20060521 Not Fonda Jane

Not Fonda Jane

May 21st, 2006

Every year, this time of the year, a number of Internet e-mails make the rounds as to what Jane Fonda did or did not do, during the Vietnam War.

Although I am certainly no fan of Ms. Fonda, it is important to have some insight as to what actually happened and what is Internet fiction.

I just went to Snopes and read their take as to what is fact and fiction.

_________________

Hanoi'd with Jane

http://www.snopes.com/military/fonda.asp

“

Claim: Jane Fonda betrayed U.S. POWs during the Viet Nam War.

Status: Multiple:

During a 1972 trip to North Vietnam, Jane Fonda propagandized on behalf of the North Vietnamese government, declared that American POWs were being treated humanely and condemned U.S. soldiers as "war criminals" and later denounced them as liars for claiming they had been tortured: True.

Jane Fonda handed over to their captors the slips of paper POWs pressed upon her: False.

In 1999, Jane Fonda was profiled in ABC's A Celebration: 100 Years of Great Women: True.

"

The article then gives some examples of some of the e-mails that are circulating…

Then, the article goes into great length describing what Snopes believes to be true and what happened. It is a good read.

Read the rest of the lengthy article here: http://www.snopes.com/military/fonda.asp

As far as whether or not Ms. Fonda committed treason – here is the Treason Article of the Constitution, you decide for yourself…

The Constitution of the United States of America -- Article 3, Section 3:
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attained.

####

20051116 Business Associations, Marines and Veterans

Business Associations, Marines, and Veterans

(Includes a brief history of the beginnings of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce)

This column first appeared in the Westminster Eagle on November 16, 2005

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpid=978&show=archivedetails&ArchiveID=1147786&om=1

This version is only different in that I added the footnote for the July 25th, 1924 Democratic Advocate article that I reference in the column…

November 16, 2005 by © Kevin Dayhoff (646 words)

There have been several events in the last several weeks that have kept me busy answering questions. In this short amount of space I’ll try and answer everyone’s questions.

“When did the Chamber of Commerce begin?” The first meeting of the Westminster Chamber of Commerce took place on Wednesday, July 23, 1924. This organization became the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce on January 1, 1973.

According to an article in the Democratic Advocate on July 25, 1924[1], T. W. Mather, Jr., Charles W. Klee and C. Edgar Nusbaum called a meeting of “75 citizens” at the Westminster Fire Hall on Wednesday afternoon, July 23, 1924 “to consider and hear the views of the business men as to the advisability of forming a Chamber of Commerce for this city.” Officers elected during the meeting were: President, C. Edgar Nusbaum; Vice President, Miller Richardson; Executive Committee, Joseph Mathias, Carroll Albaugh, D. S. Gehr, W. H. Davis, William N. Keefer, Joseph E. Hunter and T. W. Mather, Jr.

Yes, according to a history of the Chamber written by Diana Scott, the Chamber did, at one time, maintain an office in Westminster City Hall. I should also note that the Carroll County Public Schools also maintained their offices in City Hall many years ago.

More research is needed as to what was the first “business association” in Carroll County? The Chamber was formed 26 years after another business organization in Westminster called the “Retailers' Association of Westminster, Maryland” formed on April 6, 1898 “for the purpose of the development and growth of the city and for mutual protection” against the railroad.

On April 9, 1898, the Democratic Advocate mentions that after the first meeting of the Retailers’ Association, a second meeting was to take place Monday, April 11, 1898. Of note is the fact that members of the “Merchants and Manufacturers Association” were invited. Apparently this association pre-dated the Retailers’ Association? A quick review of a Westminster directory published on January 1, 1887 by the Democratic Advocate, has no mention of any merchant’s association.

As for the many questions about Veteran’s Day: For this column, all this writer has to say about protesting for or against any war is that such protests are a cherished American right, for which men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice. Our First Amendment rights are their rights, too.

On Friday, October 3, 1862, The American Sentinel wrote a lengthy editorial commenting on the number of Carroll citizens who were seeking medical deferments to avoid the Civil War draft. The Sentinel referred to this phenomenon the "Democratic Anti-War Fever" and remarked: “It has never been known to prove fatal, nor even affect the appetite, but always resulting in a total destruction of the organ of patriotism.”

On the other hand, it was in April 1898 that the tension over the fate of Cuba erupted into the Spanish-American War. In an April 19, 1998 article in the Carroll County Times, Jay Graybeal wrote that “local reformer” Mary B. Shellman, Georgia Buckingham and Denton Gehr promoted the cause of “Free Cuba” in 1898 “in a play at the Westminster Odd Fellows Hall.”

As for a question about the U.S. Marine Corps birthday: it is the day before Veteran’s Day. On November 10, 1775 the Continental Congress commissioned Samuel Nicholas to raise several Battalions of Marines. Nicholas established a recruiting station at “Tun Tavern” in Philadelphia.

Yes, Carroll County does have a place in Marine Corps history. According to a July 7, 1996 article by Jay Graybeal in the Carroll County Times, on June 11, 1898, the first Marine killed in the Spanish-American War was from Carroll County. Sgt. Charles H. Smith was killed during the capture of Guantanamo Bay and “… buried with full military honors in Deer Park Methodist Cemetery near his parent's home in Smallwood…. More than 2,000 people attended the funeral.”

Next question?

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org

####

[1] To Have Chamber Of Commerce—At the call of T. W. Mather, Jr., Charles W. Klee and C. Edgar Nusbaum, well known business men and boosters of Westminster, about 75 citizens from this city gathered at the Firemen's building, Wednesday afternoon to consider and hear the views of the business men as to the advisability of forming a Chamber of Commerce for this city. The meeting was opened by electing William T. Mather, Jr., temporary chairman, and J. Thomas Anders secretary. The chairman asked for the men to express themselves on the subject, which brought forth opinions of a number, which lead to the election of officers. The officers elected are to make plans and set the wheels in motion for a successful beginning of the organization. They are President, C. Edgar Nusbaum; Vice President, Miller Richardson; Executive Committee, Joseph Mathias, Carroll Albaugh, D. S. Gehr, W. H. Davis, William N. Keefer, Joseph E. Hunter and T. W. Mather, Jr. Democratic Advocate, July 25, 1924.

20051111 TT Veterans Day

Veterans Day

November 11, 2005

http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=1343

By Kevin E. Dayhoff

“My family is going to go to Gettysburg on Veterans Day. What’s Veterans Day?” The words come from a little sandy-haired child as I was leaving an elementary school in Westminster after giving a talk to two third grade classes on “Living in Carroll County.”

I was already running late for my next appointment. I immediately decided that I was not going to arrive at my next appointment on time and “dropped everything” to talk with him about Gettysburg and Veteran’s Day.

I haven’t a clue as to why he asked the question. Who knows why children say what they say, or ask the questions they ask.

During my talk I had mentioned that “Corbitt’s Charge” took place in Westminster several days before the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. It was only a passing reference with hardly any emphasis. All I know is that this boy has special parents and his question was a heaven sent opportunity to talk with a young child about the value of Veterans Day.

Today is Veterans Day. Many will have the day off. Hopefully you will spend the day as wisely as this boy’s family and set aside some family time to reflect upon the meaning of the day.

Veterans Day is a day of commemoration and honor set aside so that we may celebrate the freedoms that we enjoy and the preservation of American values made possible by dedication and sacrifice of United States’ citizen-soldiers.

A number of years ago I found an excellent short explanation of the origins of “Veterans Day,” written by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I have retyped it below, unedited and in its entirety.

The VFW emphasized that permission was given to reprint the information.

The best way to honor those who made the supreme sacrifice is by educating the next generation regarding the history and value of Veterans Day. Perhaps you might find time at the dinner table this evening to read through it with your family.

Happy Veterans Day. For all our readers who are veterans, please accept a grateful nation’s heartfelt gratitude for your service to preserve our American values – so that we may have the freedom to have a website such as The Tentacle, to exercise our hard earned freedom of speech. Let us never forget that the opportunity to express our opinions came as a result of incredible dedication and sacrifice. God Bless.

________________________________________

“In 1921, an unknown World War I American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. This site, on a hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the City of Washington, became the focal point of reverence for America’s veterans.

“Similar ceremonies occurred earlier in England and France, where an unknown soldier was buried in each nation’s highest place of honor (in England, Westminster Abbey; in France, the Arc de Triomphe). These memorial gestures all took place on November 11, giving universal recognition to the celebrated ending of World War I fighting at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). The day became known as ‘Armistice Day.’

“Armistice Day officially received its name in America in 1926 through a congressional resolution. It became a national holiday 12 years later by similar congressional action. If the idealistic hope had been realized that World War I was “the War to end all Wars,” November 11 might still be called Armistice Day. But only a few years after the holiday was proclaimed, war broke out in Europe. Sixteen-and-one-half million Americans took part. Four hundred seven thousand of them died in service, more than 292,000 in battle.

“Realizing that peace was equally preserved by veterans of WWII and Korea, Congress was requested to make this day an occasion to honor those who have served America in all wars. In 1954 President Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day.

“On Memorial Day 1958, two more unidentified American war dead were brought from oversees and interred in the plaza beside the unknown soldier of World War I. One was killed in World War II, the other in the Korean War.

In 1973, a law passed providing interment of an unknown American from the Vietnam War, but none was found for several years. In 1984, an unknown serviceman from that conflict was placed alongside the others. To honor these men, symbolic of all Americans who gave their lives in all wars, an Army honor guard, The 3d U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), keeps day and night vigil.

“A law passed in 1968 changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.”

####

20040527 POW Congressman Johnson Hanoi Used Kerry Speech

20040527 POW Congressman Johnson Hanoi Used Kerry Speech

POW Congressman: Hanoi Used Kerry Speech, Gore Comments 'Traitorous'

Thursday, May 27, 2004 11:34 a.m. EDT

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/5/27/113857.shtml

POW Congressman: Hanoi Used Kerry Speech, Gore Comments 'Traitorous'

North Vietnamese jailers at the Hanoi Hilton invoked Sen. John Kerry's 1971 anti-war testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to taunt and demoralize U.S. POWs, Vietnam war hero Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, revealed on Wednesday.

Johnson, who spent six years at the infamous prison camp, also called former Vice President Al Gore's remarks yesterday to the radical left-wing group Moveon.org "traitorous."

Asked if he'd heard about Kerry's speech while he was at the Hanoi Hilton, Johnson told WABC Radio's Mark Levin, "Yes, we did."

"[Hanoi Hilton jailers] played stuff on the loudspeaker darn near 24 hours a day - propaganda, of course - telling us about the 'uprisings' in the United States," he said.

A fighter pilot in both Korea and Vietnam, Johnson was shot down on his 87th combat mission in 1966. He spent three and a half of his six POW years in solitary confinement, during which he was repeatedly tortured and had no contact whatsoever with any other American.

A fellow POW Navy captain recalls that Johnson's first words upon being released from solitary were "Lieutenant Colonel Sam Johnson reporting for duty, sir."

Johnson told Levin that his North Vietnamese jailers found the anti-war activities of actress Jane Fonda, who teamed up with Kerry's Vietnam Veterans Against the War in 1970 and '71, to be particularly useful.

"They played her speech to the guys on the front line, where she talked through a loudspeaker and told them to lay down their arms and quit fighting," he recalled. "And John Kerry was part of that anti-war movement."

"He was a Jane Fonda type, if you will," added Johnson, who referred to Kerry on the House floor last month as "Hanoi John." "That's what most of the POWs refer to him as," he explained.

"[Kerry] let the veterans down. When you're in a war you don't go out there badmouthing your fellow soldiers," he noted, referring to Kerry's 1971 speech. "You know, that's a disservice to the veterans."

"Anybody who comes back and works against the best interests of the United States, in my view, doesn't deserve to be president of the United States," the former fighter ace said.

Johnson also weighed in on former Vice President Al Gore's speech to Moveon.org yesterday, where Gore called on top Bush defense and national security officials to resign.

After Levin played a clip from the Gore speech, the Texas Republican was livid, saying that the comments were "as close to being traitorous as I can think of."

"You know what, we're in a war. I think people ought to stop and think about that," Johnson added. "I think that our [soldiers] are doing such a grand job [in Iraq] that they just need to be commended and not slaughtered by traitorous remarks that I just heard."

"Al Gore is no friend of America the way he was talking in those clips you played," he told Levin. "It's just unbelievable to me that anyone would make comments like that about our nation and the war that we're involved in today."

Rep. Johnson's war decorations include two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, one Bronze Star with Valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals and three Outstanding Unit Awards.

He also served as director of the Air Force "Top Gun" Fighter Weapons School.

Editor's note:

 Breaking: The Real Story About John Kerry`s Vietnam Record – Click Here!

20031111 Vets Day idea list of things to send to military in Iraq

Vets Day Idea list of things to send to Military Personnel in Iraq

City of Westminster Office of Mayor Kevin Dayhoff
P. O. Box 710 – City Hall, Westminster, MD, 21158
November 11, 2003

Today, on Veterans Day – as every day, it is important that we not only remember our men and woman in uniform serving our country and protecting our freedoms, but it is particularly important that we do something to support them. One way that you can help our military as they serve us, is to send them some items they need.

Scott Jeznach, who works for The City of Westminster, recently found the following request in the 82nd Airborne Division Association newsletter of October 2003:

Our troops in Iraq are in need of hard-to-get supplies and would be most grateful for any assistance we can give them.

They have requested baby wipes with Aloe, bar soap, deodorant, foot cream, foot powder, sun block, chapstick, disposable razors, shaving cream, hand lotion, q-tips, batteries, fans, insect repellent, paper, pens, envelopes, stamps, nuts, beef jerky, hard candy, gum, snacks and powdered drinks.

December 20th, 2006 UPDATE:

Please send any of the above to

CSM Thomas Beyard
TF AVCRAD 06-08
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait
APO AE 09366

LTC David E. Smith

Division Chaplain

82^nd Airborne Division

APO AE 09384

LTC Smith CSM Thomas Beyard will make the distribution to our troops there.

Please feel free to enclose a note indicating who you are, where you are from, and expressing your support of their work protecting our freedoms.

If you have any questions, please contact Scott Jeznach or Mayor Kevin Dayhoff.

####

2001111 On Veterans Day and Heroes

On Veterans Day and Heroes

Veterans Day Program
November 11, 2001 2:00 PM
At the Old Armory, Westminster, Md.
D.A.V. Old Glory Chapter #22
(c) Remarks by Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff -
At the luncheon after the program at the V.F.W. Post 467
515 words - 3 minutes

__________________________________________________

It is an honor and a privilege to have an opportunity to stand before so many distinguished members of our community and share a few remarks about the meaning of Veteran's Day for me.

For me - it's all about heroes. The real heroes in our lives. September 11th changed - make that appropriately changed - the concept of hero for most Americans. It's a darn shame that we had to have such a dramatic cathartic moment for our collective social conscience to be re-ordered.

But President John F. Kennedy said it best when he said, "Things do not happen, things are made to happen." Now is the time in which we need to make things happen.

For me, September 11th only accentuated feelings that I've always maintained - since childhood. Athletes and movie stars have never been my heroes. I always felt that such hero worship was misplaced, displaced and inappropriate.

I always felt such Hollywood and sports hero worship sent the wrong message to our children and demonstrated a wrong set of values for our community. My heroes have always been teachers, soldiers, police officers, fire fighters and public servants.

One of my heroes - my grandfather, William Earl Wright, served in WWI and was a very proud charter member of Carroll Post #31 of the American Legion.

My father, Ed Frock, Sr., served with the Navy in heavy combat throughout WWII in the Pacific.

My father-in-law, David S. Babylon, Jr., served in WWII. He also served 25 years on Westminster City Council.

My brother-in-law, Colonel William T. Babylon, serves with the 18th Airborne Corps at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Freddy Magsamen, is one of our native sons who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. He was my childhood friend.

As I look out across this audience, and I look into the eyes of the many community leaders here today - I see many true living heroes. We all share the values of the veterans who we are here today recognizing. We stand here today, to pay homage to those, whose commitment and sacrifice to our community are inspirations for us all. Commitment and sacrifice to our community as epitomized by our true living heroes, who contribute daily to our community's quality of life.

To quote another living hero of mine - President George W. Bush. He said in his Inauguration speech on January 20th, 2001:

"America, at its best, is also courageous.

Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defending common dangers defined our common good. Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations."

Indeed, those are the words of another living American hero who is also a visionary. If it is possible, those words are even more true today, than they were when he said them many months ago.

May God bless all those who serve the cause of freedom and may God bless America. Thank you.

####

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org http://www.thetentacle.com/ Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report http://www.thewestminstereagle.com/ www.kevindayhoff.com has moved to http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/