President Obama on the Wrong Track

Why is it so hard for President Obama and his staff to understand why so many Democrats stayed home on election day? We we're willing to support Obama change the system in Washington and instead we got a bait and switch presidency. We were played and they wonder why we are angry. They better figure out how to turn this White House around or this is going to be a one term presidency. And NO President Obama the answer isn't to move even further to the right to appease the Republicans. Anyone that tells you that should be fired on the spot.

Maybe you should watch this great discussion with Dylan Ratigan, Cenk Uygur and Glenn Greenwald to get a clue.

Clueless Establishment Media

Magic Lantern Slide of Dog Jumping Through a Hoop

 (National Media Museum 1830)

First we had CBS's Bob Schieffer who got all bent out of shape about the "Party crashers" at the White House. He was so offended by the Salahi's party crashing that he wanted them prosecuted. This coming from a man who never once called for investigations, much less prosecutions for anyone in the Bush administration for the hideous state sponsored torture that was done in all of our names.

Then we had CBS's Lara Logan who wanted the Rolling Stone reporter, Michael Hasting's story investigated because she felt what he wrote just couldn't be true because she knew the real General McCrystal and he just wouldn't have done what Mr. Hastings attributed to him.

Now we have ABC's Diane Sawyer, who after watching a report about the leaked Wikileak documents that detailed what Glenn Greenwald described as "..mass torture, abuse, government deceit and reckless civilian deaths in Iraq" and all Diane could think to ask was whether Wikileaks would be prosecuted for revealing the information. What? That's it. That's all you want to know, Diane?

And our establishment media personalities actually wonder why we speak of them with such utter contempt. They are so out of touch with reality that it's just breathtaking.

Puttin On The Ritz

In my opinion this is the best version ever of the song Puttin' on the Ritz. It's performed by Leo Reisman and his Orchestra in 1930. If I'm not mistaken the fantastic trumpet player on this recording is none other than Bubber Miley, who played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Way to go, Bubber!

Will We Ever Know The Truth About What Happened to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui?

Will we ever find out the whole story about what happened to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and her children? Was she held in Bagram or some other prison? Was she tortured, as she claims? I know one thing...the photos of her before her disappearance in 2003 and the photo of her when she was arrested by the U.S. show a dramatic difference in her appearance. The photo when she resurfaced looked nothing like the vibrant woman captured in the earlier photos. The difference clearly seen in the photos leads me to believe that wherever she was during the "missing years" that she must have gone through hell because hell is clearly etched upon her face.

With this weeks sentencing of Dr. Siddiqui we now know that the future for Dr. Siddiqui is to spend 86 years of her life in prison (a life sentence). But knowing her future is not enough for me, I want to know the full truth about her past. I want her claims about torture to be thoroughly investigated and not just covered up using the ubiquitous "state secret" mantra.

For those of you who know little about Dr. Siddiqui I am posting links to two good pieces that I found on the net.

This video is from the website RT that was done after her sentencing.

Here is a piece from 2006 from Boston Magazine about Siddiqui that provided much more information than what most of us have seen in the MSM reports about her. In other words it was not written merely from the government's perspective.

If anyone has any other links that might help shed light on this case I hope you will post them here.

Prop 8 Ban on Gay Marriage Struck Down

Read the daily transcripts posted at the American Foundation For Equal Rights website. Pay particular attention to Day 10, 11 & 12 to read the marvelous David Boies cross examinations.

Don't Be Fooled - Top 5 Social Security Myths

Don't Be Fooled

Top 5 Social Security Myths

Myth #1: Social Security is going broke.

Reality: There is no Social Security crisis. By 2023, Social Security will have a $4.6 trillion surplus (yes, trillion with a 'T'). It can pay out all scheduled benefits for the next quarter-century with no changes whatsoever. After 2037, it'll still be able to pay out 75% of scheduled benefits—and again, that's without any changes. The program started preparing for the Baby Boomers' retirement decades ago. Anyone who insists Social Security is broke probably wants to break it themselves.

Myth #2: We have to raise the retirement age because people are living longer.

Reality: This is a red-herring to trick you into agreeing to benefit cuts. Retirees are living about the same amount of time as they were in the 1930s. The reason average life expectancy is higher is mostly because many fewer people die as children than they did 70 years ago. What's more, what gains there have been are distributed very unevenly—since 1972, life expectancy increased by 6.5 years for workers in the top half of the income brackets, but by less than 2 years for those in the bottom half. But those intent on cutting Social Security love this argument because raising the retirement age is the same as an across-the-board benefit cut.

Myth #3: Benefit cuts are the only way to fix Social Security.

Reality: Social Security doesn't need to be fixed. But if we want to strengthen it, here's a better way: Make the rich pay their fair share. If the very rich paid taxes on all of their income, Social Security would be sustainable for decades to come. Right now, high earners only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,000 of their income. But conservatives insist benefit cuts are the only way because they want to protect the super-rich from paying their fair share.

Myth #4: The Social Security Trust Fund has been raided and is full of IOUs

Reality: Not even close to true. The Social Security Trust Fund isn't full of IOUs, it's full of U.S. Treasury Bonds. And those bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The reason Social Security holds only treasury bonds is the same reason many Americans do: The federal government has never missed a single interest payment on its debts. President Bush wanted to put Social Security funds in the stock market—which would have been disastrous—but luckily, he failed. So the trillions of dollars in the Social Security Trust Fund, which are separate from the regular budget, are as safe as can be.

Myth #5: Social Security adds to the deficit

Reality: It's not just wrong—it's impossible! By law, Social Security's funds are separate from the budget, and it must pay its own way. That means that Social Security can't add one penny to the deficit. Defeating these myths is a powerful step to stopping Social Security cuts. Share this list with your network.

I Agree With Napolitano - Bush and Cheney Should Be Indicted

So when is our Justice Department going to do it's job? This is not a right vs. left issue. Judge Napolitano can hardly be described as liberal. This is a law and order issue and always has been.

Gossip and Insinuations Passing for News on CBS

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Watch this interview with CBS News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Lara Logan. Pay particular attention to the end of the video where she insinuates that the reporter for Rolling Stone, who wrote the article that's gotten General McChrystal into hot water, may have violated the "trust" of McChrystal and his aides. She offers no evidence of this other than to claim that people who know McChrystal are stunned by this lapse of judgement because it's so unlike him and so uncharacteristic of him to be so undisciplined. She goes on to say that "a lot of people" are asking - "how did this reporter get inside the inner circle of trust and did he violate the trust?" She ends the piece by saying that it just doesn't add up - it's completely inconsistent with everything that people know about General McCrystal and it raises some very interesting questions that haven't been addressed yet. I agree. I have a few questions of my own.

What kind of reporting is this? Who are these people who she says are "a lot of people" questioning the reporter from Rolling Stone? Why is she allowed to take a potshot at the reporter who did this story about McChrystal without offering one shred of evidence that he did anything wrong? Why is CBS allowing their Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent to use anonymous sources described as "a lot of people say" to impugn the integrity of this Rolling Stone reporter ?

I sure hope we get an explanation for this strange interview on tomorrow's CBS Morning show. I also hope that CBS has the decency to invite the Rolling Stone reporter, Michael Hastings, onto their show so that he can respond to Ms Logan's insinuation that he might have done something wrong.

If Mr. Hastings did something wrong then Ms. Logan should prove it and not just take cheap shots at Hastings without offering any evidence that he did anything wrong.

Here is a link to the Michael Hastings Rolling Stone piece entitled The Runaway General.

Update: Jason Linkins has a great piece up at Huffington Post that may give us a clue about the identity of all of the people Lara Logan said were questioning Michael Hastings reporting.

Update: I found this information in a blog post by emptywheel that was done yesterday. Evidently General McCrystal didn't have the same questions about the Michael Hastings story that Lara Logan and all of those people she mentioned in her interview had.

Rolling Stone’s executive editor on Tuesday said that Gen. Stanley McChrystal did not raise any objections to a new article that repeatedly quotes him criticizing the administration.Eric Bates, the magazine’s editor, said during an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that McChrystal saw the piece prior to its publication as part of Rolling Stone’s standard fact-checking process – and that the general did not object to or dispute any of the reporting.Asked if McChrystal pushed back on the story, Bates responded: “No, absolutely not

**More people commenting on Lara Logan's style of "journalism."

Glenn Greenwald

The two poles of journalism

and Matt Taibbi.

Lara Logan, You Suck

A New Year's Resolution Worth Doing

While you're making your list of New Year's Resolutions this year consider doing this one that the group at Move Your Money has suggested. And check out this great article (and over 2500 comments) at the Huffington Post about how this movement to move our money out of the "Too Big To Fail" banks came about.

Pass this information on to your family and friends. Make it go VIRAL so we can begin to take our country back from the moneyed interests and their various protectors in Washington who are using our money to run her into the ground.

Join the Sea Change

Find community banks in your neighborhood now! The banks listed have received a grade of “B” or above.

Enter a U.S. Zip Code.

www.IRABankRatings.com

a service of Institutional Risk Analytics

Bob Schieffer Advocates Prosecution for WH "Party Crashers" Does Not Advocate Prosecution For War Crimes

Man with his head on backwards

This morning while we drank our morning coffee we watched the CBS Morning Show. During the show we heard this incredible comment from Bob Schieffer:

Evidently Mr. Schieffer is all for prosecuting people when they crash WH State Dinners but I never heard him utter a word about the need to prosecute government officials for war crimes. I could find no video of Mr. Schieffer calling for prosecutions for those government officials involved in planning, carrying out and protecting the Bush torture program. The closest I could come was this video of Schieffer interviewing Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont about his call to investigate the torture program. From the sound of the interview with Senator Leahy it appears to me that Mr. Schieffer is not only not interested in prosecuting torture (he didn't even ask about it) but he even appeared to be uninterested, some might say hostile, to even investigating the torture program.

"Is there anything else to know here?" - Bob Schieffer

While Mr. Schieffer was uninterested at best in investigating or prosecuting those government officials who deliberately broke our laws and treaties during the Bush presidency he got himself all worked up about the Salahi's "horrible crime"

"I think the government ought to prosecute these people," Schieffer said today on theCBS Early Show. "If that means sending them to jail, so be it."

"State dinners are part of the symbols of our democracy, like the White House itself, like the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem," he said. "And when people are making fun of those things, when they're doing what these people did, that's an insult to all of us. And if these people go to jail, that will be just fine with me."

Here's what I posted at the CBS website tonight:

by pmorlan December 4, 2009 7:33 PM EST

Where is the video of Mr. Schieffer calling for prosecution of government officials for committing war crimes? I guess in Mr. Schieffer's insulated beltway world the more serious crime is crashing a party and having your photo taken with dignitaries, not the deliberate creation of an illegal government program where we tortured and killed people in our custody.

What kind of perverted thought process would allow someone to think that what the gate crashing Salahi's did was an insult to all of us but the creation of an officially sanctioned government program of torture was not?

If Mr. Schieffer really wants to talk about insulting the symbols of our democracy he need look no further than his own profession. Every day that passes where our establishment media stands by and allows government officials to cover up the crimes of previous government officials without being challenged is an insult to our democracy. Equal justice under law is meaningless if we allow government officials to break our laws and treaties with no accountability whatsoever.

The Washington establishment suffers a serious defeat

Mark November 19, 2009 on your calendars because on that day the interests of the people actually triumphed (temporarily) over the cynical manipulations of the "political establishment."

I hope my fellow citizens, no matter your political party, contact your Congressional representatives and let them know that you support the truly bi-partisan Paul/Grayson amendment that mandates a REAL audit of the Federal Reserve. To see the details about this important amendment please read the excellent Glenn Greenwald column below.

The Washington establishment suffers a serious defeat

Posted using ShareThis

* Let's finally wise up and stop letting the corporate controlled Democrats and the corporate controlled Republicans fool us into thinking that they actually represent our interests because they don't.

* Let's start supporting Republicans and Democrats ONLY when they support the interests of the people.

* Let's stop looking at each other as enemies because one of us is a Democrat and the other a Republican. As citizens we have far more in common with each other than we do with the corporate controlled politicians from either Party.

* Let's finally begin to take our country back from the entrenched interests that are running her into the ground just so they can hold onto power and add to their own personal bank balances.

Remembering Tenor, Mario Lanza - The Man and "The Voice"

I was watching The Great Caruso on Turner Classic Movies this morning and I was reminded about how much I enjoyed Mario Lanza's voice while I was growing up. He was one of my mother's favorites and he's always been one of mine. On one hand it's a shame that his Hollywood career prevented him from having the opera career that I think he deserved but on the other hand if it hadn't been for his Hollywood career many people like me might never have developed a love for opera. Evidently a lot of opera singers felt the same way as me about Lanza's voice. Here is an interesting passage about Lanza's influence on others from Wiki.

A highly influential artist, Lanza has been credited with inspiring successive generations of opera singers, including Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Leo Nucci and José Carreras, as well as singers with seemingly different backgrounds and influences, his RCA Victor label-mate Elvis Presley being the most notable example. In 1994, tenor José Carreras paid tribute to Lanza in a worldwide concert tour, saying of him, "If I'm an opera singer, it's thanks to Mario Lanza."[2] Carreras' colleague Plácido Domingo echoed these comments in a 2009 CBS interview when he stated that, "Lanza's passion and the way his voice sounds are what made me sing opera. I actually owe my love for opera thanks to a kid from Philadelphia."[3]

More praise for Lanza came from Enrico Caruso, Jr.

In 1951, Lanza portrayed Enrico Caruso in The Great Caruso, which proved an astonishing success, though it did not adhere to the facts of Caruso's life. At the same time, Lanza's increasing popularity exposed him to intense criticism by some music critics, including those who had praised his work years earlier. Nevertheless, Lanza's performance earned him compliments from the subject's own son, Enrico Caruso Jr., a tenor in his own right. Shortly before his death in 1987, Enrico Jr. wrote in Enrico Caruso: My Father and My Family (posthumously published by Amadeus in 1990) that, "I can think of no other tenor, before or since Mario Lanza, who could have risen with comparable success to the challenge of playing Caruso in a screen biography. [...] Mario Lanza was born with one of the dozen or so great tenor voices of the century, with a natural voice placement, an unmistakable and very pleasing timbre, and a nearly infallible musical instinct." He went on to praise Lanza's tempi and phrasing, "flawless" diction, and "impassioned" delivery, adding that, "All are qualities that few singers are born with and others can never attain." In conclusion, he wrote that, "Lanza excelled in both the classical and the light popular repertory, an accomplishment that was beyond even my father's exceptional talents."

Here is my all time favorite Mario Lanza recordings of Vesti la giubba. I wore out my mother's 78 record of Lanza singing this aria from the opera Pagliacci written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. What a voice! What emotion! What power!

Another one of my favorite Lanza performances was of him singing the popular song Be My Love. Although it's not opera it shows that Lanza was just as comfortable singing the songs of the day as he was an aria. This song, like Vesti la giubba, sends chills up and down my spine. What a shame he died so young (he died 50 years ago today at the age 38.).

Mario Lanza singing another one of my favorites - Una Furtiva Lagrima (L'elisir d'amore).



Here's Lanza singing Questa O Quella from Rigoletto

And finally Lanza singing La donna e mobile.

Thank you Mr. Lanza for the many, many years of enjoyment you gave us. We only wish you could have stayed with us a little while longer. But, while you may longer be with us, as we would like, thanks to the recordings and movies you did - the voice lives on.

**If you're a Mario Lanza fan like me you will want to stop by the Lanza Legend website and post a comment on their message forum or just go there to read all of the interesting comments that others are making about him today on the 50th anniversary of his death. They also have many other Lanza related items on this site that are well worth checking out.

***I would also recommend reading a wonderful piece about Lanza that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer this past Sunday.

Mario Lanza still has the greatest high C

A South Philadelphian is as enthralled today as he was more than 50 years ago

The piece was written by Orlando R. Barone. Evidently Mr. Barone and I were both introduced to Lanza through his Vesti la giubba recording. Here is a snippet.

Aside from a handful of movie musicals, Lanza left us a vast recorded legacy, and in the YouTube era you have no excuse for not having heard this astonishing tenor.

Search "Lanza, 'Golden Days,' " and experience the sweetest voice that can fairly be called masculine, along with the most masculine high notes you'll ever hear.

Follow it up with that million-seller, "Be My Love," and learn what a high C should sound like. By now you'll notice his English diction is as good as Ella Fitzgerald's, his voice is placed perfectly, and the excess of talent is very nearly unimaginable.

Now, try these: "Song of India," "The Lord's Prayer," and "Because." Next, listen to "Vesti la Giuba," my introduction to Mario. By then, quite possibly, the sheer power and beauty of Lanza's incomparable voice will have enthralled you as it did that awestruck 8-year-old boy more than a half-century ago.

Remembering our Friend Tim Krekel October 10, 1950 - June 24, 2009

Partying w/Tim Krekel and the unforgettable Mary. Sadly for us all they are both with the angels now. New Years Eve 2007

Last night I got some bad news about our friend, Tim Krekel. Tim was diagnosed with cancer back in March of this year and unfortunately he passed away yesterday. Tim was only 58 years old but in his short life he touched so many people with his gentle ways and his glorious music. The local Louisville newspaper, the Courier-Journal wrote a nice piece about Tim that the Tennessean newspaper also picked up. Here's a snippet from the newspaper story.

Musician Tim Krekel dies

By Paula Burba

pburba@courier-journal.com

Tim Krekel, a musician whose career started in Louisville before he was a teenager and soared to two stints as lead guitar for Jimmy Buffet's band and a reputation in Nashville as a hit songwriter, died Wednesday afternoon at his Louisville home. He was 58.

Krekel died of cancer, which he had been fighting since a diagnosis and surgery in March, according to his family.

"He had a major, successful career, but he was still based here. He's just a hometown boy," said friend John Gage.

Krekel "had a way of writing and performing and singing that just put people in touch with a more spiritual sense. He was all about that," Gage said.

Stacy Owen, program director at WFPK-FM, where Krekel was a perennial favorite of listeners, said Krekel "did so much to champion the local music scene."

"I'm sure if you talked to a lot of local musicians here in town, they would consider Tim a mentor," Owen said.

Owen said the station would "spend the day (Thursday) playing his music and celebrating his life."

"I think the wonderful thing about Tim is, he shared himself in his songs," Owen said.

Because of our financial situation we weren't able to go out to the clubs to see Tim play for quite some time but we followed what was happening with Tim through email. We also played our Krekel cd's almost every weekend and I even posted some of his videos here on two occassions. The last time we saw Tim he teased me about the check off list of his songs that I'd printed so that I could more easily request songs while he played.

He was such a good man. I never heard him say anything bad about anyone and I never heard anyone say anything bad about him. We are going to miss him terribly and we hope wherever he is now that he's making music.

Here are a few videos of Tim playing the music he and the rest of us just loved.

For Tim, Love is what it was all about. Here he is at Zena's playing with Terry Adams of NRBQ

Unfortunately this next video doesn't have the video and soundtrack in sync so you don't want to watch the video but you will want to listen to the song. It's truly a beautiful song. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

And here's one of my all time favorites - All Night Radio

Farewell Tim. We hope that we get to see you again in another life.

WFPK has a page set up on their website for condolences that is full of personal stories from friends of Tim. WFPK will also be playing Tim's songs all day. You can tune in here.

Update: There will be a Memorial Service at the Vernon at 4 p.m. for friends and family.

Happy Father's Day, Dad

Photo: Father and child 1915 George Eastman House Collection

On August 5, 2007 my father passed away. He was 86 years young.

Today on Father's Day, in honor of Dad, I'm posting video of a few songs that he introduced me to and one that I introduced him to. Dad liked a variety of music but he talked a lot about "growl trumpets" so my selections today are heavy on the growl trumpets.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. Thanks for turning me onto such wonderful music and thanks for being such a great Dad.

I Love You Dad and I miss you.

Another song Dad introduced me to was Cab Calloway singing Minnie the Moocher

Duke Ellington's Black and Tan Fantasy from 1927 with the legendary Bubber Miley on trumpet.

Duke Ellington East St. Louis Toodle-Oo

Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club playing Echoes of the Jungle 1931

Duke Ellington - Shout "Em Aunt Tilly

Dad was a big fan of Muggsy Spanier and Jack Teagarden. Here's a great Muggsy Spanier tune.

Here's a cool video tribute to Jack Teagarden

Duke Ellington song - It Don't Mean a Thing if it Aint Got That Swing. I remember playing this song on the portable organ my parent's bought me for Christmas one year.

In addition to the "growl trumpets" and "growl trombones" Dad liked the "sound" of Glenn Miller. Here is Moonlight Serenade.

And not to leave the women out, here is Ella Fitzgerald doing Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen.

The Queen of the Blues, Bessie Smith singing Send Me to The "lectric Chair.

And who could forget Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa doing Sing Sing Sing

I'll close out today's music selections with this Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grapelli song. It's one of my favorites (as are the other tunes posted here). When I first played it for Dad he said he hadn't heard it before but said he liked it a lot. It was nice to be able to play a song for him from his own era that he hadn't heard before.

More Secrecy from the "Most Open and Transparent WH in history"

Corona of the Sun During a Solar Eclipse 1900

On the White House website the Obama administration makes the following claim:

Transparency -- President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise. The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government.

But transparency is not what we are getting from the Obama administration. In fact, we are getting just the opposite. Just this week alone we found out that the administration argued that the WH visitors logs should be kept secret just like the Bush administration argued. We also found out that the Obama administration's Department of Homeland Security is using the old standby excuse of national security to prevent government officials from telling the public the location of coal ash dumps.

There are 44 sites deemed by the Environmental Protection Agency to be high hazard, but Boxer said she isn't allowed to talk about them other than to senators in the states affected.

"There is a huge muzzle on me and my staff," she said."Homeland Security and the Army Corps [of Engineers] have decided in the interests of national security they can't make these sites known," she said.

and then yesterday they did this:

A federal judge yesterday sharply questioned an assertion by the Obama administration that former Vice President Richard B. Cheney's statements to a special prosecutor about the Valerie Plame case must be kept secret, partly so they do not become fodder for Cheney's political enemies or late-night commentary on "The Daily Show."

U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan expressed surprise during a hearing here that the Justice Department, in asserting that Cheney's voluntary statements to U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald were exempt from disclosure, relied on legal claims put forward last October by a Bush administration political appointee, Stephen Bradbury. The department asserted then that the disclosure would make presidents and vice presidents reluctant to cooperate voluntarily with future criminal investigations.

But career civil division lawyer Jeffrey M. Smith, responding to Sullivan's questions, said Bradbury's arguments against the disclosure were supported by the department's current leadership. He told the judge that if Cheney's remarks were published, then a future vice president asked to provide candid information during a criminal probe might refuse to do so out of concern "that it's going to get on 'The Daily Show' " or somehow be used as a political weapon

Sadly, the Obama administration has consistently been more secretive than transparent. Glenn Greenwald did an excellent blog post the other day, Here is secrecy creep in action, where he documented the long string of Obama administration decisions where they chose secrecy over transparency. It's a MUST READ.

Today the Obama administration is scheduled to release the 2004 CIA Inspector General Report about interrogation techniques (torture). However, it was reported in the Washington Post on Wednesday that some in the CIA were pressing the administration to keep most of this report classified. Once again President Obama has an opportunity to prove to the American people that his administration is truly interested in government transparency. Will the report be heavily redacted as the CIA wants or will the Obama administration let sunlight help disinfect this sorry chapter in our history? Stay tuned.

Upate: Greg Sargent writes that the 2004 CIA Inspector General Report will not be released today. Looks like we will have to wait until next Friday for release of this report - maybe.

65th Anniversary Normandy Invasion June 6, 1944 - June 6, 2009

Front page of the New York Times, June 6, 1944

Today on the 65th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion (June 6, 1944) I thought it was appropriate to post the following assorted images and historical accounts to honor those who bravely fought and died to help defeat Nazi fascism.

German Propaganda Video

In addition to the above videos you can view D-Day photos and other documents at the Navy Historical Center. You can also read an eyewitness account from a French citizen here. And you can read about another eyewitness account from 89 year old veteran Bob Winer, one of the few surviving veterans from the D-Day invasion.

For a history of the Normandy Invasion you can go here.

You can also watch the excellent film The Longest Day. Here is the movie trailer.

Here is part of the Wikepedia description of the movie, The Longest Day.

Many of the military consultants and advisors who helped with the film's production were actual participants in the action on D-Day, and are portrayed in the film. The producers drew them from both sides; Allied and Axis. Among them are Günther Blumentritt (a former German general), James M. Gavin (an American general), Frederick Morgan (Deputy Chief of Staff atSHAEF), John Howard (who led the airborne assault on the Pegasus Bridge), Lord Lovat (who commanded the 1st Special Service Brigade), Philippe Kieffer (who led his men in the assault on Ouistreham), Pierre Koenig (who commanded the Free French Forces in the invasion), Max Pemsel (a German general), Werner Pluskat (the major who was the first German officer to see the invasion fleet), Josef "Pips" Priller (the hot-headed pilot) and Lucie Rommel (widow of Erwin Rommel).

One thing that sets the film apart from most films set in the Second World War is that all characters speak in their own languages, with subtitles in English wherever the characters speak either French or German. A separate version exists, shot simultaneously, in which all the actors speak their lines in English, which is why the trailer has the Germans delivering their lines in English. This version saw limited use during the initial release, but saw extensive use during a late 1960s re-release of the film. The English-only version was featured on the "flip side" of an older single disc DVD release. The usual Nazi stereotypes are avoided, and mostGerman characters are portrayed as human beings. The words "Sieg Heil", for instance, are not uttered even once in The Longest Day, although they are seen written on a bunker wall in Ouistreham.

Torture Defender Liz Cheney Accuses President Obama of "Moral Relativism"

Liz Cheney was once again on Morning Joe this morning where she accused President Obama of "moral relativism."  That's right, the same Liz Cheney who defends the morally indefensible torture of human beings, as long as the U.S. is doing it, is accusing the president of moral relativism. Unbelievable. This woman should be laughed off the set for that statement alone but for some strange reason her comments are treated as serious comments worthy of discussion. 

“I think that if we lived in a world where terrorism, and the slaughter of innocents, and Iran’s hegemonic hopes for the Middle East could be met, could be defeated, could be dealt with by sort of hand-holding going forward, then we’d be in a much simpler environment. But these are very, very tough issues. And I was troubled by the extent to which I heard moral relativism.”

It's a sad commentary on the state of our establishment media where someone so ill informed as Liz Cheney is invited to appear on TV over and over and over to take pot shots at President Obama using half truths, lies and total nonsense. Liz and Dick have been on TV so much pushing their talking points that one has to wonder if they are blackmailing someone to allow them to appear in these uncritical national forums whenever they please. Greg Sargent wrote a post about this at his Plum Line blog.

Before I could finish my post, Liz Cheney appeared on yet another MSNBC segment today with Andrea Mitchell. No video is posted yet but it's pretty close to what you see in the Morning Joe comments.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Update: Here's video from the Andrea Mitchell segment mentioned above.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Liz Cheney makes the "moral relativism" charge once again (unchallenged) and accuses President Obama of attacking "the people that protected us' while on foreign soil.  Unlike Joe Scarborough and company, Andrea Mitchell at least attempts to inject facts into the discussion but she was so passive that she was just ineffectual in the interview.

At one point Mitchell plays tape of Dick Cheney and asks Liz if her father has backed off his Al-Qaeda/Saddam connection claims.  Liz says that he's saying the same thing he's always said and that he never said there was a connection between Saddam and 911. Remarkably Mitchell said that she'd have to do her homework and have Liz back on her show because she thinks Liz is wrong. Shouldn't she have done "her homework" before the interview?

Update: Jason Linkins at Huffington Post has a piece up on the Cheney's and cable TV.

The Dick and Liz Cheney Show Rolls On; MSNBC Defends Air Time

Actions Speak Louder Than Words, Mr. President

 America in 100 days photostream - Day 4 in Philadelphia

President Obama gave an excellent speech in Cairo today but my ears perked up upon hearing a couple of specific passages where he talked about democracy.

America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.

There is no straight line to realize this promise. But this much is clear: governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments - provided they govern with respect for all their people.

This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they are out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others. No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.

Are these just words in a speech or will President Obama's actions back up his words? If President Obama believes what he says in this speech about democracy then how can he say we must look forward without first addressing the crimes committed by the Bush administration? How can he think ignoring war crimes will give anyone confidence in the rule of law and confidence that there is equal justice under law? How can his use of an overly broad interpretation of the state secrets privilege to shut down lawsuits and his suppression of photos that document crimes be consistent with the idea of transparency that he rightfully says is important? 

I agree with President Obama's speech on the campaign trail where he said - words matter. But words matter only when they are backed up with actions and so far I haven't seen President Obama back up his eloquent words about democracy with actions.

The idea that our laws require that we hold officials accountable can't be suppressed for the sake of political expediency. The crimes of the Bush era were much too monstrous and widespread to ignore.  It's clearly in the interest of our country to investigate and where appropriate prosecute those who broke U.S. and international laws. It's in our interest because it will help restore confidence in the rule of law and because it's essential for our security to show the world that we apply the rule of law even to our own leaders.  It's also necessary in order to drive a stake through the heart of the vile idea, that continues to be argued today, that torture should be an option for the United States to use. It's also clearly in our interest to confront and thoroughly discredit the dangerous unitary executive theory that places the president above the law because we can't afford to have some future politician repeat the destructive actions our country barely survived under the Bush administration. 

Holding Bush administration officials accountable under law may not be convenient for the political parties but it is necessary in order to have a functioning democracy. 

I hope President Obama will stop listening to his political advisers, who are only concerned with party politics and will instead let his own words from this speech and his promises from the campaign trail guide him in doing what is right for the U.S. and what is necessary in order for us to truly move forward.

We need true transparency, Mr. President and we also need a president who's courageous enough to stand up to the political establishment and demand accountability for war crimes so that the world will know that America stands for the rule of law and that the words equal justice under law aren't just words used in a political speech but are words that describe a principle our country enthusiastically embraces.