Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 77

Previewing Vietnam (and Iraq?)

Just found this documentary on the making of the great film (starring Michael Caine) based on my favorite modern novel, The Quiet American.   Much of interest re: Graham Greene and predicting America's disaster in Vietnam.  Also: opium.  -- G.M.

Let's Hope This Spirit of St. Louis Catches On

Finally, a major newspaper has axed George Will--and apologized--for his truly disgraceful column on how cool it must be to be a rape victim.  It's the venerable St. Louis Dispatch.  See my longer piece at The Nation, which has drawn over 130 comments so far.

The change has been under consideration for several months, but a column published June 5, in which Mr. Will suggested that sexual assault victims on college campuses enjoy a privileged status, made the decision easier. The column was offensive and inaccurate; we apologize for publishing it.

Now for the bad news:  Will will be replaced by the equally disturbing (on other issues)  Michael Gerson. 

Cantor Sets Off 'Gaydar'?

Hoo-boy.    Former governor/loose cannon/probable Democratic candidate for president Brian Schweitzer really stepped in it for this new National Journal profile.

It wasn’t the only time Schweitzer was unable to hold his tongue. Last week, I called him on the night Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated in his GOP primary. “Don’t hold this against me, but I’m going to blurt it out. How do I say this … men in the South, they are a little effeminate,” he offered when I mentioned the stunning news. When I asked him what he meant, he added, “They just have effeminate mannerisms. If you were just a regular person, you turned on the TV, and you saw Eric Cantor talking, I would say—and I’m fine with gay people, that’s all right—but my gaydar is 60-70 percent. But he’s not, I think, so I don’t know. Again, I couldn’t care less. I’m accepting.”

New Hank Film

A new bio-pic on the immortal Hank Williams--need we even say Sr. and no Jr.?--announced this week (it's been quite a few decades since the young George Hamilton version).   And Hank III is already hitting the casting, with a Brit in the title role. "Hank III says producers should have cast Matthew McConaughey as Hank because Matt represents the South both in movies and real life.  Hank3 singles out 'The Dallas Buyers Club' to prove Matt has the acting chops to get the job done well."  Well, no matter, they won't be able to touch the real thing.

States Kill Three

The first executions in the U.S. since the botched killing in Oklahoma will begin any minute now.  The SCOTUS turned down final appeal from Georgia inmate (it involved secret source of killing chemicals) and he may go first --or that will fall to Missouri prisoner set for death just after midnight.  And then a third in Florida on Wednesday evening.  I will update here.  My ebook on history of capital punishment in U.S., and current debate, here.  UPDATE  Wellons died in Georgia at 11:56 p.m.  Execution went "smoothly." A little later, Winfield me his fate in Missouri.  UPDATE #2  And, tonight, Florida makes it three just now.

Today in Gun Nutty USA

My continuing series--could be daily, but sometimes too busy--with a typically tragic story today:  young father, musician and teacher in Florida, shot in back of head while welcoming his wife and 3-day-old baby home from hospital.  Neighbor, 62,  was handling gun and "accidentally" pulled trigger (for no good reason)--then tried to hide gun under a mattress.  Also was probably drunk. 

Reasonable

Clay Bennett, longtime editorial cartoonist we used to regularly hail at E&P (he even did a cover for us) still at it with this classic this week:

But Will It 'Bomb' at the Box Office?

UPDATE  Two days ago I posted the item below, marking the day in 1945 when the U.S. committee rejected the plea by Leo Szilard and other Manhattan Project scientists to set off a "demonstration" of the nearly-built first atomic bomb rather than simply drop it over a Japanese city, killing more than 100,000, mainly women and kids.  Now today comes word that, yes, a play titled Atomic about Szilard and the project is about to open in New York--and, get this, it's a musical with plenty of levity and tunes that range from rock to Yiddish.  From their brief summary:

ATOMIC is the thrilling new Off-Broadway musical that blasts open the doors of The Manhattan Project, a government-funded program of top scientists with the task of creating the world’s first atomic bomb. Leo Szilard is the mastermind behind atomic power, but his heart has reservations. Ethics, scientific progress, and true love are tested as Leo discovers exactly what he’s capable of when someone believes in him.

A review from its run in Australia suggests that it tackles some subjects--maybe too many--seriously.  But still.  Disco?

Earlier:  On this day in 1945, the plea by some Manhattan Project scientists--either not use the atomic bomb they were creating against people in Japan or at least set off a demonstration shot before that--was rejected.  Although note: the plan to use it against "military targets" when actually the targets would be the center of cities with limited (Hiroshima) or no (Nagasaki) military bases.  The vast majority of those who'd die were women and children.  (See my book.) 

Stimson proposed that a special committee be set up to consider whether the atomic bomb would be used, and if so, when and where it would be deployed. ...General George Marshall and Manhattan Project Director Leslie Groves also participated in some of the committee’s meetings. On June 1, 1945, the Interim Committee recommended that that atomic bombs should be dropped on military targets in Japan as soon as possible and without warning. One committee member, Ralph Bard, convinced that Japan may be seeking a way to end the war, called for a two to three day warning before the bomb was dropped.

A group of scientists involved in the Manhattan project opposed the use of the atomic bomb as a military weapon. In a report signed by physicist James Franck, they called for a public demonstration of the weapon in a desert or on a barren island. On June 16, 1945, a scientific panel consisting of physicists Arthur H. Compton, Enrico Fermi, E. O. Lawrence, and J. Robert Oppenheimer reported that it did not believe that a technical demonstration would be sufficient to end the war.

Video Shows a Fearsome ISIS

Yes it's a well-edited propaganda video but still military experts in U.S. alarmed by what it shows: ISIS fighters in Iraq as apparently very well-trained and well-armed, partly with U.S. gear (such as night vision goggles) and weapons.  Plus various things that can be used against aircraft.  Hey, we gave them more than a decade of experience and now tons of our weaponry left behind by fleeing Iraqi forces. 

States Ready to Murder Three

The first executions in the U.S. since the botched killing in Oklahoma will begin any minute now.  The SCOTUS turned down final appeal from Georgia inmate (it involved secret source of killing chemicals) and he may go first --or that will fall to Missouri prisoner set for death just after midnight.  And then a third in Florida on Wednesday evening.  I will update here.  My ebook on history of capital punishment in U.S., and current debate, here.