Seventy-two killed resisting gun confiscation in Boston

BOSTON, MA

National guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently banned assault weapons were ambushed on April 19th by elements of a para-military extremist faction. Military and law enforcement sources estimate that 72 were killed and more than 200 injured before government forces were compelled to withdraw.
Speaking after the clash, Massachusetts Governor Thomas Gage declared that the extremist faction, which was made up of local citizens, has links to the radical right-wing tax protest movement. Gage blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed against internal revenue offices. The governor, who described the group's organizers as "criminals," issued an executive order authorizing the summary arrest of any individual who has interfered with the government's efforts to secure law and order. The military raid on the extremist arsenal followed wide-spread refusal by the local citizenry to turn over recently outlawed assault weapons.

Gage issued a ban on military-style assault weapons and ammunition earlier in the week. This decision followed a meeting in early this month between government and military leaders at which the governor authorized the forcible confiscation of illegal arms.

One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out that "none of these people would have been killed had the extremists obeyed the law and turned over their weapons voluntarily." Government troops initially succeeded in confiscating a large supply of outlawed weapons and ammunition. However, troops attempting to seize arms and ammunition in Lexington met with resistance from heavily-armed extremists who had been tipped off regarding the government's plans. During a tense standoff in Lexington 's town park, National Guard Colonel Francis Smith, commander of the government operation, ordered the armed group to surrender and return to their homes. The impasse was broken by a single shot, which was reportedly fired by one of the right-wing extremists. Eight civilians were killed in the ensuing exchange.

Ironically, the local citizenry blamed government forces rather than the extremists for the civilian deaths. Before order could be restored, armed citizens from surrounding areas had descended upon the guard units. Colonel Smith, finding his forces overmatched by the armed mob, ordered a retreat. 

Governor Gage has called upon citizens to support the state/national joint task force in its effort to restore law and order. The governor also demanded the surrender of those responsible for planning and leading the attack against the government troops. Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and John Hancock, who have been identified as "ringleaders" of the extremist faction, remain at large. 

Additional details available here.

December 7

Lashing out

I’ve no doubt that if Seattle or Boston or Manhattan goes up in a bright white flash there will be those who blame it all on Bush. We squandered the world’s good will. We threw away the opportunity to atone, and lashed out. Really? You want to see lashing out? Imagine Kabul and Mecca and Baghdad and Tehran on 9/14 crowned with mushroom clouds: that’s lashing out. Imagine the President in the National Cathedral castigating Islam instead of sitting next to an Imam who's giving a homily. Mosques burned, oil fields occupied, smart bombs slamming into Syrian palaces. We could have gone full Roman on anyone we wanted, but we didn’t. And we won’t.

Which is why this war will be long.

 James Lileks, 9/11/03.

German sub found off Nantucket

Surviving crew of U-550 surrenders

On April 15, 1944, the German subamarine U-550 torpedoed the SS Pan Pennsylvania.  The Pan Pennsylvania was a large gasoline tanker that was part of a convoy headed for Ireland, but had straggled behind.  On April 16, the U-550 was located and sunk by three US Coast Guard destroyers, led by USS Joyce, escorting the convoy.

USS Joyce

Last Monday, July 23, a group of private divers located the U-550 off the coast of Nantucket.

Divers have discovered a World War II-era German submarine nearly 70 years after it sank under withering U.S. attack in waters off Nantucket.

The U-550 was found Monday by a privately funded group organized by New Jersey lawyer Joe Mazraani. It was the second trip in two years to the site by the team, some of whom had been searching for the lost U-boat for two decades.

Sonar image of U-550, July 23, 2012

German U-boats operated off the east coast of the US throughout World War II.  Beachgoers on the Jersey Shore often saw smoke from burning ships that had been torpedoed by the Germans.  Dangerous until the last day of the war, 12 U-boats still operating off the Northeast surfaced and surrendered on VE-Day.

Surrendered German subs, Lishally, Ireland, May 24, 1945

Twin Mustang

While waiting for Mrs. South to finish her shopping in a giant craft supplies store, we killed a little time in the surprisingly well-stocked plastic model kit department.  It was there that we discovered the North American F-82 "Twin Mustang."  The fighter plane looks like two P-51 Mustangs connected at the waist, but is actually a more-or-less original post-WW II design.

Fortunately, a real life example of the aircraft is undergoing a complete restoration.

Truth be told, the North American F-82 wasn't just two mated Mustangs. Most of us who have never gotten our hands greasy on one have assumed the very-long-range postwar twin was simply two P-51 fuselages riveted to a wing center section and horizontal stabilizer. "We've found that there are very few parts common to the World War II Mustang series," says restoration pro Tom Reilly of Douglas, Ga., who has spent three years totally rebuilding the rarest Twin Mustang to survive—the number-two XP-82 prototype—and who estimates he still has a year and a half to go before his airplane flies.

And fly it will, for Reilly is famous among warbirders for putting back into the air projects ranging from Stearmans to B-24s that had been consigned to scrapheaps. Indeed, Reilly's XP-82 came largely from two junkyards—one outside Fair­banks, Alaska, and the other from late Ohioan Walter Soplata's famous back-lot salvage yard of rare warbirds.

More Twin Mustang info here.

One Irish immigrant

John Byrne
Captain, 155th NY Co. I
Major, 155th NY
Lt. Col., 155th NY
Wounded, Spotsylvania CH
Captured, Reams's Station
Commanded Regiment at Appomattox CH

The 155th New York Volunteer Infantry, 1862-1865, was recruited in the City of Buffalo and surrounding towns in late Summer, 1862 and was comprised almost entirely of Irish immigrants. 

The 155th NY, known as the Buffalo Irish Regiment was presented with a green silk flag by the citizens of Buffalo. On one side was the harp of Erin surrounded by a wreath of shamrocks and scrolls reading "Corcoran Guards" and "We Strike for the Union and the Constitution" while on the the reverse side of the flag were the twin seals of New York State and the Federal government.  The 155th NY was present for the surrender of Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, then marched in President Johnson's Grand Review of the Federal Armies on May 23. They were mustered out of the service in mid July.

Upon their arrival in New York City, the men of the 155th and the rest of the Legion were feted in a parade held by Irish-American citizens of the city, after which they were paid off and discharged, returning to their homes and families.

In three years of conflict the 155th NY suffered a total of 189 deaths and roughly 280 wounded, captured or missing.  Their overall casualty rate was about 60%.

Colonel Byrne suffered a gunshot through the head at Spotsylvania Courthouse.  He miraculously survived, but the wound resulted in the loss of an eye.  

Colonel Byrne later became police chief in Buffalo.  Byrne's son Eugene attended West Point, where he was a member of the football team.  Eugene died as a result of injuries suffered in a 1909 game against Harvard.  Eugene's injuries led to changes in the rules of college football, including the universal wearing of helmets and all plays being originated at a line of scrimmage.

History of 155th from Kevin O'Beirne

Reposted - Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

George Washingon

Washington at Morristown, 1779

George Washington, born in Virgina, February 22, 1732.

Kodak bankrupt

Eastman Kodak Company has finally pulled the trigger.

"After considering the advantages of Chapter 11 at this time, the board of directors and the entire senior management team unanimously believe that this is a necessary step and the right thing to do for the future of Kodak," CEO Antonio M. Perez said in announcing the decision.

The filing listed assets of $5.1 billion and debts of $6.75 billion...

As of a year ago, Kodak had 7,100 employees in the Rochester area and 18,800 companywide. The worldwide figure is now 17,000, the company said in its bankruptcy papers, about 8,000 of them in the U.S. It did not give a new Rochester-area figure.

At its peak in the early 1980s, the company employed 62,000 people in Rochester and 130,000 worldwide.

Under Perez's enlightened stewardship, Kodak's stock price dropped from $25/share to bupkes.  One would assume Mr. Perez had his hands full getting ready for a big garage sale at Kodak Park, but the Spanish-born business genius still has enough free time to serve on something called "President Barack Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness."

December 7, 1941

Japan made a big mistake, seventy years ago today. 

UPI has photos.

An Upstate Pearl Harbor survivor is known as "the man who saved the West Virginia." 

Pearl Harbor Anniversary Update:

The President of the United States' official schedule for today: 

2:15 pm

The President holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Harper of Canada

Oval Office

3:00 pm

The President and Prime Minister Harper of Canada deliver statements

South Court Auditorium

4:35 pm

The President attends a campaign event

DC, The Jefferson Hotel, Washington

Why are we still depending on electric poles?

First electric pole goes up in Dunkirk, NY, 1875

Back in October, an early season snowstorm knocked out power in a large area of the Northeast.  With leaves still on the trees, heavy snow brought branches down on power lines, many of which remained on the ground for days.  Today, November 7, thousands of Connecticut residents are furious - many are still without electric service. 

 The electrical outages, the legacy of a storm that hammered the Northeast on Oct. 29 and 30, were largely an unpleasant memory by Sunday night for most of the 3 million who lost power at the height of the storm. But in Connecticut, about 50,000 residents remained without electricity by Monday morning, nine days after the storm. In New Jersey and Massachusetts, only a few hundred customers remained without power.

Per the historic photo above, we see that today's electric transmission pole technology appears to be not unlike that in use in New York in 1875, shortly after the Civil War.  Why, in the third century of widespread electric power distribution, are all those lines not safely nestled underground in plastic conduit?  We suspect it may have something to do with the nature of government mandated monopolies, but we welcome other explanations.  Hit the comment button below to set us straight!

Auburn's historic Genesee sign lights up tonight

1950s

Darkened during the Carter Energy Crisis, Auburn's landmark Genny sign will be back on tonight.

On Saturday, as part of Auburn’s annual Founders Day celebration, the renovated sign will be lit up for the first time since the mid-1970s. State-of-the-art LED lights have been installed to replace the original neon tubes.

Genesee Brewing's rent for the sign's location included sending a case of Cream Ale to the building's owner every month.  More in the Post-Standard.

Now

Afghan teens shop for tunes

Stylish Afghan teenagers check out the latest hits at a local record shop.  Some of the disks available are even "stereo compatible!"  

This happy scene is, however, from the 1960s. Since the photo was taken, certain cultural changes have occurred in Afghanistan.  This picture could not be replicated today, or, regardless of the billions of dollars US taxpayers have spent to make it otherwise, all involved would risk beatings or execution.

Not fonda Jane

Senior citizen Jane Fonda was scheduled to appear on the QVC shopping channel today to pitch her new book.  Not gonna happen.  Too many people who remember "Hanoi Jane" called QVC to complain. 

Perhaps the owner of this '64 Ford Fairlane spotted at the Syracuse Nationals yesterday (closeup of rear window below) was among the protestors.  40 years may have gone by, but what goes around still comes around.

Flag Day

The Birth of Old Glory

Percy Moran, 1917

Amity Shlaes: Repeating 1937?

Amity Shales, South of 5 and 20's choice to replace Kirsten Gillibrand as senator from New York, points out how the Obama administration is doing now what FDR did in 1937 to prolong the Great Recession.

Roosevelt's victory in 1936 had been so convincing that people believed he might do anything. FDR reinforced this suspicion with an inaugural address so aggressive that modern presidential advisers would never allow it on the teleprompter. Roosevelt told the nation he sought in government "an instrument of unimagined power." That scared markets and small businesses.

Roosevelt's efforts to increase the power of government had the unintended consequence of nearly destroying the US economy.  Obama's actions are having the same consequence, but he's so smart that it cannot be unintentional.

 

Draft Amity Shlaes!

h/t: Instapundit 

June 6, 1944

Charles Tyner, USCG,  examines his helmet, June 6 ,1944

D-Day, 67 years ago today.

American Cemetery, Normandy, France

Royal wedding fever sweeps colonies

Royal swells

South of 5 and 20 has always been puzzled by our fellow Americans' fascination with the British royal family. The latest example is our national swoon over the upcoming wedding of Price Somebody and the good looking chick.

We suspect our contrymen's strange obsession could be explained by a lack of basic knowledge on how we, the luckiest people in the history of the earth, came into this unprecedented good fortune.  That same royal family, we should recall, exploited our ancestors to the breaking point, causing King George's oppressed subjects to risk everything for the American experiment.  At Pajamas Media, Rick Moran shares our concern:

Patriot's Farewell, 1776

 What is it about royalty, especially British royalty, that causes otherwise rational Americans to get all mushy-headed and weepy, not to mention taking a decidedly unrepublican interest in the scandalous doings at the palace?

We might as well call it “King George III’s Revenge” given how much blood we shed to throw off the rule of kings and substitute the rule of law. Poor George never got over the loss of his colonies, going to his death a blind madman. I’m sure he would be comforted to know that the descendants of those rebels now sit in front of TV sets for hours, consumed with getting every last morsel of fact and fiction that can be wrung from stories about the immoral, depraved, and usually silly doings of people whose only claim to fame is that they were born to one of the richest, most dysfunctional families in England.

John Armor relates those long past "times that try men's souls" to our current predicament:

If You Liked King George, You’ll Love Barack Obama

Just as we suspected

Wasting no words, LC sums up Judicial Watch's February 25th report on the the late senator-for-life:

Documents Prove Ted Kennedy Was a Commie Sympathizing Pervert

Gotta call Billy Fuccillo

"Voroshylovets"

Before Sputnik, the Russians built some serious SUVs.  More photos and info here.

Rosie the Riveter, RIP

Geraldine Hoff Doyle, a World War II factory worker whose bandana-wearing image in a wire-service photo is said to have been the model for the woman depicted in the 1942 "We Can Do It!" poster, has died. She was 86. The iconic wartime poster became an enduring symbol of women's power from the Rosie the Riveter era

James Lileks posts the story at Right Network.  Don't miss the portrait of Geraldine at age 17.