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Nixon, Watergate and the CIA

Soon after Watergate there were questions about the roles played by the CIA in Nixon's downfall. Len Colodny wrote a book, from the right perspective, called Silent Coup. On the left Carl Oglesby puttered around looking at the social currents underlying JFK's assassination and Nixon's exit in the book The Yankee-Cowboy War, which, while useful perhaps bifurcated the ruling class where none was needed. Both books made suggestions that Watergate wasn't merely a political blunder that resulted in Nixon's freefall. Peter Dale Scott in various books explored the CIA's role in these two events. In a book about Katharine Graham and the Washington Post Deborah Davis revealed any number of connections between Post employees and the national intelligence milieu, not the least being Bob Woodward's history in the Office of Naval Intelligence and his editor Ben Bradlee's connection with the CIA and U.S. propaganda during the Rosenberg affair in the early fifties.

Here is the first of three chapters from Russ Baker's Family Of Secrets, wherein Baker documents George H. W. Bush's role behind the scenes in the sinking of Richard Nixon. Twenty years ago, in a private conversation I had with Oglesby, I suggested that in the context of the Yankee-Cowboy division in America's ruling elite that GHW Bush would theoretically be the perfect unifying political figure, joining the old elite of the Northeast with the new rich of the Southwest. Baker does one better. It's an eye-opener, and a must-read if you are interested in America and American history.

Today in history

May 5th is Cinco de Mayo. My 'pájarita' was born today.

Also, on 5/5/1818 Karl Marx was born, and on 5/5/1821 Napoleon Bonaparte died, in exile on St. Helena Island.

If you didn't see my birthday card to my daughter, it's here: New Blue Spaces For Candy Hat People.

Surprise surprise

This news story is circulating now.

As a federal court prepares to rule on a challenge to Sirhan Sirhan's conviction in the Robert F. Kennedy assassination, a long overlooked witness to the murder is telling her story: She heard two guns firing during the 1968 shooting and authorities altered her account of the crime.

Nina Rhodes-Hughes wants the world to know that, despite what history says, Sirhan was not the only gunman firing shots when Kennedy was murdered a few feet away from her at a Los Angeles hotel.

"What has to come out is that there was another shooter to my right," Rhodes-Hughes said in an exclusive interview with CNN. "The truth has got to be told. No more cover-ups."

Her voice at times becoming emotional, Rhodes-Hughes described for CNN various details of the assassination, her long frustration with the official reporting of her account and her reasons for speaking out: "I think to assist me in healing -- although you're never 100% healed from that. But more important to bring justice."

"For me it's hopeful and sad that it's only coming out now instead of before -- but at least now instead of never," Rhodes-Hughes told CNN by phone from her home near Vancouver, British Columbia.

Sirhan, the only person arrested, tried and convicted in the shooting of Kennedy and five other people, is serving a life sentence at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California.

The U.S. District Court in Los Angeles is set to rule on a request by the 68-year-old Sirhan that he be released, retried or granted a hearing on new evidence, including Rhodes-Hughes' firsthand account.

At his 1969 trial, Sirhan's original defense team never contested the prosecution's case that Sirhan was the one and only shooter in Kennedy's assassination. Sirhan testified at his trial that he had killed Kennedy "with 20 years of malice aforethought," and he was convicted and sentenced to death, which was reduced to life in prison in 1972.

After the trial, Sirhan recanted his courtroom confession.

In the recent federal court filings, state prosecutors led by California Attorney General Kamala Harris argue that even if there were a second gunman involved in the Kennedy shooting, Sirhan hasn't proven his innocence and he's still guilty of murder under California's vicarious liability law.

It's not a surprise to anyone who has followed the RFK case. The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy by William Turner and John Christian, first published in 1978, pretty much demolishes the official version of events. If you're interested you can pick up a copy on Amazon.

Why should you care? Why do the powers-that-be care? During the investigation and trial the LAPD and FBI changed witness statements (much like what went on with the Warren Commission). And now Kamala Harris, California's current Attorney General, gives the idiotic reason that even if there was a second shooter that that doen't necessarily absolve Sirhan Sirhan from shooting. Actually, since Kennedy had powder burns on his head from a gun pressed to the back of skull, it does absolve Sirhan of shooting Kennedy.

In the above picture is the dying Kennedy, and next to him is the clip-on tie of security guard Thane Eugene Cesar, who at the time of the assassination was directly behind RFK, gun drawn. Why do you think that Kennedy grabbed that tie?

But the bigger question is why Harris would argue against reopening an investigation. It's been over forty years now, and there are people in our government who still don't want to go back and look at it. That means that people in power now are also connected to the lie. The entire political system is connected to the lie.

They say, "The truth will set you free." Obviously, the truth can put the guilty in jail, too. And if people find out that America is where it's at now because of political assassinations in the 1960s may just be a little too much for most people to face.

Civil War was bloodier than thought

Apparently the American Civil War resulted in a lot more deaths than previously estimated.

For 110 years, the numbers stood as gospel: 618,222 men died in the Civil War, 360,222 from the North and 258,000 from the South — by far the greatest toll of any war in American history.

But new research shows that the numbers were far too low.

By combing through newly digitized census data from the 19th century, J. David Hacker, a demographic historian from Binghamton University in New York, has recalculated the death toll and increased it by more than 20 percent — to 750,000.

The new figure is already winning acceptance from scholars. Civil War History, the journal that published Dr. Hacker’s paper, called it “among the most consequential pieces ever to appear” in its pages. And a pre-eminent authority on the era, Eric Foner, a historian at Columbia University, said:

“It even further elevates the significance of the Civil War and makes a dramatic statement about how the war is a central moment in American history. It helps you understand, particularly in the South with a much smaller population, what a devastating experience this was.”

The old figure dates back well over a century, the work of two Union Army veterans who were passionate amateur historians: William F. Fox and Thomas Leonard Livermore.

Friendship, it's the perfect Glennship

The roots of my songwriting career go way back. My sister had a reel-to-reel tape recorder, and at some point she and I were messing around and wrote a song about John Glenn's historic flight into space, based on that old chestnut, "Friendship". As I recall, his space capsule was Friendship 7.

Friendship, friendship.
It's the perfect Glenn ship.
When other friendships have been forgot
Glenn's will still be hot.

Yada yada yada, orbit one.
Yada yada yada, orbit two.
Yada yada yada, orbit three.
Yada yada yada, here we go!

Fifty years ago.

Jesus' hairdo

Did Jesus have long flowing hair and a beard? Probably not. It wasn't the style back then.

A story that includes Nancy Pelosi and Cat Stevens

I am now officially an Oregonian. Yesterday I got my Oregon driver's license and smogged and reregistered my Toyota in Oregon.

I have to admit that I failed the first written test on Monday. I don't know if it was hubris or a mental block about finally letting go of California, but I never studied the handbook and sunk myself, mostly on questions about motorcycles and horses. In case you didn't know, and I didn't, if someone sitting on a horse raises a hand it means the horse is scared.

I thought having my birth certificate was my last identification hurdle, but the State of Oregon needed to see my social security card, which I hadn't seen in decades. They accepted my tax return, though.

Monday night, while I was putting off looking at the driver's manual, I did a little more reorganization in my music room. I was opening boxes and rearranging old papers and there was my social security card! In fact, there were two social security cards. So when I went back to the DMV to retake my test on Tuesday I didn't have to drag along my tax returns.

But I also found in my papers this photo:

In 1971, while dodging the draft overseas, I happened to be bopping down Shaftesbury Road in London and stopped into a little joint for a bite to eat. The old guy who was behind the counter spoke with a heavy accent, I think Greek. He kept complaining out loud about Americans. He even accused a couple of Germans of being American.

When he brought me my plate of food he asked me if I knew who Cat Stevens was. I said, Yes he's a very good folksinger.

The old man's attitude immediately changed. A big smile broke out. "That's my son!" and to prove it he went below the counter and pulled out the postcard-sized picture of Cat Stevens and gave it to me. On the flip side of the picture was a list of his records, 45s like "Matthew And Son" and "I Love My Dog". On the bottom of the card was the address of his fan club. The secretary of the Cat Stevens Fan Club was Helen.

In 1971 Cat Stevens was everywhere. He was being played on the pirate radio stations on the North Sea and throughout the continent. But the Cat Stevens on the card was a younger one, from the sixties. Stevens had been a songwriter and had had a few minor hits (like "I Love My Dog"). By 1971 he'd moved from pop music and was recording folk albums. In fact, one of his songs from back then was Father And Son, a song about the difficulties between generations. Since I was going through my own problems with my father that song particularly resonated with me. And was his father handing out fan club pictures that were out-of-date. It was clear he was proud of his son, but he wasn't up on things. I left that place wondering what it was like for Cat to grow up with his dad.

+++

Another picture that's been kicking around is one of Nancy Pelosi snuggling up to me while I have my hand on her ass:

This picture is a xerox of the original photo, taken by Roland Garshol, my union friend, back in 1988.

This was the first time I was an officer with NALC Branch 214, and Roland (who was President) and I had gone to Washington to lobby for a childcare place for postal workers (which is another story). While we were in D.C. we spent some time visiting our congressional representatives. We caught Nancy coming out of a budget meeting. And thus the cheesecake.

You find things when you're looking for something else.

Not Bonnie and Clyde

This is my Grandma Marie Miller. She passed away long before I arrived on the scene and was cogitating. Isn't this a great picture!