Schleswig-Holstein shelling the Polish ammunition depot at Westerplatte, 1 Sep, 1939

Although most Americans consider the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 as the beginning of World War II, that war has actually started years earlier. Even if we discount the 1937 Japanese invasion of China, the universally accepted start of World War II was almost 70 years ago, at 4:45 am on September 1, 1939, when German battleship Schleswig-Holstein on a “courtesy visit” to the Free City of Gdansk – which the Germans called Danzig – opened fire on a small, company-sized garrison of the Polish ammunition depot on Westerplatte.

The heroes of Westerplatte held out for a full week in the face of naval, land and aerial bombing and repeated infantry attacks by the Germans.

France and England declared war on Nazi Germany on September 3, 1939, but did nothing to help Poland, whose forces attacked from the west, north and south by the Germans, kept fighting, while retreating eastwards, planning to establish a more viable defensive line east of Warsaw.

Victim of a Luftwaffe attack on Warsaw, 1939

Despite a crushing German numerical, strategic and materiel superiority the Polish forces fought bravely and inflicted considerable losses on the invaders. As a matter of fact, the Polish armed forces held longer against the Germans that the combined French-British ones in the spring of 1940. The Polish air force was not destroyed on the ground as the popular, German-inspired myth holds, but despite being relatively small and equipped with antiquated planes, had probably the best-trained pilots anywhere, who managed to either destroy, or damage several hundred German airplanes.

Another German-perpetrated myth, which for some reason seems to be holding up even to this day is that the Polish cavalry attacked German armor with sabers and lances.

This is of course a totally ridiculous notion. During the inter-war years the Polish army had begun to slowly incorporate tanks and tank units into their infantry and cavalry as did most armies of the world at that time and further, Polish cavalry regiments were equipped with anti-tank guns. At instruction centers, soldiers and their commanders were trained in the appropriate tactics to defend against enemy armored units. Cavalry units used horses for moving troops and weapons quickly and fought largely on foot – as infantry.

Polish 303 Squadron fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain, 1940

In any case, the Polish plans to establish a new defensive line east of Warsaw were shattered by the Red Army invasion on September 17, 1939. At that point, the often-isolated units either fought until their ammunition run out, or if they could, escaped the Polish territory into Romania, from where thousands managed to make it to France, subsequently fought in the poorly planned French-British operation in Norway, took part in the fighting of 1940 in France and then many escaped to England.  Afterward, Polish airmen and pilots were instrumental in helping the British win the Battle of Britain, fought in Tobruk, a Polish destroyer actually caught up with the battleship Bismarck and held the contact under fire until Royal Navy heavies arrived. Later, the Second Polish Corps, composed mainly of prisoners released by the Soviets was the first to plant their flag on the ruins of the abbey at Monte Cassino, where German forces held the Allied advance towards Rome for several months.

The Polish First Armored Division was credited with bottling up and helping to destroy a large part of the SS divisions surrounded in the so-called Falaise Pocket and afterward liberated large sections of Holland.

Soldiers of the Polish Home Army (AK)

The Polish Home Army (AK) fought the occupying Nazi forces almost from the very beginning and to the very end of the war, even took on the occupying Soviets after WWII officially ended. And unlike in most other countries, occupied by the Nazis, Poland did not produce any measurable number of collaborators. At the same time, the Polish nation lost in the process some six million of its citizens, about half of them Jewish. The Home Army fought the occupying German forces during the Warsaw Uprising for 63 days, while the Soviet forces were held by Stalin just on the other shore of the Vistula River. The city was subsequently almost completely destroyed on Hitler’s orders.

The numerous German atrocities on the civilian population of occupied countries merit a separate post.

The AK has transferred parts of the German V-1 flying bombs and the V-2 rockets to England. Even before the war, Polish mathematicians have made great strides in deciphering the operation of the German coding machine, known as Enigma.  Final work on the Enigma was conducted later at Blechley Park, in England and it helped the Allies to a great degree in finally defeating the III Reich. After the horrors of WWII, Poland was de facto occupied by the Soviet Union and didn’t regain its independence until 1989.

Signing of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact in Moscow, 26 Aug 1939

All of the above facts are indisputable. But on the eve of the 70^th anniversary of the start of World War II, just before many countries’ leaders, including Russia’s PM Vladimir Putin and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel gather in Gdansk, Poland, Russian state television ran a long documentary essentially arguing that Stalin was justified in ordering the 1939 invasion of Poland and the Baltic states – and also in making a secret deal with Hitler – on the grounds that Poland itself was in a “secret alliance” with the Nazis. What total crap and what gall! As a matter of fact, the Russian mass indoctrination seems to be working quite effectively, as according to a recent poll, the majority of the Russian populace do not even know that their country invaded anyone in 1939.

The strangest thing is that while on September 1, 2009 Vladimir Putin, speaking in Poland was calling the Ribbentropp-Molotov pact “immoral”, the Russian intelligence services were presenting in Moscow translated “documents”, supposedly proving that Poland was in cahoots with Nazi Germany. What gives?!

Maybe the Russians will go back to their earlier assertions that they didn’t murder thousands of Polish officers in the Katyn forest and other places in 1940 and will continue on their path of justifying almost everything that their monstrous “hero” Stalin did. We wish luck to the Russian historians in wiping the blood of at the very least tens of millions of people murdered in all kinds of ways both in “The Gulag Archipelago” and other places, the conquest of distinctly non-Russian Caucasus, including Chechnya and also Siberia. The efforts to reverse the course of rivers, the creation of deserts around the Caspian Sea and other “achievements.”

The Westerplatte Monument, 1 Sep, 2009

A state, which is incapable of facing the facts of its own history and not having enough confidence and pride in itself cannot even remotely be considered as strong, brave and most of all – honorable.

And one more thing: The Obama administration doesn’t appear to be particularly interested in Eastern Europe, which is a huge mistake, in our opinion. Despite the fact that the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II in Gdansk will be attended by at high-level representatives of at least 12 countries, including Putin and Merkel, at this moment it appears that the U.S.  is sending the National Security Advisor James Jones, not the vice president, or the secretary of state.

On September 1, 2009, Helle Dale had an excellent commentary on this subject in the Washington Times. Take a look.

Technorati Tags: invasion, lies, poland, putin, rewriting history, Ribbentrop-Molotov, russia

U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, the elder statesman of America’s most famous political family, is dead at the age of 77 after a battle with brain cancer.  He was the youngest brother of slain President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy. The life of the Massachusetts’ Democrat was marked by both achievement and controversy.

Senator Kennedy was a champion of liberal causes, and over the course of his long Senate career sponsored legislation that fundamentally altered worker rights, education funding, foreign policy and immigration law.

He fought for the young, the old, the sick, and the poor. For people struggling with disabilities, those denied the basic civil rights all Americans are entitled to.

Ted Kennedy was also a champion of the health care reform movement and was a vocal critic of the Bush administration policies in Iraq, its stand on interrogation techniques used on suspected terrorists and its prosecution of the so-called war on terror.

The life of the Ted Kennedy was celebrated Friday night at a memorial service at the JFK Library and Museum in Boston.

On Saturday, there was a funeral Mass in Boston with President Barack Obama delivering a eulogy. The mass was attended by many political luminaries from around the world.

Senator Edward Kennedy's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, 29, Aug 2009

Saturday afternoon, after a brief prayer and farewell on the Senate steps Edward Kennedy headed for a private burial at the the Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of his slain brothers – President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy.

Three other Kennedys are buried at the site: the president’s wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, their infant son and a stillborn daughter.

Rest in peace.

Edward Kennedy's gravesite

P.S. We’d like to think that if the senator was watching his own burial – which took place mostly in the dark, because of earlier delays – he would have a good chuckle. After all, he was a gregarious guy, who took all that life had to offer in stride and gave back in spades whatever he, himself was blessed with.

We will miss you, Teddy.

Technorati Tags: dies, Senator Edward Kennedy

We are mirroring this post in a slightly edited form after our friends at BadGalsRadio.

The more we read into it, the more attractive it seems to run for office. Why is it only THEM who can vote themselves all kinds of perks and not us? And how can they get away with calling what they do “service” to the country?

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I received the note below tonite from a dear friend, and decided to forgo todays prepared post in favor of this very powerful One To One Message of Unity.

do you realize that some of our legislators work as little as 45 days total for the year, and claim upwards of a quarter of a Million Dollars Yearly Until They DIE.  this happens after they serve just ONE TERM.

I invite you to join me in a mass repost of this message – with an email to your legislators. let them know that you think that it’s time they addressed The Real Golden Fleece.

Let them know that You Want Them to Stand Up and Do The Right Thing NOW.
No More Delays on the Righting of this wrong. BadGals and Our Entire Posse’ will be reposting this message on our blogs over the course of this week; to let everyone know where we stand on the Real Fleecing Of America.

How Can Legislators Ask Us for More when They are Taking More From Us ?

LET US SHOW OUR LEADERS IN WASHINGTON “PEOPLE POWER” AND THE POWER OF THE INTERNET. PLEASE FORWARD TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS.

IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU ARE REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT!

KEEP IT GOING!!!!

Propose this in 2009:

START A BILL TO PLACE ALL POLITICIANS ON SOCIAL SECURITY

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SOCIAL SECURITY:

(This is worth reading. It is short and to the point.)

Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years.

Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it

You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan.

In more recent years, no congress person has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan.

For all practical purposes their plan works like this:

When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die.
Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments. ….
ALSO YOU ONLY HAVE TO BE ELECTED FOR ONE TERM TO COLLECT THIS BENEFIT.

For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7, 800,000.00 (that’s Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275, 000..00 during the last years of their lives.This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries.

Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives.

Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA!!! ZILCH!!!

This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Funds;

“OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK”!

From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into, every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer), We can expect to get an average of
$1,000 per month after retirement.

Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley’s benefits!

Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.

That change would be to Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. . Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us

Then sit back…..And see how fast they would fix it!

If enough people read this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve.

Technorati Tags: congress, golden fleece, Pensions, perks

There have been a great many strongly fought issues in our recent history.

The implementation of Social Security and Medicare, gun control, civil rights, prohibition and a host of others have been very hotly debated over the years.

None of these important, controversial and divisive issues have produced such a wave of scare tactics and disinformation from its opponents as the current battle being waged over the reform of health care.

The fact is that practically everybody agrees on the need to repair health care. We also know that if present trends continue, by the year 2050 health care will consume some 40 percent of the U.S. national economy, which would of course be a disaster, probably on a larger scale than the present recession. Why is it then than most Americans are refusing to face that reality?

Costs are rising at such a pace that many businesses cannot afford to provide health insurance for their employees any longer and some 14,000 people lose their coverage every day.

At the same time, the insurance companies and other opponents of health care reform keep telling us that that the reform will create “socialized medicine”. By the way, aren’t Medicare, Medicaid and the medical coverage of members of our military socialized medicine? Those, for some reason even the opponents want to keep. The insurance companies and their cronies are also spreading outright lies about the so-called “death committees”, euthanasia, and long waits for medical attention in countries with universal medical coverage.

The truth is that Americans wait longer to see primary care physicians than patients in other industrialized countries. Of course we wait much less time for elective care and surgery, because of our overabundance of specialists, who make quite a bit more money than general practitioners. We are also among the world leaders in the area of unnecessary and often dangerous and expensive medical procedures and tests.

The Commonwealth Federation studies now show us last among industrialized countries in the areas of access, quality, and efficiency of health care. Our life expectancy is also lower.

In our present system the insurance companies have all the power – power of life and death in fact – over who gets insured and who keeps their insurance coverage. The costs of health care and health care coverage have been rising at a practically uncontrollable rate.

Even though such groups have repeatedly denied it, there is now documented evidence that the insurance companies, their allies and some conservative groups have been fanning the flames of this controversy and encouraging their followers to attend and disrupt some of the town meetings, which members of Congress and the president have held in the hope of clarifying the myths and disinformation.

There is also evidence of coordination and cooperation among several conservative talk show hosts on this issue.

At the same time, there is also evidence that even insurance companies are beginning to recognize the need to change the way in which they will have to operate in the future.

Considering the cost and the deficiencies of our present health care arrangements and the long-overdue need to repair them it is not difficult to realize that fixing the system is probably the most pressing problem that we are all facing in the long term.

Why should we bow under the pressure from backward, uninformed morons, carrying posters of Barack Obama with a Hitler mustache, or those who choose to openly carry guns outside venues where the president is about to speak? Are they trying to make a statement about health care reform, or emphasize their second amendment rights?

We wonder if they really know what this is all about and whether these are actually citizens exercising their rights, or just sheep being led special interests. Judging by the caliber of the protesters, their methods and their language, we tend to believe that they are more akin to mindless sheep, rather than well-informed citizens expressing their legitimate views.

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For some reason we hardly hear discussions of any options beyond the British and Canadian models. Why there is hardly anything in the media, or in Congress about other health care systems, variants of which are working quite well in Germany, Switzerland, Japan and other countries? Or about the French model, judged by the World Health Organization as the best in the world?

Technorati Tags: disruption, Health care, insurance companies, lies, meetings, reform, ugly

I guess all of us appreciate the usefulness of duct and gaffer tape, as well as the old standby – chewing gum.

We must admit, thought that this is the very first time that we have seen duct tape used it such a creative and useful way.

Wonder if the strip is long enough to at least muffle the guy’s farts… After all, experiences can be visual, tactile, audible and odoriferous. For all we know, all of the above have been thoroughly covered in this particular case.

Not sure if this guy is waiting to express his opinion about health care reform and the duct tape is supposed to illustrate his medical needs, or not. In any case, he scores five points for originality in our book.

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Speaking of butt cracks and the environment the average American uses 57 sheets of toilet paper a day; collectively, we burn through 36.5 billion rolls each year. Tossing all the toilet paper in America would save 15 million trees, 17.3 terawatts of electricity, and more than 473 billion gallons of water annually; by comparison the environmental impact of bidets is minimal, but our macho outlook on that French invention, which is universally used throughout the world is that it is froufrou and not worthy of our collective butts.

Using duct tape to protect our underwear from nasty brown stains might therefore be one of the solutions…

Technorati Tags: butt, crack, duct, tape