MsUnderestimated » 2006 » July

“Why Don’t We Learn From History?” by Dave Wagner

July 10th, 2006 at 08:33 by MsUnderestimated

This is another reason why we need to learn, and to periodically revisit history. Aside from the fact that history is quite interesting and at times even entertaining, it is much more than that. History is an account of who we are as a people and as a nation . . . and how we got that way.

History, when done properly, tells of our successes and our failures. Often success is only gained because of learning from our failure.

In the not-too-distant past, during the early 1980s, President Ronald Reagan devised the idea of SDI (The Strategic Defense Initiative). Our world had reached a point in the ongoing Cold War with the Soviets, that we had to come up with something as an alternative to MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) which was not, and still isn’t, a viable alternative.

The Strategic Defense Initiative was a system of new, state-of-the-art missiles that could be based throughout the United States, Europe and around the Pacific Rim as a shield to protect much of the free world from a nuclear missile attack. The enemy incoming missiles could be destroyed in space, where they would do little or no harm.

The United States was the only nation in the world capable of developing such a missile defense system as it was, predicated upon scientific research, an infrastructure capable of supporting such a system, and the economy and funding to make it into a reality.

As soon as this was announced, liberals everywhere began to make jokes about President Reagan, poking fun at him and his ideas. SDI was made into a joke. At the same time, the Democratic Party, which has not been strong on national defense since the time of the Korean War, did everything in their power to ensure that SDI would not, could not, succeed.

Now here is the fun part about learning from history . . . President Reagan kept the idea of SDI alive sufficiently that it was one of the major contributing factors to the demise of the Soviet Union under then President Gorbachev.

Succeeding presidents, notably President Jimmy Carter, shelved the project, along with much of our national defense, cutting back the military, and giving away the Panama Canal.

The Liberal Democrats would have had us believe that SDI was too expensive (the most expensive weapon system is the one that doesn’t work), now that the Cold War was over, there was no need, and that it was far too aggressive for the United States to have something of this nature when other nations could not have something similar (shades of Secretary of State Madeline Albright).

When George W. Bush became president in the year 2000, he quietly resurrected the SDI project and work resumed to put this awesome defensive weapon into the inventory of the United States.

All of the nay-sayers and prophets of doom and gloom, never considered that there would be other dangers to our nation, dangers other than the 10,000 Soviet tanks in Europe. With Russia’s economy in collapse, and the Soviet Union now broken into many factions, many of whom want nothing to do with the others, new enemies of world peace began to appear. Ruthless enemies that are attempting to take over other nations, and eventually the world, through the applied use of terrorism and other means of unconventional warfare. Most of these people have no clue what the Articles of the Geneva Convention are, and couldn’t care less, nor would they abide by them IF they did know.

Now we see the most recent developments of this kind of terrorist blackmail on the part of the nation of Iran, and that of the nation of North Korea.

Both countries are ruled by men who are certifiably insane, with no thought for the welfare of their people, and disdainful of world opinion and diplomacy.

One nation, Iran, had publicly announced that they want nothing less than the death of all Jews, most notably those in Israel. They wish to drive them into the sea and take over their lands.

There was a time, in the not-too-distant past, when a public declaration such as this by a nation’s leader was tantamount to a declaration of war, but those times have changed, and now we beseech the United Nations to do something, while Iran goes on developing nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. At the same time they are training terrorists and supplying those at war in Iraq.

North Korea is equally being led by another madman. His people are starving to death, their is very little viable industry in North Korea, they would like nothing better than to pounce on their neighbors to the South, who have shown, much like the Japanese, a remarkable resiliency and propensity for success in the modern world through peaceful economics.

During the course of the eight-year presidency of William Jefferson Clinton, several deals were struck between the United States government and that of the government of North Korea. Pres. Clinton agreed to make certain ’secret’ information dealing with missile guidance systems, and nuclear development available to the North Koreans, along with massive shipments of various foodstuffs for their starving people, in return for which Pres. Clinton extracted a firm promise from the leader of North Korea that they would NOT become a nuclear power and EVER use their newly-found scientific information for any evil purpose. So why did they bargain for these items to begin with?

Well, that certainly makes sense, doesn’t it? Based upon the track record alone of North Korea, they are certainly a trustworthy people that would NEVER stab anyone in the back, vis-a-vis June 1950.

So now we have another rogue state that is flashing their missile capability at the world and making multiple launches without first advising anyone of their purpose, warhead, if any, direction, destination, and so on.

Now why should the United States, Japan, South Korea, and any other nation within conceivable range of North Korea’s missiles have cause to worry or suspect a warshot? I can’t imagine.

At this time, the United States has deployed at least 7 SDI missile systems, including 2 at Vandenberg AFB on the West Coast in California. More are planned for the U.S. and for Europe in the immediate future.

While the SDI system has been tested, like almost all new weapon systems, it is not without some flaws, and scientific work needs to continue on this very promising weapon system that will, like the mantel of Zeus, (Aegis) be the protection of the free world.

Thus, we return to why we should understand and learn from history. Perhaps the Democrats are still laughing at SDI, and throwing every impediment in the way of its final development and deployment, but interested parties everywhere will notice that the only alternative the Democratic Party offers is that of diplomacy, through that bastion of virtue and success - the United Nations.

Thank you. I know that I and my family well sleep better with SDI overhead and not relying on the corruptness of the United Nations for our safety. What about you?

David S. Wagner
Col (USAR ret.) Armor
Korean War Veteran

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Not a Katrina Evacuee? Step’s Murderer’s Illustrious Criminal Career

July 10th, 2006 at 12:44 by MsUnderestimated

Oh yeah, this asshole was a stand-up citizen, and “only” killed someone as late as February of 2006 in Lacombe, LA, so how could he be a Katrina evacuee? Who in the hell gives a crap about the timing of his previous crimes? My friend Step is dead, and for all of you leftist, free-to-be, you-and-me, hug-a-tree, peace-at-any-price crowd idiots, SHUT THE HELL UP!

You’ve pilloried me in the past saying Lucas Palmer WASN’T a “Katrina Evacuee,” but that doesn’t change the facts. Katrina evacuee or not, this was a career criminal; black, yellow, purple, white, or whatever. This scumbag didn’t deserve to be sucking our oxygen, much less taking the life of one of the finest cops on the face of this planet. Wanna call me racist? Go the hell ahead. You can try to hurt my feelings all you want, but the truth is, my friend Step is gone. And it’s all thanks to the hands of Katrina evacuee, Lucas Palmer.

Here’s a story from the Times Picayune:

More From The Times-Picayune
Lacombe fugitive dies in shootout
Murder suspect kills officer in Georgia

Saturday, July 01, 2006
By Paul Rioux

A Lacombe man wanted in connection with a Valentine’s Day murder in St. Tammany Parish was killed in a shootout with police that also left an officer dead Thursday night in an Atlanta suburb.

DeKalb County Police Detective Dennis Stepnowski, 33, was fatally shot by Lucas Palmer, 24, after a foot chase at an apartment complex near Stone Mountain, Ga., police said.

Palmer, who was killed in the brief gun battle with Stepnowski and the officer’s partner, was wanted on a first-degree murder warrant alleging he shot Corey Casborn, 23, in the head Feb. 14 in Lacombe, St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain said.

“We always believed Palmer would not go peacefully and would not be taken alive. Unfortunately, he took a police officer with him,” Strain said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Detective Stepnowski’s family and his fellow officers.”

DeKalb police said Stepnowski, a 12-year veteran, and another officer were on routine patrol Thursday about 7 p.m. when they saw a man behaving suspiciously and began running after him.

At some point during the chase, shots were fired, said a police spokesman, who did not indicate who fired first. Witnesses reported hearing at least 10 shots in rapid succession.

Stepnowski died a short time later at a hospital. The suspect died at the scene and was identified by fingerprints as Palmer on Friday, DeKalb police said.

St. Tammany detectives said Palmer killed Casborn in a botched drug deal and then burned his body in a sport-utility vehicle. An alleged accomplice, Jermaine Burns, 24, of Lacombe, was arrested Feb. 24 and booked with first-degree murder.

Casborn, who lived in New Orleans, drove to Palmer’s home at 27233 S.E. Price Alley in a 2001 Lincoln Navigator and was met by Burns and Palmer, who allegedly got into Casborn’s vehicle and shot him in the head, sheriff’s deputies said.

With Burns following in another vehicle, Palmer drove the SUV to a wooded area off U.S. 190 and torched the vehicle with Casborn’s body inside, detectives said. The charred body was discovered five days later.

Detectives said the alleged drug deal involved a large amount of narcotics that Palmer and Burns took after Casborn was killed.

Casborn’s mother, Nina Casborn, who has disputed the charge that her son’s murder involved drugs, said she was irked by reports that Palmer tried to pass himself off as a Hurricane Katrina evacuee to residents at the apartment complex.

“He was no evacuee. He was a murderer and a fugitive,” said Casborn, who lives in Lacombe. “I’m glad he’s been brought to justice, but I’m horrified that a police officer had to be killed in order to do it.”

She expressed sorrow for Stepnowski’s family as well as Palmer’s, saying she knows all too well what they are going through.

Oh, Nina… how misguided you are! “He was no evacuee. He was a murderer and a fugitive,” Are you kidding me lady? You think that being a murderer and a fugitive is LESS serious than being an evacuee? Give me a FRIGGIN’ break!!!!

Argue all you want about who was where, when, why and how, but this piece of human garbage killed one of the most decent men I’ve ever known. One who would protect the wives, sons, daughters, girlfriends, etc., from the scum that abuse them.

Want to see more? Here’s from a story on Officer.com:

The suspect — identified as 25-year-old Lucas Palmer — also was killed in the shootout at Mountain Crest Apartments. Palmer was a Katrina evacuee from Louisiana and was wanted in that state on charges of first-degree murder.

From the KOTC 11 website:

Neighbors at the Atlanta-area apartment complex where he lived said Palmer fled Lacombe after Hurricane Katrina and had just gotten out of jail Thursday before the shootout.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Police have not yet identified the suspect, but some who knew him at the complex said he was a New Orleans native who moved to the area after Hurricane Katrina.

From the Augusta Chronicle:

The 12-year veteran of the DeKalb County Police Department, known to his colleagues as “Step,” was killed Thursday in Stone Mountain, Ga., after pursuing a Hurricane Katrina evacuee wanted in a February homicide in Louisiana.

From WSB-TV.com:

Palmer was a Katrina evacuee from Louisiana and was wanted in that state on charges of first-degree murder.

From the Gwinnett Daily Post:

The 12-year veteran of the DeKalb County Police Department, known to his colleagues as ‘‘Step,’’ was killed Thursday in Stone Mountain after pursuing a Hurricane Katrina evacuee wanted in connection with a February murder in Louisiana.

From 11-Alive.com:

Palmer was being sought on a first degree murder charge for killing and burning the body of another man this past February in St. Tammany Parish north of New Orleans. One man is in custody in the Louisiana case but police believe Palmer was the trigger man and thought he had fled to the Houston area.

And now for the best WWLTV.com:

The suspect’s name was not immediately released. A neighbor, Vaughn Smith, said the man and his family moved to Atlanta from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Torrey Gails, 16, said the police officer was shot a couple of times in the throat before another officer shot the suspect.

Gails said the slain man had just gotten out of jail on Thursday and did not want to go back. He said the man went by the name “N.O.” because he was from New Orleans, but added that many residents did not know him because he had just moved to the complex when he got out of jail.

Hundreds of Katrina evacuees were relocated to four large apartment complexes in that area of Stone Mountain.

The point is, I could go on and on and on and on…. but I don’t think I need to. Palmer told all of his new neighbors in the apartment complex that he was a Katrina evacuee, and was obviously living in “Katrina evacuee housing,” so yes, he was getting government money. All “evacuees” had their rent paid for at those apartments by the government. What more evidence do you idiots want? *sigh*…

Step, I will remember and love you always, and know you’re looking out for us where you are in heaven. I’m also very excited to know that Lucas Palmer completely bypassed the normal judgment and went straight to hell. He deserved it. You weren’t the only person he’d murdered, but thank GOD you’ll be the last.

We will always miss you….come visit us when you can - even if it’s in our dreams.

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“Why Don’t We Learn From History?” by Dave Wagner

Not a Katrina Evacuee? Step’s Murderer’s Illustrious Criminal Career

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