June 27th, 2011
On 24 June 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all ground traffic to and from West Berlin. The Western allies were angered, especially the US. President Truman took two days to consider alternatives—which most feared could include war.
On 26 June we began a massive airlift of supplies into West Berlin in what was to become one of the greatest logistical efforts in history. For the Soviets, the escapade quickly became a diplomatic embarrassment. Russia looked like an international bully that was trying to starve men, women, and children into submission. And the successful American airlift merely served to show our technological superiority. On 12 May 1949, the Soviets officially ended the blockade.
And on 26 June 1963, President Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he made his famous declaration: “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner). There were reports that he said he was a jelly donut in his German phrase; it’s all a matter of pronunciation; the favorite snack in that city is a jelly donut pronounced bear-lean-er. I suspect that he pronounced the word properly.
Tags: airlift, Berlin, JFK, Kennedy, Soviets, Truman, War, West Berlin
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June 26th, 2011
6/26/2011
Episode 184
Topics
News and Comment by the Col: Loose Cannon Foreign Policy
LCDR Rob Hemp, USCG: Coast Guard Festival
Mike Visser, Silver Bullet: Proper Weapons & Training
Keith St. Clair: P/CP; Last Thoughts
Listen to this episode:
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June 25th, 2011
Korea, a former Japanese possession, had been divided into zones of occupation following WW II. US forces accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in southern Korea, while Soviet forces did the same in the north. Like in Germany, however, the “temporary” division soon became permanent. The Soviets established a communist regime in North Korea, while the US became the main source of financial and military support for South Korea.
On 25 June 1950, North Korean forces surprised the South Korean army (and the small US force stationed in the country), and quickly headed toward the capital of Seoul. The US responded by pushing a resolution through the UN Security Council calling for military assistance to South Korea. (Russia was not present to veto the action as it was boycotting the Security Council at the time.) With this resolution in hand, President Harry Truman rapidly dispatched US land, air, and sea forces to Korea to engage in what he termed a “police action.” The American intervention turned the tide, and US and South Korean forces marched into North Korea. This action, however, prompted the massive intervention of communist Chinese forces in late 1950. The war in Korea subsequently bogged down into a bloody stalemate. In 1953, the US and North Korea signed a cease-fire that ended the conflict. The cease-fire agreement also resulted in the continued division of North and South Korea at just about the same geographical point as before the conflict.
Tags: cease-fire, Japan, Korea, Russia, Soviet Union, UN, US
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June 22nd, 2011
On 22 June 1944, during WWII, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the GI Bill, an unprecedented act to compensate military members –known as GIs–for their efforts in WW II.
As the last of his sweeping New Deal reforms, Roosevelt created the GI Bill hoping to avoid a relapse into the Great Depression after the war ended—the US was still in the depression as we entered the war. By giving vets money for tuition, living expenses, books, and supplies, the GI Bill effectively transformed higher education in America. Before the war, college had been an option for only 10-15% of Americans, and university campuses were known as a haven for the privileged classes. By 1947, vets made up half of the nation’s college enrollment.
The GI Bill was one of the major forces that drove an economic expansion in America that for lasted 30 years. Low interest home loans enabled millions of American families to move out of urban centers and buy or build homes outside the city, changing the face of the suburbs and the nation. The GI Bill worked; it’s a great deal for our GIs—but it won’t help much in our present financial crisis.
Tags: college, Franklin Roosevelt, great depression, homes, military, university, WWII
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June 21st, 2011
21 June 1788 the US Constitution came into effect as the 9th state ratified it. The Constitution is great document, but it didn’t spring, supported by all, from the minds of a few patriots. After the Revolutionary War ended a Convention met at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. Because the delegations from only two states were at first present, the members adjourned from day to day until a quorum of seven states was obtained on May 25. It became clear by mid-June that, rather than amend the existing Articles, the Convention would draft an entirely new frame of government. Through the summer the delegates debated and drafted the articles of the new Constitution. Among the chief points at issue were how much power to allow the central government, how many representatives in Congress to allow each state, and how these representatives should be elected–directly by the people or by the state legislators. The work of many minds, the Constitution stands as a model of cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise. Slavery was one of the compromises.
Our Constitution is the supreme law of the land. There is a huge question today about our Constitution: is the constitution nothing more or less than the actual words of the constitution—as amended? It was made intentionally hard to change—an amendment requires a super majority in both houses of congress and approval by 3/5 of the states; the authors meant the words they wrote. OR is the constitution a “living document” that can and should be changed by the opinions of unelected justices as time goes on—this to preclude the timely process of amendments? Today our Constitution is seen as a “living document” and the actual words have little meaning—I believe that this is a huge mistake.
Anyway, Happy Birthday, US Constitution—whatever you are.
Tags: Articles of Confederation, compromise, Judicial activism, Philadelphia, states
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