Palomares

In January 1966 a B-52 bomber collided with a KC-135 tanker over Spain spilling its contents of Mk-28 hydrogen bombs.  Three landed near the village of Palomares, the fourth fell into the ocean.  The non-nuclear explosives in two of them detonated contaminating a 2 square kilometer area with plutonium.

Here is a story of the veterans that got stuck cleaning it up.

This isn't a post about Politics

Sheldon Silver, Speaker of the New York Assembly was arrested yesterday on corruption charges.  Silver, whose state salary is $120,000, has earned millions.

“For many years, New Yorkers have asked the question, ‘How could Speaker Silver, one of the most powerful men in New York, earn millions of dollars in outside income without deeply compromising his ability to honestly serve his constituents?’” said US Attorney Bharara. “Today we provide the answer: He didn’t.”

Silver collected more than $3.2 million in referral fees from the law firm after directing more than 100 clients to Weitz & Luxenberg for asbestos litigation, according to the complaint.  But not a single one of the firm's clients ever contacted Silver or spoke with the politician about their cases, even as the law firm kept paying the fees. New York Daily News


NY Mayor De Blasio had this to say:

“Although the charges announced today certainly are very serious I want to note that I’ve always known Shelly Silver to be a man of integrity and he certainly has due process rights and I think it’s important that we let the judicial process play out,”

Due process rights he didn't extend to Michael Grimm (R-NY) who he immediately called upon to resign when charged. 

One Half of One Percent

On this, the 5th of July...

let us consider this:  

During the past decade, as the military has been engaged in the longest period of sustained conflict in the nation’s history, just one-half of one percent of American adults has served on active duty at any given time.

And consider the words of John F Kennedy:

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.  My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

 

You don't need to answer, but ask yourself...

What have you done lately?

Obviously, you don't need to join the military to serve your country, but did you vote? did you protest? did you write your congressman?  Donate to charity? 

Or did you just sit around here on your heels and bitch? 


I fear that for the majority of us, left or right, the relationship with the state has become a fairly one-sided affair.  As I said, you don't need to answer... to anyone but yourself.