veteranstoday--2020-12-26--VeteransToday visits Jim Dean’s beautiful Berkshires

The ‘ On the Road with Jim Dean ’ series kicks off with an Intimate Tour of Berkshire County … “ Where it all began.
” [ Editor ’ s Note : This 2012 trip was my last visit with my mother , a three week record stay for me .
I brought my TV camera and went out during the day to video the historic sites I had seen so little of after I went off to NC State in 1967 on my yellow brick road .
WWII navy vet Chuck Wales below is dead now .
I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kin .
He had a family tie in , as he was the depth charge on deck officer on a destroyer sunk in the same convoy in which my mother ’ s first husband died on the SS Paul Hamilton .
In a torpedo bomber attack , 500 men and 6000 tons of explosives went up in a huge mushroom fireball .
Chuck was a senior athlete , being over 90 , with a blacksmith shop in back of his house , still skiing every winter , and had only recently sold his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his .
Chuck had stayed in endurance shape with cross country winter skiing , and with canoe and bicycle racing in warm weather .
I have fabulous interview footage of him to put on a web archive when there is ever a point I can begin archiving and databasing all my video footage , so it can be keyword databased down to topic segments , so they can be pulled up with a key word search .
I had never anticipated that VT would be the non stop 365 days per year dragon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we stopped , we just get left behind .
The Berkshires have been hammered hard with Covid because tourism is its lifeblood .
The silver lining is that Covid has kept the real estate market strong , as the summer home people moved in to hide from Covid and have money so spend .
Great Barrington was voted the best small town in American by Smithsonian Magazine a few years ago , and this put it on the tourist map big time… JD ] Jim 's Editor ’ s Notes are solely crowdfunded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , field trips , Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more .
Thanks for helping .
Click to donate > > I am about to wrap up an almost five week home visit to Berkshire County , Massachusetts to kick off a long planned ‘ On the Road ’ series .
Just before I left on this trip , my home town of Great Barrington was selected by Smithsonian.com as the best small town in America among twenty contestants .
It was a good omen .
At the old train station , I filmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market .
They had ‘ to die for ’ breads , grass fed beef , and maple syrup among their goodies .
And I got some salt of the earth stand up interviews with the vendors .
Local businesses , especially the restaurants , make a special effort to use all the local products they can to support the last of the family farm community .
As a child , I remember beginning my first trip to my mother ’ s family Mississippi farm from this train station , the beginning of my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of new experiences and faraway places which lasted for many years .
I have vivid memories of uniformed servicemen constantly surrounding us , lifting every bag , providing every assistance .
But I would not learn till many years later that mother had been a Gold Star wife at age 16 .
When she had mentioned this to the soldiers on the train , they formed a protective circle around her .
We got the Hollywood star treatment .
A confluence of events brought me here , like not being home for sixteen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , mother turning 85 this past week , and having always wanted to add some gorgeous Berkshire video footage to my Heritage TV archives .
A short trip would have only put a dent into what I needed to get , but fate provided me a larger get-a-way opportunity .
I am coming back to Atlanta with lots of new footage and a host of new friends .
This new material and my Heritage TV archives will be used on VeteransToday , as we continue developing our Living and Arts section .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and guts of much of our daily fare here .
My original plan was to create a variety of series which would be easy to find in our huge 20,000+ article archive and broaden the public ’ s view of veterans beyond their military service .
For many veterans , their post active duty life was the major part of what they contributed , not only to the country but to humanity .
One of my early TV heroes was Charles Kuralt for his On the Road and Sunday Morning CBS series , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even as a kid I thought he had one of the best jobs in America , traveling the back roads to share the gems he found with the rest of us .
He had the gift of sprinkling in his special brand of poetic and artist flare through every program .
Sunday Morning routinely featured the fine arts , something not considered to be mass audience material back then .
Kuralt was ahead of his time , and we are all the richer for it .
So my On the Road with Jim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ piece being just a preview of what is in the pipeline , including lots of great footage .
My first major venue stop was the Hancock Shaker Village a few miles west of Pittsfield , Massachusetts , the largest city in the Berkshires .
As the Shakers did not reproduce , as in children , their numbers dwindled over the years with just a small community in Sabbath Day Lake , Maine today .
But their legacy lives on , as my visit confirmed .
But with no fooling around allowed , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and work they did .
The Shakers left a legacy of industriousness and innovation which one would not expect for a group living a great deal in isolation as they did .
For example , the next time you use a flat broom , you are using a Shaker invention .
I have footage to show you how they were made .
And Shaker baskets are collected the world over .
Some of you vets might ask , what is the veteran tie in for all of this ?
At the Shaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a 90 year old WWII Naval Academy grad , whose destroyer the USS Lansdale was sunk in the same convoy in which my mother ’ s first husband , Leon , was killed , as Leon ’ s ship , the SS Paul Hamilton was torpedoed with 580 men and 7000 tons of explosives aboard .
Chuck had lived five miles from my mother for 55 years , but they had never met .
Chuck , by the way , is one of the Shaker Village blacksmith demonstrators , something he took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he cranked up their water turbine machine shop , all belts , pulleys and clutches , and demonstrated some of the work stations .
This was a first experience for me .
The footage came out well because the Shakers put a lot of windows in their work buildings for natural light , and we had enough light to shoot in while the sun was out .
Chuck also gave me a detailed interview of what it was like to be sunk on the Lansdale , where many of his shipmates died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the oil covered dark water before luckily being found by a rescue boat .
We call that rescue roulette .
He went on to have a long engineering career with General Electric in Pittsfield .
For fun he biked 2500 miles a year , ran 500 , and paddled his racing canoe to keep himself in shape so he could do his cross country skiing in the winter .
I was most disappointed to learn that his reaching 90 in great health was not a secret herbal remedy .
The Berkshires are famous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often huge estates of forty to fifty rooms .
I grew up with a seven story castle at the end of the street , and in my youth , I did not know that every town did not have a castle .
I shot several of these which included Naumkeag , the Choate estate , a national trust gem thanks to daughter Mabel Choate , who left not only the property but everything inside the house , down to the linens .
Filming Naumkeag was as close to entering a time machine as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newspaper was still on her night table and the doggie bowls on the butler pantry floor .
Mabel ’ s father had been a major New York City attorney and Ambassador to Britain for six years .
He ended his career as an international peace activist , so he would have been welcome here at VT .
These estates were always sited for their magnificent views of the Berkshire hills , and most all were working farms during their earlier years .
Most were used primarily as summer homes , with the owners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest of the year .
The rail lines from New York City to the Berkshires made the commute a scenic tour in itself .
Edith Wharton , who wrote forty books in her illustrious career which including being the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction .
A master house builder and gardener she had The Mount built in 1902 .
As with many other Berkshire ‘ cottages ’ the property had changed hands many times after she sold it when moving to Paris , but it is now in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to its former glory , including the gardens .
The Mount acquired Edith ’ s library a few years ago .
The English book dealer who had purchased it from one of the sons had held onto it all of these years , and the trustees were able to work out an acquisition and bring her books back home to the Berkshires .
These properties are run by a mixed group of trustees , boards , conservators , local arts and historical groups and always needed volunteers…your classic ‘ it takes a village @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Most all of the venues welcomed Veterans Today in to shoot .
We seemed to have been the first international veterans online platform to show an interest in featuring their work to our readers .
But as you will see below , veterans have played key roles not only in American historical preservation and education , but also the arts .
The Clark Museum in Williamstown , Mass.
, was the largest that I visited , requiring two trips .
Sterling Clark , a Singer Sewing Machine company heir , was a young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rebellion campaign in China .
He and his French actress wife later became major art collectors , the quiet kind that never put their treasures on display .
But in their later years , they funded the building of the Clark Museum and donated their entire collection .
On opening day , the public saw for the first time their huge collection .
The current trustees have expanded the scope and holdings for the museum on their 140 beautiful acres of north Berkshires County hills , where art and nature are woven together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made beauty is a Berkshire staple and the foundation of its tourism business .
The Clark has one of the best art history libraries in North America and a graduate program co-sponsored with Williams College and the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute .
The master expansion plan continues to update older facilities , construct new ones , and coordinate the usage with its traditional Williamstown neighboring entities .
Neighboring Williams College was also founded by a military veteran .
Colonel Ephraim Williams Jr. , was killed in action in the Battle of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ War .
He wanted a free college established , which was done via his will , but unfortunately was not feasible to continue as such .
Williams has become one of the finest of the smaller liberal arts colleges in the country , with around 2200 students .
But it is not small in facilities or resources , with its recently completed $ 60 million theater and art complex .
Although relatively expensive , it has an incredible financial aid program , where ability to pay is not a critical consideration for entry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are the best of the best .
As usual , strong alumni and endowment programs support this level of educational commitment , making Williams College the educational crown jewel of the Berkshires .
Everywhere you look in Williamstown , there is a postcard scene , and I have saved the predicted sunny day this coming Monday for my last shoot at the Clark Museum , and to film some of the town sites and scenes .
The Norman Rockwell Museum was a first time visit for me .
I had seen him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out on family drives .
He was well known for being spotted on his afternoon bike rides .
It was every kid ’ s dream to be selected as a Rockwell painting model .
The work was easier than you might think , as he extensively posed all of his models for photo shoots and actually painted from the photos .
The museum features this local involvement in the Rockwell art history with a monthly special event called ‘ Meet the Models ’ …those who are still with us as time is harvesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describe how breathtaking it is to stand in front of the original paintings of Rockwell ’ s Americana as compared to the prints .
My favorite has always been the huge Christmas in Stockbridge painting .
The museum ’ s state of the art website brings many of these images to you with just a few clicks .
Don ’ t miss these .
One of the highlights of the trip was shooting the detail work of his artistic genius .
I will share what I can with the VT audience , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ curators also allowed me to shoot his original studio , which had been sawed in half and moved to the museum site years ago and reassembled .
There is something magical about being inside the actual studio where his art was created .
All active duty veterans are welcome to visit the museum as guests of the staff and trustees .
If you pass anywhere near Berkshire county and don ’ t stop in here you have missed out .
Save your money for some lodging , as you need a few days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area ’ s highlights .
Yesterday I was hosted by Arrowhead , the Herman Melville Berkshire farm where he did much of his writing , and hung out with the likes of Oliver Wendell Holmes and Nathaniel Hawthorne , whom he met on a Monument Mountain hike .
As I drove up , I had to look twice at a new exhibit looking out toward Mt .
Greylock , a large white Moby Dick diving into a sea of summer grass with a harpooner about ready to seal his fate .
This surprise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his nemesis , was created by local artist Michael Melle .
The Society has all of their archives here , the result of many individuals and groups to preserve for safekeeping and pass on to future generations .
The Margaret H. Hall Library and Archives contains over 200 cubic feet of manuscripts , 170 linear feet of books , 150 maps and atlases , 350 oral history tapes , and 14,000 photographic images .
Letters , journals , government records , newspapers , and directories dating from the early 18th century to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is a superb collection .
What I would give to delve into all of those oral histories and photos but alas I had to keep moving along to my next stop for the day .
A return visit will definitely be needed to enjoy these treasures .
Jacob ’ s Pillow is a sterling example of mixing all types of dance artists in the Berkshire Hills .
It is the only National Historic designated site for dance , and continues this tradition as a top international dance festival , and America ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1700 ’ s era farm to build a summer retreat for his all male dance company at the time .
His legacy lives on in the Pillow ’ s reputation of bringing alumni dance celebrities back every year to perform and teach new generations of emerging dancers .
“ He was keen of wit , caustic of tongue , avid of interest , terrifically temperamental , of inexhaustible energy , tenacious , aggressive , indomitable…of the stuff to become the first male dancer in America to achieve a position of influence and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dancing The staff hosted me twice and one of the surprises I learned that during WWII they took a big personnel hit when many of the dancers , all men at that time , left to join the military after Peal Harbor .
But director Ted Shawn was steady at the helm , pushing to build the now famous Ted Shawn Theater in 1942 so that ‘ the dancers would have something to come back to when the war was over ’ .
And come back they did , and on the G.I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get its momentum back after the war .
The Pillow is celebrating its 80th season this summer , where they have a mix of performances , classes , lectures , picnics and trail walks on their 140 acres .
There are regular free events on one of the most incredible outside stages I have even seen , using the sunset over the Berkshire Hills as a natural stage setting…just breathtaking .
To my regret , I have never seen a live performance .
But last year when I was doing trip research and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thrilled to find they had put a huge effort into digitizing and archiving every shred of their history they could find .
They have made an extensive array of their ‘ best of ’ material available to a worldwide audience , all just a few clicks away .
I shot an interview yesterday with the Pillow archivist Norton Owen , formerly a student in 1976 who came back to stay .
And 37 years later , he is still working away with current executive and artistic director Ella Baff , who accepted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama on behalf of Jacob ’ s Pillow this past March .
Along the way with these major venue stops there has been a lot of scenic shooting .
My old prep school , where I spent two years as a day student , Berkshire School provided a lot of shooting over alumni weekend , not the least of which was their million solar array farm , and their beautiful setting under Black Rock Mountain , above .
Nearing the completion of a major upgrade to their facilities , Berkshire will continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its international student body .
I am grateful to the school for my senior year scholarship and September senior year early acceptance to N. C. State University , which saw me off on another journey , although the chemical engineering part got lost along the way during those hectic Vietnam years where Skip Welles became my class ’ s first KIA .
Memorial Day found me catching two small town events , more intimate than the big Atlanta one I have been attending .
I did the Great Barrington one of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but also followed the vets down to little South Egremont for the 100 yard parade from the fire station to the war memorial and back again .
I was surprised to see how many WWII vets this village produced , including what appeared to be the entire male population of the Curtis family…with the last surviving daughter living across the street in her 90 ’ s .
These little towns and villages all have their very old cemeteries .
I am talking colonial era ones , with names that are hard to read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ graves caught my attention driving by South Egremont one day .
With just one look , I knew there had to be Revolutionary War graves there , and I was right , but also WWI , and all the others , including one fellow from Georgia .
We have our colonial cemeteries in the South , but usually only in the major cities where their larger grave stones remain .
These cemeteries are sprinkled with Confederate Iron Crosses , whereas up here I have found that GAR markers , Grand Army of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alliegances were different , but the losses to the families the same .
Heading back from a Bash Bish Falls shoot one weekend , I stopped off at the little Mt .
Washington cemetery .
Again the new flags caught my eye .
And yes , Rev War soldiers buried there , too , a tough place to live in those days due to the poor roads .
In one little corner , I found some contemporary stones for a Jewish couple , off by themselves , which is their tradition , Ed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as post WWII immigrants .
It was the first time I have seen ‘ holocaust survivor ’ on gravestones before , especially way out in the boonies on the top of Mt .
Washington .
I suspect they may have wanted to be away from a lot people , and were successful .
I have always considered all wars a holocaust , especially for those who were in them , including the families .
Mother has three folded veterans flags , two husbands and a son…too many .
The family losses are universal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group over another always dishonors another ’ s by sending them to the back of the bus , something in which I will never participate .
Getting out into the countryside to the film is always an enriching experience , which is why I do it .
There are surprises and learning moments about the fortunate lives we live , much of it due to contributions of our ancestors .
We only enjoy what was preserved for us and that which we can add , as I will be doing with this series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which I had been a bit foggy on , was the legacy of wealthy Americans who have donated their fortunes back to the American people in so many ways .
Veterans have always been front and center in this ongoing process , and we will continue to do our part in our unique way , with our platform here .
My thanks to all the Berkshire venues who contributed to my shooting trip .
We will feature each of them here as I get the video footage edited out for a full multimedia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will last .

The ‘On the Road with Jim Dean’ series kicks off with an Intimate Tour of Berkshire County … “Where it all began.”
…by Jim W. Dean, VT Editor
[ Editor’s Note: This 2012 trip was my last visit with my mother, a three week record stay for me. I brought my TV camera and went out during the day to video the historic sites I had seen so little of after I went off to NC State in 1967 on my yellow brick road.
WWII navy vet Chuck Wales below is dead now. I am still trying to find his next of kin. He had a family tie in, as he was the depth charge on deck officer on a destroyer sunk in the same convoy in which my mother’s first husband died on the SS Paul Hamilton. In a torpedo bomber attack, 500 men and 6000 tons of explosives went up in a huge mushroom fireball.
Chuck was a senior athlete, being over 90, with a blacksmith shop in back of his house, still skiing every winter, and had only recently sold his glider after a friend was killed crashing his. Chuck had stayed in endurance shape with cross country winter skiing, and with canoe and bicycle racing in warm weather.
I have fabulous interview footage of him to put on a web archive when there is ever a point I can begin archiving and databasing all my video footage, so it can be keyword databased down to topic segments, so they can be pulled up with a key word search.
I had never anticipated that VT would be the non stop 365 days per year dragon that it has been, where if we stopped, we just get left behind.
The Berkshires have been hammered hard with Covid because tourism is its lifeblood. The silver lining is that Covid has kept the real estate market strong, as the summer home people moved in to hide from Covid and have money so spend. Great Barrington was voted the best small town in American by Smithsonian Magazine a few years ago, and this put it on the tourist map big time… JD ]
Jim's Editor’s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal
Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >>
– First published June 10, 2012 –
I am about to wrap up an almost five week home visit to Berkshire County, Massachusetts to kick off a long planned ‘On the Road’ series.
Just before I left on this trip, my home town of Great Barrington was selected by Smithsonian.com as the best small town in America among twenty contestants. It was a good omen.
At the old train station, I filmed a Saturday morning organic farmer’s market. They had ‘to die for’ breads, grass fed beef, and maple syrup among their goodies. And I got some salt of the earth stand up interviews with the vendors.
Local businesses, especially the restaurants, make a special effort to use all the local products they can to support the last of the family farm community.
As a child, I remember beginning my first trip to my mother’s family Mississippi farm from this train station, the beginning of my own magical mystery tour, a love of new experiences and faraway places which lasted for many years.
I have vivid memories of uniformed servicemen constantly surrounding us, lifting every bag, providing every assistance. But I would not learn till many years later that mother had been a Gold Star wife at age 16. When she had mentioned this to the soldiers on the train, they formed a protective circle around her. We got the Hollywood star treatment.
A confluence of events brought me here, like not being home for sixteen years, my 45th Berkshire School reunion, mother turning 85 this past week, and having always wanted to add some gorgeous Berkshire video footage to my Heritage TV archives.
A short trip would have only put a dent into what I needed to get, but fate provided me a larger get-a-way opportunity. I am coming back to Atlanta with lots of new footage and a host of new friends.
This new material and my Heritage TV archives will be used on VeteransToday, as we continue developing our Living and Arts section. We all need some escape from the blood and guts of much of our daily fare here.
My original plan was to create a variety of series which would be easy to find in our huge 20,000+ article archive and broaden the public’s view of veterans beyond their military service. For many veterans, their post active duty life was the major part of what they contributed, not only to the country but to humanity.
One of my early TV heroes was Charles Kuralt for his On the Road and Sunday Morning CBS series, which won him several Peabody awards.
Even as a kid I thought he had one of the best jobs in America, traveling the back roads to share the gems he found with the rest of us.
He had the gift of sprinkling in his special brand of poetic and artist flare through every program. Sunday Morning routinely featured the fine arts, something not considered to be mass audience material back then. Kuralt was ahead of his time, and we are all the richer for it.
So my On the Road with Jim Dean series is hereby birthed with this piece being just a preview of what is in the pipeline, including lots of great footage.
My first major venue stop was the Hancock Shaker Village a few miles west of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the largest city in the Berkshires. As the Shakers did not reproduce, as in children, their numbers dwindled over the years with just a small community in Sabbath Day Lake, Maine today. But their legacy lives on, as my visit confirmed.
But with no fooling around allowed, there was a lot more time for work, and work they did. The Shakers left a legacy of industriousness and innovation which one would not expect for a group living a great deal in isolation as they did.
For example, the next time you use a flat broom, you are using a Shaker invention. I have footage to show you how they were made. And Shaker baskets are collected the world over.
Some of you vets might ask, what is the veteran tie in for all of this?
At the Shaker Village my tour host was Chuck Wales, a 90 year old WWII Naval Academy grad, whose destroyer the USS Lansdale was sunk in the same convoy in which my mother’s first husband, Leon, was killed, as Leon’s ship, the SS Paul Hamilton was torpedoed with 580 men and 7000 tons of explosives aboard.
Chuck had lived five miles from my mother for 55 years, but they had never met. Chuck, by the way, is one of the Shaker Village blacksmith demonstrators, something he took up at age 77.
Last Wednesday, he cranked up their water turbine machine shop, all belts, pulleys and clutches, and demonstrated some of the work stations. This was a first experience for me.
The footage came out well because the Shakers put a lot of windows in their work buildings for natural light, and we had enough light to shoot in while the sun was out.
Chuck also gave me a detailed interview of what it was like to be sunk on the Lansdale, where many of his shipmates died; and he spent three hours in the oil covered dark water before luckily being found by a rescue boat. We call that rescue roulette.
He went on to have a long engineering career with General Electric in Pittsfield. For fun he biked 2500 miles a year, ran 500, and paddled his racing canoe to keep himself in shape so he could do his cross country skiing in the winter.
I was most disappointed to learn that his reaching 90 in great health was not a secret herbal remedy.
Gilded Age Country Cottages
The Berkshires are famous for their Gilded Age country cottages, often huge estates of forty to fifty rooms. I grew up with a seven story castle at the end of the street, and in my youth, I did not know that every town did not have a castle.
I shot several of these which included Naumkeag, the Choate estate, a national trust gem thanks to daughter Mabel Choate, who left not only the property but everything inside the house, down to the linens.
Filming Naumkeag was as close to entering a time machine as I have ever been. The 1958 newspaper was still on her night table and the doggie bowls on the butler pantry floor.
Mabel’s father had been a major New York City attorney and Ambassador to Britain for six years. He ended his career as an international peace activist, so he would have been welcome here at VT.
These estates were always sited for their magnificent views of the Berkshire hills, and most all were working farms during their earlier years. Most were used primarily as summer homes, with the owners retreating to their city abodes for the rest of the year. The rail lines from New York City to the Berkshires made the commute a scenic tour in itself.
Edith Wharton Estate
Edith Wharton, who wrote forty books in her illustrious career which including being the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. A master house builder and gardener she had The Mount built in 1902.
As with many other Berkshire ‘cottages’ the property had changed hands many times after she sold it when moving to Paris, but it is now in a trust which has spent years refurbishing it to its former glory, including the gardens.
The Mount acquired Edith’s library a few years ago. The English book dealer who had purchased it from one of the sons had held onto it all of these years, and the trustees were able to work out an acquisition and bring her books back home to the Berkshires.
These properties are run by a mixed group of trustees, boards, conservators, local arts and historical groups and always needed volunteers…your classic ‘it takes a village’ mix of talent and love.
Most all of the venues welcomed VT in to shoot. We seemed to have been the first international veterans online platform to show an interest in featuring their work to our readers. But as you will see below, veterans have played key roles not only in American historical preservation and education, but also the arts.
The Sterling Clark Museum
The Clark Museum in Williamstown, Mass., was the largest that I visited, requiring two trips. Sterling Clark, a Singer Sewing Machine company heir, was a young Army officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion campaign in China.
He and his French actress wife later became major art collectors, the quiet kind that never put their treasures on display. But in their later years, they funded the building of the Clark Museum and donated their entire collection. On opening day, the public saw for the first time their huge collection.
The current trustees have expanded the scope and holdings for the museum on their 140 beautiful acres of north Berkshires County hills, where art and nature are woven together. This combining of natural and man made beauty is a Berkshire staple and the foundation of its tourism business.
The Clark has one of the best art history libraries in North America and a graduate program co-sponsored with Williams College and the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. The master expansion plan continues to update older facilities, construct new ones, and coordinate the usage with its traditional Williamstown neighboring entities.
Williams College
Neighboring Williams College was also founded by a military veteran. Colonel Ephraim Williams Jr., was killed in action in the Battle of Lake George during the French and Indian War. He wanted a free college established, which was done via his will, but unfortunately was not feasible to continue as such.
Williams has become one of the finest of the smaller liberal arts colleges in the country, with around 2200 students. But it is not small in facilities or resources, with its recently completed $60 million theater and art complex.
Although relatively expensive, it has an incredible financial aid program, where ability to pay is not a critical consideration for entry. Full rides are available for those who are the best of the best. As usual, strong alumni and endowment programs support this level of educational commitment, making Williams College the educational crown jewel of the Berkshires.
Everywhere you look in Williamstown, there is a postcard scene, and I have saved the predicted sunny day this coming Monday for my last shoot at the Clark Museum, and to film some of the town sites and scenes.
Norman Rockwell Museum
The Norman Rockwell Museum was a first time visit for me. I had seen him a few times as a boy when out on family drives. He was well known for being spotted on his afternoon bike rides.
It was every kid’s dream to be selected as a Rockwell painting model. The work was easier than you might think, as he extensively posed all of his models for photo shoots and actually painted from the photos.
The museum features this local involvement in the Rockwell art history with a monthly special event called ‘Meet the Models’…those who are still with us as time is harvesting them, also.
I cannot describe how breathtaking it is to stand in front of the original paintings of Rockwell’s Americana as compared to the prints. My favorite has always been the huge Christmas in Stockbridge painting.
The museum’s state of the art website brings many of these images to you with just a few clicks. Don’t miss these.
One of the highlights of the trip was shooting the detail work of his artistic genius. I will share what I can with the VT audience, with the proper procedures and permissions.
The curators also allowed me to shoot his original studio, which had been sawed in half and moved to the museum site years ago and reassembled. There is something magical about being inside the actual studio where his art was created.
All active duty veterans are welcome to visit the museum as guests of the staff and trustees.
If you pass anywhere near Berkshire county and don’t stop in here you have missed out. Save your money for some lodging, as you need a few days to put a dent into catching the area’s highlights.
Arrowhead, Herman Melville’s farm
Yesterday I was hosted by Arrowhead, the Herman Melville Berkshire farm where he did much of his writing, and hung out with the likes of Oliver Wendell Holmes and Nathaniel Hawthorne, whom he met on a Monument Mountain hike.
As I drove up, I had to look twice at a new exhibit looking out toward Mt. Greylock, a large white Moby Dick diving into a sea of summer grass with a harpooner about ready to seal his fate. This surprise, actually a hay sculpture of Ahab and his nemesis, was created by local artist Michael Melle.
The Berkshire County Historical Society
The Society has all of their archives here, the result of many individuals and groups to preserve for safekeeping and pass on to future generations.
The Margaret H. Hall Library and Archives contains over 200 cubic feet of manuscripts, 170 linear feet of books, 150 maps and atlases, 350 oral history tapes, and 14,000 photographic images. Letters, journals, government records, newspapers, and directories dating from the early 18th century to the present can be found here.
It is a superb collection. What I would give to delve into all of those oral histories and photos but alas I had to keep moving along to my next stop for the day. A return visit will definitely be needed to enjoy these treasures.
Jacob’s Pillow
Jacob’s Pillow is a sterling example of mixing all types of dance artists in the Berkshire Hills. It is the only National Historic designated site for dance, and continues this tradition as a top international dance festival, and America’s oldest.
Founder Ted Shawn purchased the 1700’s era farm to build a summer retreat for his all male dance company at the time. His legacy lives on in the Pillow’s reputation of bringing alumni dance celebrities back every year to perform and teach new generations of emerging dancers.
“He was keen of wit, caustic of tongue, avid of interest, terrifically temperamental, of inexhaustible energy, tenacious, aggressive, indomitable…of the stuff to become the first male dancer in America to achieve a position of influence and importance.” – John Martin, America Dancing
The staff hosted me twice and one of the surprises I learned that during WWII they took a big personnel hit when many of the dancers, all men at that time, left to join the military after Peal Harbor.
But director Ted Shawn was steady at the helm, pushing to build the now famous Ted Shawn Theater in 1942 so that ‘the dancers would have something to come back to when the war was over’. And come back they did, and on the G.I. Bill, which helped the Pillow get its momentum back after the war.
The Pillow is celebrating its 80th season this summer, where they have a mix of performances, classes, lectures, picnics and trail walks on their 140 acres.
There are regular free events on one of the most incredible outside stages I have even seen, using the sunset over the Berkshire Hills as a natural stage setting…just breathtaking.
To my regret, I have never seen a live performance. But last year when I was doing trip research and ran across their website, I was thrilled to find they had put a huge effort into digitizing and archiving every shred of their history they could find.
They have made an extensive array of their ‘best of’ material available to a worldwide audience, all just a few clicks away. I shot an interview yesterday with the Pillow archivist Norton Owen, formerly a student in 1976 who came back to stay. And 37 years later, he is still working away with current executive and artistic director Ella Baff, who accepted the prestigious National Medal of Arts from President Obama on behalf of Jacob’s Pillow this past March.
Berkshire School
Along the way with these major venue stops there has been a lot of scenic shooting. My old prep school, where I spent two years as a day student, Berkshire School provided a lot of shooting over alumni weekend, not the least of which was their million solar array farm, and their beautiful setting under Black Rock Mountain, above.
Nearing the completion of a major upgrade to their facilities, Berkshire will continue to provide a world class secondary education to its international student body.
I am grateful to the school for my senior year scholarship and September senior year early acceptance to N. C. State University, which saw me off on another journey, although the chemical engineering part got lost along the way during those hectic Vietnam years where Skip Welles became my class’s first KIA.
Veterans Parade and Memorials
Memorial Day found me catching two small town events, more intimate than the big Atlanta one I have been attending.
I did the Great Barrington one of course, under their Civil War Yankee memorial, but also followed the vets down to little South Egremont for the 100 yard parade from the fire station to the war memorial and back again.
I was surprised to see how many WWII vets this village produced, including what appeared to be the entire male population of the Curtis family…with the last surviving daughter living across the street in her 90’s.
These little towns and villages all have their very old cemeteries. I am talking colonial era ones, with names that are hard to read. The fresh flags on the old graves caught my attention driving by South Egremont one day.
With just one look, I knew there had to be Revolutionary War graves there, and I was right, but also WWI, and all the others, including one fellow from Georgia.
We have our colonial cemeteries in the South, but usually only in the major cities where their larger grave stones remain. These cemeteries are sprinkled with Confederate Iron Crosses, whereas up here I have found that GAR markers, Grand Army of the Potomac, outnumber WWII ones. The alliegances were different, but the losses to the families the same.
Heading back from a Bash Bish Falls shoot one weekend, I stopped off at the little Mt. Washington cemetery. Again the new flags caught my eye. And yes, Rev War soldiers buried there, too, a tough place to live in those days due to the poor roads.
In one little corner, I found some contemporary stones for a Jewish couple, off by themselves, which is their tradition, Ed and Betty Davis, dying in 2003 as post WWII immigrants.
It was the first time I have seen ‘holocaust survivor’ on gravestones before, especially way out in the boonies on the top of Mt. Washington. I suspect they may have wanted to be away from a lot people, and were successful.
I have always considered all wars a holocaust, especially for those who were in them, including the families. Mother has three folded veterans flags, two husbands and a son…too many.
The family losses are universal ones, and special recognition for one group over another always dishonors another’s by sending them to the back of the bus, something in which I will never participate.
Getting out into the countryside to the film is always an enriching experience, which is why I do it. There are surprises and learning moments about the fortunate lives we live, much of it due to contributions of our ancestors. We only enjoy what was preserved for us and that which we can add, as I will be doing with this series.
But one lesson I learned, which I had been a bit foggy on, was the legacy of wealthy Americans who have donated their fortunes back to the American people in so many ways.
Veterans have always been front and center in this ongoing process, and we will continue to do our part in our unique way, with our platform here.
My thanks to all the Berkshire venues who contributed to my shooting trip. We will feature each of them here as I get the video footage edited out for a full multimedia effort, which they all deserve…and something that will last.


veteranstoday--2020-12-26--NEO – India dumps Iran for US bear hug

NEO – India dumps Iran for US bear hug

With an Eye on China , India Cuts Iran Loose & Embraces the US by Salman Rafi Sheikh…with New Eastern Oulook , Moscow , …and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences , a research institution for the study of the countries and cultures of Asia and North Africa .
[ Editor ’ s Note : Rather than stay in what was once thought to be the safe middle zone of southeast Asia by balancing relations between Iran and China , India has chosen to side with the US in the brewing new Cold War .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
India , with its fast developing economy , had been focused on maximizing all trade opportunities in a way similar to what China had been doing , investing in major infrastructure projects that build long term , and hopefully unbreakable ties .
That has now been turned upside down .
Why ?
It appears that India did not feel secure in the fast evolving Cold War development of hugely expensive weapons systems .
These contracts are the Olympic gold medals of every major defense contractors , not only for the weapons sale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contracts that follow that assure decades of cash flow .
This is why the weapons lobby hates peace so much .
The profits in the peace economy are peanuts compared to the Cold War economy .
The next big war will see the deployment of the most expensive weapons platforms ever used , with the new hypersonic ones leading the pack .
These are so dangerous to all the rest of us that there should have been some kind of push to control them , like nuclear and biological weapons ( despite their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can cost .
No progress has been made during the crazy ‘ unipolar ’ NeoCon administration that Trump brought to Washington .
And second , the yin and the yang in this conundrum is that whoever has the electronic warfare edge can eliminate an attacking country ’ s vastly expensive weapons platforms , for example making F-35s just fall out of the sky , and maybe even using stealth drones to do this with no human casualties .
India has chosen to go under the US-Israeli umbrella .
Tel Aviv ‘ nuked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballistic missile technology , with hardly a word published about it in our Western fake ‘ free press ’ .
You can assume it has mini-nuke technology .
The horse is now out of the barn .
Missing from Rafi ’ s review , and I understand that not everything can be covered in one article , is what will happen to India ’ s purchase of Iranian petro chemicals , which has been an important export earner for Tehran .
And how will this affect China ’ s New Silk Road plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not have much of a domestic weapons production capacity , which surprised me as India has been doing joint weapons production deals with Russia for years , in particular tanks and aircraft , as part of a long term partnership .
As for India ’ s border issues with Pakistan and China , these have been kept from boiling over , more so with China , showing all sides have been careful not to overplay their hand .
We pray that such wisdom continues to prevail… Jim W. Dean ] Jim 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via PayPal Jim 's work includes research , field trips , Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more .
Thanks for helping .
Click to donate > > India , tied as it is to the US apron strings , has suffered a major strategic set-back in Iran , where not only has it potentially lost exclusive development rights and control of the strategically important port of Chabahar , but has also been kicked out of Farzad-B gas field project .
This has potentially meant a physical death of the ambitious 2013 ‘ Tehran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India and Iran in a strong strategic relationship .
While India ’ s deliberate move away from Iran has taken place against the backdrop of US sanctions on Iran , imposed in the wake of Trump ’ s decision to force-scrap the JCPOA , these moves are fundamentally rooted in a strategic consensus with the US over Iran .
It is for this reason that India has not pumped enough money even into the Chabahar port , which otherwise is exempted from US sanctions .
For India , getting close to the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its on-going military tensions with China than pursuing relatively low-level strategic interests in Iran .
The path that the Indian policy makers chose to confront China at a broader level required sacrificing their interests in Iran .
As it stands , Indian companies previously involved in Farzad-B are now engaged in a similar gas exploration project in Israel , indicating how India has largely moved to the anti-Iran camp .
India ’ s move away from Iran has allowed it to deepen its strategic relations with the US .
Indeed , the immediate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement ” ( BECA ) , the third so-called “ foundational pact ” after the “ Logistics Exchange Memorandum Of Agreement ” ( LEMOA ) and “ Communication Compatibility and Security Agreement ” ( COMCASA ) which collectively improve these countries ’ military interoperability .
As an Indian news report explained , the BECA will help India get real-time access to American geospatial intelligence that will enhance the accuracy of automated systems and weapons like missiles and armed drones .
Through the sharing of information on maps and satellite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ topographical and aeronautical data , and advanced products that will aid in navigation and targeting .
While one may think that the India ’ s close ties with the US have roots in Trump ’ s own aggressive China policy , the US policy towards India and India ’ s relevance for the US against China are unlikely to change even if Trump loses and Biden wins .
Let ’ s not forget that Biden , when he was Obama ’ s vice president , was one of the main architects of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India was as relevant to the “ Asia Pivot ” as it is to Trump ’ s “ Indo-Pacific ” strategy .
“ Indo-pacific ” strategy is very much a continuation of “ Asia Pivot ” in as much as it aims at confronting and containing China and Russia in Asia and beyond .
According to Indian defense experts , the agreement signed will directly help India fight China in Ladakh , and Pakistan in Kashmir .
Indian experts have been reported to have said that if the deal had signed earlier , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India could have been different .
Indeed , Mark Esper said that defense agreements between the US and India call for military cooperation and is a check on ‘ Chinese aggression ’ , adding that “ Based on our shared values and common interests , we stand shoulder-to-shoulder in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific for all , particularly in light of increased aggression and destabilizing activities by China.
” “ Our leaders and our citizens see with increasing clarity that the [ Chinese Communist Party ] is no friend to democracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , nor to freedom of navigation , the foundation of a free and open and prosperous Indo-Pacific , ” said Pompeo .
Pompeo further categorically said that America would “ stand by India ” in the fight against China , and paid tribute to the soldiers killed in Ladakh .
With China , rather than Modi-Trump bromance , being the central pillar of US-India strategic relations , it is , therefore , unlikely that the prevalent spirit of deep direct defense ties will die out even if Trump is voted out of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former army chief General Nirmal Chander Vij explained , “ Over this period we have realized that Indian interests and American interests are [ going ] in the same direction and for the same purpose – and for that very reason , India has gone ahead and signed the foundational military agreements.
” What is more important for India in the wake of its on-going military tensions with the US is the realization about its lack of military preparedness vis-à-vis China .
With no significant arms industry at home , the Indian policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-Chin ally , one they would not find in Russia or anywhere else , and a key source of advance military hardware .
To maintain and even deepen this alliance and to further the scope of the so-called 2+2 dialogue , Indian policy makers were not reluctant to tell Iran that their country wouldn ’ t be able to maintain the spirit of ‘ Tehran Declaration.
’ It is for this reason that two consecutive visits of India ’ s foreign and defense ministers to Iran were quickly followed by Iran ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas project , realizing that India ’ s strategic realities are clearly at odds with its previously widely propagated and ambitious ‘ look East ’ policy , an idea that imagined a greater Indian reach to Central Asia and Afghanistan via Iran .
Salman Rafi Sheikh , research-analyst of International Relations and Pakistan ’ s foreign and domestic affairs , exclusively for the online magazine “ New Eastern Outlook ” .

With an Eye on China, India Cuts Iran Loose & Embraces the US
by Salman Rafi Sheikh…with New Eastern Oulook, Moscow,…and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a research institution for the study of the countries and cultures of Asia and North Africa.
[ Editor’s Note: Rather than stay in what was once thought to be the safe middle zone of southeast Asia by balancing relations between Iran and China, India has chosen to side with the US in the brewing new Cold War. Mr. Sheikh has an excellent review below.
India, with its fast developing economy, had been focused on maximizing all trade opportunities in a way similar to what China had been doing, investing in major infrastructure projects that build long term, and hopefully unbreakable ties. That has now been turned upside down.
Why? It appears that India did not feel secure in the fast evolving Cold War development of hugely expensive weapons systems. These contracts are the Olympic gold medals of every major defense contractors, not only for the weapons sale profits, but the maintenance and upgrade contracts that follow that assure decades of cash flow.
This is why the weapons lobby hates peace so much. The profits in the peace economy are peanuts compared to the Cold War economy.
The next big war will see the deployment of the most expensive weapons platforms ever used, with the new hypersonic ones leading the pack. These are so dangerous to all the rest of us that there should have been some kind of push to control them, like nuclear and biological weapons (despite their poor record) due to the devastation they can cost. No progress has been made during the crazy ‘unipolar’ NeoCon administration that Trump brought to Washington.
And second, the yin and the yang in this conundrum is that whoever has the electronic warfare edge can eliminate an attacking country’s vastly expensive weapons platforms, for example making F-35s just fall out of the sky, and maybe even using stealth drones to do this with no human casualties.
India has chosen to go under the US-Israeli umbrella. Tel Aviv ‘nuked up’ India years ago by transferring ballistic missile technology, with hardly a word published about it in our Western fake ‘free press’. You can assume it has mini-nuke technology. The horse is now out of the barn.
Missing from Rafi’s review, and I understand that not everything can be covered in one article, is what will happen to India’s purchase of Iranian petro chemicals, which has been an important export earner for Tehran. And how will this affect China’s New Silk Road plans?
Rafi also mentions below that India did not have much of a domestic weapons production capacity, which surprised me as India has been doing joint weapons production deals with Russia for years, in particular tanks and aircraft, as part of a long term partnership.
As for India’s border issues with Pakistan and China, these have been kept from boiling over, more so with China, showing all sides have been careful not to overplay their hand. We pray that such wisdom continues to prevail… Jim W. Dean ]
Jim's Editor’s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal
Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >>
First published … November 08, 2020
India, tied as it is to the US apron strings, has suffered a major strategic set-back in Iran, where not only has it potentially lost exclusive development rights and control of the strategically important port of Chabahar, but has also been kicked out of Farzad-B gas field project.
This has potentially meant a physical death of the ambitious 2013 ‘Tehran Declaration’, which had supposedly tied India and Iran in a strong strategic relationship. While India’s deliberate move away from Iran has taken place against the backdrop of US sanctions on Iran, imposed in the wake of Trump’s decision to force-scrap the JCPOA, these moves are fundamentally rooted in a strategic consensus with the US over Iran.
It is for this reason that India has not pumped enough money even into the Chabahar port, which otherwise is exempted from US sanctions. For India, getting close to the US was/is more important in the wake of its on-going military tensions with China than pursuing relatively low-level strategic interests in Iran.
The path that the Indian policy makers chose to confront China at a broader level required sacrificing their interests in Iran. As it stands, Indian companies previously involved in Farzad-B are now engaged in a similar gas exploration project in Israel, indicating how India has largely moved to the anti-Iran camp.
India’s move away from Iran has allowed it to deepen its strategic relations with the US. Indeed, the immediate result has been the signing of “Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement” (BECA), the third so-called “foundational pact” after the “Logistics Exchange Memorandum Of Agreement” (LEMOA) and “Communication Compatibility and Security Agreement” (COMCASA) which collectively improve these countries’ military interoperability.
As an Indian news report explained, the BECA will help India get real-time access to American geospatial intelligence that will enhance the accuracy of automated systems and weapons like missiles and armed drones. Through the sharing of information on maps and satellite images, it will help India access topographical and aeronautical data, and advanced products that will aid in navigation and targeting.
While one may think that the India’s close ties with the US have roots in Trump’s own aggressive China policy, the US policy towards India and India’s relevance for the US against China are unlikely to change even if Trump loses and Biden wins.
Let’s not forget that Biden, when he was Obama’s vice president, was one of the main architects of the so-called “Asia Pivot” policy. India was as relevant to the “Asia Pivot” as it is to Trump’s “Indo-Pacific” strategy. “Indo-pacific” strategy is very much a continuation of “Asia Pivot” in as much as it aims at confronting and containing China and Russia in Asia and beyond.
According to Indian defense experts, the agreement signed will directly help India fight China in Ladakh, and Pakistan in Kashmir. Indian experts have been reported to have said that if the deal had signed earlier, the situation at the Northern border of India could have been different.
Indeed, Mark Esper said that defense agreements between the US and India call for military cooperation and is a check on ‘Chinese aggression’, adding that “Based on our shared values and common interests, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific for all, particularly in light of increased aggression and destabilizing activities by China.”
“Our leaders and our citizens see with increasing clarity that the [Chinese Communist Party] is no friend to democracy, the rule of law, transparency, nor to freedom of navigation, the foundation of a free and open and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” said Pompeo.
Pompeo further categorically said that America would “stand by India” in the fight against China, and paid tribute to the soldiers killed in Ladakh.
With China, rather than Modi-Trump bromance, being the central pillar of US-India strategic relations, it is, therefore, unlikely that the prevalent spirit of deep direct defense ties will die out even if Trump is voted out of the White House.
As India’s former army chief General Nirmal Chander Vij explained, “Over this period we have realized that Indian interests and American interests are [going] in the same direction and for the same purpose – and for that very reason, India has gone ahead and signed the foundational military agreements.”
What is more important for India in the wake of its on-going military tensions with the US is the realization about its lack of military preparedness vis-à-vis China. With no significant arms industry at home, the Indian policy makers see in the US a natural anti-Chin ally, one they would not find in Russia or anywhere else, and a key source of advance military hardware.
To maintain and even deepen this alliance and to further the scope of the so-called 2+2 dialogue, Indian policy makers were not reluctant to tell Iran that their country wouldn’t be able to maintain the spirit of ‘Tehran Declaration.’
It is for this reason that two consecutive visits of India’s foreign and defense ministers to Iran were quickly followed by Iran’s decision to kick India out of Farzad-B gas project, realizing that India’s strategic realities are clearly at odds with its previously widely propagated and ambitious ‘look East’ policy, an idea that imagined a greater Indian reach to Central Asia and Afghanistan via Iran.
Salman Rafi Sheikh, research-analyst of International Relations and Pakistan’s foreign and domestic affairs, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.


veteranstoday--2020-12-26--Secret Service may recruit Ivanka to help remove Trump from White House, according to expert

Salon : What will happen on Jan. 20 if President Donald Trump refuses to leave the White House ?
One former senior Secret Service official tells The Daily Beast ’ s Marc Ambinder that Secret Service agents may have to recruit family members such as first daughter Ivanka Trump to tell her father to vacate the White House .
“ I ’ d have a conversation with the chief of staff , and then the family , Ivanka and the other kids and say , ‘ It ’ s going to be your job to make sure he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Another possibility , this former official said , was to simply lock the president ’ s staff out of the White House on Jan. 19 .
“ When the staff leaves on January 19 , don ’ t let them back into the complex the next day , ” they said .
“ He can ’ t do anything without his staff.
” Another former Secret Service agent told Ambinder that Trump will simply not be president after noon on Jan. 20 , which means that “ by law he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ d have to escort him out.
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Other options include locking his staff out on Jan. 19 — or even escorting him out as a trespasser on Jan. 20
Salon: What will happen on Jan. 20 if President Donald Trump refuses to leave the White House? One former senior Secret Service official tells The Daily Beast’s Marc Ambinder that Secret Service agents may have to recruit family members such as first daughter Ivanka Trump to tell her father to vacate the White House.
“I’d have a conversation with the chief of staff, and then the family, Ivanka and the other kids and say, ‘It’s going to be your job to make sure he’s gone,'” the former official said.
Another possibility, this former official said, was to simply lock the president’s staff out of the White House on Jan. 19.
“When the staff leaves on January 19, don’t let them back into the complex the next day,” they said. “He can’t do anything without his staff.”
Another former Secret Service agent told Ambinder that Trump will simply not be president after noon on Jan. 20, which means that “by law he would be a trespasser,” and “we’d have to escort him out.” https://www.salon.com/2020/12/25/secret-service-may-recruit-ivanka-to-help-remove-trump-from-white-house-according-to-expert_partner/


veteranstoday--2020-12-26--How Pakistan was Set Up to Fail

How Pakistan was Set Up to Fail

When the idea of a separate state or states to safeguard the interests of Muslims of India was first officially adopted by the Muslim League at its annual session in March 1940 it met with strong opposition not only by the Congress and other Hindu parties but also by the British as well as Muslim religious parties including Jamaat-e-Islami , Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind , the Ahrars as well as Khaksars .
The latter made two attempts on Jinnah ’ s life and even succeeded in wounding him on one occasion .
In August 1942 , the Akali Sikh leader Gayani Kartar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pakistan is foisted upon the Sikhs with the help of British bayonets , we shall tear it into shreds as Guru Gobind Singh tore up the Mughal Empire ’ ( ‘ A History of the Sikhs , vol .
2 , by Khushwant Singh , New Delhi , 1991 , p. 252 ) .
Master Tara Singh threatened a Sikh uprising and declared an ‘ Anti-Pakistan Day ’ on 11th March 1947 .
In a fiery speech from the steps of the Provincial Legislature he denounced Muslims , Jinnah and Pakistan ‘ Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shall satiate the thirst of our motherland with blood —- I have sounded the bugle .
Finish the Muslim League ’ .
He then proclaimed the Sikh slogan ‘ Raj karay ga Khalsa baki rahay na ko ’ ( only the pure Sikhs will rule ; no one else will survive ) and proceeded to hack down the pole bearing the Muslim League flag and tore the banner to shreds with his kirpan ( dagger ) to the shouts of Pakistan Murdabad —- death to Pakistan ( The Punjab Boundary Force and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vol.8 , by Robin Jeffrey , as quoted by French ) .
How Pakistan came into being despite such formidable opposition is a question that is often asked .
The simple answer lies in the conviction and resolve of the Muslims of India to have a space of their own where they could live freely , without being dominated by the Hindus .
Exhausted by the long war , Britain realized she could no longer hold on and decided to give India her freedom .
It only remained to be decided in what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chaos and possible civil war .
A country-wide election to the Central and Provincial Assemblies was held at the end of 1945 in which the Congress Party fielded candidates on the Muslim as well as non-Muslim seats for a united India .
Muslim League , on the other hand , contested only in the seats reserved for the Muslims as did various other Islamic religious and regional parties like the Unionists , that had opposed the creation of Pakistan .
Muslim League won eighty-seven percent of the Muslim votes cast and every single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Assembly .
It also won 428 of the total 492 ( 87 percent ) seats in the Provincial Assemblies .
In Sind , it won all but one seat .
In Bengal , the League collared ninety percent of the vote .
In NWFP it fell one vote short of a majority in the Assembly and Dr. Khan Sahib of the Khudaee Khidmatgars formed the government with the help of the Congress Party .
In Punjab , the League bagged 79 of the 86 seats reserved for Muslims and was the largest party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sir Khizar Hayat Tiwana , who ’ s Unionist Party had only ten seats , to form the government in collaboration with Congress and assorted Hindu and Sikh groups .
The election firmly established two facts —- that the Muslims did not want to be a part of Hindu-dominated united India and secondly , it was only the Muslim League that represented the interest and aspirations of their vast majority .
There were intelligence reports that the Congress was soon going to embark on plans to overthrow the government through a large-scale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the British secretary of state that Congress leaders had been making speeches ‘ intended to provoke or pave the way for mass disorder —- asserting that the British could be turned out of India within a very short time ; denying the possibility of a compromise with the Muslim League ; glorifying the INA ; and threatening the officials who took part in the suppression of the 1942 disturbances with trial and punishment as war criminals ’ ( Transfer of Power Documents 1942 – 1947 , Vol VI , p. 451 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India at the time as : ‘ Congress feel that HMG dare not break with them —- their aim is power and to get rid of British influence as soon as possible , after which they think they can deal with both Muslims and Princes ; the former by bribery —- and if necessary by force ; the latter by stirring up their people against them .
—- They will continue —- until they consider themselves strong enough to —- revolt against British rule ’ .
( Transfer of Power Documents , Volume @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The British Prime Minister , Clement Attlee thought , ‘ The situation might so develop as to result in a civil war in India , with all the bloodshed which that would entail ’ ( Transfer of Power Documents 1942-1947 , Vol .
IX , P. 319 ) .
He had decided to hand over power to avoid such an eventuality .
He would have much preferred if India remained united but when the Cabinet Mission failed in 1946 , the only option left open was to partition the country .
To get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the latter was assured that it will be done in such a way that Pakistan will not be a viable country and unlikely to survive for long .
Mr. Gandhi had dispatched an emissary from his own entourage , Sudhir Ghosh , to London to liaise privately with the Labour Government .
While studying at Cambridge he had established durable links with Quakers and Labour politicians , including Pethick-Lawrence and Cripps .
Privately , the former considered him a ‘ vexatious embarrassment ’ while Wavell referred to him as ‘ that little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the grass with a very swollen head ’ .
Nonetheless , he remained Mr.Gandhi ’ s man for making back-room deals with the Labour Party .
His first mission was to arrange for the removal of Wavell and replace him with someone more acceptable to Congress .
A telephone conversation between Vallabhbhai Patel in Delhi and Sudhir Ghosh in London on 28th August was intercepted and reported to Wavell .
In it Patel was heard saying ‘ Cripps had promised if there was any disturbance in Calcutta , he will order Section 93 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the imposition of Governor ’ s Rule in Bengal ) .
What is he doing ’ ?
Ghosh told him that Cripps was out of the country but he would take up the matter with another minister .
Patel then told him to remain in the country and await further orders ‘ We are taking charge on 2nd September ’ ( Liberty or Death : India ’ s Journey to Independence and Division , by Patrick French , p. 254 ) .
There could not be clearer evidence that at least some members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Congress .
Earlier , Wavell had recorded that the Cabinet Mission had been ‘ unable to remain really impartial ’ and had been ‘ living in the pocket of Congress ’ , further concluding the Mission ‘ might have succeeded had Cripps and Pethick-Lawrence not been so completely in the Congress camp ’ ( Wavell : The Viceroy ’ s Journal , edited by Penderel Moon , pp .
287 , 324 ) .
Jinnah wrote to Attlee , with a copy to Churchill that the conduct of the Cabinet Delegation had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government and shaken the confidence of Muslim India ’ and ‘ shattered their hopes for an honourable and peaceful settlement ’ ( Transfer of Power Documents , Vol .
VII , p. 527 ) .
Wavell sent transcripts of the intercepts of telephone conversations Ghosh had with Gandhi to Attlee , with a note of protest stating ‘ I can not continue to be responsible for the affairs in India if some members of your Government are keeping in touch with the Congress through an independent agent behind my back ’ ( Transfer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
328-9 ) .
It had become a familiar refrain .
There had been frequent complaints from him and his staff about the ‘ lack of realism and honesty ’ on the part of the cabinet in London ( Wavell : pp .
397-409 ) .
Sudhir Ghosh did not cut much ice with Secretary of State for India , Lord Pethick-Lawrence but found Attlee ‘ a great deal more understanding ’ , who told him in early September 1946 that ‘ there was a good case for a new viceroy but there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unless he was in a position to find someone who was obviously better than the present occupant of the post ’ ( The Collected Works of Mahatama Gandhi , VXXXV , p. 518 ) .
The Transfer of Power record , as well as Wavell ’ s own journal , is replete with pleas and exhortations on the subject while stressing the need for honesty , fair play and justice .
Wavell was no politician and obviously had not adjusted to their ways .
It made him an obstacle both for Congress as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time had come for him to go home for their scheme to be put into effect as envisaged .
After the Japanese surrendered , Nehru had gone to Burma as a guest of Mountbatten .
Following their discussions , Krishna Menon , who was an influential member and councilor for the Labour Party in Britain , conveyed it to the British Minister and Congress sympathiser , Stafford Cripps in a secret meeting that Mountbatten ’ s selection would be most acceptable to Congress ( Freedom at Midnight , by Larry Collins and Dominique @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In mid-December 1946 Attlee sounded out Mountbatten to replace Wavell as the viceroy in India .
He took over on 24th .
March 1947 while still remaining in regular contact with Krishna Menon .
In one of his letters to Mountbatten after a meeting with Attlee , Menon informed him : ‘ no lack of desire on the part of the P.M to be of assistance .
I found there and everywhere else that the Fuhrer ( Jinnah ) had overplayed his hand ’ ( Transfer of Power Documents , Vol .
XII @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had already agreed to the creation of Pakistan composed of provinces having a majority of Muslims provided parts of Punjab and Bengal , where Muslims were in minority , were joined with India .
There is evidence to suggest that based on assurances given to them , Congress leaders accepted Pakistan only as a stopgap measure .
In a letter to India ’ s representative in China , K. P. S Menon on 29th April 1947 , Nehru wrote that he was in no doubt eventually India would have to become one country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was but a stepping stone on the path towards that goal ( Nehru : The Making of India , by M. J. Akbar , London , 1989 , p. 405 ) .
To ensure this happened , India withheld Pakistan ’ s share of finances and other assets after independence .
Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck , who became Supreme Commander of both India and Pakistan after Partition reported to Whitehall on 28th September 1947 : ‘ I have no hesitation whatever in affirming that the present India Cabinet are implacably determined to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the establishment of the Dominion of Pakistan on a firm basis .
In this , I am supported by the unanimous opinion of my senior officers , and indeed by all British officers cognizant of the situation , ( Auchinleck , by John Connel , London , 1959 , p. 1379 ) .
British complicity in the nefarious scheme is clear from minutes of the meeting Mountbatten had with the Provincial Governors on 15th April 1947 .
In it he told them ‘ —— partition of India would be a most serious potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision would also give Pakistan a greater chance to fail on its demerits .
The great problem was to reveal the limits of Pakistan so that the Muslim League could revert to an unified India with honour ’ .
When the Acting Governor of Bengal informed him that in the event of partition , ‘ Eastern Bengal alone was not a going concern and never would be .
It could not feed itself —- It would become a rural slum —- Muslims knew it as well as Hindus , so they felt that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Hindus ) to partition Bengal was to torpedo Pakistan ’ , Mountbatten replied , ‘ Anything that resulted in torpedoing Pakistan was of advantage in that it led the way back to a more common-sense solution ’ ( Transfer of Power Documents , Vol .
X , pp .
242 -244 , 250 and Shameful Flight , by Stanley Wolpert , p. 142 ) .
It had been originally announced that the transfer of power was to take place on 30th June 1948 .
Citing the example of Irish independence when Britain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to agree on the modalities of the transfer of power to Ireland , Jinnah asked for more time .
Instead , for good measure , Mountbatten advanced the date to 15th August 1947 giving Jinnah less than two months to set up a new country !
Not only that , eight tehsils in central Punjab adjoining Pakistan , including Ajnala , Gurdaspur , Batala , Jullunder , Nakodar , Ferozepur , Zira , Fazilka and parts of Shakargarh and Lahore where Muslims were in majority , were all awarded to India to ensure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control of rivers flowing into Pakistan .
Over and above all this , even before she could get established , Pakistan had to accommodate and settle nine million destitute refugees from India .
The fact that she survived and prospered and continues to do so against all odds can only be attributed to the resilience , fortitude , determination , unity of purpose and spirit of sacrifice of her people .

K. Hussan Zia
When the idea of a separate state or states to safeguard the interests of Muslims of India was first officially adopted by the Muslim League at its annual session in March 1940 it met with strong opposition not only by the Congress and other Hindu parties but also by the British as well as Muslim religious parties including Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, the Ahrars as well as Khaksars. The latter made two attempts on Jinnah’s life and even succeeded in wounding him on one occasion.
In August 1942, the Akali Sikh leader Gayani Kartar Singh proclaimed in Amritsar, ‘If Pakistan is foisted upon the Sikhs with the help of British bayonets, we shall tear it into shreds as Guru Gobind Singh tore up the Mughal Empire’ (‘A History of the Sikhs, vol. 2, by Khushwant Singh, New Delhi, 1991, p. 252).
Master Tara Singh threatened a Sikh uprising and declared an ‘Anti-Pakistan Day’ on 11th March 1947. In a fiery speech from the steps of the Provincial Legislature he denounced Muslims, Jinnah and Pakistan ‘Our motherland is calling for blood and we shall satiate the thirst of our motherland with blood —- I have sounded the bugle. Finish the Muslim League’.
He then proclaimed the Sikh slogan ‘Raj karay ga Khalsa baki rahay na ko’ (only the pure Sikhs will rule; no one else will survive) and proceeded to hack down the pole bearing the Muslim League flag and tore the banner to shreds with his kirpan (dagger) to the shouts of Pakistan Murdabad —- death to Pakistan (The Punjab Boundary Force and the Problem of Order, August 1947, vol.8, by Robin Jeffrey, as quoted by French).
How Pakistan came into being despite such formidable opposition is a question that is often asked. The simple answer lies in the conviction and resolve of the Muslims of India to have a space of their own where they could live freely, without being dominated by the Hindus. Exhausted by the long war, Britain realized she could no longer hold on and decided to give India her freedom. It only remained to be decided in what form power should be transferred to avoid chaos and possible civil war.
A country-wide election to the Central and Provincial Assemblies was held at the end of 1945 in which the Congress Party fielded candidates on the Muslim as well as non-Muslim seats for a united India. Muslim League, on the other hand, contested only in the seats reserved for the Muslims as did various other Islamic religious and regional parties like the Unionists, that had opposed the creation of Pakistan.
Muslim League won eighty-seven percent of the Muslim votes cast and every single seat reserved for them in the Central Assembly. It also won 428 of the total 492 (87 percent) seats in the Provincial Assemblies. In Sind, it won all but one seat. In Bengal, the League collared ninety percent of the vote. In NWFP it fell one vote short of a majority in the Assembly and Dr. Khan Sahib of the Khudaee Khidmatgars formed the government with the help of the Congress Party. In Punjab, the League bagged 79 of the 86 seats reserved for Muslims and was the largest party in the Assembly but the Governor called on Sir Khizar Hayat Tiwana, who’s Unionist Party had only ten seats, to form the government in collaboration with Congress and assorted Hindu and Sikh groups.
The election firmly established two facts —- that the Muslims did not want to be a part of Hindu-dominated united India and secondly, it was only the Muslim League that represented the interest and aspirations of their vast majority.
There were intelligence reports that the Congress was soon going to embark on plans to overthrow the government through a large-scale mass movement. Viceroy Wavell cabled Pethick-Lawrence, the British secretary of state that Congress leaders had been making speeches ‘intended to provoke or pave the way for mass disorder —- asserting that the British could be turned out of India within a very short time; denying the possibility of a compromise with the Muslim League; glorifying the INA; and threatening the officials who took part in the suppression of the 1942 disturbances with trial and punishment as war criminals’ (Transfer of Power Documents 1942 – 1947, Vol VI, p. 451).
Wavell assessed the political situation in India at the time as: ‘Congress feel that HMG dare not break with them —- their aim is power and to get rid of British influence as soon as possible, after which they think they can deal with both Muslims and Princes; the former by bribery —- and if necessary by force; the latter by stirring up their people against them. —- They will continue —- until they consider themselves strong enough to —- revolt against British rule’. (Transfer of Power Documents, Volume IX, pp. 240-2).
The British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee thought, ‘The situation might so develop as to result in a civil war in India, with all the bloodshed which that would entail’ (Transfer of Power Documents 1942-1947, Vol. IX, P. 319). He had decided to hand over power to avoid such an eventuality. He would have much preferred if India remained united but when the Cabinet Mission failed in 1946, the only option left open was to partition the country. To get the Congress Party to agree to it, the latter was assured that it will be done in such a way that Pakistan will not be a viable country and unlikely to survive for long.
Mr. Gandhi had dispatched an emissary from his own entourage, Sudhir Ghosh, to London to liaise privately with the Labour Government. While studying at Cambridge he had established durable links with Quakers and Labour politicians, including Pethick-Lawrence and Cripps. Privately, the former considered him a ‘vexatious embarrassment’ while Wavell referred to him as ‘that little rat’ and a ‘snake in the grass with a very swollen head’. Nonetheless, he remained Mr.Gandhi’s man for making back-room deals with the Labour Party. His first mission was to arrange for the removal of Wavell and replace him with someone more acceptable to Congress.
A telephone conversation between Vallabhbhai Patel in Delhi and Sudhir Ghosh in London on 28th August was intercepted and reported to Wavell. In it Patel was heard saying ‘Cripps had promised if there was any disturbance in Calcutta, he will order Section 93 (dissolution of Muslim League Government and the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Bengal). What is he doing’? Ghosh told him that Cripps was out of the country but he would take up the matter with another minister. Patel then told him to remain in the country and await further orders ‘We are taking charge on 2nd September’ (Liberty or Death: India’s Journey to Independence and Division, by Patrick French, p. 254). There could not be clearer evidence that at least some members of the Labour Government were colluding with the Congress.
Earlier, Wavell had recorded that the Cabinet Mission had been ‘unable to remain really impartial’ and had been ‘living in the pocket of Congress’, further concluding the Mission ‘might have succeeded had Cripps and Pethick-Lawrence not been so completely in the Congress camp’ (Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal, edited by Penderel Moon, pp. 287, 324). Jinnah wrote to Attlee, with a copy to Churchill that the conduct of the Cabinet Delegation had ‘impaired the honour of the British Government and shaken the confidence of Muslim India’ and ‘shattered their hopes for an honourable and peaceful settlement’ (Transfer of Power Documents, Vol. VII, p. 527).
Wavell sent transcripts of the intercepts of telephone conversations Ghosh had with Gandhi to Attlee, with a note of protest stating ‘I cannot continue to be responsible for the affairs in India if some members of your Government are keeping in touch with the Congress through an independent agent behind my back’ (Transfer of power Documents, VIII, pp. 328-9). It had become a familiar refrain. There had been frequent complaints from him and his staff about the ‘lack of realism and honesty’ on the part of the cabinet in London (Wavell: pp. 397-409).
Sudhir Ghosh did not cut much ice with Secretary of State for India, Lord Pethick-Lawrence but found Attlee ‘a great deal more understanding’, who told him in early September 1946 that ‘there was a good case for a new viceroy but there was no sense in making a change unless he was in a position to find someone who was obviously better than the present occupant of the post’ (The Collected Works of Mahatama Gandhi, VXXXV, p. 518). The Transfer of Power record, as well as Wavell’s own journal, is replete with pleas and exhortations on the subject while stressing the need for honesty, fair play and justice. Wavell was no politician and obviously had not adjusted to their ways. It made him an obstacle both for Congress as well as the British Government and the time had come for him to go home for their scheme to be put into effect as envisaged.
After the Japanese surrendered, Nehru had gone to Burma as a guest of Mountbatten. Following their discussions, Krishna Menon, who was an influential member and councilor for the Labour Party in Britain, conveyed it to the British Minister and Congress sympathiser, Stafford Cripps in a secret meeting that Mountbatten’s selection would be most acceptable to Congress (Freedom at Midnight, by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, foot note p.19). In mid-December 1946 Attlee sounded out Mountbatten to replace Wavell as the viceroy in India.
He took over on 24th. March 1947 while still remaining in regular contact with Krishna Menon. In one of his letters to Mountbatten after a meeting with Attlee, Menon informed him: ‘no lack of desire on the part of the P.M to be of assistance. I found there and everywhere else that the Fuhrer (Jinnah) had overplayed his hand’ (Transfer of Power Documents, Vol. XII, p.255). The Congress Party had already agreed to the creation of Pakistan composed of provinces having a majority of Muslims provided parts of Punjab and Bengal, where Muslims were in minority, were joined with India.
There is evidence to suggest that based on assurances given to them, Congress leaders accepted Pakistan only as a stopgap measure. In a letter to India’s representative in China, K. P. S Menon on 29th April 1947, Nehru wrote that he was in no doubt eventually India would have to become one country and it could well be that Partition was but a stepping stone on the path towards that goal (Nehru: The Making of India, by M. J. Akbar, London, 1989, p. 405).
To ensure this happened, India withheld Pakistan’s share of finances and other assets after independence. Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, who became Supreme Commander of both India and Pakistan after Partition reported to Whitehall on 28th September 1947: ‘I have no hesitation whatever in affirming that the present India Cabinet are implacably determined to do all in their power to prevent the establishment of the Dominion of Pakistan on a firm basis. In this, I am supported by the unanimous opinion of my senior officers, and indeed by all British officers cognizant of the situation, (Auchinleck, by John Connel, London, 1959, p. 1379).
British complicity in the nefarious scheme is clear from minutes of the meeting Mountbatten had with the Provincial Governors on 15th April 1947. In it he told them ‘—— partition of India would be a most serious potential source of war. —– A quick decision would also give Pakistan a greater chance to fail on its demerits. The great problem was to reveal the limits of Pakistan so that the Muslim League could revert to an unified India with honour’. When the Acting Governor of Bengal informed him that in the event of partition, ‘Eastern Bengal alone was not a going concern and never would be. It could not feed itself —- It would become a rural slum —- Muslims knew it as well as Hindus, so they felt that the object of the cry (by the Hindus) to partition Bengal was to torpedo Pakistan’, Mountbatten replied, ‘Anything that resulted in torpedoing Pakistan was of advantage in that it led the way back to a more common-sense solution’ (Transfer of Power Documents, Vol. X, pp. 242 -244, 250 and Shameful Flight, by Stanley Wolpert, p. 142).
It had been originally announced that the transfer of power was to take place on 30th June 1948. Citing the example of Irish independence when Britain had taken more than two years just to agree on the modalities of the transfer of power to Ireland, Jinnah asked for more time. Instead, for good measure, Mountbatten advanced the date to 15th August 1947 giving Jinnah less than two months to set up a new country! Not only that, eight tehsils in central Punjab adjoining Pakistan, including Ajnala, Gurdaspur, Batala, Jullunder, Nakodar, Ferozepur, Zira, Fazilka and parts of Shakargarh and Lahore where Muslims were in majority, were all awarded to India to ensure the latter had access to Kashmir and control of rivers flowing into Pakistan.


veteranstoday--2020-12-26--Nutsofuggity: Trump Held Prisoner in Mar a Lago by Taylor Swift and ISIS, and the “truth” behind the

Nutsofuggity: Trump Held Prisoner in Mar a Lago by Taylor Swift and ISIS, and the “truth” behind the Nashville attack

Mitch McConnell and a group of democrats , working with ISIS and its new leader , Taylor Swift , are trying to “ re-rig ” ( is that a word ? )
the presidential election on behalf of the “ Deep State ” ( of course ) by preventing # therealdonaldtrump from using the national emergency broadcast network to warn the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers .
There are other theories as well and Trump is backing them all… Trump seems to be held prisoner in Mar a Lago and can only communicate using this system .
Trump is now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national broadcasting system to inform “ American Patriots ” ( crooked police , terrorists ) of what he now calls “ bipartisan national corruption.
” Trump supporters claim Taylor Swift is behind it all !
Trump says the “ Deep State ” blew up the AT & T “ wireless hub ” in Nashville in order to silence him as though he didn ’ t have access to Fox News on a 24 hour a day basis for his rambling insanity .
The AT & T system , set up during the Cold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in case Trump ’ s friends , the Russians , attack the US using nuclear weapons .

VT: Here’s Trump’s newest conspiracy:
Mitch McConnell and a group of democrats, working with ISIS and its new leader, Taylor Swift, are trying to “re-rig” (is that a word?) the presidential election on behalf of the “Deep State” (of course) by preventing #therealdonaldtrump from using the national emergency broadcast network to warn the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
Also important to note that President Trump was set to test the Emergency Broadcast System around the time that these "explosions" happened. Equally important is the perceived "threat" with the upcoming rally in DC on Jan 6th…
There are other theories as well and Trump is backing them all…
MAGA: They blew up the Georgia Dominion machines being audited in Nashville because it'd prove Trump won! Rational Person: Georgia did a complete hand recount. Biden won. MAGA: They blew up the Georgia Dominion machines being audited in Nashville because it'd prove Trump won! — Way Cool Jr (@Waycooljr62) December 26, 2020
Trump seems to be held prisoner in Mar a Lago and can only communicate using this system.
Invoke the National Emergency Broadcast System, seize control over the treasonous media, broadcast all the evidence of vote fraud and urge the American people to demand Congress vote for the Trump electors on Jan. 6th.👆🏼🌟🇺🇸🚩🚩🚩 pic.twitter.com/SjZHZcQIRx — Tania (@Sleephead2) December 26, 2020
Trump is now claiming he wanted to use the wireless national broadcasting system to inform “American Patriots” (crooked police, terrorists) of what he now calls “bipartisan national corruption.”
Trump supporters claim Taylor Swift is behind it all!
My mom is convinced the Nashville explosion has something to do w ISIS & Taylor Swift. You can’t make this up, I’m in hell rn — Min (@malizabethc) December 25, 2020
"Taylor Swift's silence on Ukraine is deafening"
"It's time for Taylor Swift to denounce ISIS"
"Swift fails to address Chinese aggression" — SwiftOnSecurity (@SwiftOnSecurity) February 26, 2017
Trump says the “Deep State” blew up the AT&T “wireless hub” in Nashville in order to silence him as though he didn’t have access to Fox News on a 24 hour a day basis for his rambling insanity.
The AT&T system, set up during the Cold War, is used to notify Americans in case Trump’s friends, the Russians, attack the US using nuclear weapons.


veteranstoday--2020-12-26--DOJ Declares War on Reality, Sets to Disprove Mueller Report before Biden Makes it Public

VT : The US Department of Justice has taken on an impossible and momentous task , which they hope to accomplish in the next twenty days .
They are going to prove that all Trump opponents , including some at VT ( Trump has many friends here as well , RDS , Harris , Shrimpton among others…including editors ) are really paid Russian spies .
No , we aren ’ t kidding…a full scale investigation is underway , left in place by Barr before departing .
Evidence used comes from QAnon , InfoWars and worse , all accepted as “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up charges against any investigative journalists or political figures who have been critical of Trump and his long partnership with the Russian mob .
By doing so , they are to use expanded executive and unconstitutional authority to make water run uphill .
Their task , and VT is extremely familiar for reasons not given , is to stage a challenge to gravity and reality as we know it , recognizing that as of January 20 , 2021 , the full Mueller Report citing Trump ’ s numerous crimes and Russian backed conspiracies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer be protected by a GOP/Russian controlled DOJ .
Back in 2017 , the Washington Post outlined the real ties with Russia , Wilber Ross , Kushner and Putin ’ s son in law , “ Shamilov ” who partnered with Kushner in a Moscow based energy firm .
Below , some of the informal studies of the extremely extensive ties between Donald Trump and Russia that have been outlined in book after book , numerous investigations but have been censored , schmeared or suppressed by the oligarchs that control not only Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well .

VT: The US Department of Justice has taken on an impossible and momentous task, which they hope to accomplish in the next twenty days. They are going to prove that all Trump opponents, including some at VT (Trump has many friends here as well, RDS, Harris, Shrimpton among others…including editors) are really paid Russian spies.
No, we aren’t kidding…a full scale investigation is underway, left in place by Barr before departing. Evidence used comes from QAnon, InfoWars and worse, all accepted as “gospel.”
They are trying to work up charges against any investigative journalists or political figures who have been critical of Trump and his long partnership with the Russian mob. By doing so, they are to use expanded executive and unconstitutional authority to make water run uphill.