...a small group of (US) extremist republicans..." had a hand in the coup and did so while the Obama admin was occupied with Iraq and Afghanistan. Zeleya was moving too close to leftists in the region-Venezuela's Chavez for one-and had "...refused to privitize the state-owned phone company Hondutel". This source claims that GOP senator Jim DeMint had held up an Obama appointment to Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs for five months, causing a void in US leadership in the region. DeMint and three Florida Cuban American congressmen were thus able to "...conduct their own foreign policy..." while "...Obama (was) boxed in...". As of September, Zeleya was back in Honduras under refuge in the Brazilian Embassy. Obama is working for his return to office.

(Source: "Banana Republicans: A New Cold War in a Small Tropical Country" by Lou Dubose. The Washington Spectator Dec. 1, 2009)