Bill....... Pretty much everything you write has the effect of putting me at the "scene of the story" or at least, "in close observation" of same. It is a rare gift you possess. Thank you for continuing to invest your time connecting the words (dots?) that so many of us enjoy daily. ( Never mind the crotchety posts !) Cheers ! dac
If U.S. adversaries consolidated and aligned military installations along the Mexican border with Sheinbaum's approval, what do you think the U.S. military would do?
Putin is aggressive, not stupid.
Merkel and Nuland did western nations no favors by poking the bear...
Ukraine as independent, dependent on NATO, is like China supporting all the States taken from Mexico, Manifest Destiny( has a good ring), as The New Mexican Republic. Which might be the Montezuma’s Revenge of mass Immigration .
completely vanquished the mexicans and had indeed taken the capital.
The u s is still bemoaned as an imperialist. Despite leaving after conquest. Food for thought.Would the Mexican states, today be better off as part of the United States?
And of course the Aztecs were the nicest folks in history! Maybe they should have eaten the prisoners they killed, at least that would have been a partial excuse!
I happened to find myself, in Mexico City, Chapultepec Castle, on the day of Those Infantes Heroes. It was a military school for boys and the Marines stormed the Halls of Montezuma.
Surrounded by hundreds of Mexicans, I felt very small.
I think Lincoln was the only dissenting vote against the war. That was when Congress voted for or against a war.
The ground had been prepared and Fremont and Kearney were on their way to California, one North and one South. Fremont had a little army and cannon, hauled across plains and Mountains. Fremont’s father in law was Hart Benton.
It’s an interesting history. So many what if’s. But we are where we are and must deal with it.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War and resulted in Mexico ceding about 55% of its territory to the United States, including present-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. The U.S. paid Mexico $15 million for this land and established the Rio Grande as the border between Texas and Mexico.
That’s like paying the Indians $24. for Manhattan.
I agree. It was a fantastic deal! Let's ask the residence of those states if they'd rather be part of Mexico. Let's ask the residents of Alaska if they would rather be part of Russia, akin to Siberia.
I don’t know about the Russians; you have Gulag Russians, WW2 Russians. present Russians.
The Mexicans… I don’t see them waving American flags. I conversed with a Mexican, in Spanish, in Arkansas. He had been there 10 years working chickens. “Who would you root for if the US is playing Mexico in soccer. Mexico!!!
I know a lot about Mexicans and Hondurans. I met a Honduran from the Pueblo I was stationed in PC, at a Sam’s Club in Fort Smith, 27 years ago. I also, about 35 years ago, pulled off the Interstate in Des Moines, IA, and the area was all Spanish. Up in North Dakota, during the oil boom, 2016, mostly Hispanic. California is inundated and lost as are the 55% of Mexican land we stole. Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico are Democrats. Just think of that, Goldwater country.
Any country is great to live in if you have money, sometimes the worse are the best.
It’s getting quite difficult for about 60% of Americans.
We also got even better bargains buying a big hunk of land — now part of the contiguous US — from France and from buying what’s now the largest state—Alaska—from Russia
But we kept Guam and Puerto Rico which we acquired by defeating Spain in the Spanish-American war
If I were still a contractor or in the landscape business or a farmer… I would probably be in favor of an invasion that has augmented the population by 75 million since 1960.
Just consider, in 1980, I got a contractors license and built a house. I hired subcontractors I worked with. All Americans and one legal German bricklayer. 80% of houses were built by individuals contractors, houses were custom, many designs.
Today, 90% of houses sloped up by big national builders.
All made possible by cheap immigrant labor. The corporate takeover of the American economy; the demise of family, individual business. Everyone a slave, doing dastardly things to their neighbors required by the heartless; everyone immoral at the behest of a paycheck, everyone does it, I got mine the hell with everyone else mentality.
A few became billionaires, bought to government, screwed the people.
And you, and many others defend it as the American way.
Well, When America was great, it was different. Now, that is dead 💀.
I worked with a guy from Guernsey, bloody hard to understand, but he loved the U.S., belonged to a cowboy action shooting club, and knew more about Old West history than any ten of us natives. Great fun to be with, it would be nice to see those islands. (Couldn't come up with a limerick)
I once met a man from Guernsey. A noted good man on a nice farm that he had. I paid for a sow.
He delivered a cow.
"The best butter." he said. "I need bacon instead." The noted good man and the wife that he had, hid a young man in the shed. The soldiers wanting bacon and no need for butter without bread, Returned to the farm shortly thereafter man and the woman were...
Guernsey is a bovine, named for its breeding origin, for those who don't already know
When secretary of state Seward, a republican, negotiated, the purchase of Alaska for 42 cents an acre the Democrats and media uniformly bemoaned the purchase and called it "Seward's folly."
Come on, come on, lets purchase Greenland. "Trump's folly."
I'm puzzled a bit by the comment that Louisa Gould was sent to Ravensbrook camp. Who sent her there and how? It was a German camp in northern Germany. If she was helping a German, doesn't seem like the Germans would send here there and of course the English could not have sent her there. I might be missing something but would appreciate an explanation. thanks for all the great writing Bill.
Interesting history of the Channel Islands Bill. But is the Isle of Man also a 'Crown Dependency''? In due course, could you do a similar piece on the Isle of Man, that I understand has, an equally compelling history. Thanks, Roly.
I spent a week on Guernsey back in 1978. I went there to research my father's mother's side of the family. In one afternoon at the church, going through the big(!) book of records, I got back to a wedding in the 1770s. One priest had been there for about 50 years. It was fascinating to see his handwriting get better and better as I went farther back in time.
I was on Guernsey Island many years ago and I liked it, very quaint!
There was a series out in 2004 called Island at War and it was about the German occupation of the Channel Islands! I actually have it here, but I haven’t watched it for years!
Just wondering if anybody’s heard anything about three Japanese Central bankers committing suicide? I have no idea if this is true, but it was posted by Hal Turner.
Bill....... Pretty much everything you write has the effect of putting me at the "scene of the story" or at least, "in close observation" of same. It is a rare gift you possess. Thank you for continuing to invest your time connecting the words (dots?) that so many of us enjoy daily. ( Never mind the crotchety posts !) Cheers ! dac
Double like , Daniel PHN
Articles like this make me appreciate being an American. Also what was sacrificed for us to live this way, Great article, Bill!
Bill’s remarks remind me of our species proclivity to take land occupied by others.
Apart from wars to smite those who worship a different god, snatching land has to be the foremost reason we kill each other.
Human history is taught hyphenated by wars of conquest.
The US was founded by Europeans who disposed the indigenous peoples often viciously.
Putin is merely emulating Hitler who acted as presumptively as all other invaders.
At least the US expanded its southwest border by buying, not taking part of Mexico.
Please name any nation that has not been born in conflict.
Putin is not emulating Hitler.
Puleez stop with the Hitler comparisons.
The times now are nowhere near the situation in 1930's.
Putin warned of NATO encroachment, that is the mainstay of what this conflict is about.
After Trump's EU conference, Putin is likely now feeling cornered... escalating the carnage.
Angry, Agree we do that nations are born of conflict.
Disagree we shall that Poland joining Nato prompted Putin to seize Ukraine.
Putin — like all ardent Russian nationalists — does not recognize Ukrainian nationality.
According to them, their land is Russian; their history is Russian; their language merely a dialect of Russian.
Of course, the Ukrainians disagree. Hence, Russia’s invasion.
There must be something in their water that makes Russians, residing in the largest country in the world, want to make Russia become ever larger,
Since WWII, they kept parts of Romania, Japan, Germany, Poland and Finland.
Amazed I am that Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania — also snatched after WWII — escaped the Russian net; more so that they subsequently joined Nato!
...ironically Russia almost Joined NATO.
If U.S. adversaries consolidated and aligned military installations along the Mexican border with Sheinbaum's approval, what do you think the U.S. military would do?
Putin is aggressive, not stupid.
Merkel and Nuland did western nations no favors by poking the bear...
Angry, we agree and disagree anew.
Our disagreement pertains to Putin.
Contrary to your contention, I believe Putin to be arrogantly stupid.
For a massive, mineral rich country with a diminishing population, this modern day
omnipotent Czar is accelerating Russia’s decline.
He’s doing so by encouraging the best and brightest to emigrate and by sending the hapless remaining, draft
-eligible males to the front where their survival is poor.
Putin will be treated poorly by history and especially by Ukrainians.
Ukraine as independent, dependent on NATO, is like China supporting all the States taken from Mexico, Manifest Destiny( has a good ring), as The New Mexican Republic. Which might be the Montezuma’s Revenge of mass Immigration .
Nah. It won’t happen.
But the Mexicans won’t even forget their war with the US
To this day the young soldiers who committed suicide rather than yield to the US forces are lionized
And they are still pissed that Texas refuses to return Gen Santa Anna’s leg
The Us
completely vanquished the mexicans and had indeed taken the capital.
The u s is still bemoaned as an imperialist. Despite leaving after conquest. Food for thought.Would the Mexican states, today be better off as part of the United States?
We wouldn’t have an immigration problem!
Whenever the U.S. takeover of Mexican territory is lamented, the fact Spain butchered the Aztecs seems to escape the conversation.
And of course the Aztecs were the nicest folks in history! Maybe they should have eaten the prisoners they killed, at least that would have been a partial excuse!
I happened to find myself, in Mexico City, Chapultepec Castle, on the day of Those Infantes Heroes. It was a military school for boys and the Marines stormed the Halls of Montezuma.
Surrounded by hundreds of Mexicans, I felt very small.
I think Lincoln was the only dissenting vote against the war. That was when Congress voted for or against a war.
The ground had been prepared and Fremont and Kearney were on their way to California, one North and one South. Fremont had a little army and cannon, hauled across plains and Mountains. Fremont’s father in law was Hart Benton.
It’s an interesting history. So many what if’s. But we are where we are and must deal with it.
You never heard of the Treaty of Hidalgo?
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War and resulted in Mexico ceding about 55% of its territory to the United States, including present-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. The U.S. paid Mexico $15 million for this land and established the Rio Grande as the border between Texas and Mexico.
That’s like paying the Indians $24. for Manhattan.
Get real!
I agree. It was a fantastic deal! Let's ask the residence of those states if they'd rather be part of Mexico. Let's ask the residents of Alaska if they would rather be part of Russia, akin to Siberia.
I don’t know about the Russians; you have Gulag Russians, WW2 Russians. present Russians.
The Mexicans… I don’t see them waving American flags. I conversed with a Mexican, in Spanish, in Arkansas. He had been there 10 years working chickens. “Who would you root for if the US is playing Mexico in soccer. Mexico!!!
I know a lot about Mexicans and Hondurans. I met a Honduran from the Pueblo I was stationed in PC, at a Sam’s Club in Fort Smith, 27 years ago. I also, about 35 years ago, pulled off the Interstate in Des Moines, IA, and the area was all Spanish. Up in North Dakota, during the oil boom, 2016, mostly Hispanic. California is inundated and lost as are the 55% of Mexican land we stole. Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico are Democrats. Just think of that, Goldwater country.
Any country is great to live in if you have money, sometimes the worse are the best.
It’s getting quite difficult for about 60% of Americans.
Yes, we got a bargain ending that war.
We also got even better bargains buying a big hunk of land — now part of the contiguous US — from France and from buying what’s now the largest state—Alaska—from Russia
But we kept Guam and Puerto Rico which we acquired by defeating Spain in the Spanish-American war
I think, the “Remember the Maine” war was fought to control Panama for the canal construction.
We got the Filipine Islands, Cuba. Probably, should have kept them like Hawaii. Maybe, they were too difficult to hold.
Now, we are giving it all back to immigrants. I think Alaska might be a good bolt hole.
Technically, the issue de jour is not with immigrants; it’s with undocumented aliens .
The great majority of whom could become belated documented immigrants if there was a willingness to do so.
It’s not their fault our border is so porous but it’s to our benefit so many have become productive workers and taxpayers.
"It’s not their fault our border is so porous"
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to clown world.
And what do you do to earn your money?
It all depends on how you benefit.
If I were still a contractor or in the landscape business or a farmer… I would probably be in favor of an invasion that has augmented the population by 75 million since 1960.
Just consider, in 1980, I got a contractors license and built a house. I hired subcontractors I worked with. All Americans and one legal German bricklayer. 80% of houses were built by individuals contractors, houses were custom, many designs.
Today, 90% of houses sloped up by big national builders.
All made possible by cheap immigrant labor. The corporate takeover of the American economy; the demise of family, individual business. Everyone a slave, doing dastardly things to their neighbors required by the heartless; everyone immoral at the behest of a paycheck, everyone does it, I got mine the hell with everyone else mentality.
A few became billionaires, bought to government, screwed the people.
And you, and many others defend it as the American way.
Well, When America was great, it was different. Now, that is dead 💀.
Xavier- You’re reflecting the same attitude of many of our forebears
In the 1850’s, it was Keep out the Irish.
In the 1870’s it was put the Native Americans on reservations.
In the 1890’s, it was Keep out the Chinese.
In the 1940’s, it was put the Japanese-Americans in guarded compounds.
Now it’s hate Democrats, MAGA people and especially undocumented aliens the vast majority of whom came here for a better life
And always, even to this day, it’s hate the Jews.
World-wide taxation on Americans: another "gift" from Obama. "Gift", by the way, is the German word for "poison". Need I say more? Best always. PM
I worked with a guy from Guernsey, bloody hard to understand, but he loved the U.S., belonged to a cowboy action shooting club, and knew more about Old West history than any ten of us natives. Great fun to be with, it would be nice to see those islands. (Couldn't come up with a limerick)
I once met a man from Guernsey. A noted good man on a nice farm that he had. I paid for a sow.
He delivered a cow.
"The best butter." he said. "I need bacon instead." The noted good man and the wife that he had, hid a young man in the shed. The soldiers wanting bacon and no need for butter without bread, Returned to the farm shortly thereafter man and the woman were...
Guernsey is a bovine, named for its breeding origin, for those who don't already know
That note by Bill reminded me of the good old days before he got lost trying to connect the dots.
"The older
you get the more dots you have. " Gallileo .. "My skin is the cosmos."
Thank you, Mr. Bonner. I did not know any of this.
And what a refreshing break from all the financial and political induced anxiety.
When secretary of state Seward, a republican, negotiated, the purchase of Alaska for 42 cents an acre the Democrats and media uniformly bemoaned the purchase and called it "Seward's folly."
Come on, come on, lets purchase Greenland. "Trump's folly."
Everyone would win!
Greenland would have to be a willing seller!
I'm puzzled a bit by the comment that Louisa Gould was sent to Ravensbrook camp. Who sent her there and how? It was a German camp in northern Germany. If she was helping a German, doesn't seem like the Germans would send here there and of course the English could not have sent her there. I might be missing something but would appreciate an explanation. thanks for all the great writing Bill.
She was helping a Russian
Thanks.
I don't know how I missed that one. Certainly explains it.
Chris, I have the same questions?
Was she helping a Russian?
It was an escaped slave labor russian soldier.
Interesting history of the Channel Islands Bill. But is the Isle of Man also a 'Crown Dependency''? In due course, could you do a similar piece on the Isle of Man, that I understand has, an equally compelling history. Thanks, Roly.
I spent a week on Guernsey back in 1978. I went there to research my father's mother's side of the family. In one afternoon at the church, going through the big(!) book of records, I got back to a wedding in the 1770s. One priest had been there for about 50 years. It was fascinating to see his handwriting get better and better as I went farther back in time.
Thank you Bill for sharing your trip to Jersey, along with the historical aspects
surrounding the island. I am encouraged to visit one day.
A great one ,Bill . Keep-em comming.
Good story Bill!
I was on Guernsey Island many years ago and I liked it, very quaint!
There was a series out in 2004 called Island at War and it was about the German occupation of the Channel Islands! I actually have it here, but I haven’t watched it for years!
Just wondering if anybody’s heard anything about three Japanese Central bankers committing suicide? I have no idea if this is true, but it was posted by Hal Turner.