FDR - a book review

FDR
JEAN EDWARD SMITH

Mr. Smith published his biography this year (2007). I found it at the Public Library in the new book review section. It is astounding in the detail contained that could only be accomplished after exhaustive research. It took me several weeks to read. I confess I read slowly and deliberately whenever a book of this importance is in my hands. The text is 636 pages long and written in small type. The notes and bibliography uses another 224 pages.
This is not the first time I have read a biography about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I had my own copy of a previous biography which I gave to my son Andy for his library. I was born in 1928; President Roosevelt was the only President I can remember from my youth. I don’t profess knowledge of his first two terms as President but I was 13 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked, December 7, 1941. From that point on I knew who he was and followed as best a young boy can the war and his leadership of the country and the allies. As a family we would sit in front of the radio to hear his “fireside chats” Sunday evenings as he addressed the American people. There were a minority of citizens who despised him but the vast majority loved him and followed his directives as we all pulled together to save the world. We truly believed we were fighting a just and noble war and to this day I have never deviated from that premise.
The book starts by informing the lineage leading to his birth in 1882. It describes his boyhood, college years and his forays into politics. He was the Governor of N.Y. for two terms before becoming President. At that time the depression was devastating. President Hoover took a hand off attitude assuming that in time the economy would correct itself. Roosevelt couldn’t wait to assume control as he was determined to take whatever steps were necessary to get the recovery under way. His programs were referred to as “The New Deal”.
On page 601 at a press conference on 12/28/1943 he was asked by a young reporter about the new deal and whether it was still in effect. He answered no and then went on to state why it was necessary at the time. He followed with a partial list of things entailed in his program including; saving the banks by setting up a sound banking system, the Federal Deposit Insurance program to guarantee bank deposits.
(As an aside my father refused to put funds into any bank during his entire lifetime. At his death we finally convinced our mother to have her social security check deposited in a bank checking account. I remember her asking, “How will I know it is there”.)
Other programs mentioned were H.O.L.C. (Home Owners Loan Corporation) which helped save homes from foreclosure. F.C.A. (Farm Credit Administration) saved farms from foreclosure. Triple A (Agricultural Adjustment Administration) rescued agriculture from disasters, Soil Conservation; protecting investors through the (Securities and Exchange Commission) also Social Security, unemployment insurance, aid to handicapped and infirm, minimum wage and maximum hours legislation, abolition of child labor, rural electrification, flood control, the public works program, the TVA, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the WPA, National Youth Foundation and many others. Some of the above are still in effect to this day. His exhortation to staff was to try something. If it didn’t work then try something else. Doing nothing was not acceptable.
Two major mistakes during his presidency were trying to pack the Supreme Court in 1937 and placing American citizens of Japanese descent in camps in 1942. The first was because the court had ruled against a number of his new deal programs and the second because of the concern in California where a number of defense plants were located that Japanese citizens might commit sabotage. Pearl Harbor created this hatred and concern.
He was a remarkable man, very intelligent and energetic. He contracted Polio when he was 39. With ample recourses available to him he could have retired and devoted his years to improving his health and enjoying life as best he could without the use of his legs, but he choose to fight it and remain active in whatever government service availed itself to him. It is incredible to me that he had the ability to campaign and to assume ever increasing responsibilities and perform with skill and effectiveness. Once he became President he had twice per week press conferences in the Oval Office and often on Sunday evenings he would talk to the people over the radio. He called them fireside chats. These would give the people confidence that someone cared about their condition and was working hard on their behalf to improve their lives. One early speech concluded with the famous line, “All we have to fear is fear itself”.
During the late 30’s it became increasingly clear that Adolph Hitler posed a threat to civilization as the world new it at the time. Americans were united in their desire to not be drawn into another European War. Our armed forces had dwindled to where we were one of the weakest nations. Once war commenced between the Axis Powers and the Allies he lead us in small steps towards preparing for war. He proposed a lend lease program to provide materials to England after the fall of France. Should England fall then the world was likely to become victims as well. This was expanded to include Russia once they were attacked. He tried to persuade the Japanese to curb their territorial ambitions through diplomacy to no avail and in the end after Pearl Harbor we were in it fully with no turning back until absolute victory was achieved. The first few years were negative but gradually as our troops were trained and supplied with material of all kinds we gradually started to turn the tide. His leadership was absolutely necessary to keep up the moral of our people. He was elected to a third term in 1940 as America wanted his leadership as the threat of war increased and then a fourth term in 1944. We could not conceive of losing him as our President, upon his sudden death on 4/12/1945 we wondered if we could conclude the war without him.
Only Lincoln in my opinion was as great as FDR. They both faced incredible problems to solve. Both were the right men at the right time in history. Without their leadership and charisma who knows what the world would be like today had they not been there when the crisis needed to be dealt with.
If you take the time to read, I can assure you, that you will be enthralled to follow this great man’s life as he fought for us and eventually died for us.
One last request, check out the FDR Library on the internet. You can hear portions of some of his most important speeches. You may be as enthralled as I was when I heard him as a young man.

Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
November 23, 2007
jackbwalters@yahoo.com

Book Review

Her Way
THE HOPES and AMBITIONS of HILLARY RODMAN CLINTON
By Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr.

Once again I found a book I felt I should read, after all Hillary may become the next President of the U.S. This is not her biography, in fact neither she nor her staff would co-operate with the writers. In spite of this handicap, it appeared to me that they tried to be factual and shared the good with the bad. It follows her from a young girl to 2007. She has the ability to attract supporters for her staff and other groups who are intensely loyal and dedicated to her.
Her first challenge as first lady was to get a bill passed to provide medical care for all Americans. She strove hard but in the end accomplished nothing. The lobbying power of the industry prevailed.
The one common denominator is her driving ambition to reach the highest possible level of achievement which for her will be to become President of the U.S. The writers make a strong case that there was a pact or plan that Bill and Hillary worked toward and that was for both of them to be two term presidents. Bill got his and now she is close to realizing her dream as well. When the Monica Lewinski affair could no longer be denied she stood by him when it was expected that a divorce was a natural consequence of his marital infidelity. To leave at that time would have ended any hope of achieving this lofty goal so she stuck it out.
The book recalls all of the turmoil that they went through as Kenneth Starr the independent council and his group pursued the Clintons on various and sundry issues including their Whitewater investment, Madison Guaranty Bank and her Rose law firm. Other issues were the death of Vince Foster, the women who claimed Bill had made advances to them including Paula Jones and Kathleen Fisher. Starr’s final report included 110,000 words. After spending millions they were never found guilty of any impropriety except for lying about his relationship with Monica. The report stated that there was a record of the president’s “abundant and calculating lies” under oath, obstruction of justice, and an abuse of power that “may constitute grounds for impeachment.” The Republican controlled Congress did all they could to accomplish this but in the end failed.
I detected a pattern in her voting record as U.S. Senator of N.Y. In my opinion after reading I believe she votes more to protect her image than concern for whatever issue is being addressed. A case in point was her vote to give President Bush the authority to invade Iraq. She felt that a no vote would be interpreted as being soft on military matters.
I searched carefully to find some information about the role Bill and Hillary played during John Kerry’s bid for the White House. There was nothing. I remember during that year that Bill was recovering from some illness and she naturally would take the time to be with him. Whenever they did make a speech I noted that they seldom mentioned Kerry by name, instead they would talk about democratic values. I was upset with them as I was actively involved with the Democratic Party as we worked to remove President Bush from office. Their personal ambition contributed to Kerry’s defeat to the detriment of us all. Where might we be now if Kerry had won? I was not a big fan of him but as I jokingly said at the time, I would vote for Mickey Mouse if he was on the ticket. We felt that we could persuade him to move in what we considered to be the right direction.
Today as we all know she is receiving record contributions from citizens and also from Corporate America, the same corporations that destroyed her first efforts to provide health care for all of our citizens.
I don’t really recommend reading this book. If you are an active thinker and have followed Washington issues for a long time, then you will find very little that you don’t already know. It was good as a refresher but reliving some of the past was tedious. It was hard for me to concentrate.

Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
November 2, 2007
jackbwalters@yahoo.com

WWII Washington Memorial

Letter sent to Representative Gabrielle Giffords

What I am writing is probably not new to you. Veterans of this war are dying off by over 1,000 each day. Not only the veterans but also those other citizens such as myself who lived through those trying times. In a few short years we will all be gone. Younger Americans visiting this memorial will think it is a fine tribute to the Americans who did what had to be done and will never get the full significance of President Roosevelt's Declaration of War speech he gave to Congress after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The words he spoke inspired the nation. Whoever edited his speech to its essentials in order to carve it into the monument left out the most important part of that speech.
If you search the web go to WWII Washington Memorial then click on fact sheet and then inscriptions. The Pearl Harbor Speech is condensed as follows;
DECEMBER 7, 1941, A DATE WHICH WILL LIVE IN INFAMY...NO MATTER HOW LONG IT MAY TAKE US TO OVERCOME THIS PREMEDITATED INVASION,THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, IN THEIR RIGHTEOUS MIGHT,WILL WIN THROUGH TO ABSOLUTE VICTORY.
That is all that is inscribed. There was a lot of detail in the speech that did not need to be inscribed but his final words were the words that inspired the nation. They were;
WITH CONFIDENCE IN OUR ARMED FORCES-WITH THE UNBOUNDED DETERMINATION OF OUR PEOPLE-WE WILL GAIN THE INEVITABLE TRIUMPH-SO HELP US GOD.
You can find this by searching FDR Library then click on Selected public papers and speeches.
I have written previously to Senators Kyl and McCain. Neither have felt it important enough to do anything about it, so I am now asking you. Those words must be made a part of the memorial or it will be meaningless in years to come.
Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
October 18, 2007
jackbwalters@yahoo.com

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Is Religion Dangerous

Is Religion Dangerous?
By Keith Ward

I found this book at the public library. I brought it home and read it, looking as I continuously seem to be these days, trying to make sense out of the crazy world we live in. It was interesting in that he wrote it as a devout Christian. Much of the book is devoted to his attempt to prove there is a God and there has been since the creation of the Universe. His arguments are well articulated.
As to the title of the book, his conclusion is that religion is not dangerous and that whatever evil has been committed in the name of religion was done by radicals who have used it to further their purpose.
Following the 9/11 disaster I got and read three books about Islam trying to understand how and why we were attacked. They all confirmed as does this author that it is a peaceful religion. He states that “The God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam is a being of justice, mercy and loving-kindness, who commands humans to be just, merciful and kind, and who promises those who are just, a life beyond death in unison with absolute goodness”.
He mentions Sayyid Qutb of the Muslim Brotherhood who wrote in his
1965 book, Milestones on the Road. He stated, “One should accept the Shari’a without question and reject all other laws in any shape or form. This is Islam. Every society is either Muslim or jahiliyyah. Muslim societies are those that live in complete obedience to Shari’s.” He states that all of the societies existing in the world today are jahila and that they are all illegal. He concludes that all political systems that legislate laws- including, apparently all existing so-called Muslim societies are illegal. By contrast, in a truly Muslim society only God legislates laws. There can be no compromise or even co-existence. There is no Islam in a land where Islam is not dominant and where it’s Shari’s is not established. He continues that they must take the initiative in abolishing jahiliyyah. It is not just a defensive war; it is the use of force to establish properly Muslim societies everywhere in the world, so that ultimately there will remain only Muslims, enemies of Islam to be fought, and Dhimmies, those who pay tribute-money to their dominant Islamic society.
It is thus not religion that causes Islamic terrorism. It is a version of Islam
that has been corrupted by the most successful anti-religious movement in
the twentieth century. They are not motivated by the love of God. It is hatred
of almost everyone in the world, belief in very simple political solutions to
intractable social problems, belief that resorting to extreme violence is a
reliable means to future freedom and peace, and an intense certainty that one’s own beliefs are uniquely correct and morally pure,
whereas everyone else’s are irrational and corrupt.
I believe his conclusions are valid. We are not in a religious war but
nonetheless we are in a world wide war with radicals who want to conquer
all nations and convert them to their belief system. Knowing this, the
countries of the world need to unite and fight this evil wherever it surfaces
without mercy. They cannot be reasoned with so they must be eliminated
wherever they are found. Therefore the battle is not against Muslims, it is
against those who have perverted Islam to suit their goals.


Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
August 7, 2007
jackbwalters@yahoo.com

Phantom Warrior

Phantom Warrior
The Heroic True Story of Pvt. John Mc Kinney’s One-Man Stand against the Japanese in World War II
By: Forrest Bryant Johnson

My favorite books are biographies about people who make a difference with their lives. I lucked onto this book at the Public Library. Everyone has heard about Sergeant York and his exploits in World War I. Gary Cooper played the role in a movie about him. The similarity between these two men is striking. They were both simple, hard working, quiet types who were poor farmers eking out a living in the South. Their pastimes were hunting and fishing. Actually pastime is a misnomer as the food from animals and fish caught provided needed food for their families. The skills developed hunting made them both dead shots.
Pvt. McKinney won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his exploits during a battle at a place called Dingaling Bay on the East coast of Luzon May 11, 1945. He and about 70 other soldiers were attacked before sunrise from two sides. About 148 attacked the main group from the North and an equal number from a sand bar to the South. The account pieced together from eye witnesses and a count of dead after the battle confirmed that those attacking from the South were all killed by this one soldier with the exception of 6 shot by a soldier that came to his aid as the battle was winding down. The total battle lasted about 36 minutes. You have to read it to comprehend how it was possible. It took a long time to get the approval for the Medal of Honor because it was so unbelievable. In the citation it mentions 40 as the number of Japanese dead.
The book is 304 pages long. It details his early life and events leading up to this battle. The war began for him in New Guinea and ended with this battle. He was removed from the fighting so that he would survive the war and be a symbol for Americans of the heroic exploits of our fighting men.
He returned home and returned to the life he had lived before joining the Army. He is described as a man of sorrow. From time to time he would say to a relative or close friend, “Why did they have to die.” Find it and read it. You will inspired by this unbelievable story.

Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
September 28, 2007
jackbwalters@yahoo.com

Failed States

Failed States
By Noam Chomsky

The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy

Of all of the heavy intellectual books I have read recently, this one stands alone in its complexity and overall content. As a life long patriot I found much in this book disagreeable and not at all in tune with the beliefs I have nurtured over my lifetime. I cannot say I recommend you to read it but perhaps it should be read by those who hope as I do for a better world for all mankind and nature.
Actually what he writes is not much different from other authors but he does it in a harsher manner that made me cringe. It is hard to be told of the actions taken by our government over the decades since WWII including fostering violent overthrows of democratically elected governments such as Iran, Chili, Nicaragua, Guatemala and our ever increasing dependency on military force to get other nations to comply with our dictates. The current administration only differs from previous ones in the audacity with which it projects its power. Previous administrations were more subtle but nonetheless effective in achieving their purposes.
He takes us around the world but in the last chapter concentrates on what is happening in our own country. He points out, as most of us who pay attention already know, that the electorate is manipulated into voting based on sound bites which are intended to persuade voters to reject candidates’ based on emotion and not on fact. The other proven technique is to scare the voter with threats from evil groups around the world. The two party systems that used to be are no longer discernable. The main reason of course is the amount of money needed to win office. He states that there are now 34,750 registered lobbyists living and working in Washington. Can you imagine what a day in the life of a politician is like with an army this size descending on them and their staffs as they try to get legislation to aid their respective causes none of which are for our benefit?
He discusses poll after poll which confirms the issues most important to the majority of thinking voters. They want to vote for someone who supports these ideas, but in the end confused and persuaded, they vote hoping for change but it never happens and in my opinion will never happen until or unless we as citizens force it by whatever means is possible to us.
Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
October 15, 2007
jackbwalters@yahoo.com

Driver's Licenses

N.Y. Governor Eliot Spitzer has ordered public officials to grant drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. Many have refused stating their responsibility to only issue to citizens with social security cards and addresses. Some State Legislatures are promising a law suit effective Nov. 1, 2007 if he does not rescind his order.
A driver’s license allows you to board an airplane or enter a public building. It may not be much but it has some meaning and is universally used to keep others from entering. It is estimated that there are over 500,000 illegal immigrants in N.Y. California will no doubt be the next State to duplicate N.Y.
Where is the Federal Government on this issue? I haven’t heard from the Administration, Homeland Security or any member of Congress. Are they all so wrapped up in their concern to not offend that they do not have the intestinal fortitude to take a stand and uphold their #1 priority which is to defend the citizens of this country.

Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
October 16, 2007
jackbwalters@yahoo.com