Day: September 16, 2012

150th Anniversary Of Bloodiest Military Day In History Of American Wars: The Battle Of Antietam, September 17, 1862

Ronald 2 Comments

Tomorrow will mark the 150th Anniversary of the bloodiest one day battle of the Civil War and of all American history—the Battle of Antietam in Sharpsburg, Maryland, which took more loss of life than even D Day on June 6, 1944.

Almost 23,000 casualties on both sides occurred on September 17, 1862–with almost 3,700 dead, and 17,200 wounded and 1,800 captured or missing.

The total losses that day surpassed double the total of the entirety of the War Of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Spanish American War combined!

This battle stopped the Confederate advance further north than it had ever been in the war, and only the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 saw a further advance, also stopped by the Union Army.

The battle decided that the British and French would hold off on recognition of the Confederacy, and also led to the decision of Abraham Lincoln to issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

This author was fortunate to have visited the Antietam Battlefield in 2011, and today, there is a reenactment of the battle being conducted, and being covered by C Span 3, an excellent source for American history on a regular basis.

Visiting Antietam would sober anyone as to the loss of life, and yet, the principles being fought about during the Civil War, which led to such massive deaths, would be better understood!

The Future Secretary Of State: Senator John Kerry Or UN Ambassador Susan Rice?

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The sudden introduction of foreign policy into the Presidential campaign of 2012, due to the events in the Middle East this week, bring attention on who might be Secretary of State in a second Obama Presidency.

Hillary Clinton has reminded us once again of her brilliance, courage, and statesmanship in her four years as Secretary of State. But every indication is that she will be leaving early next year, and therefore, if Barack Obama is reelected, one of the major questions to be resolved earlier, rather than later, is who shall be her successor. in the State Department.

The two front runners are Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Susan Rice, the United Nations Ambassador!

Rice has been on television today, trying to explain and defend the Middle East policy of the Obama Administration against attacks by the Republican opposition, including Presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Kerry has had a lot of attention due to his magnificent presentation at the Democratic National Convention a week and a half ago! His expertise in foreign policy is seen as unmatched, and he comes across as more authoritative and legitimate than even when he ran for President in 2004.

Rice has been a loyal supporter of Obama, and has done her job well, but the appointment of Kerry seems more politically smart, if for no other reason that if the Senate goes Republican or the Democrats keep the majority but cannot gain much in seats, and it might be a more evenly divided Senate with a Democratic majority, the issue of Senatorial courtesy will play a role, making the nomination of Kerry more likely to go through without controversy, that that of Susan Rice.

Kerry, with his massive experience on the subject, trumps Rice, who is good, but not seen as on the same level of excellence as Kerry!

Victories For Right To Vote Mounting In Republican Controlled States That Tried To Limit Voting

Ronald 1 Comment

After a year or more of attempts to limit the right to vote for senior citizens, college students, minorities, and the poor, the forces battling for the right to vote are winning victories, due to court action by the federal government, and decisions of federal judges in favor of the whole basis of democracy—voting!

Florida, Texas, and Ohio are among the states where the tide has turned, and Pennsylvania is awaiting a six member state Supreme Court decision that is thought to be ready to throw out the limits on voting set up by the Republican legislature and governor, with the three Republican members of the Court showing skepticism about the limit on voting rights.

This trend makes the likelihood of Barack Obama winning all of the above states, except Texas, more realistic, and it is a stain on the GOP that the party that expanded the right to vote to include African Americans in 1870, and supported civil rights at its founding, now has become the image of the Southern Democrats of the 1870s to the 1960s, who took away the right to vote and promoted Jim Crow segregation!

This is a time for mourning for the Republican Party of the past, which was principled and on the side of voting rights, and now has been captured by extreme right wing elements that are against basic democracy, what people in all nations around the world fight and die for—the right to express their view of who should govern them!