Our Heart Remains Their Cemetery

“Memory has its own language, its own texture, its own secret melody, its own archaeology and its own limitations:  it too can be wounded, stolen and shamed; but it is up to us to rescue it and save it from becoming cheap, banal, and sterile.”

The Daily Mail published a report at 7:08 AM on December 5th:  “White House’s extraordinary insult to heroes of World War II as it accuses veterans of being 'personally embittered' toward Japan over Pearl Harbor attack.”

Seventy-five years ago, at 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941, a Japanese strike force unleashed 353 warplanes on Pearl Harbor sinking or damaging 19 ships including 8 battleships, destroying 188 aircraft and killing 2403.

The single most devastating explosion came when a bomb plunged into the forward magazine of the battleship Arizona. The ship all but disappeared in a purple cloud of smoke that rose a thousand feet into the air. Most of the people killed that morning were killed in that explosion.

In a press briefing focusing on the upcoming visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Pearl Harbor on December 26 and 27, White House spokesman Josh Earnest reportedly said, “A WWII veteran who was drafted by the US military to go and fight for our country overseas in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack might feel quite embittered, and I think it would be a perfectly natural and understandable human reaction to not be particularly satisfied with the words of the Japanese prime minister.”

The report continued, “The White House official began to make a statement about those veterans, saying, 'The thing that we know about the Greatest Generation of Americans is that they're anything....' but stopped himself mid-sentence.  He paused, restarted and said, 'I think, we take a risk if we underestimate their patriotism and their capacity to set aside their own personal interests and prioritize the ambition and opportunity of the American people. So yes, there may be some who feel personally embittered, but I'm confident that many will set aside their own personal bitterness, not because they're personally satisfied by the words of the prime minister but because they recognize how important this moment is for the United States.  And that's certainly why they qualify to be described as the greatest generation.’”

I have been unable to locate a video of Earnest’s remarks.  I also could not find any other report on his insult to World War II heroes until the Daily Caller picked up the story at 11:00 PM Monday.

The bonds between the crewmembers of the Arizona have lasted far beyond the ship’s loss on December 7, 1941. Since 1982, the US Navy has allowed survivors to be interred in the ship’s wreckage upon their deaths.

Following a full military funeral at the memorial, the cremated remains are placed in an urn and then deposited by divers beneath one of the gun turrets. To date, more than 30 Arizona crewmen who survived Pearl Harbor have chosen the ship as their final resting place. Crewmembers who served on the ship prior to the attack may have their ashes scattered above the wreck site, and those who served on other vessels stationed at Pearl Harbor that fateful day, may have their ashes scattered above their former ships. In 2011, only 18 of the 355 crewmen who survived the bombing of USS Arizona were still alive.  Today there are only six.  All of them are in their 90’s or older.  This will be their final commemoration appearance.

If you have never visited Pearl Harbor or the Arizona Memorial you are missing one of the more poignant testaments to the madness of man’s inhumanity to man.

The bright white memorial was constructed in 1962 to sit atop but not touch the sunken wreckage of the Arizona.  Slowly seeping out of the submerged ship are some 500,000 gallons of oil which Pearl Harbor survivors call “black tears”.  The little droplets bubble to the surface of the water and are then swirled by the breeze and the tide.  One cannot help but feel the grief of the 1177 souls who rest in that watery grave.  When I visited the memorial in 2004 I purchased a US flag that had been flown over the memorial on September 11th.  I need not tell you the significance of that purchase.

The Japanese government has made it clear Abe will not admit the sneak attack that morning was an act of aggression nor will he offer an apology.  He will express his country’s commitment to peace.  Retired Air Force Gen. Dave Stilwell noted Abe’s message will be one in which Japan acknowledges its past and is ready to move forward.

Why Was Coverage Of Nation’s Apollo 11 Heroes Closed To The Press?

Sunday July 20, 2014 marked the 45th anniversary of the first moon landing, when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to step on to the surface of the moon.

On Tuesday, The World’s Most Dangerous Community Organizer met with Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and the widow of Neil Armstrong.

The mission was the fifth manned expedition in the Apollo program. It was broadcast around the world and ignited awe for its achievement.  The landing has been a symbol of mankind's yearning for adventure and exploration into the unknown.

Reporters and television crews were not allowed to enter the Oval Office for the meeting, but photographers were given brief access.   CBS News White House correspondent Major Garrett filed a complaint about the lack of coverage available declaring the event deserved press as the members of the Apollo 11 crew were American Heroes.

“The astronauts were among the most visible, televised national heroes this country has ever known, that entire program was financed by the American taxpayer. Stills presentation of that limits television coverage of that event we believe that is a classic definition of something that should have the broadest press coverage imaginable, and we are therefore lodging a complaint against your decision to keep us out,” Garrett said.

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl wondered why there was such intense secrecy surrounding the event and went further by speculating that the decision may have been due to the criticism Armstrong made of TWMDCO’s decision to hollow out NASA’s space program—a decision that sent shock waves throughout NASA, the Congress and the American people.

Part of Armstrong’s letter read:

“For The United States, the leading space faring nation for nearly half a century, to be without carriage to low Earth orbit and with no human exploration capability to go beyond Earth orbit for an indeterminate time into the future, destines our nation to become one of second or even third rate stature. While the President's plan envisages humans traveling away from Earth and perhaps toward Mars at some time in the future, the lack of developed rockets and spacecraft will assure that ability will not be available for many years.” 

“Without the skill and experience that actual spacecraft operation provides, the USA is far too likely to be on a long downhill slide to mediocrity. America must decide if it wishes to remain a leader in space. If it does, we should institute a program which will give us the very best chance of achieving that goal.”

Obama’s third paid liar since he took office answered Karl by saying, “It’s merely a scheduling matter, there was a number of things on the president’s schedule.  You know we had a trip to the Dutch Embassy, the president making remarks at EEOB… and the president needs to get on a plane at 1 o’clock this afternoon. The president has a very busy schedule and we weren’t able to accommodate TV cameras this time."

Their Master’s Voice

I had to chuckle when I read the piece by National Review’s media editor Eliana Johnson.

She opens with this sentence: 

“MSNBC, the left-leaning [emphasis mine] cable-news network, has settled on one solution to its recent problems. It now has an executive reviewing scripts before they go on the air. The role, which has fallen to Rich Stockwell, a former executive producer of The Ed Show and Countdown with Keith Olbermann who now oversees special projects at the network, was created as several of the network’s hosts have, to the embarrassment of network brass, conducted a master class in political incorrectness. In recent months, Alec Baldwin, Martin Bashir, and, most recently, Melissa Harris-Perry have awkwardly crashed into the trinity of sexual orientation, gender, and race, leading many to wonder if there are any adults in charge at MSNBC.”

“The place for progressives” is in a catastrophic ratings death spiral. The new step of having Rich Stockwell review scripts before they air is an irrefutably pathetic attempt to impose order on the chaos reigning at the network.

Nielsen data shows the network last year posting its lowest prime-time ratings since 2007 both in the coveted 25–54 demographic and in total viewers.  Their ratings are down 29 percent from 2012.

Stockwell, the script reviewer has called Rachel Maddow the crippled cable show’s “quarterback”.  Johnson notes that “from all appearances, the inmates are running the asylum.”  Well, duh.

Johnson continues, “Sources say it is Maddow rather than Phil Griffin who provides MSNBC’s editorial direction, and that she also holds considerable sway over personnel decisions. ‘I know I’m never going to get freakin’ talking points from Phil,’ Maddow told The New Yorker last year. ‘Can you imagine? Like, what would they be?’”

Jordon Charlton over at TV Newser reports that MSNBC is disputing Johnson’s claim that Madcow holds significant power in both network editorial vision and personnel decisions.

“This is categorically false.  I have never had any role in any management decision at MSNBC.  Any source who says otherwise is wrong.”

The “queen” of Rockefeller Plaza is paid millions to spread the progressive gospel, what you and I call the socialist agenda, and repeat the talking points issued to them by the West Wing through the likes of Valerie Jarrett, Denis McDonough, Dan Pfeiffer, David Plouffe, Josh Earnest and Jay Carney.

See also:  Rachel Maddow Is Crazy, Too

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