Our protest sucks! Let's steal theirs!

So, Santilli is covering the event live from California and also controlling the donation money, Zeeda Andrews still sees lizard people, Earl Conlon is threatening arrest of government officials, and Larry Klayman is on the scene telling President Obama to put down his Quran and turn himself in. What could possibly go wrong?

Let's back up a few steps. Friday's low numbers warranted no media coverage. The government was blamed because of made-up threats of the National Guard shutting down the Beltway, and because they controlled the media. Saturday, it turns out, was no better. 30-50 trucks ran the Beltway in protest but were little more than a minor annoyance. General Lee and Pete Santilli continued coverage, promising bigger things to come for Sunday.

Sunday came, but more truckers didn't. Event organizers stated there were almost 1400; VA law enforcement confirmed 50-60. Santilli in his Guerrilla radio broadcast said that 48 truckers dropped their trailers, broke off from the massive convoy, and were headed to the WWII to add support to the veterans' protest march on the memorials that was also happening.

The truth is that about a dozen trucks went in to DC to the WWII memorial.

So, a group that promised massive turnout, encouraged revolution, wanted to arrest government officials, and repeatedly threatened the President was coming into Washington in a show of force. How do you think law enforcement would respond?

It seems now that leaders of the trucker protest saw that their event was a flop and was getting no media coverage. What could they do? They played upon the patriotism of the truckers and sent them to a place where there were people, cameras, and as it turned out riot police, to try to make their failed event appear to be more than it was.

When the truckers arrived on the scene, and when the barricades were being taken to the White House, the truckers were the first to harass and taunt the police who came on site. What do you think happened next? Riot police were sent in to keep order. While there was some minor pushing and shoving on both sides, things stayed relatively calm. It was the veterans event, after all, and they wanted a peaceful protest. The truckers and the radicals were held in check.

Pete Santilli continued the broadcast. His personal spin was put on it, and the unknowing listener would think that the veterans came out to support the truckers, the veterans were the radicals, and the police used Nazi-like tactics to bully and oppress the veterans and the truckers. Sarah Palin and Ted Cruz also came for the veterans. Of course, in Santilli's twisted realm, they came to side with the truckers and to avoid citizen's arrests that were sure to come. 

General Lee broadcast from the parking lots, over-stated the numbers of trucks involved, and sounded like a true patriot. On a serious note, I think he went into this in good faith, but was duped. No one wants to admit they've been had or have failed, so Lee seemed to be trying to minimize the apparent failure and make the best of a bad situation.

Only after the protest ended and everyone went home did another truth come to light. We mentioned before that Pete Santilli had access to the donation money. Many speculated that there was as much as $500,000 in the donation PayPal account. Low numbers of truckers required little money to be spent, so the fund was presumably large.

The truckers who came out for the protest found out on Monday that the fund had been emptied over the weekend. During his weekend broadcasts, Santilli was questioned about the money and often called a fraud. He hung up on callers and eventually shut the broadcast down. The websites and social media pages for the event saw webmasters and page admins booted, and Santilli in their place. When questions about the money reached epic proportions, Santilli shut the fund down. No money in; no money out, unless it was done by him.

Now, there is bickering and infighting. Santilli denies everything. Zeeda Andrews is covering for him and blaming Larry Klayman. Klayman is blaming Santilli and Andrews.

You can't make this stuff up, and it's sad! There are two groups of unfortunates in this whole sordid mess. The first is the truckers who were promised fuel money, large numbers, and the chance to speak up. They were doomed from the start, but they didn't know it. Those who came thought with their heart and not with their head. The end result? They spent money, lost work, and had little overall effect.

The second victim is the veterans. They wanted a peaceful demonstration. They were invaded by a group of truckers who's organizers wanted to steal their thunder and steal their event. Unwanted politicians also came on site, and many veterans thought they were being used in a game of politics. The trucker's organizers promised revolution and armed insurrection, and the veterans saw their peaceful protest almost turn violent.

It's a sad situation for all involved. I hope they track the money down, recover it, and nail all involved.

Keep reading, because I'm going to add an addendum in which I'll explain my thoughts on the event organizers, what happened, how and why.

"Let them truckers roll, 10-4!"

As information comes to light, the story becomes more bizarre. The photo at the top was submitted by protest organizers and supposedly shows the convoy moving along the Beltway. Two problems become evident. First of all, the Beltway is a multi-lane highway, not one lane with a wide berm. Secondly, please note that the grills or windshields of the trucks are not entirely visible. Why is that significant? Because this is a photo from a "Make-A-Wish" truck convoy earlier this year. You can't see the trucks, so you can't see the "Make-A-Wish" logos on them. Can we say, "Propaganda!", Boys and Girls?

The second photo shows actual Saturday traffic camera footage in the Beltway area. Can you see hundreds of trucks blocking traffic? I can't!

Oh, trust me! It get worse! "How?", you say. Keep reading.

Larry Klayman is an attorney who in the past tried unsuccessfully to be a politician. After his failed political attempts he filed several high-profile lawsuits against such notables as William Jefferson Clinton, Dick Cheney, and Barack Obama. The founder of the law firm "Judicial Watch", Klayman become involved with the DC truck protest. 

As the few trucks in attendance rolled onto the Beltway on Friday, Oct. 11, Klayman began circulating reports that President Obama was going to be dispatching the National Guard to close I-95 and the Capitol Beltway, both as part of the government shutdown and to squash the protest. Klayman provided a photo of a bus on the highway carrying armed National Guard members and cruising the Beltway (the bottom photo above. Please note the lack of trucks in the photo with the bus. If the Guard was looking for truck drivers, wouldn't they be where the trucks were?). Close analysis of the photo doesn't indicate that the occupants of the bus have any type of arms.

 Klayman also gave interviews to the media saying that people were seeing troops in the area and that truckers were being harassed by law enforcement. In all cases, Klayman gave the info second hand. No one came forth to confirm these reports, and in no case was a source named. Virginia law enforcement did say that a few trucks were pulled over for intentionally blocking lanes on the Beltway, but in all cases only warnings were given. No citations were said to have been issued, and drivers were told not to impede traffic.  Again, there was no confirmation of drivers being cited, and again no drivers came forth to tell their own stories of what supposedly happened to them..

Because of these reports and the heavy rains, it was said that trucker turnout was lower than expected. Klayman said that no driver was willing to go to jail or to have their trucks confiscated in a peaceful protest, but once things worked out (Of course!), more trucks would come. The trucker known as General Lee also continued his coverage, but instead of showing the Beltway, and trucks in large number on it, Lee's videos were in the woods, in parking lots, or in rest areas with only a few trucks and a few people around. I've seen backyard barbecues with more in attendance than were shown in Lee's video. Of course, he also said, "Wait until tomorrow. You'll see!"

Excuses, excuses! But no confirmed truth. 

Pete Santilli continued his Guerrilla broadcasts, with people saying the trucks were out in the thousands, and with callers talking about traffic jams up to two miles long in places because of the trucks. Traffic cams were again said to be down, and the government was again supposedly controlling media coverage. (It's the same old story. no media coverage has to mean government control. duh!). Law enforcement, however, reported no traffic out of the ordinary, only weather-related issues with the traffic cameras, and again only reported 30 or so protest trucks on the highways that were basically going around the Beltway unnoticed.

So who was lying? 

Due the new information uncovered and the length of the post that would be required, this story will conclude in a third part. Stand by!

Seriously? Did anyone else follow this crap?

Billed as a chance for truckers to air grievances with the FTA and to protest the high cost of fuel, this planned protest originally involved getting several thousand truckers to come to the DC Beltway, cause traffic jams, and gain notoriety for the cause. Sounds legit, right? Though, I don't know how inconveniencing the lives of metro-DC commuters was really going to affect anything, the media coverage it was hoped, would bring attention to the complaints of the truckers.

Then, the story takes several turns, none of which lead to anywhere good. The organizers for this event play out like a cast from a perverted satire of a Michael Moore movie. Zeeda Andrews is thought to be the overall coordinator. Her claims to fame, besides being a 9/11 Truther, are her bizarre beliefs that Barack Obama is really Osama Bin Laden and that we've been duped, and that a race of lizard people really control our government. 

If that's not strange enough, there is more! The PR man, who coincidentally happens to be in charge of all the fuel donation money for this event (thought to be in the tens of thousands of dollars) was Pete Santilli. The host of the Guerrilla radio broadcast, his résumé' doesn't stop there. Santilli is also a 9/11 Truther who wants to shoot Hillary Clinton in the vagina over Benghazi. Santilli encouraged peaceful protest, but promised violent revolution if the demands of the truckers, which now became more than awareness of their grievances over fuel costs, weren't met. By the way, Santilli has arrest warrants and has been charged with multiple counts of fraud through the years.

Enter Earl Conlon. Conlon runs an Internet page called "The Tea Party Command Center". Another Truther with a radical agenda,  Conlon tried to steal the trucker protest days before the event and promised that the truckers would be coming into DC, storming the Capitol and the White House to arrest Congressman and to present impeachment papers to the President for Constitutional and Oath of Office violations. "U.S. News and World Report" ran with Conlon's predictions, but later retracted the report when Conlon backed out, saying it was all in jest and "...to cause a media response." Anyone else think maybe he was afraid of a knock on the door?

So, to help raise money for fuel for the predicted 10,000 truckers that were coming, a Paypal donation fund was set up. It's estimated by many to have had as much as $500,000 in it, though the true amount is now a mystery that rivals that of the location of Jimmy Hoffa's body.

Can it get more bizarre? In a word, "Yes!"

Friday October 11 was the official start date of the three-day drive-in protest. Instead of thousands on the Beltway, there were a few dozen truckers at best. Santilli on his radio broadcast covered the event live somehow from his secret bat cave in California.

Traffic jams during the afternoon rush hour on the Beltway were claimed by Santilli, Andrews and the like to be caused by the truckers, though local law enforcement blamed them on such unusual things as "Rush hour on the Beltway", "the typical increase in  the Friday afternoon traffic that happens every weekend", and "the heavy rains soaking the area and limiting visibility", though they did admit that maybe 30 or so truckers were running the Beltway in protest, but had barely been noticed by anyone.

"Wait til tomorrow! More are coming! You'll see!" cried Santilli. 

"Truckers must work, and many can't afford to come!" cried Conlon and Andrews, "...but we're just getting started!" (I thought there were donations to help truckers afford the expense of coming? More on that later).

A rogue trucker, Ernest Lee (aka General Lee) began posting videos of the truckers and the traffic, but all they showed were a few trucks, minor traffic delays, and incessant rain. Lee also predicted more truckers and bigger things  to come before the weekend was over, and promised to continue coverage of the massive events he was sure would occur.

Media coverage was almost non-existent. A bit of local coverage, and some small blurbs on major news broadcasts was all that was being said about "The massive protest". Of course, Santilli said it was because government owned the media and wasn't allowing the event to be covered. Traffic cams in the area were said to be down because officials didn't want anyone to see the Beltway disruption the myriad of truckers were causing.In reality, however, it was because nothing was happening worthy of note. It also was found out the the traffic cams were never down; the rains were limiting visibility and little on the Beltway could be seen. Those familiar with the Beltway know that a few trucks, rain, and Friday traffic always cause delays on the roads in the DC area, and that bad weather can negatively affect camera footage on the highways.

More to come in Part 2. The trucks roll on DC, crash the memorials, and in the midst of the "Million Veteran's March" try to cover their own failings by making it seem as if the vets were there to support the trucker protest.

"The laurel is a running vine."...

...said Jubal Early when commenting about Rosser's Confederate cavalry after the debacle at Tom's Brook on Oct. 9, 1864. The Union victory at Tom's Brook gave Federal cavalry substantial control in the Shenandoah Valley.

On the eve of the battle, Confederate Major General Thomas Rosser showed a bit of arrogance in regard to the Union cavalry command, saying:

"That's General Custer, the Yanks are so proud of, and I intend to give him the best whipping today that he ever got,"

It wasn't to be so for Rosser or his men. On October 6, as Phil Sheridan began retreating up the valley and burning everything of military significance, Jubal Early in the Valley was reinforced by Kershaw's division, and Rosser arrived to take command of Fitz Lee's Confederate cavalry division. As the retreating Federal cavalry troopers were destroying crops, capturing livestock, and burning barns and outbuildings, Rosser's troopers began harassing them. Many men in Rosser's command were from the areas being burned, and a deep hatred toward the Yankees was also beginning to burn in the hearts of the Valley defenders.

On October 9, things changed significantly in the Shenandoah. The prey became the hunter, as Brigadier General Alfred Torbert's retreating troopers began to attack.  In a swift flanking maneuver, Custer turned the tables on Rosser's cavalrymen along the base of Spiker's Hill.  With little help available from the 800 or so men commanded by Lunsford Lomax in the vicinity of Tom's Brook, the Confederates were routed swiftly. 

The battle near Tom's Brook mockingly was referred to as "The Woodstock Races", due to the speed of the Confederate retreat. Sheridan now had a firm hold on the Shenadoah, and the Confederate fate in the Valley seemed dire. Much more fighting was to follow, but the Valley would remain in Union control.

A real hero...

Sgt. Alvin York was a hero among heroes. One of 11 children from an impoverished family living in a two-room cabin in the Tennessee woods, York became the sole wage earner for his family after his father died. He was an alcoholic, prone to get into drunken brawls almost nightly, yet attending church every Sunday. He underwent a conversion experience on Jan. 1, 1915, after attending a revival meeting in 1914 and affiliating himself with the Church of Christ in Christian Union. This church shunned secular politics and disputes, and preached a doctrine of non-violence.

At the age of 29, York  registered for the draft on June 5, 1917, as did all men between the age of 21 and 31. York initially requested conscientious objector status by writing "Don't want to fight." On his draft papers. He was rejected and appealed, but began his military service in 1917. York stated later in life that he objected to the war, didn't want to fight, and believed in his bible.

During WWI conscientious objector status did not exempt one from military service. They often were drafted and given roles that didn't clash with their beliefs. While his application was being considered, he was drafted and began his service.

York kept a diary from the day he was drafted until his return from war on May 29, 1919. In his diary, York wrote that he refused to sign documents provided by his pastor seeking a discharge from the Army on religious grounds and refused to sign similar documents provided by his mother asserting a claim of exemption as the sole support of his mother and siblings. He also disclaimed ever having been a conscientious objector.

York was deeply troubled as a pacifist training to kill others in a European War, and spoke at length about his troubles to many chaplains and army officers. He quoted bible passages, and was unsure he could perform his duties as expected. They forced York to reconsider the morality of his participation in the war. Granted a 10-day leave to visit home, he returned convinced that God meant for him to fight and would keep him safe, as committed to his new mission as he had been to pacifism.

In an action during the U.S.-led portion of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France, which was part of a broader Allied offensive masterminded by Marshal Ferdinand Foch to breach the Hindenburg Line and make the opposing German forces surrender, York, three other NCOs, and thirteen privates were given the order to infiltrate behind German lines and take out machine guns that were causing great problems to the US forces in the area.

The group worked their way behind the Germans and overran the headquarters of a German unit, capturing a large group of German soldiers who were preparing a counter-attack against the U.S. troops. The men were contending with the prisoners when machine gun fire suddenly peppered the area, killing six Americans, and wounding 3 others. The fire came from other machine guns atop a nearby ridge. The loss of the nine left Corporal York in command of the remainder. York determined to take action before more were lost.

As his men remained under cover, guarding the prisoners, York worked his way into position to silence the German machine guns. During his assault, 6 Germans charged York. His rifle now empty, he draw his Colt 1911 pistol and killed them all. 

German First Lieutenant Paul Jürgen Vollmer, commander of the First Battalion, 120th Landwehr Infantry, emptied his pistol trying to kill York while he was contending with the machine guns. Failing to injure York, and seeing his mounting losses, he offered in English to surrender the unit to York, who accepted. By the end of the engagement, York and his seven men marched 132 German prisoners back to the American lines. His actions silenced the German machine guns and were responsible for enabling the 328th Infantry to renew its attack to capture the Decauville Railroad.

York was swiftly promoted to the rank of Sergeant and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for Valor. Upon further examination of his actions on that fateful day, York was presented with the Medal of Honor. It was given to him personally by commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, General John J., Black Jack, Pershing. He also received medals and decorations from other foreign nations, including France, that number nearly 50 in total. 

Alvin York's Medal of Honor citation reads:

"After his platoon suffered heavy casualties and 3 other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York assumed command. Fearlessly leading 7 men, he charged with great daring a machine gun nest which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machine gun nest was taken, together with 4 officers and 128 men and several guns."

In reference to his deeds of that fateful day in France, York merely said:

"A higher power than man guided and watched over me and told me what to do."

York's heroism went unnoticed in the United States press, even in Tennessee, until the publication of the April 26, 1919 issue of the  "Saturday Evening Post",  which had a circulation in excess of 2 million. In an article titled "The Second Elder Gives Battle", journalist George Patullo, who had learned of York's story while touring battlefields earlier in the year, laid out the themes that have dominated York's story ever since: the mountaineer, his religious faith and skill with firearms, patriotic, plainspoken and unsophisticated, an uneducated man who "seems to do everything correctly by intuition." 

York refused many offers to profit from his name and his story. He turned down book and movie rights, and such things as product endorsements, instead lobbying in Tennessee for civic improvements and donating his time and money to religious and charitable organizations. He married one week after returning home from the war. 

In the 1920's, he formed the Alvin C. York Foundation with the goal of increasing opportunities for education in the region of Tennessee. York concentrated on fund-raising, though he disappointed audiences who wanted to hear about the Argonne when he instead explained that "I occupied one space in a fifty mile front. I saw so little it hardly seems worthwhile discussing it. I'm trying to forget the war in the interest of the mountain boys and girls that I grew up among."

During World War II York attempted to re-enlist in the Army, however at fifty-four years of age, overweight, near-diabetic, and with evidence of arthritis, he was denied enlistment as a combat soldier. Instead, he was commissioned a major in the Army Signal Corps and he toured training camps and participated in bond drives in support of the war effort, usually paying his own travel expenses. Gen. Matthew Ridgeway later recalled that York "created in the minds of farm boys and clerks...the conviction that an aggressive soldier, well trained and well armed, can fight his way out of any situation." 

Alvin York died on Sept. 2, 1964 of a cerebral hemorrhage, after suffering years of illnesses and ailments and being bedridden since 1954. He was buried in the Wolf River Cemetery in Pall Mall, TN. He was survived by his wife and his 8 children, many of whom were named after historical figures.

Alvin York, a common man from poor upbringing, was one of the greatest heroes this country has ever seen. He stayed true to his word and true to his cause, and he proved that the determined underdog can prevail through perserverance in even the most trying of circumstances. He never gave up, and inspired others to do the same.

Oh, and why this post on this day? It was on October 8, 1918 that Alvin York forever forged his name in the annals of US military history.

Remember this?...

...I'd like to forget it! It's been 21 years, but...

THEY STINK NO MORE!

Sorry, EW! I couldn't resist borrowing your phrase!

Who wants to win a prize?

Here's the clue:

McClellan eventually concentrated his cavalry into a single division before Antietam, and placed it under Brigadier General Alfred Pleasanton, a West Pointer of the class of 1844 with service in the 2nd Dragoons under Zachary Taylor in Mexico.

In honor of international book week, grab the book closet to you, turn to page 52, and post the 5th complete sentence as your status. Please don't mention the title, and post the rules as part of your status. Have fun!

If you can name the book that the above sentence comes from, post your guess as a comment to this blog (not on my Facebook status). The first one to get it right will get the prize. 

Hint: It's one of the books that's visible in the above photo. (The name of the book can be read in the photo.)