Today in History: December 18, 2007

WAR!, TERRORISM, CULTURE, SCANDAL, DEATH PENALTY, CIVIL RIGHTS, SCIENCE, NANNY STATE, POLITICS, IMMIGRATION, SERIAL KILLERS

WAR!

In 1940, Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. (Operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941.)

1916 - During World War I, after 10 months of fighting the French defeated the Germans in the Battle of Verdun.

In 1944, in a pair of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime relocation of Japanese-Americans (Korematsu v. United States), but also said undeniably loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry could not continue to be detained (Ex parte Endo).

1950 - NATO foreign ministers approved plans to defend Western Europe, including the use of nuclear weapons, if necessary.

In 1972, the United States began heavy bombing of North Vietnamese targets during the Vietnam War. (The bombardment ended 11 days later.)

1998 - Russia recalled its U.S. ambassador in protest of the U.S. attacks on Iraq.


POLITICS

1787 - New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

TERRORISM

1973 - The IRA launched its Christmas bombing campaign in London.

CIVIL RIGHTS

In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery, was declared in effect.

IMMIGRATION

1912 - The U.S. Congress prohibited the immigration of illiterate persons.

SCANDAL

1987 - Ivan F. Boesky was sentenced to three years in prison for plotting Wall Street's biggest insider-trading scandal. He only served about two years of the sentence.

1998 - The U.S. House of Representatives began the debate on the four articles of impeachment concerning U.S. President Bill Clinton. It was only the second time in U.S. history that process had begun.

DISCOVERY!

In 1620, passengers from the Mayflower came ashore near Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts

CULTURE

In 1957, the World War II epic "The Bridge on the River Kwai" opened in New York.

NANNY STATE

1917 - The Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. Congress. It banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcohol.

2001 - Mark Oliver Gebel, a Ringling Bros. Circus star, went on trial for animal abuse. The charges stemmed from an incident with an elephant that was marching too slowly into a circus performance on August 25, 2001. He was acquitted on December 21, 2001.

DEATH PENALTY

1969 - Britain's Parliament abolished the death penalty for murder.

1998 - South Carolina proceeded with the U.S.' 500th execution since capital punishment was restored.

SERIAL KILLERS

2001 - In Seattle, WA, Gary Leon Ridgeway pled innocent to the charge of murder for four of the Green River serial killings. He had been arrested on November 30, 2001.

SCIENCE

1912 - The discovery of the Piltdown Man in East Sussex was announced. It was proved to be a hoax in 1953.

DEATH

In 1980, former Soviet Premier Alexei N. Kosygin died at age 76.


Dec. 18, the 352nd day of 2007. There are 13 days left in the year.


compiled by Mondoreb
[image:centuryofflight.freeola]
Sources: Today in History
Today in History: December 17, 2007



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

White Supremacists to March at Jena

The Nationalist Movement will march at Jena to protest both the Jena Six and Martin Luther King. The planned march has already sparked reaction and is sure to spark even more as news of it spreads.

Al Sharpton plans to lead another march the same day to draw attention to hate crimes. No word yet to the Sharpton reaction to the counter-march.

It will be another case of "free speech" and the right to march vs. the message the Nationalist Movement promotes. Both sides are lining up for the battle. More on the march and black reaction from BET:

The Nationalist Movement says it will bring its “tools for empowerment to Louisiana to defeat the demands of Al Sharpton."

This public event, called “No to Jena 6, No to King,” will feature a two-mile parade, speeches, ceremonies and petitions "as a centerpiece to abolish King Day," said the release.

[BET] users were up in arms over the group’s plans to march in the same town where tens of thousands of people came out to support the “Jena Six” in September.

But users were divided over whether the group has the right to march.

Although many users agreed that the message of the Nationalist Movement is racist, outdated and just plain foolish, they felt that marching is their American right.

It's refreshing to see the NM message labeled as "outdated" and "just plain foolish" by a major black media outlet. Those are down-to-earth, common sense labels with which both black and white can identify.

The right of disagreeable speech is one that is embedded in the Constitution. Blacks of 50 years ago remember that they were the ones whose speeches and marches were labeled by many as "disagreeable". Now it is the Nationalist Movement.

BET has exactly the right tone. Outrage? Anger? Screams?

No.

Only sad bemusement for a sad message.

by Mondoreb & Little Baby Ginn




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