Forgotten moments


Listening lately to some news segments from 1941-42. Might not be precisely current, but much better for the mind than today's "news", with its dazzling diversity of vitally critical topics, such as Alec Baldwin speaking harshly to his daughter, Alec Baldwin speaking harshly to his daughter, Alec Baldwin speaking harshly to his daughter, Alec Baldwin speaking harshly to his daughter, Alec Baldwin speaking harshly to his daughter, Alec Baldwin speaking harshly to his daughter, and the unavoidable apocalypse of global warming, which we can only avoid by purchasing Carbon Indulgences from High Priest Gore.

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The '41-42 news includes some interesting but forgotten facts.

One: Just after Pearl Harbor we seriously expected a total assault on the West Coast. A mysterious fleet of ships was sighted (or perhaps claimed by the government to be sighted?) and all radio stations in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia were shut down for an 'indefinite period'.

Two: The Brits were quicker off the mark in pinning down Japs: they immediately placed all British residents of Jap descent under some form of house arrest.

Three, and most relevant: Late in '42, in an odd semi-alliance with the French fascist government, we took over Arab countries on the northern coast of Africa.

Did General Eisenhower share the Bush/Wilson method of occupying Arab countries? Did he believe in devoting our entire military force to bringing free and fair elections to Arabs? Not hardly.

Here's my favorite newscaster Bob Trout to describe the situation.

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Edit for fairness: to be sure, there was plenty of trivial crap and celebrity coverage on radio in the '40s. Don McNeil's Breakfast Club and Arthur Godfrey's morning show were just as superficial as today's cable morning shows. The important difference: these shows were not described as 'news' or anything remotely similar to 'news'. The News programs consisted of actual news: true events, well-checked facts, and thoughtful commentary.
  ¶ 11:33 PM