I'm 75 years old. Like you, Cindy, I went to Catholic school for 12 years and learned to love everything about God and country. Then, in the late sixties, I went to college at UC Berkeley. The various protests and brutal police suppression radicalized me. Still, I believed in some semblance of the basic goodness of our government. Since then, it's been decades of disappointment. There have been so many wars and government actions that I opposed.
A few days after the 9/11 attacks, I heard a caller on talk radio say that "maybe our own government was behind this?" The radio host swore and hung up on the guy. I, too, was incredulous that someone could suggest such a thing, killing thousands of our own citizens.
With the Iraq war of 2003 came the continuous bleat of "weapons of mass destruction." I started reading alternative media about these bogus claims. That led me "down a rabbit hole."
From 2003 to 2013, I followed many discussion groups and alternative news sources on what were called "conspiracy theories." I analyzed the arguments of the debunkers and then the debunkers of the debunkers. My own early idealistic upbringing would not let me accept the depth of treachery I discovered about false flags and other covert actions. After ten years of reading and research, I reluctantly came to the conclusion that many, perhaps most of these "conspiracy theories" had validity.
Ten years of study and I became absolutely convinced of the falsity of the 9/11 official narrative. Part way through those ten years, I read that the December 7th, 1941 "surprise attack" by Japan on Pearl Harbor was known about in advance and allowed to happen to galvanize public support for the war. With shock, I dismissed that possibility as a bridge too far, even as a 9/11 "truther." However, after a few more years of recognizing patterns of government malfeasance, it makes perfect sense to me that the Pearl Harbor attack was permitted with full foreknowledge to manipulate the American public.
(Side note: I learned that many warships were moved out of Pearl Harbor before the attack, leaving older ships and those awaiting repair to be bombed. My own father sailed out of Pearl Harbor on a troop transport bound for the South Seas on December 6th, 1941, ONE DAY before Pearl Harbor was bombed. That was just one more data point for me.)
My sense of betrayal at the depths of treachery by my/our "leaders" has left me with an embittered heartbreak that haunts me to this day. Such is my remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day, December 7th, 2024.
My dad, in the navy at the time, but not at Pearl Harbor, could never forget nor forgive those who allowed navy sailors (and others) to get bombed by the Japanese. He was and died a proud peacenik- “War is not healthy for children or other living things” (from a poster displayed in the late 60’s). “War is hell.” - Winston Churchill. “There was never a good war nor a bad peace.” - Alexander Pope.
My ex-father in law (rip) was in the Navy in the Pacific, as well. He was working on ships in the Bikini Atoll during the atom bomb tests. He eventually passed from cancer, as did many other sailors.
As you may know, Cindy, I wrote about Jeanette Rankin in "Crimes and Cover-Ups in American Politics: 1776-1963." I consider her perhaps the greatest female politician in our history. If any female should be on the U.S. currency, she should be the first selection. She had to have police protection to escort her out of Congress after being the only member to not vote to declare war on Japan. Like you, she believed in peace, period. Regardless of politics. Thanks!
I've always found it interesting, and very disturbing, that the most blood-thirsty war mongers I've ever encountered have been women. I will not generalize and say that is true across the board, since it certainly is not. Some people attribute that attitude to the fact that women in this country have not fought in wars until recently, so they would have an uninformed perspective on war in general.
There are several possible explanations for their war mongering, but I don't feel comfortable trying to elaborate on any of them. Suffice it to say I've seen lots of Pelosi's in my life, and I'll just let it go at that.
As I recall, Barbara Lee has not really exhibited an anti-war stance throughout her stint in Congress, much unlike our wonderful and beloved Cynthia McKinney, a true anti-war hero.
What is very disturbing is Hollywood’s trend to make movies about female “heroes” - with posters/ads depicting scantily clad women wielding high power weapons - and in the films the women often take pride in being ruthless- these are out young girls role models? How terribly unfortunate. I would not let my children watch that @&$# - actually I did not have TV for the first 8 years of the oldest one life - and very restricted after that. I did not want TV raising (influencing my children).
I have a 2008 dramatic film about Rankin’s life on DVD called A Single Woman. Interestingly, it starts out at the end of her life in the 1970s (she was out of Congress but still an activist against the Vietnam War) and ends up with her as a young girl witnessing the carnage of the last of the “Indian Wars” in her native Montana. There are probably still some DVDs out there you can purchase on Ebay.
A heartfelt Thank You for posting this about Jeannette Rankin! Why is she not taught about in history or in civics class- why don’t we have civics class anymore?
When one lives in a war-based country, it is pretty unlikely that anti-war, pro-peace folks will be honored, much less taught about. I think it is just that simple.
Divide and rule! Agents provocateurs anyone, FALSE FLAGS, propaganda social engineering psyops? Keeping us proles at each others' throats while the globalist technocrat predators laugh all the way to the BIS and The Bank of Rothschild's!
Life everywhere is being assaulted by THE TECHNOCRATIC OMNIWAR! RESIST! DO NOT CONSENT TO ALL THINGS DIGITAL, 'SMART', AI, 5G, NO CASH - ALL OF IT! dhughes.substack.com Technocrat ruling class psychos get a sadistic thrill from their powers over life and death and hurting all who stand in their way and they need the resources worldwide to build their digital total slavery control grids (herd survivors into 15 minute city digital prisons)!
AI is designed to be anti-human/anti-life programmed by technocrat control freak psychos - garbage in = garbage out. Everyone got along just fine without all these absurd and downright satanic electronic gadgets that did not exist until recently. NOBODY NEEDS THIS AI CRAP!
I'm 75 years old. Like you, Cindy, I went to Catholic school for 12 years and learned to love everything about God and country. Then, in the late sixties, I went to college at UC Berkeley. The various protests and brutal police suppression radicalized me. Still, I believed in some semblance of the basic goodness of our government. Since then, it's been decades of disappointment. There have been so many wars and government actions that I opposed.
A few days after the 9/11 attacks, I heard a caller on talk radio say that "maybe our own government was behind this?" The radio host swore and hung up on the guy. I, too, was incredulous that someone could suggest such a thing, killing thousands of our own citizens.
With the Iraq war of 2003 came the continuous bleat of "weapons of mass destruction." I started reading alternative media about these bogus claims. That led me "down a rabbit hole."
From 2003 to 2013, I followed many discussion groups and alternative news sources on what were called "conspiracy theories." I analyzed the arguments of the debunkers and then the debunkers of the debunkers. My own early idealistic upbringing would not let me accept the depth of treachery I discovered about false flags and other covert actions. After ten years of reading and research, I reluctantly came to the conclusion that many, perhaps most of these "conspiracy theories" had validity.
Ten years of study and I became absolutely convinced of the falsity of the 9/11 official narrative. Part way through those ten years, I read that the December 7th, 1941 "surprise attack" by Japan on Pearl Harbor was known about in advance and allowed to happen to galvanize public support for the war. With shock, I dismissed that possibility as a bridge too far, even as a 9/11 "truther." However, after a few more years of recognizing patterns of government malfeasance, it makes perfect sense to me that the Pearl Harbor attack was permitted with full foreknowledge to manipulate the American public.
(Side note: I learned that many warships were moved out of Pearl Harbor before the attack, leaving older ships and those awaiting repair to be bombed. My own father sailed out of Pearl Harbor on a troop transport bound for the South Seas on December 6th, 1941, ONE DAY before Pearl Harbor was bombed. That was just one more data point for me.)
My sense of betrayal at the depths of treachery by my/our "leaders" has left me with an embittered heartbreak that haunts me to this day. Such is my remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day, December 7th, 2024.
I didn't go to Catholic school, my children did for awhile.
Aha, I made a presumption that you did, remembering you telling of your son, Casey, being an altar boy.
That made me relate to him all the more. I remember the fierce faith and idealism I had in my youth. Alas, the world was not what I believe it to be.
My dad, in the navy at the time, but not at Pearl Harbor, could never forget nor forgive those who allowed navy sailors (and others) to get bombed by the Japanese. He was and died a proud peacenik- “War is not healthy for children or other living things” (from a poster displayed in the late 60’s). “War is hell.” - Winston Churchill. “There was never a good war nor a bad peace.” - Alexander Pope.
My ex-father in law (rip) was in the Navy in the Pacific, as well. He was working on ships in the Bikini Atoll during the atom bomb tests. He eventually passed from cancer, as did many other sailors.
As you may know, Cindy, I wrote about Jeanette Rankin in "Crimes and Cover-Ups in American Politics: 1776-1963." I consider her perhaps the greatest female politician in our history. If any female should be on the U.S. currency, she should be the first selection. She had to have police protection to escort her out of Congress after being the only member to not vote to declare war on Japan. Like you, she believed in peace, period. Regardless of politics. Thanks!
I've good fortune in finding your "Crimes and coverups..." at our local library.
Very nice reminder of a real hero on this day of remembrance, thanks.
I've always found it interesting, and very disturbing, that the most blood-thirsty war mongers I've ever encountered have been women. I will not generalize and say that is true across the board, since it certainly is not. Some people attribute that attitude to the fact that women in this country have not fought in wars until recently, so they would have an uninformed perspective on war in general.
There are several possible explanations for their war mongering, but I don't feel comfortable trying to elaborate on any of them. Suffice it to say I've seen lots of Pelosi's in my life, and I'll just let it go at that.
As I recall, Barbara Lee has not really exhibited an anti-war stance throughout her stint in Congress, much unlike our wonderful and beloved Cynthia McKinney, a true anti-war hero.
What is very disturbing is Hollywood’s trend to make movies about female “heroes” - with posters/ads depicting scantily clad women wielding high power weapons - and in the films the women often take pride in being ruthless- these are out young girls role models? How terribly unfortunate. I would not let my children watch that @&$# - actually I did not have TV for the first 8 years of the oldest one life - and very restricted after that. I did not want TV raising (influencing my children).
Sadly, that appears to be media's version of "equal rights".
I have a 2008 dramatic film about Rankin’s life on DVD called A Single Woman. Interestingly, it starts out at the end of her life in the 1970s (she was out of Congress but still an activist against the Vietnam War) and ends up with her as a young girl witnessing the carnage of the last of the “Indian Wars” in her native Montana. There are probably still some DVDs out there you can purchase on Ebay.
Thank you for this!! Can’t wait to see! Also can’t wait for swords to be turned into plowshares.
Very well done, you’ll love it. I’m going to watch it again now myself! Re swords into plowshares, me too!
A heartfelt Thank You for posting this about Jeannette Rankin! Why is she not taught about in history or in civics class- why don’t we have civics class anymore?
When one lives in a war-based country, it is pretty unlikely that anti-war, pro-peace folks will be honored, much less taught about. I think it is just that simple.
The true American hero, in my conscientious-objector book.
Divide and rule! Agents provocateurs anyone, FALSE FLAGS, propaganda social engineering psyops? Keeping us proles at each others' throats while the globalist technocrat predators laugh all the way to the BIS and The Bank of Rothschild's!
Life everywhere is being assaulted by THE TECHNOCRATIC OMNIWAR! RESIST! DO NOT CONSENT TO ALL THINGS DIGITAL, 'SMART', AI, 5G, NO CASH - ALL OF IT! dhughes.substack.com Technocrat ruling class psychos get a sadistic thrill from their powers over life and death and hurting all who stand in their way and they need the resources worldwide to build their digital total slavery control grids (herd survivors into 15 minute city digital prisons)!
AI is designed to be anti-human/anti-life programmed by technocrat control freak psychos - garbage in = garbage out. Everyone got along just fine without all these absurd and downright satanic electronic gadgets that did not exist until recently. NOBODY NEEDS THIS AI CRAP!
Bless and thank you for doing what you do!
For the trailer, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDMh0V_br4w
Thank you for this inspiring information about Jeanette Rankin!
bravo! Jeannette Rankin