The Darkest Hour

I went to see this new movie today. I went with trepidation as I was so disillusioned with the movie Dunkirk. I am relieved to tell you this was done correctly. The theater was filled to capacity and at the end there was applause. This gives me hope that all is not lost. The people of today that did not live through those years and are poorly taught cannot possibly understand how critical that time was. The movie covers the fateful days in May 1940. Europe was falling nation by nation. The Army of Briton was trapped at Dunkirk. Churchill had just been appointed Prime Minister by a reluctant King. His military leaders were mostly defeatist in nature. The War Cabinet strenuously pushed for making peace with Hitler, threating to resign if he wouldn’t seek peace. With all of this pressure Churchill rose to the occasion and gave his famous “We will fight them on the beaches, we will….” The overwhelming response from Parliament and the British people kept England in the fight. Churchill was the right man at the right time. The whole world owes him a debt of gratitude. Who knows what the world would be like if he had failed? I urge you to see this movie and take others with you. I am attaching my book review that I have sent out before entitled “Five Days in London” by John Lucas. Jack B. Walters December 26, 2017

No One Gets It

Over and over I have read or listened to opinions about the tax plan approved and slated to begin in February 2018. The Corporate rate drops from 35% to 21%.This is referred to as a giveaway to large corporations with trickle down to the little people. I state that this is not true. The whole premise is to lower the tax rate from the highest in the world to a more reasonable figure. I know it is difficult for the Socialist people among us to understand Capitalism but the basic premise is to be profitable. Should a company not be profitable it will cease to exist. It is just as simple as it can be. If you can accept this as fact then you might understand that taxes, labor, material, transportation and other factors are part of the decision maker’s process when considering location of faxtories. For the past thirty years under Republican and Democratic governments the factors have been overwhelming to relocate jobs from America to lower cost countries, China being the outstanding recipient. Lowering the corporate tax will remove that factor from the process. The hope is that companies will return but at the very least perhaps companies considering moving will decide to remain. The beneficiaries of this tax cut therefore will be willing workers not corporations. I have pleaded for this for over 15 years in my “Last Angry Man” books. I can’t wait to see the results. Trump gets the credit. The Republican Party just went along with him. He cares about displaced workers as I can remember FDR always did. Jack B. Walters December 26, 2017

Washington's Crossing

By; David Hackett Fischer This book was a gift from my daughter Amy who knows of my extreme interest in history. This is an excellent book covering 1776, the first year of the War of Independence. It starts with our crushing defeat in New York and ends with the tide turning against the British. By then it was beginning to be understood that England could not conquer colonies that were about three million in population with the men owning accurate long rifles and willing to fight. In a bitter cold December, Washington was able to garner enough able bodied men to cross the ice filled Delaware river in the night and stage a surprise raid on the Hessian soldiers in Trenton, New Jersey, defeat them in an overwhelming victory. Washington returned to his base camp and decided to attack again. He returned to Trenton and was attacked by a superior force from Lexington. He won the first day’s battle and slipped away during the night avoiding the British troops and attacked a smaller force at Lexington which was defeated. He then returned to his base to recoup his Army. For the rest of the winter, partisans attacked small patrols sent out to find fodder for their horses severely weakening the British forces. An important aspect of this war was the brutal treatment of American prisoners compared to the positive treatment by our Army. Washington, John Adams and the Continental Congress determined to establish an American tradition completely different from Europe’s. At the end of the war over three thousand Hessians stayed in America rather than returning home. I was feeling cold as I read of the nearly shoeless soldiers, poorly clad in the bitter cold. Their courage and devotion was a testament to their love of country and of General Washington, a man they respected and followed thru hard times. I hope you will be interested in reading. You won’t be disappointed and it might rekindle love of country which appears to be weakening, in my opinion. Jack B. Walters December 15, 2017

Clinton Cash

By; Peter Schweitzer (The untold story of how and why foreign governments and businesses helped make Bill and Hillary rich) This is a small book, only 184 pages. It is a compilation of events that occurred at the same time very generous contributions were given to the Clinton Foundation. I am taking a lazy approach to reviewing the content. There are many examples given, enough to convince me that this should have been investigated for fraud and conspiracy but then those of you who know me would not expect me to think otherwise. It is available at the Tucson public Library should you care to read for yourself. Jack B. Walters December 7, 2017

Jerusalem-Israel's Capitol

The United States in 1947 was the first country to recognize Israel as a country. We can thank President Truman for making this bold decision. For the intervening 70 years most of the nations still question their right to a homeland. The United Nations on a nauseating frequency writes condemnations of Israel for any and all reasons they can find to do so. Any reasonable person regardless of their religious beliefs should have at least a little sympathy for the few Jewish people existing today. There are six and one half million Jews living in Israel today. That nearly equals the six million who were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime in WWII. The total worldwide population in 2016 was estimated at only 14,410,000. Yesterday President Trump made a bold decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Capitol of Israel. He was immediately condemned by not only Muslim majority countries but also our so-called Allies in Europe as well as Russia and China. If this wasn’t so tragic it would be humorous. Every other country on Earth has the right to choose the location of their Capitol. The reason most often given is that Jerusalem belongs to the Palestinians. That is not true, nor has it ever been true. Three thousand years ago it was the Capitol of the Hebrews. After being expelled by Babylonia, they were finally allowed to return. There was a time when it was part of Jordan and later a British Mandate but always the Jews considered Jerusalem as their Capitol. In my opinion there are two reasons why the nations refuse to recognize this fact. I- They have not ever accepted that Israel is a nation. They consider them as conquerors of Palestinian lands and therefore illegitimate. 2- They fear the response of Muslims around the world and the chaos that might result. We are holding our breath over this. My thoughts are that if they do they will be showing their true nature as religious intolerant people who hate the Jewish people going all the way back to when they refused to convert as Mohammad demanded and were slaughtered as a result. I have done everything I can to read and learn about Islam. I have just finished two semesters of OLLI classes on this subject. The more I learn the more I am convinced that it is time to put these ancient beliefs and conflicts aside and start working together to create a just and equitable society for all people while allowing everyone to worship as he or she desires. Jack B. Walters December 7, 2017

Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans

By; Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger (The Battle That Shaped America’s Destiny) I have read a number of books about Andrew Jackson out of respect for this great man and the many contributions he made for our country. This one concentrates on the events leading up to the New Orleans battle and the battle itself. I am writing this at a time in our history when great men like Jackson are being reviled rather than praised for the fact that there were slaves in those times and the Indians were forced to leave their native lands as more and more immigrants from Europe came to America and moved steadily westward until finally we encompassed all of the continent from ocean to ocean. Just in today’s Star was an editorial about Roy Moore. The writer included a sentence about Jackson. He referred to him as “the slave holder known as Indian Killer who was responsible for the forced removal of Native Americans from Southwestern states to what is now Oklahoma.” There is an active effort to remove his likeness from the $20 bill. Step by step this current generation is reviling all of the great men of our country including Washington and Jefferson. I find that tragic. Now I will write my report of the book. After a brief review of his life there is a massacre of 300 men, women and children at Fort Mills by the Red Stick Creeks led by William Weatherford , the son of a Native American mother and a Scot trader. This was in 1803. Jackson was recovering from a gunshot to his chest from a duel. Regardless he rose from his bed to lead the militia to avenge this tragedy and to assure it wouldn’t occur again. After defeating the Indians he discovered an orphan Indian boy and brought him home to Hermitage and raised him as a son. His national fame increased for his success. When war with England was commenced in 1812 he was given the responsibility to Keep New Orleans out of the possession of England. This was very important as the British negotiators attempted to add a proviso that at the signing of a peace treaty that whoever held land would keep it. This would have cut America off from expansion west of the Mississippi River. The British fleet after burning Washington headed for New Orleans. This was an overwhelming force of ships and soldiers. Jackson’s ability as a bold leader prevented them from succeeding. After the battle and as the ships were returning to England they discovered that the battle occurred after the treaty of Ghent was signed. There were about 2,000 British soldiers dead and 12 Americans. It was an overwhelming victory over the best trained infantry in the world vs a collection of militia including blacks, pirates and men from different States. There was even a language problem to overcome. Shortly after the British retired it was learned the treaty had been signed. The British returned to England. As a final comment, when he ran for President in 1824 the House selected John Quincy Adams. In 1828 he became President. This was the first election when all male Americans could vote. Prior to this property holdings was a requirement. This is an easy book to read. I highly recommend you do so. I found this at the Public Library. Jack B. Walters December 5, 2017