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Illjwamh

This Day In History

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2 hours ago, CritterKeeper said:

If you're wondering if anyone noticed or cares that you missed yesterday, the answer is yes. ;-)

Clearly, this is Illjwamh's creation.  And as such, he has the right to post the daily historia.

But we should not demand or expect one person to do this job.

At what point each day is it acceptable for someone else to jump in the game?

For example, If I were noting April 7 in history, I might have mentioned...

1141 - Empress Matilda becomes the first female ruler of England using the title 'Lady of the English'.  The Australians will later note her dancing prowess.

1506 - Birth of Francis Xavier, founder of the Jesuit Order.  He would begin his missionary voyage to the East Indies on the same day in 1541.  The Academy for Gifted Youngsters in Salem Center would come much later.

1906 - Mount Vesuvius erupts, devastating Naples.  The damage leaves Rome unable to host the scheduled 1908 Olympic games prompting the Olympic Committee to move the upcoming events to London.

1933 - Although the Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution (Prohibition) would not actually be repealed until December, a legislative work-around was enacted.  The Cullen-Harrison Act legally declared Beer of 3.2% alcohol by weight (4.05% alcohol by volume) to NOT be an intoxicating beverage.

1954 - Jackie Chan is born in Hong Kong.  The performance is delivered in a single take.

1999 - The World Trade Organization rules in favor of the United States in a long running trade dispute with the European Union over Bananas.
Because, Bananas.

Edited by Pharaoh RutinTutin
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April 8

1093 - The new Winchester Cathedral is dedicated by the Norman Bishop (and relative of William the Conqueror) Walkelin.  In 873 years, it would bring Geoff Stephens down.

1818 - Christian IX of Denmark, the Father in Law of Europe, is born in Gottorf Castle.  Less than a century later on the eve of the First World War, nearly every Royal in Europe would be descended ether from King Christian or Britain's Queen Victoria, if not both.  Apparently being related did nothing to prevent these leaders from escalating the conflicts.

1820 - The statue commonly known as the Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean Island of Milos.  Critics find the sculpture disarming.

1918 - Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Ford née Bloomer, future First Lady of the United States, is born in Chicago.  Her public battles with Alcoholism and Opioid addiction after leaving the White House would lead to establishing the Betty Ford Clinic and changing the public perception of rehabilitation from dependency.  Not bad for a woman who married a lawyer that turned down two NFL contracts.

1993 - The Republic of Macedonia joins the United Nations.  Alexander is not available for comment although no additional weeping is heard.

2013 - Annette Funicello and Margaret Thatcher die on the same day.

And since the declaration of the Fourth World Romani Congress in Serock, Poland in 1990, April 8 has been International Romani Day.

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April 9, 1940.

Denmark is invaded by the Nazis and is taken completely by surprise. The Danish air force, consisting of only a few fixed-undercarriage fighter planes, is destroyed on the ground. The occupying forces quickly overrun all defences. The Danish government, which had relied on its declaration of neutrality, decides that the situation is hopeless and orders all its armed forces to stand down. The Luftwaffe drops fliers on all major Danish cities, stating the Nazi intent to 'protect' Denmark from British aggression. Five years of occupation follow where the Nazis steadily tighten the screws, culminating in 1943 with first the arrest and internment of all Danish police officers and then the application of the Final Solution to all Danish Jews, LGBTQ, disabled, Rom, mentally ill, suspected Communists, the 'racially impure' as well as anyone the Nazis thought looked at them funny. Happily some German diplomat took his life in his hands by sending out advance warning. Thus many slated for the camps managed to escape to Sweden, by a hair's breadth avoiding incarceration, starvation, unimaginable brutality and probable mass executions or alternately being worked to death. Denmark as a whole suffered a massive national trauma that it took decades to live down and to this day we fly our flags at half mast on April the Ninth.

We never called it the day that would live in infamy. There was no need. It managed that fine on its own.

 

April 9, 2018.

Today in history, many people will continue to argue that those poor misunderstood Nazis have a right to freedom of speech so they may promulgate their message of hatred, mass murder and dictatorship. By some strange happenstance, these defenders tend not to be on the abovementioned list of those slated for the extermination camps.

Edited by The Old Hack
Typo.

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10 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

April 9, 2018.

Today in history, many people will continue to argue that those poor misunderstood Nazis have a right to freedom of speech so they may promulgate their message of hatred, mass murder and dictatorship. By some strange happenstance, these defenders tend not to be on the abovementioned list of those slated for the extermination camps.

Actually nazis do and should have Freedom of Speech but the reasons have nothing to do with sympathy or pity for them.

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10 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

Actually nazis do and should have Freedom of Speech but the reasons have nothing to do with sympathy or pity for them.

Unfortunately aforesaid sympathy does exist and the Nazis do not hesitate to make use of it. As to the political argument I shall not engage in it here, merely recall to mind Popper's paradox and hope it may somehow be resolved without the destruction of said freedom of speech.

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3 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

Unfortunately aforesaid sympathy does exist and the Nazis do not hesitate to make use of it. As to the political argument I shall not engage in it here, merely recall to mind Popper's paradox and hope it may somehow be resolved without the destruction of said freedom of speech.

I'll simply sign out with Popper's not being the last or only word on the subject...

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4 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

Unfortunately aforesaid sympathy does exist and the Nazis do not hesitate to make use of it. As to the political argument I shall not engage in it here, merely recall to mind Popper's paradox and hope it may somehow be resolved without the destruction of said freedom of speech.

There's always XKCD. Nazi's can say what they want, but we can also tell them to F^*% OFF.

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2 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

I'll simply sign out with Popper's not being the last or only word on the subject...

I should stress that I did not wish it to be, which was why I said 'resolve' rather than holding it up as a warning example. As someone who happens to be on the Nazi target list along with my family and my wife (she is not Jewish, she was born with spina bifida due to her father being poisoned with Agent Orange in Vietnam) I am well aware of the fact that when it comes to Nazis, I tend to err on the side of intolerance. If there is a way to prevent the Nazis from attempting a repeat of their former rather doubtful glories without challenging the First Amendment I am all for it. I merely hope it will be found in time.

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8 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

I should stress that I did not wish it to be, which was why I said 'resolve' rather than holding it up as a warning example. As someone who happens to be on the Nazi target list along with my family and my wife (she is not Jewish, she was born with spina bifida due to her father being poisoned with Agent Orange in Vietnam) I am well aware of the fact that when it comes to Nazis, I tend to err on the side of intolerance. If there is a way to prevent the Nazis from attempting a repeat of their former rather doubtful glories without challenging the First Amendment I am all for it. I merely hope it will be found in time.

I can't speak for Europe where many governments have censorship power, but in the US, where government has very limited censorship power, Nazis live on primarily in the form of Godwin's Law fulfillments.  Not exclusively but primarily.  The people who actually act like nazis over here aren't calling themselves "nazis".

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Godwin's Law referred to a political climate in which comparisons with Nazis happened frequently and unjustly. As XKCD (again) hinted, the law becomes absurd when the comparison is actually logical and fairly applicable. In this time and day, it is perhaps not far from the truth to say that Godwin's Law has largely been repealed. Or at least rolled back.

In short, if it moves like a duck, quacks like a duck and wears swastika armbands on its wings...

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53 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

Actually nazis do and should have Freedom of Speech but the reasons have nothing to do with sympathy or pity for them.

I agree. I prefer the nazis be public about their views - it makes identifying and avoiding them easier.

And one must listen to the views - today in America, most of the people being branded as "nazis" believe in freedom of speech and equal treatment and individual liberty, while some of the ones yelling about how horrible the so-called "nazis" are also push suppression of speech of certain views, differential treatment on the basis of race, and relying on the state to make all major decisions. (Granted, there is also a self-avowed "neo-Nazi" movement that teaches racial separation... on the other hand, some of the people who vocally oppose them also teach racial separation. Is mandatory segregation made better or worse on the basis of who's asking for it?)

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24 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

Godwin's Law referred to a political climate in which comparisons with Nazis happened frequently and unjustly. As XKCD (again) hinted, the law becomes absurd when the comparison is actually logical and fairly applicable. In this time and day, it is perhaps not far from the truth to say that Godwin's Law has largely been repealed. Or at least rolled back.

The primary use for Nazim in the US is still as an ad hominum attack on Political Groups, People Or Opinions I Don't Like.  If XKCD is implying differently, I respectfully disagree. 

I'll agree with the XKCD comic this far: As with Freud and cigars, sometimes a Hitler reference is just a Hitler reference.

26 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

In short, if it moves like a duck, quacks like a duck and wears swastika armbands on its wings...

While history doesn't literally repeat itself, the themes do.

Be concerned about the ones who use nazi tactics, like breaking up political rallies with baseball bats, not the ones who mouth the tired old words.  Remember how nazism spread and be wary of those wearing velvet gloves who want iron-fisted control.
 

5 minutes ago, Don Edwards said:

I agree. I prefer the nazis be public about their views - it makes identifying and avoiding them easier.

Moreover, the best way to preserve an ideology is to drive it underground.  Advancing or defending something like nazism is much harder in the light of day.

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13 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

If XKCD is implying differently, I respectfully disagree. 

I do not really think it did. It is merely that sometimes a Hitler reference is exactly what it is, as you say.

14 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

Be concerned about the ones who use nazi tactics, like breaking up political rallies with baseball bats, not the ones who mouth the tired old words.  Remember how nazism spread and be wary of those wearing velvet gloves who want iron-fisted control.

I agree. Unfortunately if there is one thing Nazis are very good at, it is using Nazi tactics.

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9 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

I agree. Unfortunately if there is one thing Nazis are very good at, it is using Nazi tactics.

Yeah, but nazism, like communism is a opportunistic infection.  It capitalizes on weak hosts and weak spots in strong hosts.  Neither are strong or compelling ideologies on their own merits.  Having been though the whole nazi thing once, I tend to think Western civilization has built up antibodies to it.   You still might see a flareup now and then.  They sell a cream for that.

I'd be far more concerned about a Post-Democratic EU than a resurgence of nazism.

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1 minute ago, Vorlonagent said:

Yeah, but nazism, like communism is a opportunistic infection.  It capitalizes on weak hosts and weak spots in strong hosts.  Neither are strong or compelling ideologies on their own merits.  Having been though the whole nazi thing once, I tend to think Western civilization has built up antibodies to it.   You still might see a flareup now and then.  They sell a cream for that.

I'd be far more concerned about a Post-Democratic EU than a resurgence of nazism.

I disagree. I am equally concerned about both. It is the side we lower our guard against that we will be taken down from. The price of freedom is constant vigilance.

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1 minute ago, The Old Hack said:

I disagree. I am equally concerned about both. It is the side we lower our guard against that we will be taken down from. The price of freedom is constant vigilance.

Agreed, but threat assessment is also important.  A small threat-as long as it *is* a small threat, is a small threat and deserve appropriate attention.  That's the nazis.  A post-Democratic EU is an active, potentially large threat.  You'll drive yourself nuts i you can't keep perspective.

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2 hours ago, Vorlonagent said:

A small threat-as long as it *is* a small threat, is a small threat and deserve appropriate attention.  That's the nazis.  A post-Democratic EU is an active, potentially large threat.

The irony is that it is a revived nationalism akin to Nazism that is one of the largest threats European democracies face, that and foreign sabotage attempts of our elections. Here in Denmark we have one small advantage: direct interference with our voting is very hard as we still use paper ballots. It has benefits, being a minuscule country with only a small population.

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Fascist and Communist ideologies start about as far apart on the political spectrum as you can get.

But these ideologies were used as the justifications for totalitarian regimes.  And from the outside, one totalitarian dictator looks a lot like another.

If you are in the privileged part of the population and are willing to accept the official view, then a totalitarian state means peace, prosperity, efficiency, and stability.  If you are not in privileged part of the population or disagree with the official opinion, the result for you is significantly worse.

There will always be individuals and groups who look at the past and see only what was good (or good for them) and disregard or dismiss the rest.  It is important that real students of history remind everyone of the full story.  Not just the cherry picked and sanitized versions presented by those who are in power or who are aspiring to power.

Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect! -- Owens Lee Pomeroy.

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38 minutes ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Fascist and Communist ideologies start about as far apart on the political spectrum as you can get.

If you consider "complete state control of the economy by making all means of production state-owned, and oppressing anyone who disapproves of anything the state does or the orders it issues" to be radically different from "complete state control of the economy by forcing the owners of the means of production to obey state instructions, and oppressing anyone who disapproves of anything the state does or the orders it issues".

I consider them to be almost identical.

Here's the thing: all systems of government work perfectly with perfect people given perfect information - and are so similar one must read the labels to tell them apart. Unfortunately, perfect people seem to be in rather limited supply, and the same for perfect information. In the face of imperfection, all systems of government fail to varying degrees and with varying severity of impact. We need to choose the system that combines relatively minor failure with relative ease of repair. While remembering that neither the repairmen, nor the system for choosing them, will be perfect.

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17 hours ago, Don Edwards said:

If you consider "complete state control of the economy by making all means of production state-owned, and oppressing anyone who disapproves of anything the state does or the orders it issues" to be radically different from "complete state control of the economy by forcing the owners of the means of production to obey state instructions, and oppressing anyone who disapproves of anything the state does or the orders it issues".

I consider them to be almost identical.

Some might say that communists went so far to the left and fascists so far to the right that they met again on the other side. Personally I think it's a little more complex than that.

Fascism is openly about putting a small group of people (or one person) in a position of extreme power, supposedly for the good of the nation.

Communism is "officially" about giving power to the common people; businesses are controlled by the government, which is controlled by the Party, which in theory is controlled collectively by everyone within it. The problem is that a large group needs leaders, and no communist government I'm aware of has ever had the checks and balances installed to prevent those leaders from becoming effectively dictators. In most cases this was certainly by design, as the first leaders of "communist" governments are almost always the people who led the revolution that created the government in the first place. Still, for everyone besides the leadership, the fact that communism can concentrate so much power in the hands of so few is a bug, not a feature.

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On 4/9/2018 at 7:38 AM, CritterKeeper said:

If you're wondering if anyone noticed or cares that you missed yesterday, the answer is yes. ;-)

Aw, thanks!

I probably won't have something everyday, but it's nice to know people enjoy this kind of thing.

On April 10 in History:

837 - Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth. Of course, Edmond Halley won't be born for another 800 years, so it is known at this time as, "Holy Shit, What The F*** Is That?"

1512 - James V of Scotland, later also James 0 of England, is born. That's it; I have been reduced to recycling jokes.

1606 - A royal charter from James I establishes the Virginia Company of London, for purposes of colonial settlements in North America. They have a low bar to clear; if their first attempt manages not to vanish completely without a trace, it will be considered a success.

1815 - Mount Tambora begins erupting. I say "begins" because it won't stop for another three months. The initial explosion can be heard on Sumatra more than 2,000 miles away, and the resulting changes in weather worldwide lead to the biggest famine of the century. Suck it, Vesuvius.

1816 - The creation of the Second Bank of the United States is approved. "We'll see about this," says Andrew Jackson.

1864 - Maximilian I, a Habsburg and younger brother of Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I, becomes Emperor of Mexico, proving once again that history is a lot crazier than most people realize.

1912 - The RMS Titanic sets sail for America on her maiden voyage to little fanfare. There's so little press coverage that no one even bothers to take a photo. I mean, what's the big deal, right? It's not like we won't see it several hundred more times.

1970 - Paul McCartney leaves the Beatles for "personal and professional reasons". This is code for, "F*** off, I just don't want to be in the Beatles anymore. Mind your business."

1992 - Daisy Ridley is born. Thousands of people will clamor for years to find out who her parents are, only to learn they haven't heard of either of them.

1998 - The people of the UK and Ireland agree to try sharing and cooperating instead of killing each other. It seems to work for them.

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Nice to see more of your "This Day in History" entries, Illjwamh.

Meanwhile, my humble contribution:

April 10 in EGS History:

2002 - Nanase powers up!

2003 - Tedd provides the squirrels in his backyard with a statue. They declare it too girly.

2004 - Dan implies he's going to one day do more stories in the newly named AF04 dimension. We're still waiting.

2006 - The comic is delayed on account of Fire Sheep.

2012 - Tedd starts taking her clothes off in front of Sarah; Sarah is more concerned about not getting a tour.

2015 - Sarah gives Pandora sass.

 

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