The New Democratic Party

I was an F.D.R., H.S.T, and J.F.K. Democrat. I rate F.D.R. as the greatest of all Presidents. He received four terms. The American people could not accept anyone but him as our leader particularly during WWII. All three above cared deeply about working men and women and did their best to make it possible for them to support their families. I considered the Republican Party as favoring big business to the detriment of everyday Americans. Republican elected officials after fighting against President Trump have finally understood what he is trying to accomplish. He is fighting for the little people. The amazing progress in reducing unemployment has now energized them to aid rather than inhibit Trump. Together I see continuing progress in the near future. The new Democratic Party should be relabeled as the Socialist Party. They have no respect for our Constitution or the rule of law. Their despicable conduct during The Kavanagh hearing was outrageous. Should they regain power I predict the grand Democratic promise of the Founders will be diminished to where it is ineffective. Jack B. Walters October 10, 2018

The Secret of Sherwood Forrest

(Oil Production in England during WWII) By; Guy Woodward and Grace Steele Woodward I learned of this book by an e-mail from a friend. I was intrigued and purchased it. We have all read many books about this war but most were related to combat. This one I doubt if anyone ever heard of. It is not exciting, but is a detailed report of how England sent an envoy to America asking for help in developing oil production in England in 1942. We responded by organizing a group of 50 roughneck oil men to go to England together with American equipment promising to drill 100 wells in a year’s time. This was accomplished and exceeded. They worked two 12 hour shifts seven days each week. Along the way they shared their knowledge with English oil workers so they could continue after the Americans left. One of the hardest hurdles was to provide adequate food to sustain this hard work due to rationing. Some of the men lost 30 or more pounds and struggled to continue. How this was solved is interesting. We get to know the men and some Englishmen as the book proceeds. If you are looking for excitement this is not the book for you but if you are interested in one of the keys to attaining victory the contribution of these hardy men is inspiring. Jack B. Walters October 8, 2018

The Last Fighter Pilot

By; Don Brown with Captain Jerry Yellin This is a small book. I finished reading in one day. It covers the last six months of the war with Japan from the perspective of a young American fighter pilot. His final training was in Hawaii. Even here he lost friends who died while training. His squadron was shipped out to Iwo Jima. When he flew onto the airfield, which was in the shadow of Mt. Suribachi, it had not been conquered yet. They dug fox holes to protect themselves from Mortar and rifle fire. For the first few weeks their mission was to bomb and strafe enemy positions at either end of the Island. Their primary purpose was to escort B-29’s as they bombed Japan. Many of these missions are described in the book. The reason this book is important is that he and his wing man were sent out on a bombing and staffing mission August 14, five days after the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The Japanese had not surrendered. There was a code word issued (UTAH) to recall the planes should a surrender be announced. In actual fact the message was sent out, but Jerry didn’t receive it so they carried on with their mission. As they were flying away from the airfield they had attacked, when Jerry came out of cloud cover, his wingman was not there. His name was Phil Schlamberg. He became the last casualty of the war. He had had a premonition that morning. Jerry tried to replace him but he insisted on going. I found this book to be a valuable addition to the many WWII books I possess. I recommend it for you to read. Jack B. Walters October 6, 2018

Suicide of the West by; Jonah Goldberg

(How the rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy) This is a very well researched book that attempts to explain where we are as a Nation and how if we do not come together for the common good we could lose this greatest of all nations. Throughout all of human history until the 1700’s except for those at the top, the standard of living amounted to survival. With the advent of the Magna Carte and especially the great achievement of the founders creating our Constitution together with the Bill of Rights, our country and others who followed began recognizing that the citizens had rights and that Government was created to assure those rights. With the freedom to achieve and receive the benefits of that achievement progress in all endeavors grew exponentially. The Appendix at the end includes charts covering many areas which show how technological progress has progressed. Where once we believed that population explosion would have us all starving, the record shows that agriculture and meat production have increased by new and better methods. In 2012 85% of the world population has access to electricity. Life expectancy grew to 72 years by 2015; Communication has grown exponentially with Americans owning 106 cell phones per100 persons in 2014. Add to that; Facebook, Twitter, Skype. We can contact anyone without knowing where they are. He credits Capitalism for this remarkable progress. He is concerned about the trend of Americans believing that Socialism is the answer. He asks us to pause to re-evaluate the many blessings nearly all can enjoy today. We just want to argue and fight over differences of opinion, all the while living decent lives. His premise is that we are all born as barbarians and only thru nurturing and learning how to relate to others do we become responsible children and adults. In the beginning all humans had was the tribe or group they were born into. This grew to include villages, towns and countries. He fears we are retreating into smaller groups like tribalism and developing a we versus them mentality. For those of you who are never Trumpers, you will enjoy his assessment of our current President. In a few words in his opinion Trump governs from his gut feelings and doesn’t countenance disagreement with his thoughts. Thinking back over my own life, I too was in a hurry to accomplish whatever goals I was pursuing. I did always ask those around me to aid in decision making but once consensus was achieved, it was full speed ahead. I believe that is how our President is conducting himself. There are many areas of concern which he is addressing some of which he has felt had been wrong from years ago. He is in a hurry to make his mark. Four years is a short period of time in politics as we all know. He covers a wide range of subjects such as; Pop Culture, Godzilla, Rock and Roll and the Romantic Spirit, The Shadow government meaning those bureaucrats who have power no matter who in in elected positions, The birth of the living Constitution and the Death of Liberty. His conclusion is that we risk losing it all if we don’t find a way to come together and find unity of spirit. He quotes a poll conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania in 2017. It reports that more than one out of three couldn’t name a single right listed in the First Amendment. Only one in four Americans, 26 percent, could name all three branches of government. That’s down from 38 percent in 2011! A third of Americans can’t name a single branch of government. I believe this is tragic; something must be done to teach our children the basics of our rights under our Constitution. You will not be bored reading this excellent book. You will learn a lot and have some of your thoughts verified. I found it at our Public Library. I was on a waiting list for a month before being notified it was my turn. Jack B. Walters October 3, 2018

Black Klansman-a movie

First I am assuming this movie depicts actual events. If you know otherwise please advise. I learned of it from my son. His best friend since school days in Des Moines is black. I also consider him a friend. He asked my son to see it. He did and then asked me. This all happened this morning. I found it playing at 11:30 so I went. It was a very disturbing movie. We see the Klan members including David Duke saying their hateful ideas and at the same time black leaders exhorting eager young people to push their black agenda, as if all white people were racist and hateful. I just refuse to accept this premise. I have listened to speeches by Louis Farrakhan. Do it if you want to see for yourself. The story is about an intelligent young black man who applies to become a police officer in Colorado Springs. This must have been a few years ago because they state he would be the first black officer. He does encounter rudeness and racism by other officers. He convinces his superiors to use him as an undercover agent. They do. Because of his flawless English he is able to convince Klan members of his desire to join them. A white officer is actually the one to infiltrate up to and including receiving a membership card. In a scene near the end he has tackled a terrorist female while wearing civilian clothes as an undercover officer. The police responding refuse to look for his credentials and beat him severely until another agent comes along. They were attempting to prevent a bomb being set off. It did go off but only the bad people died. It ends with scenes from the Charlottesville riot. They then conclude by showing President Trump when he commented on it. He blamed both sides and claimed there were good people on both sides. The reason for the rally was to protest removing Confederate statues. I am one of those who don’t think it is right to pretend these things never occurred. I think I am one of the good people. Watching excerpts from the stage play Hamilton, Elizabeth Warren stated that men like Washington and Jefferson were flawed men. How outrageous. There would not be a United States of America if they had not been born. Re-writing history as we think back 200 years makes no sense, at least to me. I really don’t recommend seeing this movie. Regardless of the color of your skin you will be angered. There were only three other people in the theater. Jack B. Walters September 6, 2018

Respose to an article

Dear Mr. Huppke, September 6, 2018 This is in response to your article mocking those who have reacted negatively to the Nike/ Kaepernick situation. Let me start with Levi Strauss. I stopped purchasing from that company years ago after they closed down the last three plants operating in Texas. You don’t have to explain Patriotism to me as far as Corporations are concerned, They stopped being American companies in the mid-70’s, with their only remaining objective to make maximum profit regardless of the direct loss of good paying manufacturing jobs for willing American workers. Nike has read the tea leaves. They understand that their younger customers are more sympathetic to the reason mostly black players and now performers feel comfortable to disrespect our National Anthem by kneeling. Those of us from previous generations who are most offended are not their primary customers so it is profitable to take the action they did without a loss of profit. There is a possible backlash that might occur. Nike supplies uniforms and saleable goods in the stores at the University of Arizona and I am sure many other Universities. I and others are very close to giving up our season tickets out of our outrage over this blatant disrespect. We are the ones who contribute the most to support college athletics. As to the supposed reason, police brutality towards black citizens, I am aware of how outrageous they were treated, particularly in the Southern States for 100 years after the Civil War. It is my belief that the Civil rights bills passed under the leadership of Lyndon Johnson brought that to an end. To say all racism ended then would be a ridiculous statement but a massive change did occur. To keep vilifying our dedicated police men and women does nothing to reduce prejudice. It instead inflames the issue. Your article only added to separating us more. Instead of healing the controversy continues to escalate. Yours truly, Jack B. Walters

Letter to Dave Heeke

Dave Heeke September 4, 2018 Director of Athletics Dear Sir, I am one of many; I hope, that was incensed to read that the Nike Company has chosen to honor Colin Kaepernick by granting him a multi-year contract to represent the company. They refer to him as an “All American Icon” and wrote “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” I am aware that the U. of A. uses Nike for uniforms and sports goods in their stores. I don’t expect you to cancel the contract but you might rethink when a new contract is considered. I have no doubt most active players have some of the same views as Kaepernick but you need to remember that most of those long term buyers of tickets are from previous generations for whom this disgraceful conduct is not acceptable. Yours truly, Jack B. Walters

The Captured Economy

By; Brink Lindsey and Steven M. Teles Having just read and commented on “Capital” by Thomas Piketty, I was pleased to find this newly published book at the Library. It also provides sometimes difficult to understand issues, but it is a much easier read than CAPITAL. The authors do comment on that book. Perhaps it was the impetus they needed to write their own book. This one is only 180 pages. I am almost afraid to write a review based on the warning written on the publishing page. It says, in part “All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means”. As a result by comments will not be specific but I will still try to get you to think about the issues. What I believed was missing from the other book “Capital” was specifics. It contained reams of data stating the disparity in wealth between the rich and the rest of us but not dwelling on why. This book does. The hardest to understand is the financial system. What I learned was that after the depression in 2008 caused by the reckless behavior of the banking system: they have, step by step, loosened controls to where the down payments are miniscule compared to what we remember when we first attempted to purchase a home. Qualifications have also been eased to where the ability to pay off loans is not as stringent as they should be. These are the driving forces which have resulted in the housing boom today. Any attempt to put reason back into the system will be vigorously contested. Another reason for increasing home values is the lack of space for new homes. Particularly in highly congested cities like San Francisco the costs rise to the point where even well paid people cannot afford to purchase. They also discuss licensing requirements to be a physician, dentist, hair dresser, barber, etc. While justified to protect the public it has the effect of limiting entrants into those fields. The fewer number of Doctors graduating is also a limiting factor. They do end with suggestions on what could be done. I will not enumerate them. No matter what, the present system in effect at all levels of government, favor those already in the system. Not much chance of keeping the rich from getting richer. Read this book if you want to learn more. Jack B. Walters September 2

Lexington and Concord

(The Battle Heard Round the World) By; George Daughan What I learned by reading this book was that most Americans at the time were satisfied to be a part of the English Empire. This changed when England started exacting income from the Colonies. The Stamp Tax had been repealed in 1765 but King George insisted that at least one tax should be in effect. This was the Tea Tax. The famous Tea Party incident occurred December 16, 1773 in Boston Harbor when a hundred well organized townsmen, thinly disguised as Mohawks, boarded the British cargo vessels Dartmouth, Beaver and Eleanor and dumped 92,000 pounds of Tea into the water to protest being taxed without consent. Thousands gathered at the wharf to watch. When news of this reached London, King George III was furious and resolved to punish the offenders. The Parliament agreed and an edict was approved to close down Boston Harbor until reparations had been paid. Not content with this, another Act was approved referred to as the Regulating Bill. It removed political power from the people, nullified the Massachusetts Charter of 1691 and gave the power to the King and Parliament. The thought was this would regain control by cowing the Americans. It did just the opposite feelings were stirred not only in New England but throughout the colonies creating a togetherness that had not existed before. A continental Congress was established meeting in Philadelphia of all of the colonies except Georgia to decide on a course of action. They wrote a letter to the King swearing allegiance but insisting on local government and no tax without consent. This was summarily rejected by the King. He resolved to force his will. The colonists responded by forming militias in every town and started training. The General in charge of Boston was General Gage. The King insisted he be aggressive but he controlled his troops until finally he was forced to take offensive action. He sent a force to destroy military stores known to exist in Concord. Knowing of this, militias gathered from all over New England. There were about 50 in Lexington as the British troops came near. The British troops opened fire killing and wounding a number of Americans. As they headed towards Concord the militias started firing at them. There were thousands. The British retreated towards Boston taking heavy casualties. From here there was no turning back, the American Revolution started shortly thereafter. Jack B. Walters August 25, 2018

Capital

In the Twenty-First century By; Thomas Piketty This is an incredible book of research and discovery. It is 753 pages of data and information that he has gathered from the i8th, 19th and 20 centuries and ends in 2010. It was published in 2013. For a layman like me it was difficult to comprehend as it went from place to place. It took me three weeks to finish. I had to stop to try to retain what I thought I had learned. He has reams of info from France, England, Germany, America and other countries. It includes a chapter on the European Union and their decision to create a common currency (the Euro). The main issue for me was the fact that thru out recorded history there has always been a few people at the top owning 60% or more of Capital assets while the lowest 50% own virtually nothing. During World War I and II, drastic measures were taken thru taxation and because of the destruction of buildings, factories, etc. which had the effect of equalizing incomes. During WWII, F.D.R. imposed 90% income tax on income over $25,000. He reasoned that no one should profit from a war when 12 million of our men were in uniform risking their lives for our country. I only intend to emphasize the years from WWII to today and beyond. What has gone on before is of interest but my concern is the future. I will be adding my thoughts as it relates to 2018. The tax cuts approved last year had a favorable effect on most everyday working and retired people. Take home pay has increased and the loss of American jobs has lessened. That was good as far as it went but much more needs to be done to correct the obvious distortion with the top one percent and ten percent owning so much. He points out that the very rich have the means to add 6 to 7% to their wealth on an annual basis while the next level down adds 4to 5% all of which is far and above what even those of us with means can earn while the bottom does not benefit at all. The only way to correct is by increasing the taxes and limiting inheritance for this select group. This is extremely hard to do as actions taken by one country can have capital sent from there to other countries with lessor taxes. Coordinating on a world wide scale could solve this problem. He is not optimistic that this will ever occur. In the meantime he suggests small increases sufficient to stop the ever spiraling increase in wealth at the top. This would leave the very rich with their fortunes but at least it would stop them from growing. If this is not brought under control chaos could result. He is also a believer in global warming and the negative consequence if not corrected. The ultra-rich princes in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the other oil rich countries, continues to distort worldwide wealth. A massive effort towards attaining renewable energy sources to replace oil would have the secondary effect of decreasing this distortion. I don’t recommend reading except for those in a position to understand and initiate corrective action. This book has five pages by respected persons and organizations applauding Mr. Piketty’s outstanding achievement. It seems so simple to me. All it takes is the courage to take the recommended steps. Jack B. Walters August 18, 2018

Sports letter to the editor

Arizona Daily Star Headline-September17, 2017 “Arrest of UA Assistant Rocks Hoops Program” Eleven months later in today’s Star we find that the NCAA has cleared investigators to move ahead with cases involving Arizona and other schools. This is a travesty for Arizona. A school we take great pride in, with Miller continuing the legacy of Olson to run a clean program. As the cloud continues to cast doubt, we know already that our program has lost great recruits. No doubt those we are pursuing even now may decide not to take the risk. Those responsible for dragging this on so long should be themselves penalized. Their behavior is unconscionable. Jack B. Walters August 10, 2018

American Wolf by; Nate Blakeslee

(A true story of survival and obsession in the West) This book was a birthday gift from my son and his wife. They had listened to it over their radio as they drove to Buffalo for my 90th Birthday Party. There were and still are interested people who have devoted their lives studying the lives of wolves in Yellowstone Park. Rick McIntyre a renowned naturalist is featured in the book. As we read we get to know individual wolves by their numbered names. One in particular was O-Six. She was a strong leader of her pack and nursed a number of pups to majority. We learn that in addition to being superb killing machines, they have personalities and emotions, showing caring attitudes and anger. They protect their pact as best they can. I always wondered how they fed their cubs. They gorge on a kill and return to the den and regurgitate the meat. Millions of tourists visited with Rick watching the wolves. They created a lobbying group when open hunting was proposed for Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. When the massive Stimulus Bill was approved under President Obama there was wording hidden in the bill taking away judges authority to stop hunting and the killing spree began. This resulted in the death of 0-Six, other collared wolves and hundreds of others. To his credit in the fall of 2011 when Congress once again tried to attach a wolf related rider to a must pass bill, President Obama insisted on a clean bill and it was removed. The really interesting thing about wolves is that their presence improved the eco-system. The balance created by them worked miracles. Without the threat of wolves, they congregated in the lower valleys living like cattle which resulted in erosion and silt clogging the streams. After wolves, they spent more time in the woods. There were other benefits as well. You will have to read to understand or go to the Internet but it appears true. You may find this book interesting to read, I did. Jack B. Walters August 4, 2018

Death of a Nation By; Dinesh D'Souza

(A Documentary) Once again D’Souza has entered the political arena demonizing the Democratic Party. His two previous films were about Obama and Hillary. In this one he reviews this party from the 1860’s and their pro-slavery agenda. Lincoln and the Republican Party opposed them. Slavery was the issue at that time even though preserving the Union was the justification. He reminds us how difficult it was to pass the 13th and 14th Amendments when nearly all Northern Democrats were opposed. After the Federal Troops were removed from the South the Democrats, synonymous with the K.K.K. kept the colored people in virtual bondage preventing them from voting, owning valuable property and guns. This continued until the 1960’s when Civil Rights legislation was enacted. President Lyndon Johnson was powerful enough to persuade the Southerners to go along. He claimed they would have the black vote for the next 200 years. There was a segment about white immigrants being controlled and forced to work for low wages while being urged to vote Democrat. He points out correctly in my opinion that President Wilson was racist. After taking office he eliminated people of the black race from government. He had the film “Birth of a Nation” shown in the White House. This film glorified the K.K.K. He recounts the rise of Hitler and Mussolini and the tragedies that resulted from them including the wholesale murder of millions of Jews, gypsies, communists, invalids and even Christian ministers and priests. The one part I disagreed violently was his condemnation of President F.D.R. To me and most Americans alive during his years in office we considered him our savior. He did what he could while trying to keep the South as part of his party. When President Truman desegregated the military the Southerners broke away and created the Dixiecrat Party. He ends by exhorting Americans to support the Republican Party under the leadership of President Trump, and further chastens Republican officials to get behind his programs. There was applause when the movie ended. Guess most were of a like mind. I feel so alone sometimes it encouraged me. Go to see it for yourself and you decide. Jack B. Walters August 4, 2018

90th Birthday Hike

We picked a warm, humid, overcast day to do this hike. The gnats annoyed us, going after our sweaty heads. Nonetheless it was a great day, especially for me, as thirty-one club members and five guests came to hike with us. We took frequent breaks since this was considered as a social hike with great conversations by all. I took them to the back side of the water tower where a stone cross had been made years ago. I also made the point of how much my hiking stick means to me. It was made by Bob Cardell. Then I led everyone down two trails back to the parking lot. Roxanna and many willing helpers arranged the refreshments in the picnic grove for the party following the hike. Thank you to all who assisted with the party set-up. We were joined by ten Blacketts Ridge hikers for the celebration. Sincere thanks to everyone who shared this special day with me to hike or celebrate at the party afterwards. I am grateful for the kind words and memories expressed, the special cards with thoughtful sentiments, and especially for the many friends in this club who made this birthday so memorable. • • • • ________________________________________

A Full Life by Jimmy Carter

(Reflections at 90) I really enjoyed reading this book. Jimmy Carter has not received the credit he deserves. From his earliest days he was a caring individual. At 95 he still tries to be helpful in any way he can. What an example for all of us to aspire too. I learned a lot about him that I hadn’t known. He grew up in a small town in Georgia. Most of his neighbors were black. He had many black friends. He tried to understand why his father and most others considered themselves superior just because their skin color was white. He did his work on the farm increasing effort as he grew older. He was admitted to the Naval Academy graduated just as WWII was ending. Submarines were his ship of choice and he was on subs during the Korean War. He served with Admiral Rickover on the USS Seawolf, the first nuclear submarine. President Truman desegregated the military in 1948. It was accepted with equanimity by his crew. They formed a softball team. Their star pitcher was black. They lost few games because of his skill. One time while in Nassau the crew was invited to a ball with the edict that colored sailors were not invited. As a result they declined the invitation. That meant a lot to me. He decided to leave the Navy and return to farming. He became active in many organizations and later ran for public office as State Senator. He faced ballot stuffing and seemed to lose but after the smoke cleared he did win the seat. He followed this by being elected as Governor of Georgia. I was impressed to read that he was able to condense more than 300 state agencies to 22 and to consolidate twenty issuers of bonds to just one. The State enjoyed a triple-A bond rating. I among the majority voted for him as President. He lists the many issues that he faced. The one I was most critical of was giving away the Panama Canal. The huge loss of American lives creating it and the extreme value it continues to be for America screamed to not do it. I leave it to you to read for yourself. Overall his tenure was very successful. It is after leaving office that the goodness of this great man was realized. Among them was Habitat for Humanity, solving the Haiti problem resulting in Clinton recalling the paratroopers in midair, going to N. Korea to attempt to reason with the Dictator and many others. Jack B. Walters August 2, 2018

The Flying Tigers by; Sam Kleiner

(The untold story of the American Pilots who waged a secret war against Japan) I purchased this newly published book as soon as I learned of it. It is very well written and researched. Most of you reading this will have no knowledge or recollection of this famous group. Because of my advanced age I do. At the beginning of WWII there was nothing but bad news. We were beaten everywhere by the Japanese. The Flying Tigers was the lone exception. In reading I now know how it was formed. Claire Chennault had resigned from the Army Air Corp and went to China in the 30’s to help them create a Chinese Air Force. In this he was not successful due to the poor quality of the aircraft and the poorly trained pilots. He brought the situation to the attention of President Roosevelt to create a volunteer Air Force of Americans in 1940 to help China, which was before we were attacked at Pearl Harbor. The volunteers for the most part were from our air force. They resigned with the understanding that they could return after serving one year. There were about 100 pilots and an equal number of maintenance personnel. They were supplied with P-40’s which I am proud to state was produced in Buffalo, N. Y. They painted the nose to resemble shark teeth. Somehow sharks became tigers in describing the group. Do to the foresight of FDR and Chenault they were ready at the time of Pearl Harbor and became active. The book covers the events during that year. A few agreed to stay on. Some of those didn’t make it back. Some rejoined the Army, others returned home. Their exploits were spectacular. The Japanese for the first time had equal opposition. Many enemy aircraft were destroyed but the main benefit in my opinion was the huge boost in moral for those of us at home when all else was disaster. They fought over Burma, China, Thailand and French Indo-China. They are credited with destroying 299 Japanese planes with another probable of 153. They also strafed and bombed Army units as they found them. Many were aces destroying 10 or more planes. Many didn’t return home. Those that did received boisterous demonstrations from grateful citizens with home town parades. This is another great book reminding us of the contributions of the “Greatest” generation. Jack B. Walters June 27, 2018

The Mathews Men

(Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler’s U-Boats) By; William Geroux A friend advised me of this book which covers the war from the perspective of Mariners. A chronicle that up to now has never been documented as Mr. Geroux has so thoroughly written. Mathews is a County of the coast of N. Carolina that has had a tradition of producing sailors since the 1700’s. It was astonishing to me that one location could have had so many important sailors during WWII. I never realized how successful the U-Boats were particularly during the first six months of 1942. As a nation we were not ready to conduct war on an equal basis until we had time to train men and produce equipment to fight. This was particularly true with respect to protecting merchant ships. The ships sailed alone and were sitting ducks. The citizens resisted turning down lights. The U-Boats had no trouble seeing the outlines in the night. There was no air cover or naval escorts. The ships were not provided weapons to fight back. It wasn’t until the middle of 1942 that coastal convoys were created with air and naval protection. The progress of the War is outlined. Of particular interest were the convoys to Murmansk which received great losses. A man could not survive more than a few minutes in the bitter cold water and the convoy couldn’t stop to try to save them as they would only add to the losses if they stopped. As we follow the different men we learn that many returned again and again after surviving a torpedo attack. Some eventually paid the ultimate price by doing so. We learn of the families of these men and how they persevered. If you are interested in WWII history you might learn from reading this one. Jack B. Walters June 8, 2018

Letter to Mr. Steller

I am responding to your article published today in the Arizona Daily Star entitled “Recent Immigrants no threat to American identity”. I always read your articles and usually agree but not this one for several reasons. Representative David Stringer does not speak for those of us who voted for Trump. You assert that Trump was elected because those of us who voted for him are racist. That may be true for some, but the ones I know who voted for him including myself did so out of disgust for a Congress,(both parties) who have been bought and sold, a Congress that ignores the welfare of the average citizen and always does the bidding of the lobbyists who shower them with money and write legislation to benefit themselves. I hope you took the time to watch 60 Minutes this evening when the opioid epidemic was featured and where the Food and Drug investigators were made toothless The Legislation was passed without a negative vote from anyone in the House or the Senate. It was signed into law by Obama, the Obama that was and still is adored by most members of the Press. Illegal immigration is totally out of control. Congress even with Trump is not willing to pass legislation. As a result there is chaos at the border. No fence will ever stop this when all they have to do is assert they need shelter and they are admitted. The separation of families is to create the tumult of indignation such as expressed in your article. How can any country function if the borders are wide open and hordes of humanity cross over? As to people of the Muslim faith, no one should care what anyone believes. It is not as simple as that. The radical believers have been creating problems all over the world and they seem to be in control. It will not be long before it grows in magnitude. This religion when in dominance lords it over all others. Don’t take my word for it just read your history books. I have read many. I am not willing to let them dictate who or what the rest of us want to believe. Trump is doing all he can while all it seems are determined to keep him from draining the swamp as we want him to accomplish. Jack B, Walters .

The Civil War by Shelby Foote

Mr. Shelby wrote a monumental highly detailed account of the Civil War in three volumes. Volume 1- Fort Sumter to Perryville Volume 2 - Fredericksburg to Meridian Volume 3 – Red River to Appomattox Each book contained over 900 tightly written pages. I learned of these books from a Civil War class I took in OLLI. I only read the last two. Being a hardnosed Yankee I had no interest in reading about the first two years which were filled with stunning defeats of the Union. It took me two months to finish reading the last two. I will admit reading was very difficult. The fighting was savage and the thought that these were all Americans killing each other was very depressing. Many parts of our beautiful country were mutilated. Not until the very end did the killing finally stop. The Confederacy gave as well as it got. Time after time after a victory by the Union, it was followed by one for the Confederacy. It seemed like a broken record repeating over and over without lasting effect. The war on the seas was equally devastating. The South built high speed raiders and steel warships which were able to sink or capture hundreds of merchant and warships of the North. The Confederacy knew they were outgunned and had less manpower but their goal was to make it so painful that the North would give up the struggle and allow this new country to exist. The only reason they attacked the North such as at Gettysburg was to that end not to conquer additional territory. They exerted maximum pressure before the re-election of Lincoln. If a peace candidate could be elected they would have won but when Lincoln was re-elected they knew their cause was lost. They fought on but desertions and mounting losses overwhelmed them. In particular, after Atlanta was taken, General Sherman led his Army across Georgia destroying large swaths of countryside. Then going north through South Carolina they took particular pleasure in destroying buildings and railroads in the State that started the rebellion. Over 640,000 blue clad and 450,000 grey clad soldiers and sailors were casualties. These figures include dead and wounded. There were more than 10,000 military actions, including 76 full- scale battles, 310 engagements, 6,337 skirmishes, and numerous sieges, raids, expeditions, and the like. In many ways it was like reading a novel due to the names and conversations included throughout the books. You must have the interest and stamina if you decide to read these monumental books. I have not made the attempt to list events or persons as only by reading can you understand and appreciate the monstrous agony forced on our country to remain a complete country while eliminating slavery which was a curse to both sides. I will share a comment about the Confederate President Jefferson Davis. At the conclusion of fighting, with only a few exceptions all soldiers and civilians were welcomed back into the Union by pledging allegiance to the United States of America. Davis was the lone holdout. While he was released and not tried, he died a man without a country. Jack B. Walters May 30, 2018

Letter to the editor

Enough is enough Ruth Marcus in her two column article on the editorial page was offended because men on an elevator were joking about “ladies lingerie”. A female professor took offence. Give me a break. All we hear about is how crude men are in your paper. This is not about equal pay for equal work. You want to turn us into something other than men. We have the right to kid among ourselves as we have done since the beginning of time. You will not succeed in feminizing men. Nor I hope you will not masculinize women. There are serious issues to address today. This is nothing but a distraction. Jack B. Walters May 4, 2018