Mon, Oct 12

1972—A race riot aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk injures 47. 1970—Lieut. William Calley is court-martialled for 102 murders. 1968—Active-duty Navy nurse Susan Schnall, in uniform, drops anti-war leaflets from a plane onto five military bases in San Francisco Bay. 1964—JFK’s very close friend Mary Pinchot Meyer is murdered under the murkiest of circumstances. 1964—Suspected by CIA counter-intel chief James Jesus Angleton of being a spy, Canadian diplomat John Watkins is interrogated to death in a Montreal hotel room. 1961—The FBI launches a “Socialist Worker Disruption Program.” 1960—Otoya Yamaguchi, 17, a right-winger, runs a sword through Inejiro Asanuma, leader of the Socialists, during a televised debate. …

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Sun, Oct 11

2006—Nine years after she was hit by a lampost knocked over by a Macy’s parade balloon, Kathleen Caronna’s Manhattan apartment burns after being struck by Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle’s Cirrus airplane. 2003—Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, 33, gives Yankee coach Don Zimmer a shove, knocking the 72-year old Zimmer to the ground. 2002—The U.S. Senate approves the error made yesterday by the House. 1991—Anita Hill testifies before Congress that she was sexually harassed by her former boss, Supreme Court Justice-to-be Clarence Thomas. 1973—Henry Kissinger tells Brent Scowcroft that President Nixon can’t take a call from the British Prime Minister because he’s too “loaded.” 1963—NSAM 263 …

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Put Out Water for the Birds

Dear Editor: Outdoors yesterday I saw one bird, then a second (sparrow, chickadee) land on my dog’s water dish rim and take a drink, a long one. Earlier this week a traveling-through hummingbird came down out of the sky and refueled at my hummingbird feeder that I keep ready, though my regulars have migrated away. Now migrating hummers might stop briefly. Makes me want to ask – if you are able to do this, put water out for the birds. Now I’m keeping my three dog waters high (so small birds can perch on the rim and reach the water, that height of water needed). …

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Small Man in a Big Job

Dear Editor: It takes a big man to represent this great country. A President worthy of office must stand for the justice, democracy, liberty, and diversity that have created our well-being. He must set an example to the world of the ideals that all can aspire to. He must also show the empathy and moral character we expect of our neighbors, friends, and ourselves. Instead, a very small man is our President. Petty and vindictive, he cares only about making a transactional profit for himself, a bully who worries that any criticism underlines the illegitimacy of his three-million-minority election. Why would the designated leader of …

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Trump & the Military: Is Anyone Really Surprised?

A recent article in September’s The Atlantic titled “Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’” details our current commander-in-chief’s flagrant disrespect for the men and women in our armed forces together with the generations of American service personnel who went before them. I need not repeat the insults and ignominies he heaps upon those who have served their country. You can readily find the article online and read it for yourself, if you haven’t already done so. What amazes me is not what the article says, but the fact that so many people are only now expressing their outrage over Trump’s disrespect …

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