The Cost of Distorting History                  #263

By Hank Silverberg 

(Iwo Jima, 1945)

On February 19th, 1945, 78 years ago this week, my father, Sidney K. Silverberg, was among the 7,000 U.S. Marines who stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima on the first day of a key battle of World War Two. It was a war to defeat fascism and free millions of people from tyranny in Europe and Asia. 

This past week, a 28-year-old member of the Fairfax County School Board in Virginia said that month-long battle should never have happened and called it "evil." 

What was the reasoning of Abrar Omeish? She said:

"Just a few days ago was Japanese Day of Remembrance. Something for us to certainly reflect on… the days when, you know, Iwo Jima unfortunately happened and set a record for really what, I hate to say, human evil is capable of."

Certainly, war as a solution to human conflict can be horrific. 

But Japanese Remembrance Day focuses on the internment in America of Japanese Americans in camps during World War Two. It is a sad chapter in American history and certainly something worth noting. But it has nothing to do with Iwo Jima.

To focus on the Battle of Iwo Jima in that context is a drastic distortion of history and a good example of what is wrong with the current fad to make history politically correct--depending on which political faction you believe in.  

My father and his fellow Marines went to war to maintain the freedom which Americans have always cherished, and to help bring it to others around the world.  And indeed, today Japan, one of our enemies in that war, is a prospering democracy and one of our closest allies. 

It is not the first time this particular school board member has distorted facts for political reasons. But it is very embarrassing in a school district which used to be considered superb but is now facing an investigation for withholding information about student scholarships until after college applications have gone out. 

Apparently Omeish comes to politics in an age where facts don't matter. Actual racism or an accusation of it are used for political gain and the general public becomes more and more frustrated about being misled. That misinformation is coming at us all very fast, whether it be from a Russian bot in a basement in St. Petersburg, a faux news network that pushes conspiracy theories, or a poorly educated school board member.

For example: Omeish remained on the board even after her antisemitic social media posts in 2021 that falsely labeled Israel an "apartheid state" that "kills Palestinians." 

She is an at-large member, meaning she represents all 1.2 million Fairfax County residents. Despite her degree from Yale that did not include history, it is probable that she did not get her take on Iwo Jima or Israel when she went through the same Fairfax County School District she now oversees.  

It also says something about where we are headed when there was an instant outrage over the National Merit Awards controversy but very little outrage over this board member's distortion of American history and a racial slant on middle east conflict. 

I use Fairfax County as a good example, but it is not alone. Across the country we are seeing books removed from shelves because they discuss racism or gender orientation, and flags of insurrectionists defended as "southern heritage."   

https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/virginia-school-board-member-calls-iwo-jima-evil-and-unfortunate/

Freedom means freedom. Freedom from despots, freedom from bigots and freedom from lies. Sure, the First Amendment says they have the "right" to express their opinion, but we must challenge falsehoods from anyone wherever and whenever they occur. 

My father survived Iwo Jima, though the aftermath of his chest wound put him in a wheelchair for the last 40 years of his life. Sixty-eight hundred Americans died there. They were not evil. They were heroes. That is fact, not distortion.   

The Blame Game!

The horrific train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio is a good example of what can happen as our infrastructure begins to collapse. The accident sent toxic chemicals into the air, forcing the whole town to be evacuated. The subsequent burn-off and putting out the fire may have polluted nearby water supplies for years. The cause is not yet clear, and the cleanup could be massive.  

Is the railroad responsible? We don't know yet, but

(The derailment, reuters.com)

either way the company should pay for most of the cleanup from their mess. Was it bad tracks? Our nation's infrastructure is in bad shape from years of neglect, and that may have played a role in the crash. But before we know any the answers to these questions, the Republican fear mongers on Capitol Hill immediately attacked Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for not running to the scene, even as investigators were on the job. But former President and current candidate Donald Trump rushed to Ohio, as if he really cared about it. (He forgot the paper towel supply this time.)  

The Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, published a letter announcing an investigation of the incident that will look at Norfolk Southern (the railroad), the Department of Transportation and Secretary Buttigieg's handling of the derailment.    

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/23/train-derailment-ohio-buttigieg-00084111

Comer then cited a preliminary NTSB report on the incident in his criticism of Buttigieg and the DOT. But guess what? The NTSB is NOT part of DOT. It's an independent agency not under the Secretary's management. So, the same guys calling for an investigation don't even know how the NTSB works. They just want to attack the Biden Administration. 

Here's one additional fact to consider. In 2015, the Obama Administration set up new safety rules requiring electronically controlled pneumatic brakes be installed on all high-hazard flammable trains by 2023. Three years later, in 2018, those rules were rescinded by the Trump Administration, which Democrats were quick to point out. 

But here is the kicker. Despite the hazardous materials on the train as it went through East Palestine, the cars did not fall into the narrow definition of a high-hazard flammable train and would not have been updated under the changes in the safety regulations had they remained intact.  

My take? Blame the railroad for not improving its own safety measures and push current lawmakers to make federal regulations tougher. Clean it up.   

Gun Culture Gone Haywire

You may have noticed that some Republican lawmakers have started to replace the American flag pinned to their lapel with something else, a small pin of an A-R 15. It can mean a lot of things, but mostly they say it's to support Second Amendment rights. Somehow, I thought the American flag supported the entire Bill of Rights, but some members needed to create new controversy amidst mass shootings at schools, night clubs and shopping centers. 

Now there is something even more bizarre. It's a bill sponsored by Alabama Congressman Barry Moore that would make the A-R 15 the "national gun of the United States."

Among his co-sponsors are Georgia Republican Andrew Clyde, who is a gun store owner, Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert, whose Christmas card last year was her whole family posing with their guns, and New York Republican Congressman and proven liar, George Santos. 

It's unlikely this bill is going into anything but the Congressional trash bin, but the audacity of these Congressmembers is pretty "disgusting," which is exactly what New York Governor Kathy Hochul called it.  

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/george-santos-ar-15-assault-rifle-national-gun-of-the-united-states/

Dumbest Quote of The Week!

This week's dumbest quote is also a bit frightening. It comes from Alaska State Representative David Eastman, who claims to be "pro-life," and also happens to be a member of the right-wing group "Oath Keepers." A video of this comment, made during a committee hearing in the Alaska legislature, went viral. The committee was talking about ways to prevent child abuse and how doing so saves the state money in the long run.  

That's when Eastman, a Republican, said this:

“In the case where child abuse is fatal—obviously it’s not good for the child—but it’s actually a benefit to society because there aren’t needs for government services and whatnot through the child’s life.” 

The reaction was immediately negative from those at the hearing, but Eastman followed up with this: 

"Now you’ve got a $1.5 million price tag for victims of fatal child abuse. It gets argued periodically that it’s actually a cost savings because that child is not going to need any of those government services that they might otherwise be entitled to receive, and need based on growing up in this type of environment.”

So much for his "pro-life" ideology. How do people like this get elected??

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