6/26 - International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

BUT, let us not be hasty. It is, per se wrong, but that needn't mean that we should stop doing it and stop supporting other governments that do it. We must do what we must do, keeping in mind the wisdom of Saint Madeleine Albright that:

If we have to use force, it is because we are America. We are the indispensable nation. We stand tall. We see further into the future.

Whether it is slowly killing great numbers of innocent children via sanctions, torturing one person many, many times, or torturing many many "folks" however much we see fit to do so, droning an entire wedding based on an informant's bare assertions, or fomenting a coup by a brutal dictator, we must preserve our position as the indispensible nation, and continue to stand tall. If that requires that we torture people, well, it is worth it. /snark Meanwhile, I serendipitously ran across the linked article concerning the US' ongoing campaign to conceal torture and evidence of torture. My recollection is that it was linked in one of Joe Shickspack's Evening Blues columns. (Thanks Joe) https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/30/blindmans-bluff/

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On this day in history:

0004 – Augustus adopted Tiberius. 1409 – Petros Philargos was crowned Pope joining the two other Popes already holding that title - a trifecta 1541 – Francisco Pizarro, a sleazy imperialist assassin, was himself assassinated. 1843 – Treaty of Nanking went into effect ceding Hong Kong Island to the British in perpetuity. 1870 – Christmas was declared a federal holiday because Christians get special treatment in the US, all the massive whining to the contrary 1886 – Fluorine was isolated for the first time. 1917 – The AEF began to arrive in France 1918 – Allied Forces won the Battle of Belleau Wood. 1924 – The 8 year long US military occupation of the Dominican Republic ended. 1934 – FDR signed the Federal Credit Union Act, so ditch your predacious bank for a credit union already. 1936 – The first practical helicopter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, made its first flight 1945 – The UN Charter was signed 1948 – Shockley filed for the patent for the first bipolar transistor 1948 – Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" was published 1955 – The South African Congress Alliance adopted the Freedom Charter 1974 - The first scan of a UPC code to sell a product 1975 – Two Feebs and a member of the American Indian Movement were killed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Leonard Peltier was later convicted of murder in a horribly flawed trial. 1997 – The Supremes ruled that the Communications Decency Act violated the First Amendment 2003 – The Supremes ruled that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutinal (Lawrence v. Texas ) 2013 – Terrorist attacks by Syrian Uighur mujahideen in Xinjiang, China killed 24 2013 – The Supremes ruled that Section 3 of the theocratic DOMA was unconstitutional 2015 – The Supremes ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage

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Some people who were born on this day:

Only an organized and conscious people can bring about a different kind of society.

~~ Salvador Allende

1600 – Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, bishop and viceroy of the New Spain theocracy 1694 – Georg Brandt, chemist and mineralogist, discovered cobalt 1730 – Charles Messier, astronomer 1786 – Sunthorn Phu, poet 1824 – William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, physicist and engineer 1866 – George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, amateur egyptologist and archaeologist 1892 – Pearl S. Buck, author 1903 – Big Bill Broonzy,guitarist, singer, and songwriter 1908 – Salvador Allende, politician and victim of US war crimes and crimes against humanity 1909 – Colonel Tom Parker, talent manager 1911 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, athlete 1913 – Maurice Wilkes, computer scientist 1915 – Paul Castellano, businessman 1916 – Virginia Satir, shrink and social worker 1921 – Violette Szabo, WWII secret agent 1926 – Kenny Baker, fiddler 1937 – Robert Coleman Richardson, physicist 1937 – Reggie Workman, jazz bassist 1938 – Billy Davis Jr., pop & soul singer, 5th Dimeension 1942 – Gilberto Gil, singer, songwriter, guitarist, activist and politician 1943 – Georgie Fame, singer, pianist, and keyboard player 1944 – Arthur Doyle, multi instrumental jazz musician 1946 – Candace Pert, neuroscientist and pharmacologist 1952 – Olive Morris, civil rights activist 1955 – Mick Jones, guitarist, singer and songwriter 1956 – Chris Isaak, guitarist, singer, and songwriter 1957 – Patty Smyth, singer, songwriter, and musician 1961 – Greg LeMond, cyclist 1961 – Terri Nunn, singer, songwriter, and actress 1963 – Harriet Wheeler, singer and songwriter 1969 – Colin Greenwood, bassist and songwriter 1993 – Ariana Grande, singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress

Here's to George Herbert, Earl Carnarvon, in memory of his greatest achievement

YouTube Video

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Some people who died on this day:

Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.

~~ Nora Ephron

1274 – Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, polymath 1541 – Francisco Pizarro, serves him right 1810 – Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, co-inventor of the hot air balloon 1932 – Adelaide Ames, astronomer 1956 – Clifford Brown, trumpet player and composer, died in a car crash along with 1956 – Richie Powell, pianist, and fellow member of the Max Roach Quintet 1997 – Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, singer, songwriter, and ukulele player 2003 – Strom Thurmond, noted racist & hypocrite 2012 – Nora Ephron, director, producer, and screenwriter

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Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: International Day in Support of Victims of Torture Caution, celebrations may be frowned upon in certain US towns and near some US military bases

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Today's Tunes

Lord Kelvin

Big Bill Broonzy

Colonel Tom Parker

Reggie Workman

Mick Jones