White Unionist in Civil War

In the Autumn 2022 edition of Civil War Times, a book review, tells us of the mostly forgotten or neglected history of white southerners fighting for the Union in the Civil War.  Obviously opposed to secession, they were not necessarily in favor of ending slavery or black civil rights.  But believed the Union should be saved.  We have always known of he opposition to secession in Virginia that created the state of West Virginia (not easy to ignore the birth of another state), but the degree to which opposition to secession in the southern states has not been explored.  This book reports on three cavalry regiments  that took part in the war fighting for the Union.  The 1st Louisiana Cavalry, the 1st Alabama Cavalry and the 13th Tennessee Cavalry.  The first two of these regiment served along the Mississippi River and the 13th was with General Sherman on his march to the sea.

"...about one in ten White Southerner males remained loyal.  However, when the war ended they choose to remain hidden from public view.  Some even joined Nathan Bedford Forrest's KKK and terrorized black southerners.

The book is True Blue: White Unionists in the Deep South During the Civil War and Reconstruction by Clayton J. Butler.  LSU Press 2022. Book Review in Civil War Times Autumn of 2022. "Dixie Blues" by William John Shepperd.

October 8, 2022.

Political Terms.

 It is good to know some political terms.

Yellow Dog Democrat was mainly used to describe voters in south eastern US and how they would vote.  In the days prior to the civil rights movement, most people in the south would vote democratic, so much so that it was said they would vote for a "yellow dog" rather than a republican or independent. It is said that in South Carolina and Mississippi the democratic party has "yellow dog club".

In 1848 Abraham Lincoln used the term to ridicule democratic presidential candidates who modeled themselves on Andrew Jackson.

"Carolina Dog" allegedly a bred of dog in America only.  Used in 1928 to describe democrats who voted for Herbert Hoover because Al Smith (Dem candidate for President) was a Roman Catholic.

"Boll Weevil".  In the mid to late 20th Century term for conservative southern democrats who while supporting New Deal and Fair Deal were "opposed to de-segregation and civil rights movement.   This group ran a third party candidate in 1948-Strum Thurmond, in 1960 Harry Byrd and in 1968 George Wallace.  Representative Howard W. Smith first used the term in Virginia in 1950's; term became more popular in the 1980's.  A boll weevil is a "pest that was destructive of cotton crops".

In the north the term "Gypsy Moth Republicans" was used to describe moderate republicans in north east and midwest who oppose Ronald Reagan's economic policies.

"Blue Dog Democrats". Democrats who were "centrists or conservatives" on national defense. (Don't know how they fell about civil rights or de-segregation.

Of course there are "RINO" and "DINO"; but they will have to wait for another day.

October 5, 2022.  Politics and 2000 Modern US.

Posse Comitas Act

 The above Act states "federal military forces are generally barred from participation in civilian law enforcement activities".  So defined by the Brennan Center for Justice on April 21, 2022.

This writer believes this act was passed in the aftermath of the Civil War in regard to the use of federal troops to oppose state military actions.

The Insurrection Act of 1792 and 1807 also states, "...grants the President the authority to deploy US military domestically and use it against Americans under certain conditions".  This act was used to suspend the posse comitas act.  

It was used by Eisenhower and Kennedy in regard to school de-segregation.

Used by George Washington and John Adams re "early rebellions against federal authority" (Whiskey Rebellion)

Used by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War (draft riots?) and by Ulysses Grant in the 1870' against the KKK.  Rutherford Hayes and Grover Cleveland used it against labor disputes.

George H. W. Bush used it in response to the civil unrest in Los Angles after white police officers were acquitted of beating Rodney King.

(Source: Wikipedia or Google search)

October 4, 2022

Trucker's strike in Chile in 1972.

 Heather Cox Richardson (in her on-line newsletter on Feb. 11, 2022 ) Reports on the efforts of the CIA that disrupted the government of democratically elected Salvador Allende of Chile in 1972.  The strike in Chile went on for 26 days and "disrupted supply chain" that "weakened the government" of Chile; soon after the government was overthrown by a right-wing military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet.  Allenda died by either his own hand or the military.

Richardson made this comment at the time of a trucker's strike in Canada (seeming to suggest the CIA was involved in the Canada incident.  

October 4, 2022. 1950-1980 Cold War.

Mid Term Election info for November 2018.

Mid term election results since 1934;

Only three (3) mid term elections since 1934 have resulted in a gain (in Congress) for the president's party.  In 1934 F.D. Roosevelt 's Democratic Party gained nine (9) seats in the House and nine (9) in the Senate.  In 1998 Bill Clinton's Democratic Party gained five (5) seats in the House and no gain or loss in the Senate.  In 2002 G.W. Bush's Republican Party gained eight (8) seats in the House and two (2) in the Senate.

On average the incumbent's party loses 30 seats in the House and four (4) in the Senate.  The largest loses were in 1938 (FDR) the Democratic Party out a total of 77 seats and in 2010 (Obama) the Democratic Party lost 69 seats.

On Nov 1st of 2010 President Obama's approval rating was 45 %.
Today President Trump's approval rating is between 41 to 47 % (four different polls)

Point: It will be interesting to see what this mid term election will be.

Voter Disenfranchisement.

In 2016 5.85 million Americans could not vote due to a felony conviction.  In 1960 that number was 1.7 million people, had declined to 1.1 million in the late 70's and has risen steadily since.  The states with the highest % of felony disenfranchisement are Florida with 10.4 %, Mississippi 8.3 %, Kentucky 7.4 %, Virginia, Tennessee, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia (all from 7.3 too 3.8 %)  Ten (10) states impose life time ban on voting for a felony conviction, while two (2) states allow prison inmates to vote.  Only 3 other countries ban life time voting by former felons (Armenia, Belgium and Chile).

In one case, Florida, a felony is "Grand Theft" or the unlawful taking of property worth $ 300 (this area needs more research; what are felonies in each of the states listed above).

Prior to 2013 the Federal Government under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 required some states with a history of denial of voting rights, to get pre-approval from the Federal government to make any changes in their election laws.  In 2013 the Supreme Court (in the case of Shelby v. Holder) struck that provision out of the VRA.  Since that time 14 states have enacted restrictions on voting.  Most of these required photo ID's, purging names from voting lists, reducing the time period for early voting. Those 9 states covered by the Shelby ruling are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Point: Even if a few cases can be found of non-citizens voting, how many millions of American Citizens will be denied their basic constitutional right necessary for any country to call itself a democracy?

(Source: Brennen Center for Justice at NYU 2/9/17 and ProCon.org 11/7/12)

Early American Migration.

"A new study of fluted projectile points indicates early Americans were moving north to Alaska, rather than south from it, as they spread throughout North America".  A research team from New Mexico University and Texas A & M University has written about their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences for April 2018.  These fluted projectile points get younger as you go north from the Clovis site.  This study seems to refute the belief that peoples moved into North America by way of the Ice-Free Corridor.

This information was presented in a short article in the magazine American Archaeology for Summer of 2018.  The article was entitled "Fluted Spear Point Study indicates Northward Migration of Early Americans" by Paula Neely.

(If they were moving north rather than south, it seems the question becomes, where were they moving from, or how did the early Americans get to the Americas if not by migration over the land bridge.  This is my observation; the article does not deal with that question).

President Eisenhower's "Cross of Iron" speech.

In 1953 President Dwight Eisenhower warned of the mistake and error of committing so much
of our wealth to the building of military weapons.  He referred to this
as the Military Industrial Complex.