Tuesday, May 22, 2018


FREEDOM’S FORGE

How American Business Produced Victory in WWII
By Arthur Herman
A Book Review by Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown,  22 May 2018




I thought I had a good understanding of the events leading up to WWII and the war itself.  After reading this book, I know I was obviously wrong.  This is an amazing read about how America prepared for war when it seemed everyone was against America entering the war even when it was obvious that war was coming like it or not.

Ever heard of Henry Kaiser?  How about William Knudsen?  These are only two of the many names identified in this wonderful book about the days and years leading up to World War II and America’s role in insuring its victory over Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan. 

For me this was a wonderful read.  I have read about WWII and I have watched numerous television documentaries about the war but I had never heard of the activities of American businesses that led to the Allied Victory.  President Roosevelt had many detractors back in the 1930s and 40s.  Knowing what I know about him today I believe I would have been one of those detractors.  But give him credit where credit is due – he had the courage to select a team of business leaders that resulted in our victorious efforts when most of the country was against the decisions he made in regard to building up America’s war machine.

Author Arthur Herman identifies the names of individuals who clearly demonstrated a “can do – consider it done” attitude that may never be repeated.  In fact the title of this book could have been “Can do!  Consider It Done!”  In general, it was decided by these business leaders that no government control would ever achieve what was needed.  Instead if government would let businesses identify the problem, they would formulate the solutions, their own competitive juices would insure that not only would the problems be solved, they would be solved in record time and amounts proving that tremendous things can be done when the government gets out of the way.

Aside from what businesses did there was one overriding thought that I could not avoid while reading Herman’s book and that is Take a look around you. Everything changes, but nothing changes.” from the movie Take Me Home Tonight.  During the late 1930s early 1940s a majority of Americans were against getting involved in the war.  On one had they had blinders on as to what was actually happening around the world while on the other hand they did what they could to criticize anyone and everything that suggested America needed to plan for the worst but expect the best.  These people were not just citizens; they also included the news media, reporters, print news, and worse, our elected politicians who were charged through the Constitution with protecting America and American interests.  The worst offenders were the labor unions who in the face of an Axis victory took the opportunity to engage in hundreds of strikes costing America time and money when creating periods when it was not preparing for the worst that war would bring to our shores.  Like it or not, most of the unions were infested with Communist organizers.  I suggest that if you do not like what I just wrote or fail to appreciate the truth in that statement that you look up the 45 specific goals of The Communist Party USA; look at Objective #36, Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.  You can read all 45 at: http://www.rense.com/general32/americ.htm  Then came the kicker – there was fake news back in the 30s and 40s; just like today!

There were power struggles in all aspects of America life where everything was in play when it came to destroying anyone you disagreed with.  My take away from the book was that everything changes and nothing changes.  I saw what happened in 1938-1943 very similar to what is happening today.  Then the country was against everything and anything that FDR tried to do except when it came to dealing with the labor unions and expanding the Federal Government.  Today everyone is against whatever President Trump does even when it results in good things happening in our country.  Everything changes; nothing changes.

Maybe what turned out to be so disturbing to me was at the end of the book when it became apparent that a great many people who had absolutely nothing to do with winning the war literally re-wrote history to the point of excluding the contributions made and names of the people most instrumental in our victory.  Ever heard of William Knudsen?  Neither me.  Point made!

Who should read this book?  EVERYONE, seriously, EVERYONE.  It is a piece of American history I doubt most people are aware of but should be.  Would I read it again?  Probably not since I understand what it implies with the first read.  Would I recommend it to others?  Absolutely!  Would I give it as a gift?  Absolutely!

Saturday, May 19, 2018

School Shootings, an idea


School Shootings
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, May 19, 2018

Like everyone, I am shocked and depressed over the school shootings that have taken place throughout America.  From a common sense point of view they make absolutely no sense.  One or more people simply shooting defenseless students, teachers and administrative staff is beyond understanding.

What makes even less sense is America’s response to these shootings or should I say lack of response.  The recent shooting in Santa Fe, Texas coincided with my reading Freedom’s Forge by Arthur Herman a book every American should read.  The point of the book is that the Federal Government did not win World War II, it was won not only by the men and women fighting the enemy but just as importantly and maybe even more importantly, it was won by American business and ingenuity in spite of the Federal Government that was more of a hindrance than a help.

We as a country are now faced with a problem – school shootings.  Immediately following these shootings, we see one group after another including the news media immediately turn to the Federal Government for a solution to the problem.  People want people to just do something.  The Federal Government does not work like that.  It rarely does anything that all 535 politicians can ever agree on.  In the case of school shootings it always boils down to one side calling for more gun control (doing away with the Second Amendment) and the other side claiming the problem is not the guns but rather the people using the guns.  As a result, NOTHING ever gets done to solve the problem.  Times passes and the issue fades from the news until the next shooting.

I do not pretend to know the solution to the problem of school shootings but I believe I do know how to achieve that solution and it is taken directly from the pages of Freedom’s Forge.  We have identified the problem – the problem is school shootings.  The question is how do we stop them and protect our students. 

Like most problems, the answers are insurmountable if you only look at the big picture or in this case look to the Federal Government to solve the problem and then we individuals go about our daily lives waiting for the solution to magically appear.  It doesn’t work like that and never will.  To solve most problems, you reduce the problems to smaller increments that then become much easier to solve.  One-by-one the smaller solutions present themselves as the solution to the Big Problem.

Who among us has the solution?  It would be my suggestion that the solution will be begin with those most directly affected and involved – our thousands of school teachers who go to work every day expecting a peaceful day of education for their students and themselves.

I would suggest that EVERY school task EVERY teacher within the school to come up with a list of their best suggestions to secure the safety of everyone within the school.  For example - simple access to the school.  Do the teachers consider their schools safe from unauthorized access by individuals who are not suppose to be there?  If not, what would the teachers recommend being done?  Ask them.  Ask them for 10 of their best solutions regardless of costs.  Then school administrators can compile a list of all the suggestions.  There will certainly be overlapping suggestions so administrators should make a list of the best suggestions and then send them to County/Parish school leadership. 

From all the suggestions submitted by teachers through their school administrators the Country/Parish school leadership compiles a list of the best suggestions and they in turn send them to the State where once again a list of the best suggestions can be formulated and that list sent to the Department of Education in Washington DC.  Eventually some of the best suggestions possible will reach Congress for Congress to take action where only Congress can authorize it.

More importantly, local schools should review the teachers’ recommendations and they should immediately put in place any recommendation within their power and budget to make happen.  Where the budget does not permit something from happen, go to the local community and start a GoFundMe Page if necessary to raise sufficient funds to make it happen sooner rather than later.

If I were a school teacher, I would include in my list of recommendations the following suggestions:

  • Ask local police and fire personnel to conduct an immediate safety assessment of my school and provide a report as soon as possible.
  • Create an internal policy and provide the means by which doors to classrooms are locked once class has begun.
  • Install cameras leading to the outside entrances on all school doors and then have those cameras monitored.  Yes that would require someone to be paid to monitor the cameras.
  • Armed security guards should be placed in every school.  Yes this would require funding but where there is a will, there is always a way.
  • Provide teachers with the type of necklace that you see advertised on television for seniors where they can press a button and an outside agency or at least the school administrators are immediately electronically notified that a problem exists somewhere within the school.  Immediate notification can save lives whether the problem is a fire, an unruly and violent student or a school shooter.
  • In light of how shooters are using Fire Drills as a means to expose more students, Fire Drills should be reexamined to ascertain what is best for students and teachers.

I recently saw where a teacher, imagine that, a teacher invented a simple steel bar that rests alongside and inside each classroom door.  When an emergency exists such as a school shooter, it is a simple maneuver to drop the steel bar down across the door to prevent a shooter from entering a classroom assuming the door open inward.  I also know that in one school district this idea was simply dismissed.  I believe it to be a great idea and therein is a secondary problem – getting agreement on what needs and should be done.  That is why I would propose that before one person or administration is permitted to disregard a possible solution that the negative response should be approved or rejected by the person or organization next up the chain or in other words, it would take two disapprovals for a suggestion to be nixed.

Like so many problems, the problem may be a nationwide issue but the solution will be discovered at the local level.  Yes it may require Federal Government intervention and funding to make some of the changes happen but a lot can be done locally before it must go to Washington for a solution.

Citizens like me do not like paying taxes when we KNOW that a great deal of fraud and waste exists regarding OUR tax money.  But if you give me the opportunity to pay into a fund that I know without any reservations that it would go to improving safety at our local schools, I would be all in as I believe a lot of local citizens would.  Don’t’ include it on some tax proposal, make it voluntary but make it accountable by putting local teachers in charge of how the money is use ONLY for safety improvements like door locks, electronic notification devices, cameras, etc.

There you have it, one person’s suggestion on how to attack school safety and combat school shootings.  What’s yours?

Saturday, May 12, 2018

California - Largest Insane Asylum in the World



CALIFORNIA
Largest Insane Asylum in the World

DISCLAIMER.  I was sent this via email.  I cannot guarantee that all of the information is correct but looking at California from the outside, it appears to be on target.  I would encourage everyone to share this info.  “Things” that happen in California tend to spread eastward and frankly I want no part of it.  California IS The Largest Insane Asylum in the World!

This all just makes me sick.  What a beautiful state California USED to be and is being totally ruined.  Do not know how all this is going to end but I sure am sending this on. 

CALIFORNIA -  LARGEST INSANE ASYLUM IN THE WORLD
 
Interesting that the LA Times did this. The only network we would see this on would be FOX. All the others are staying away from it.

Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, this should be of great interest to you!

Just One State - be sure and read the last part... Try for 3 states.

This is only one State... If this doesn't open your eyes, nothing will!

From the L.A. Times.
  1. 40% of all workers in LA County (10.2 million people) are working for cash; and not paying taxes. This is because they are predominantly illegal immigrants, working without a green card. (Donald Trump was right)
  2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
  3. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.
  4. Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal, whose births were paid for by taxpayers.
  5. Nearly 35% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals; they are here illegally.
  6. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.
  7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most
  8. Likely illegal aliens from south of the border.
  9. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.
  10. 21 radio stations in LA are Spanish- speaking.  In LA County, 5.1 million people speak English; 3.9 million, speak Spanish.  (There are 10.2 million people, in LA County.
(All 10 of the above facts were published in the Los Angeles Times)

Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops, but 29% are on welfare. Over 70% of the United States ' annual population growth, (and over 90% of California , Florida and New York ), results from Immigration. Also, 29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.

We are fools for letting this continue.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Send copies of this letter, to at least two other people. 100, would be even better.

This is only one State...If this doesn't open your eyes nothing will and you wonder why Nancy Pelosi wants them to become voters!
IF YOU DON'T AGREE, JUST IGNORE IT -- IF YOU DO PASS IT ON!  
WHERE DO WE GET THESE MORONS?

And then there's NANCY PELOSI:

Nancy Pelosi (who was just re-elected and part of this problem) wants a Windfall Tax on Retirement Income.  In other words, tax what you have made by investing toward your retirement.  This woman is a nut case!  You aren't going to believe this…; Windfall Tax on Retirement Income... Adding a tax to your retirement is simply another way of saying to the American people "you're so dammed stupid that we're going to keep doing this until we drain every cent from you".

Nancy Pelosi wants to put a Windfall Tax on all stock market profits (including Retirement fund, 401K and Mutual Funds)!

Alas, it is true- all to help the 12 Million Illegal Immigrants and other unemployed Minorities!

This woman is frightening. She quotes... 'We need to work toward the goal of equalizing income, (didn't Marx say something like this?) in our country; and at the same time limiting the amount the rich can invest. (I'm not rich, are you?)

When asked how these new tax dollars would be spent, she replied:

We need to raise the standard of living of our poor, unemployed and minorities. For example, we have an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country who need our help along with millions of unemployed minorities.  Stock market windfall profits taxes could go a long way to guarantee these people the standard of living they would like to have as Americans.

(Read that quote again and again and let it sink in.) 'Lower your retirement; give it to others who have not worked, as you have, for your money.