Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings diaries give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.
In lieu of daily check-ins, which have gone on hiatus, Welcomings diaries will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning) and then, if necessary due to a large number of comments, again on Wednesday or Thursday to close out the week. To find the diaries, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).
The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.
A look at a favorite TV show from my mis-spent youth – with an amazing back-story, especially as it relates to the Holocaust – after the jump ….
From 1965 to 1971, CBS ran a farce sitcom based on the notion of a WW-II prisoner of war camp run by the Nazis that – in actuality – served as an Allied base of covert intelligence and maneuvers … the lunatics-running-the-asylum, writ large. Hogan’s Heroes was in the Top Twenty television ratings for its first two seasons and ran for 168 episodes. For those unfamiliar with the show (which runs weekdays on TV Land at noon Eastern), Wikipedia has as comprehensive a summary as can be. What I’ll try to do is take a look at the back-story, and also have a look at some of the main characters (both before and after the series) including the fate of one of the show’s stars.
With its debut only twenty years following the end of WW-II: the show garnered criticism (in addition to its high ratings) from those who felt the show was tasteless. Some cited the depiction of a cozy prisoner-of-war camp, others the notion of seeing German soldiers in a loveable (if buffoonish) light and still others cited the Holocaust in their belief that no humor should emanate from this period. Those thoughts still exist today; as some Worst TV show lists include this program.
On the flip side, others are more exacting in their opinions of what crosses a line. Mel Brooks (just a few years later) pushed the envelope much further when he directed The Producers – which, although today considered “a classic” (and which years later spawned a hit Broadway play) did not do well at the box office. Brooks told the German newspaper Der Spiegel that “with comedy, we can rob Hitler of his posthumous power” while noting that he did not care for the Roberto Benigni film “Life Is Beautiful” (because it was set in a concentration camp).
Hogan’s Heroes, by contrast, was set in an Allied prisoner-of-war camp … certainly real ones would not have resembled Stalag 13 …. but one never saw any violence, a concentration camp or anything quite so sordid. What is not widely known is that the two creators of Hogan’s Heroes and several members of its cast were Jewish (and often those who had escaped the Holocaust) – here is some of the back-story.
The show’s two creators were Bernard Fein – (photo left, below) who appeared as an actor on “Sgt. Bilko” as well as other guest spots and who died in 1980 at the age of 53 – and the Canadian-born Albert Ruddy – (photo right) who later went on to produce two Best Picture-winning films, “The Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby” and is still alive (and active) at age 84.
In the early 1960’s, they pitched a script that had the prisoners running an ordinary American prison … but no one would buy a script showing hardened criminals outwitting dumb prison guards (least of all, sponsors). Then, they learned of a TV pilot being offered called Campo 44 – based on an Italian prisoner-of-war camp – and quickly re-wrote their own script to be set in a German POW camp. They named the camp Stalag 13 (for bad luck) based upon the dramatic film Stalag 17 and pitched it to NBC.
That network turned it down because …. the pilot was “too good” (and thus unsustainable, in their eyes). They prevailed upon CBS head William Paley (who initially rejected it due to concerns about bad taste) after Fein and Ruddy acted-out many scenes, and the show became a hit after its September, 1965 debut.
To this day, several of the tag-lines from the show still are quoted (as will be noted along-the-way). One interesting note: the scenes at Stalag 13 are always set in the wintertime …. you never see any summertime sunshine. Another is that the episodes were not serialized, could run in any order: so the producers and the network decided later which finished episode would make the strongest season premiere, and would slot the rest according to largely practical reasons. That’s one reason why it has endured in re-runs; the episodes can all stand on their own.
The show came to an end in 1971 as CBS was in the process of changing its image, canceling its “cornier” programs and replacing them with more sophisticated fare (in an effort to become a “Tiffany” network). Other cancellations during this era included “Green Acres”, “The Beverly Hillbillies”, “Mayberry RFD”, “Hee-Haw”, “Lassie”, “Petticoat Junction” and “The Jim Nabors Hour” plus variety shows such as “The Jackie Gleason Show”, “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Red Skelton Show”. CBS did go on to debut “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, “All In The Family”, “The Bob Newhart Show” along with “M*A*S*H” – so this represented a major change in TV viewing.
Before we take a look at the principal actors: in its final season, Hogan’s Heroes aired on Sunday nights, which was an early warning sign according to Howard Caine (who played Major Hochstetter), who thought he saw the writing on the wall that last year:
“They put us on opposite the first half hour of The Wonderful World Of Disney. Now, we were extremely popular with the kids, young people. And that’s where they placed us to kill us. And we knew it.”
Cast in the lead Allied prisoner role as US Army Air Forces Colonel Robert Hogan (senior ranking POW officer) was Bob Crane – who came to acting later in life, as he was a disc jockey and radio host before turning to acting. His time after the show has been discussed often, to which we will return later.
Second in command was US Army Air Forces Staff Sergeant James “Kinch” Kinchloe – portrayed by Ivan Dixon – primarily responsible for radio, telephone, and other forms of electronic communications. In 1965, casting an African-American actor in such a role was unusual (as the US Army had been segregated during WW-II).
Dixon had a noted career before/after the show; having experience on the Broadway stage in A Raisin in the Sun (which he reprised in the film version) and as the lead in the 1964 film Nothing But a Man (starring alongside Abbey Lincoln, who also had a standout jazz singing career).
Ivan Dixon left the show before its final season, seeking to escape the limits of the prison camp, and he became more involved as a TV director (“The Waltons”, “The Rockford Files”, “The Bionic Woman”, “Magnum, P.I.”, and “The A-Team”) as well as being a radio station owner. Ivan Dixon died in March, 2008 at the age of 76. (His replacement for the final year of Hogan’s Heroes was a Sgt. Baker, portrayed by Kenneth Washington who is still alive at age 68).
Always seen in the Allies’ laboratory was US Army Air Corps Technical Sergeant Andrew Carter – portrayed by Larry Hovis – who is in charge of ordnance and bomb-making (though he always seems on the edge of a lab explosion, due to his dull-wittedness). Larry Hovis began as a singer, later dabbling in stage and stand-up comedy. He was discovered by Andy Griffith’s manager, and had recurring roles in “Gomer Pyle” and “The Andy Griffith Show”. After “Hogan’s Heroes”, he acted in a touring production of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” before becoming a TV game show producer (“The Liars’ Club“, “Yahtzee”) and later teaching drama at Texas State University-San Marcos. Larry Hovis died in September, 2003 at the age of 67.
At the camp, Royal Air Force Corporal Peter Newkirk is the group’s conman, magician, pick-pocket, card sharp, forger, bookie, tailor, lock picker, and safe cracker. He was portrayed by Richard Dawson – easily the cast member with the most notoriety after Hogan’s Heroes. Born as Colin Emm in south-central England, he had a successful career in British comedy (and was married to the actress Diana Dors for several years). He eventually relocated to Hollywood and had a number of recurring roles on sitcoms. After Hogan’s Heroes he joined the cast for the final two seasons of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”, then became a regular on game shows (and “The Match Game” was the ideal forum for his ad-libs).
As the first host in 1976 of Family Feud – he helped create a hit show that (with frequent stumbles, cancellations and changes of host) still exists to this day. Richard Dawson died in June, 2012 at the age of 79.
Apart from the (aforementioned) one-season actor Kenneth Washington: the only major character still alive from the show is Robert Clary – who portrayed Free French Air Force Corporal Louis LeBeau, a master-chef whose cooking skills often pry valuable information from Sgt. Schultz.
Born as Robert Widerman in Paris, he was liberated from the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945 and resumed a singing career he began before the war. He relocated to the US at the beginning of the 1950’s and found work (often portraying Frenchmen) on TV and Broadway plays, marrying the daughter of Eddie Cantor. After Hogan’s Heroes he made appearances on “Days of our Lives” and “The Young and the Restless” and other TV shows, toured the US and Canada to talk about the Holocaust and made appearances at Hogan’s Heroes fan gatherings. At age 88 today, he released From the Holocaust to Hogan’s Heroes: The Autobiography of Robert Clary in 2001.
Cast as the bumbling head of Stalag 13 (complete with monocle) was Colonel Wilhelm Klink, portrayed by Werner Klemperer – who was always being threatened with losing his command …. but for that “perfect escape record”, which his (supposedly) bright superiors had no clue was a figment. Klink tries to portray himself as a tough guy, asking “Hogan, what is the meaning of this?!?!?” and threatening inmates with “Three days in the cooler!” (solitary confinement) for non-compliance … but everyone knows better. Klemperer had, in fact, accepted the role of Klink only on the condition he never came out as a winner at the end of an episode.
Werner Klemperer was born in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: the son of renowned conductor Otto Klemperer (who wrote a stirring book entitled I Will Bear Witness) that detailed the rise of the Nazi Party, to the point where Otto Klemperer moved his family to the United States in 1935 to escape persecution.
Werner Klemperer joined the Army’s Special Services unit, spending the next years touring the Pacific entertaining the troops. Afterwards, he worked on Broadway and some early TV roles before landing notable parts in film (including several with Alfred Hitchcock). Several years ago I watched the Stanley Kramer film Judgement at Nuremburg – and it took me a while to accept Klemperer in such a serious Nazi role (I was half-expecting him to burst out with “Dis-missed!” or another old tag line).
Klemperer was nominated for six Prime Time Emmys (and won two) for his portrayal of Klink, and after the show went on to roles on Broadway and television. He also followed his father’s musical path and accepted roles in light operas, plus as a narrator (or violinist) in orchestral works. He served as an officer of Actors’ Equity Association and appeared on Bill Maher’s old “Politically Incorrect” show. Werner Klemperer died in December, 2000 at the age of 80.
Perhaps the show’s best-remembered cast member was Master Sergeant Hans Schultz, as portrayed by John Banner – who was so bumbling and dimwitted as to be almost likeable. His constant fixation with food (saying that if he won the lottery, “I would have Wiener Schnitzel for breakfast, every day!”) made him easy for the Allied prisoners to bribe (with some Apfel Streudel, of course). And nearly fifty years after the show’s debut: you will read newspaper essays and OpEd pieces likening someone who averts their eyes (to something unpleasant) by referencing Sgt. Schultz’s “I know “NUTH-ing!”
Johan Banner was born in Vienna, Austria and studied acting. In 1938, when he was performing with an acting troupe in Switzerland, Adolf Hitler annexed Austria to Nazi Germany. Banner emigrated to the United States, where he enlisted in the US Army as a supply sergeant – so the rank of Sgt. Schultz had some meaning to him. His family members who remained behind perished in the Holocaust … and so serving to him was more than just a duty.
During the 1950’s-60’s, he played numerous character actor TV roles (on such shows as “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, “Sky King”, “Perry Mason” and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, as well as some roles in film and Broadway. He said that he once was a skinny fellow, but that his French-born wife’s cooking was so good, he grew to 260 lbs … which helped him garner the role as Schultz.
After Hogan’s Heroes, he acted briefly before retiring from acting and moving back to Europe with his wife. On a 1973 visit to his hometown of Vienna, John Banner died suddenly from an abdominal hemorrhage on his 63rd birthday, and is buried there.
Finally, a look at the two men who kept Colonel Klink in mortal peril of losing his cushy job. General Albert Burkhalter – as portrayed by Leon Askin – was a dour-faced man who couldn’t understand how Colonel Klink had a “perfect escape record” and Leon Askin once wrote:
“After I had become well-known through the TV series Hogan’s Heroes, Beverly Hills school children would call after me “Klink, Klink!” Even my frequent threats – “I send you to the Russian front!” – had no effect on Klink.
Leon Aschkenasy was born into a Jewish family in Austria, who after a career on-stage (and a brief stint in an internment camp) was able to emigrate to the US in 1940 (although his parents both died in the Holocaust). His accent meant that (often) acting roles involved a good deal of typecasting, yet was still able to obtain parts in Shakespeare revivals. Between 1977 and 1979, he appeared in Steve Allen’s PBS series Meeting of Minds portraying Martin Luther and Karl Marx. He portrayed a psychology professor in a season-six episode of “Happy Days” and had a brief appearance as a Moscow anchorman in the film “Airplane II: The Sequel”. He later returned to Vienna (still acting) in 1994 and Leon Askin died there in June, 2005 at the age of 97. Two years later, Leon Askin Square was named after him.
Lastly, Major Wolfgang Hochstetter of the Gestapo – as portrayed by Howard Caine – is an ardent Nazi who never understands why Hogan is constantly allowed to barge into Klink’s office at will, saying “What is this man doing here?!” along with his catchphrase “Heads will roll!” … yet Burkhalter (as an Army officer, vs. a Nazi Party official) dislikes Hochstetter just as much as Klink does, and so he comes off more as a paper tiger.
Howard Caine was born Howard Cohen in Nashville, worked to lose his Southern accent (eventually mastering 32 foreign and American dialects) and was an honors graduate of Columbia University drama school. He had a career on Broadway (“Inherit the Wind” and succeeding Ray Walston in the original “Damn Yankees” production) and appeared on numerous TV series and films as a character actor.
One surprising note: his Southern heritage led him to an early appreciation of the banjo – and who took first place in 29 old time banjo competitions, right up until his death in late 1993 at the age of 67.
After the end of Hogan’s Heroes, Bob Crane was often typecast and had trouble obtaining roles (other than dinner and regional theater). He did have a record as an active womanizer, and frequently would videotape his sexual encounters … helped in that regard by a friend named John Carpenter (who worked for Sony as a video equipment salesman). At some point, their relationship began to fall-out – speculation was that Crane was tiring of that life (and seeking a reconciliation with his ex-wife) – and in June 1978 Bob Crane was found dead at the age of 49, with the cause of death ruled trauma from a blunt instrument (which investigators believe was a camera tripod).
Police suspected John Carpenter from the start, but due to the lack of DNA evidence at the time, the DA refused to press charges. This changed in 1990, when investigators re-opened the case and Carpenter went on trial in 1994. The jury acquitted him, citing a lack of evidence (and the DNA samples had atrophied since). Carpenter died four years later and the case is still officially listed as unsolved (which was the focus of the 2002 film Auto Focus starring Greg Kinnear).
Through the years, many speculated why there was never a feature film made about Hogan’s Heroes as it still appears on TV Land (as already noted) and has a ready-made audience. The answer is that there was a long tug-of-war between the Fein-Ruddy creators and the successors to Bing Crosby Productions (who produced the series) … until last year, when a court held that Fein-Ruddy held the rights, and while there was some litigation over that decision ……. it appears that just last week a settlement was reached. And so – nearly fifty years after its debut – we may well see Hogan’s Heroes come to a big screen near you in the not-too-distant future.
Let’s close-out with …… well, what else? – the show’s opening theme song!
In this week’s address, the President thanked the men and women in uniform who serve and sacrifice to protect the freedom, prosperity, and security that we all enjoy as Americans. On Monday the President will visit troops at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and voice his appreciation in person for their incredible service.
These troops, as well as the many who are still overseas, have met every mission they have been tasked with, from bringing a responsible end to our war in Afghanistan, to working to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL, to saving lives by fighting to contain the spread of Ebola. During this holiday season, a time of blessings and gratitude, the President reminded everyone to find a way to thank and serve the members of the military who serve us every day.
Hi, everybody. It’s the holidays-a season to give thanks for our many blessings. The love of family. The joy of good friends. The bonds of community. The freedom we cherish as Americans. The peace and justice we seek in the world.
As we go about our days, as we gather with loved ones and friends, it’s important to remember: our way of life-the freedom, prosperity and security that we enjoy as Americans-is not a gift that is simply handed to us. It has to be earned-by every generation. And no one sacrifices more to preserve our blessings than our extraordinary men and women in uniform.
That’s why, on Monday, I’ll be visiting our troops at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey-to salute them for their service and thank them for their sacrifices. Since our nation was attacked on 9/11, these men and women, like so many others in uniform, have met every mission we’ve asked of them. They deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. In more than a decade of war, this 9/11 Generation has worked with the Afghan people to help them reclaim their communities and prevent terrorist attacks against our own country.
Now, many of our troops are returning from Afghanistan, and on Monday, I’ll be proud to help welcome them home. That’s because, this month, our combat mission in Afghanistan will be over. Our war in Afghanistan is coming to a responsible end.
Of course, the end of our combat mission in Afghanistan doesn’t mean the end of challenges to our security.We’ll continue to work with Afghans to make sure their country is stable and secure and is never again used to launch attacks against America. The troops I’ll visit on Monday have been part of our mission to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL in Iraq and Syria. They’ve been supporting our efforts in West Africa to fight the Ebola epidemic and save lives. Because in times of crisis and challenge, the world turns to America for leadership. And when the world calls on America, we call on the brave men and women of our armed forces to do what no one else can.
So this holiday season, as we give thanks for the blessings in our own lives, let’s also give thanks to our men and women in uniform who make those blessings possible. Even as some are coming home for the holidays, many more will be far from their families, who sacrifice along with them.
There are so many ways we can express our gratitude to our troops, their families and our veterans-everyone can do something. To find out what you can do, just go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces. As a nation, as Americans, let’s always keep striving to serve them as well as they have always served us.
Thanks, have a great weekend, and God bless our troops and their families.
I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in “Cheers & Jeers”.
OK, you’ve been warned – here is this week’s tomfoolery material that I posted.
WOTTA SURPRISE that researchers from Cambridge University found that firms hiring compensation consultants paid their CEOs 7.5% more than those that did not …. regardless of shareholder returns.
MUSIC NOTES – fifty years after singing the famous 1964 James Bond film’s theme song, Shirley Bassey has re-recorded Goldfinger to correct what (she insists) were two wrong notes: as part of a new album that includes covers of “MacArthur Park”, “Fever” and “It Was a Very Good Year“.
THURSDAY’s CHILD is Mee Moowe the Cat – whose family was moving from Virginia to Hawaii when she found her way into a moving box … and was taped-in (with no food or water) for more than a month. Mercifully, she survived and is recuperating (while in a required quarantine for not having undergone a required vaccination process).
A FOLLOW-UP – this past summer, I wrote a Top Comments diary on attending my 40th high school reunion in July. A wonderful time, renewing old acquaintances that included our principal. Plus, a chance to visit a classmate (whom I admittedly did not know well) who is in a nursing home, who suffers from both a neurological disease and a stroke.
But there was one piece of unfinished business … and this past Thanksgiving weekend I took care of it, by finally having a chance to visit with the Jesuit chaplain (James Boesel) of the school I attended. He is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s (must be in his 80’s, I imagine) and lives in retirement at a church rectory, where he receives medical care, physical therapy and the like.
He was alert, could only speak in 2-3 word bursts, but did seem to recognize names I mentioned, and how rewarding I felt our reunion was. And he smiled when I showed him this photo from my senior yearbook – a purely posed photo, neither of us are named (and may be surprising to those who know me only as a bald man) ….. but to me, it is priceless.
And he also smiled when I told him the reason why I first came to see him in 1973 was not any need for counseling (spiritual or otherwise) … but that I was simply bored stiff one day (with two of my classes cancelled). After that first meeting, I would drop in his office just to chat from time-to-time during my junior and senior years … and when I asked if he was busy, he always pushed aside any paperwork and said to sit down. We just talked about current events (such as Watergate, Vietnam, the 1973 NY Mets pennant race) and my plans after graduation. He and our principal were learned, very worldly Jesuits, which was reflected in our education …. and represented a time that (I hope) has not passed.
I limited this visit to 15 minutes, which turned out to be a good call – that is all I needed (as I did 99% of the talking). And when I mentioned this on our Class of 1974 dedicated Facebook page … wow, did I get some responses. In this year of our 40th reunion gathering … I think a circle was finally completed, visiting him.
LITERARY NOTES – this year’s winner of the annual award for Bad Sex in Fiction went to the Nigerian author Ben Okri, for ….. well, you’ll just have to click the link to read it.
HAIL and FAREWELL to the veteran sportswriter Bryan Burwell – also a frequent guest on ESPN’s “Sports Reporters” – who has died at the age of 59.
FRIDAY’s CHILD is White Sox the Cat – being held by J.T. Granato (a highly-recruited high school quarterback) who chose Rice University in Houston this past spring after an assistant coach hand-wrote a letter to “Kitty Granato” that read as follows: “As you know we’re trying to convince J.T. (that) Rice is the place for him. I know you’d like to keep him close so he can feed you and change the litter box. Please help us to get him to choose us. Paw me if you have any questions.”
TO THE DISMAY of gold-bugs such as Ron Paul – voters rejected a referendum in Switzerland (by a 3-1 margin) that would have required the central bank to keep at least 20% of its monetary reserves in gold – and never sell any bullion, ever.
By Request MOTHER-SON? from the Snokat – Beverly Hillbillies star Nancy Kulp and Scottish actor Peter Capaldi – the current “Doctor Who” star. Whaddya think?
…… and finally, for a song of the week …………………… a guitarist who has kept something of a low profile yet has enjoyed critical acclaim throughout his career is Leo Kottke – who combines folk, country, blues, classical and jazz in a seamless way. He is more of an instrumentalist: while his baritone voice is actually better than his own evaluation of being ‘geese farts on a muggy day’, one attends his shows to hear his 6 and 12-string guitar work. When you consider that he has long had hearing problems and had to change his playing style to avoid a debilitating case of carpal tunnel syndrome … it’s a wonder he is still performing.
Born in Athens, Georgia in 1945, he moved to several different states as his father was a high-ranking official with the Veterans Administration. He began playing guitar at age eleven, yet suffered some hearing damage in his left ear as the result of a mishap with a firecracker. He later joined the Naval Reserve where – this time – he suffered some hearing damage in his right ear as the result of loud noise during firing practice. This led to a medical discharge after which he attended college briefly before settling-in to a life on the road.
A Leo Kottke concert traditionally combines several instrumentals, plus some vocal songs … and stretches of story-telling and jokes. On albums, he has been torn by record companies to be more of a singer-songwriter (than an instrumentalist) which he seems over the years to have developed somewhat of a balance in.
His first album to reach the Top 50 in the US was 1975’s Chewing Pine – which has covers of songs by Marty Robbins as well as Procol Harum’s Power Failure – again, a sign of how wide his influences are.
He has sustained his career by frequent touring (as well as appearing at numerous folk festivals world-wide) along with critical praise for his frequent album releases. All of this – combined with his aggressive playing style – by the early 1980’s caused him to suffer tendon damage – that threatened to end his career. He reduced his busy schedule and was able to adopt a gentler technique (closer to classical guitar performance). He has continued in this vein ever since (appearing on such radio shows as “A Prairie Home Companion”) and has featured recordings such as 1991’s Great Big Boy with guest performers Lyle Lovett and Margo Timmons of the Cowboy Junkies.
This past decade he has recorded two duet albums with the Phish bassist Mike Gordon – most recently 2005’s Sixty-six Steps featuring covers of songs by Peter Green (from the original blues-based Fleetwood Mac), Pete Seeger and Aerosmith (how’s that for variety)? One interesting duet featured the late comic Jonathan Winters reading children’s stories set to the music of Leo Kottke.
He has a 1995 live album of note, along with a compilation album of much of his best material. He sponsors an annual Leo Kottke’s Dunk Tank – a multi-day set of performances, Q&A sessions and workshops – for aspiring musicians and fans.
Leo Kottke turned age sixty-nine this past September and had a concert in Santa Fe, New Mexico the other night. In 2015, he begins a new tour in late January, and will probably stay on-the-road as long as audiences want him to.
I could not choose between my two favorite works of his (one a serious guitar-oriented tune, the other showcasing his sense of humor) … so I will include both. One of the seminal tunes that The Byrds recorded was Eight Miles High – which Leo Kottke’s 1971 version is the best low-volume cover version I’ve ever heard.
The other is also a vocal song: the very wry tune by Tom T. Hall entitled Pamela Brown – which Leo Kottke recorded in 1974, and was the only single of his to reach (the lower rungs of) the charts. And below you can hear it.
I’m the guy who didn’t marry pretty Pamela Brown
Educated, well-intentioned good girl in our town
I wonder where I’d be today if she had loved me, too
(Probably be driving kids to school)
Seen the lights of cities and I’ve been inside their doors
Sailed to foreign countries and walked upon their shores
I guess the guy she married was the best part of my luck
She dug him ’cause he drove a pickup truck
I don’t have to tell you just how beautiful she was
Everything it takes to get a guy like me in love
Lord, I hope she’s happy ’cause she sure deserves to be
Later this morning, the Senate Intelligence Committee will release an executive summary of what’s come to be known as its “torture report.”
The report is expected to be the most comprehensive public accounting the interrogation techniques used by the Central Intelligence Agency after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
What’s in it is so sensitive and controversial that the report’s release has sparked public spats between the CIA and Senate lawmakers.
It all came to a dramatic head on the floor of the Senate in March. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic chairwoman of the Senate intelligence panel, accused the CIA of trying to thwart her committee’s work by deleting files and later by illegally spying on Senate computers. The CIA – which eventually apologized to the Senate – had accused Feinstein and her committee of improperly removing classified documents from a government network.
The Senate is expected to release a 460 page executive summary today.
It’s official: torture doesn’t work. Waterboarding Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11, did not in fact “produce the intelligence that allowed us to get Osama bin Laden,” as former Vice President Dick Cheney asserted in 2011. Those are among the central findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA interrogation and detention after 9/11.
The report’s executive summary is expected to be released Tuesday. After reviewing thousands of the CIA’s own documents, the committee has concluded that torture was ineffective as an intelligence-gathering technique. Torture produced little information of value, and what little it did produce could’ve been gained through humane, legal methods that uphold American ideals.
Naturally, the people who approved, executed, and defended the torture program are not happy with the idea that the American public will actually learn just what was done in their name. So they’re preparing push-back: a last-ditch attempt to stop the report’s release, and if that fails, a campaign to blame any negative consequences on the Democrats who wanted the information public.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Monday the administration welcomed the release of the report, but warned US interests overseas were at risk of potentially violent reactions to its contents.
The release of the torture report will represent the third major airing of faulty CIA intelligence in 15 years, following official commissions into the 9/11 plot and Saddam Hussein’s defunct illicit weapons programs.
Despite months of negotiation over how much of the 6,000-page report will be declassified, most of its findings will never see the light of the day. But even a partial release of the report will yield a furious response from the CIA and its allies.
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Editor’s Note: Feel free to share other news stories in the comments.
Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings diaries give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.
In lieu of daily check-ins, which have gone on hiatus, Welcomings diaries will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning) and then, if necessary due to a large number of comments, again on Wednesday or Thursday to close out the week. To find the diaries, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).
The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.
In this week’s address, the President highlighted the good news in Friday’s jobs report – that American businesses added 314,000 new jobs this past month, making November the tenth month in a row that the private sector has added at least 200,000 new jobs. Even with a full month to go, 2014 has already been the best year of job creation since the 1990s. This number brings total private-sector job creation to 10.9 million over 57 consecutive months – the longest streak on record.
But even with this real, tangible evidence of our progress, there is always more that can be done. Congress needs to pass a budget and keep the government from a Christmas shutdown. We have an opportunity to work together to support the continued growth of higher-paying jobs by investing in infrastructure, reforming the business tax code, expanding markets for America’s goods and services, making common-sense reforms to the immigration system, and increasing the minimum wage.
Hi, everybody. Just in time for the holiday season, we now have another piece of good news about the pace of our economic recovery.
Last month, our businesses created 314,000 new jobs. And that’s not a fluke – it keeps up the solid pace of job creation we’ve seen all year long. November was the tenth month in a row we’ve added more than 200,000 jobs. So far this year, our economy has created 2.65 million new jobs. That’s the most of any year since the 1990s – even with a full month to go. All told, our businesses have created 10.9 million new jobs over the past 57 months. And that’s the longest streak of private-sector job creation on record.
We also know that the upswing in job growth this year has come in industries with higher wages. Overall wages are on the rise. And that’s some very welcome news for millions of hardworking Americans. Because even though corporate profits and the stock market have hit all-time highs, the typical family isn’t bringing home more than they did 15 years ago. And that still has to change. And a vibrant jobs market gives us the opportunity to keep up this progress, and begin to undo that decades-long middle-class squeeze.
But first, we need the outgoing Congress to pass a budget and keep our government open. A Christmas shutdown is not a good idea. Then, when the new Congress convenes in January, we need to work together to invest in the things that support faster growth in higher-paying jobs.
Building new roads and bridges creates jobs. Growing our exports creates jobs. Reforming our outdated tax system and our broken immigration system creates jobs. Raising the minimum wage would benefit nearly 28 million American workers, giving them more money to spend at local businesses – and that helps those businesses create jobs.
America, we still have a lot of work to do together. But we do have real, tangible evidence of our progress. 10.9 million new jobs. 10 million more Americans with health insurance. Manufacturing has grown. Our deficits have shrunk. Our dependence on foreign oil is down. Clean energy is up. More young Americans are graduating from high school and earning college degrees than ever before. Over the last four years, this country has put more people back to work than Europe, Japan, and every advanced economy combined.
The United States of America continues to outperform much of the world. And we are going to keep it up until every American feels the gains of a growing economy where it matters most – in your own lives.
Taking care of unfinished business: a visit with my high school chaplain (forty years later) after the jump …..
A FOLLOW-UP – this past summer, I wrote a Moose diary on attending my 40th high school reunion in July. A wonderful time, renewing old acquaintances that included our principal. Plus, a chance to visit a classmate (whom I admittedly did not know well) who is in a nursing home, who suffers from both a neurological disease and a stroke.
But there was one piece of unfinished business … and this past Thanksgiving weekend, I finally had a chance to visit with the Jesuit chaplain (James Boesel) of the school I attended. He is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s (must be in his 80’s, I imagine) and lives in retirement at a church rectory where he receives care, physical therapy and the like.
He was alert, could only speak in 2-3 word bursts, but did seem to recognize names I mentioned, and how rewarding I felt our reunion was. And he smiled when I showed him this photo from my senior yearbook – a purely posed photo, neither of us are named (and may be surprising to those who know me only as a bald man) ….. but to me, it is priceless.
And he also smiled when I told him the reason why I first came to see him in 1973 was not any need for counseling (spiritual or otherwise) … but that I was simply bored stiff one day (with two of my classes cancelled). After that first meeting, I would drop in his office just to chat from time-to-time during my junior and senior years … and when I asked if he was busy, he always pushed aside any paperwork and said to sit down. We just talked about current events (such as Watergate, Vietnam, the 1973 NY Mets pennant race) and my plans after graduation. He and our principal were learned, very worldly Jesuits, which was reflected in our education …. and represented a time that (I hope) has not passed.
I limited this visit to 15 minutes, which turned out to be a good call – that is all I needed (as I did 99% of the talking). And when I mentioned this on our Class of 1974 dedicated Facebook page … wow, did I get some responses. In this year of our 40th reunion gathering … I think a circle was finally completed, visiting him.
I’ll close with a song for him, and for the upcoming Yuletide season. Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) was written by Duke Jordan, and recorded by Donald Byrd – with Herbie Hancock on piano and Kenny Burrell on guitar – and was performed at Martin Luther King’s funeral.
You’ve seen all of the major national news outlets covering Ferguson, and the events surrounding the murder of Mike Brown through their own lens, especially focused on demonizing both Brown, and the people protesting. There were hundreds of reporters assigned to cover “violence” in Ferguson, “looters” etc. It’s telling how many aren’t covering the ongoing protests and strategies being enacted by people committed to long term change. Try searching the headlines for what is going on right now. Where did the cameras go?
In response to the grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson for the killing of 18 year old Michael Brown Jr., the NAACP, including members of the Youth and College division and senior and youth organizations, will be embarking on a 120 mile, 7 – day march entitled, “Journey for Justice: Ferguson to Jefferson City”. The Journey for Justice will commence at the Canfield Green Apartments and conclude at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City. The purpose of the march is to call for new leadership of the Ferguson police department, beginning with the police chief, and for new reforms of police practice and culture in both Ferguson and across the country. First and foremost in that approach is a wholesale fight against racial profiling that involves advocating for adding subpoena powers to the Missouri racial profiling state law and passage of federal legislation on racial profiling. For seven days, beginning Saturday, November 29th at 12 noon, marchers will walk along the route to the Governor’s Mansion. Each evening, the marchers will participate in teach-ins and rallies that are open to the public. New participants are welcome to join the Journey for Justice each morning as walking commences. We expect buses will provide relief for marchers along the 120 mile Journey for Justice.
… I think Ferguson laid bare a problem that is not unique to St. Louis or that area, and is not unique to our time, and that is a simmering distrust that exists between too many police departments and too many communities of color. The sense that in a country where one of our basic principles, perhaps the most important principle, is equality under the law, that too many individuals, particularly young people of color, do not feel as if they are being treated fairly.
And as I said last week, when any part of the American family does not feel like it is being treated fairly, that’s a problem for all of us. It’s not just a problem for some. It’s not just a problem for a particular community or a particular demographic. […]
It was a cautionary note I think from everybody here that there have been commissions before, there have been task forces, there have been conversations, and nothing happens. What I try to describe to people is why this time will be different. And part of the reason this time will be different is because the President of the United States is deeply invested in making sure this time is different. When I hear the young people around this table talk about their experiences, it violates my belief in what America can be to hear young people feeling marginalized and distrustful, even after they’ve done everything right. That’s not who we are. And I don’t think that’s who the overwhelming majority of Americans want us to be.
Chuck Ramsey, the Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department and Laurie Robinson, a professor of criminology, law and society at George Mason University, and a former assistant attorney general will be chairing the task force.
[The task force] is not only going to reach out and listen to law enforcement, and community activists and other stakeholders, but is going to report to me specifically in 90 days with concrete recommendations, including best practices for communities where law enforcement and neighborhoods are working well together — how do they create accountability; how do they create transparency; how do they create trust; and how can we at the federal level work with the state and local communities to make sure that some of those best practices get institutionalized.
He will also be changing some rules related to reporting the use of military equipment local law enforcement acquires via the 1033 program, “proposing some new community policing initiatives that will significantly expand funding and training for local law enforcement, including up to 50,000 additional body-worn cameras for law enforcement agencies”, some of which will require Congressional action, and sending Attorney General Eric Holder to convene meetings such as this one in various parts of the country. Attorney General Holder will start with a trip to Atlanta.
THE PRESIDENT: As I said last week in the wake of the grand jury decision, I think Ferguson laid bare a problem that is not unique to St. Louis or that area, and is not unique to our time, and that is a simmering distrust that exists between too many police departments and too many communities of color. The sense that in a country where one of our basic principles, perhaps the most important principle, is equality under the law, that too many individuals, particularly young people of color, do not feel as if they are being treated fairly.
And as I said last week, when any part of the American family does not feel like it is being treated fairly, that’s a problem for all of us. It’s not just a problem for some. It’s not just a problem for a particular community or a particular demographic. It means that we are not as strong as a country as we can be. And when applied to the criminal justice system, it means we’re not as effective in fighting crime as we could be.
And as a consequence, what I’ve been able to do today, thanks to the excellent work by Eric Holder, our Attorney General who had to fly down to Atlanta to start a conversation down there around these issues, as well as the outstanding leaders around this table, is to begin a process in which we’re able to surface honest conversations with law enforcement, community activists, academics, elected officials, the faith community, and try to determine what the problems are and, most importantly, try to come up with concrete solutions that can move the ball forward.
And one of the most powerful things that happened today was I had the opportunity to meet with some young people, including a couple of young outstanding leaders from the Ferguson community, Brittany Packnett and Rasheen Aldridge, who both served on the Ferguson committee, who live in the area, and I think have been hearing from a lot of young people in that area.
And what made me concerned was the degree to which they feel as if they are not heard or that the reality of what they experienced has been denied. What made me greatly encouraged was how clear their voices were when they were heard, and how constructive they are in wanting to solve these problems. And I think anybody who had the chance to listen to them here today felt the same way.
We also heard law enforcement and were reminded of what a tough job it is to be in law enforcement. Whether you’re in a big city or in a small community, as Eric Holder put it, police officers have the right to come home. And if they’re in dangerous circumstances, we have to be able to put ourselves in their shoes and recognize that they do have a tough job. I don’t think those realities are irreconcilable. In fact, I’m convinced that if we work hard, that we can make sure that police officers and the communities they serve are partners in battling crime, partners in making sure everybody feels safe; that we can build confidence and we can build trust, but it’s not going to happen overnight and it’s not going to result just from a conversation around a table in Washington. It’s got to result in concrete steps that we are able to lift up in communities all around the country and institutionalize.
In order to advance that goal, here are a couple of specific steps that we’re taking. First of all, I want to thank Chuck Ramsey, the Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department, as well as Laurie Robinson, who is a professor of criminology, law and society at George Mason University, and a former assistant attorney general.
They are going to co-chair a task force that is not only going to reach out and listen to law enforcement, and community activists and other stakeholders, but is going to report to me specifically in 90 days with concrete recommendations, including best practices for communities where law enforcement and neighborhoods are working well together — how do they create accountability; how do they create transparency; how do they create trust; and how can we at the federal level work with the state and local communities to make sure that some of those best practices get institutionalized.
So this is not going to be an endless report that we’re going to have collecting dust on the shelf. My expectation is concrete recommendations that we can begin to operationalize over the federal, state and local levels. And the good news is, is that we’ve got two folks who are respected by activists and respected by law enforcement, and I’m confident they’re going to do an outstanding job. I want them to help us make sure that crime continues to go down and more community trust in the police goes up.
Second, one of the issues that came up during the response to Ferguson back in August was the issue of military equipment being utilized in the face of protests that may be taking place in the community. It raised a broader issue as to whether we are militarizing domestic law enforcement unnecessarily, and is the federal government facilitating that?
I have now received the review that I ordered from all the agencies involved in this program, the 1033 program. I will be signing an executive order that specifies how we are going to make sure that that program can help, how we’re going to make sure that that program is transparent, and how are we going to make sure that we’re not building a militarized culture inside our local law enforcement.
Third, I’m going to be proposing some new community policing initiatives that will significantly expand funding and training for local law enforcement, including up to 50,000 additional body-worn cameras for law enforcement agencies. And I look forward to working with Congress to make sure that in addition to what I can do administratively with the resources that we’ve already gotten, that we are in a conversation with law enforcement that wants to do the right thing to make sure that they’re adequately resourced for the training and the technology that can enhance trust between communities and police.
And finally, as I mentioned, Eric Holder is going to be working in parallel with the task force to convene a series of these meetings all across the country, because this is not a problem simply of Ferguson, Missouri, this is a problem that is national. It is a solvable problem, but it is one that, unfortunately, spikes after one event and then fades into the background until something else happens. What we need is a sustained conversation in which in each region of the country people are talking about this honestly and then can move forward in a constructive fashion.
Let me just close by saying this: It was a cautionary note I think from everybody here that there have been commissions before, there have been task forces, there have been conversations, and nothing happens. What I try to describe to people is why this time will be different. And part of the reason this time will be different is because the President of the United States is deeply invested in making sure this time is different. When I hear the young people around this table talk about their experiences, it violates my belief in what America can be to hear young people feeling marginalized and distrustful, even after they’ve done everything right. That’s not who we are. And I don’t think that’s who the overwhelming majority of Americans want us to be.
And I think there may be a convergence here where we’ve got outstanding law enforcement officials who recognize that times have changed and want to be responsive. I know that Richard Barry of the International Association of Chiefs of Police spoke about how eager they are to work with us. I think that we’ve got activists on the ground who don’t always get attention because it’s oftentimes the people who aren’t being constructive that get attention, but there are folks there who are working really hard. I think there’s a maturity of the conversation right now that can lead us to actually getting some concrete results.
And in the two years I have remaining as President, I’m going to make sure that we follow through — not to solve every problem, not to tear down every barrier of mistrust that may exist, but to make things better. And that’s how progress is always made in this great country of ours.
