- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Monty
- Hits: 503
This year, at Thanksgiving, as you sit down to remember what you are thankful for, I cannot help but wonder if perhaps the people currently in Washington DC have forgotten the true significance of this annual day of gratitude. For it seems to me, all these thousands of miles away, in Australia, that you, like us, had increasingly lost hope and feel somehow that " The New World " has become " The New World Order "
Next year, things may well be completely different. President-Elect Trump is determined to resurrect Thanksgiving as a time to be proud again and to celebrate the richness that a FREE America provides. I feel that a turkey dinner is going to be a joyous meal, acknowledging the reason Thanksgiving is celebrated in the first place. So let us go back in time to when it all started...
When the first settlers arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 at Plymouth , they had hopes and dreams to found a Nation free of Religious persecution and constraints of the then King of England, King James I.
Read more: The History of Thanksgiving... a time to give thanks
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Happy Expat
- Hits: 661
At the end of WW2, America had about 6,000 merchant ships. In 2022, the United States merchant fleet had 178 privately owned, oceangoing, self-propelled vessels of 1,000 gross register tons and above.
Merchant ships are the lifeblood of international trade and commerce and even more so to island nations like England, Australia and New Zealand. They are also vital to the well-being of otherwise self-sufficient nations like the USA and Canada.
In 1941, England was the victim of an all-out drive by Germany to deprive Britain of its lifeblood of imports without which it could not feed its people. In a speech in 1940 Winston Churchill magnified the extent of this danger when he said that at any given moment 2,000 British merchant ships are in transit on the high seas. The losses of ships sunk by German submarines was huge and Churchill appealed to America for help. In 1941 alone Britain lost 1,300 ships sunk by German U-Boats.
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Happy Expat
- Hits: 728
Last time, I discussed the role of America in the defence and defense of the allies in the lead up to World War II. When, thanks to the back-up of American production, Britain was able to fight the threat from its enemies. As the war progressed, the allies were facing greater threats and assembly lines were needed to keep the allies armed.
On 7th December Japan attacked the American base at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. Tension between the two countries was extreme and had been rising for a long time starting with the American disapproval of the Japanese Army behaviour in China. As a sanction, America progressively denied supply of materials to Japan until it reached breaking point with the complete embargo on oil supplies without which Japanese industry could not operate.
Japan was well aware of the American vulnerability of weak defenses and there was strong support within the military to invade California. The decision not to invade was due entirely to the fact that it was known that there were many guns in the hands of the civilian population and California was very far from Japan which made supply a logistical nightmare.
Read more: God Bless America - Part 2: The Eagle Takes to the Sky
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Happy Expat
- Hits: 703
I have never been reticent in expressing my love and admiration of America. I love the Americans who call it home.
As an Australian, I admire the exploits of their armed services ( when I was a boy during WW2 ) but it was my experience of living there in 1976 that cemented the attitude I developed and still have today.
America has gone through a very bad patch and dragged the rest of the Western World with it. Thank goodness hope is on the horizon.
Since the end of WW2, the only thing that has stood between Communism and the life that most of the free world enjoys is America.
The untold generosity to every beleaguered nation on this planet has not been appreciated by most of them.
Today we explore America's lead up to WW II.
Thank God for America.
- View all
- Blog
-
From Jim Stark to…
As young folk, didn't some of us feel like rebels without a cause? I am…
199 hits
-
Our Finest Hour: Then…
As our countries are collapsing under the weight of wokeism, social and communist ideology, who…
325 hits
-
The Death of Laughter:…
Crack Up or Crack Apart When the world gets grim, you’ve only got two choices:…
334 hits
-
The Croc Cavalry &…
Dusty Gulch Dispatch: The Croc Cavalry & the Great Duckening By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Special…
397 hits
-
Who Owns Our Land,…
The Warning of Gareth Jones: Who Owns Our Land, Our Water, Our Future? When we…
376 hits
-
Separated from Justice, Law…
"At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice,…
378 hits
-
The Timeless Strategy of…
As a teacher seasoned by years of studying history and upholding the integrity of language,…
512 hits
-
The Stupidity of Democracy…
“The stupidity of democracy. It will always remain as one of democracy’s best jokes that…
433 hits
-
Gone but Not Forgotten:…
It was 19 years ago on the 4th of September 2006 that Steve Irwin rolled…
531 hits
-
Maslow, Munitions and My…
Why Even a My Little Pony Rifle Makes More Sense than Gun Bans We have…
505 hits
-
Literary Legends on the…
Dusty Gulch Dispatch: The Great Literary Rebellion By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Special Correspondent (still in…
506 hits
-
Be Not a Number:…
I was 12 years old when "The Prisoner " came out. Sometimes, I would sneak…
537 hits
-
The Banality of Compliance:…
Ordinary people following rules - without questioning right from wrong - can enable harm. History…
488 hits
-
More Than Cloth: Defending…
On September 3rd, Australia marks National Flag Day - a day that should fill us…
595 hits
-
From Eureka to Extinction:…
Australia was never built on timidity. It was carved out by men and women who…
679 hits
-
Diana, 28 Years On:…
It is hard to believe that twenty-eight years have passed since the world lost Diana,…
629 hits
-
Outlaws in the High…
Few figures divide Australians as sharply as Ned Kelly. To some, he is a larrikin…
775 hits
-
Dusty Gulch’s Straight-Talking Soul:…
Paddy’s Golden Mischief: A Rat’s-Eye View of Dusty Gulch By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Chief Correspondent…
541 hits
-
How Much Blood Are…
We are told it’s all under control. Markets are managed, energy transitions are planned, and…
562 hits
-
The New Versailles? Weimar,…
In the shadow of a shattered empire, the Weimar Republic rose in 1919, promising democracy,…
612 hits
-
Milne Bay and Australia's…
“Some of us may forget that, of all the Allies, it was the Australians who…
730 hits
-
Fowl Play in Dusty…
When 5 Ducks Take on Snakes, Dusty Gulch Prepares for Bloodshed By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
611 hits
-
When We Forget History,…
" Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it…
645 hits
-
151 Days at War…
In early 1951, New Zealand’s waterfronts weren’t just bustling ports - they had become battlegrounds.…
721 hits
-
Ostrich Invasion: The Feathered…
Ratty News Special: “From Gondwana to Dusty Gulch: The Ostrich Problem” By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
657 hits
-
The Unions’ War Within…
During World War II, Australia was a vital cog in the Allied machine, sending troops…
760 hits
-
Those Ragged Bloody Heroes
Of all the magnificent units and regiments of the Australian Army I doubt if…
697 hits
-
The Emu War -…
The Emu War is one of Australia’s strangest historical events. In late 1932, the government…
622 hits
-
The Soul of Our…
For nearly a decade, I’ve poured my soul into this blog. Twelve hours a day,…
588 hits
-
The Battle of Long…
The Battle of Long Tan took place on August 18, 1966, in the Phuoc Tuy…
658 hits
-
AI - Friend Or…
We live in a strange age where even computers can sound like they care. AI…
520 hits
-
The Digital Dingo -…
RATTY NEWS EXCLUSIVE: DIGITAL DINGO’S BIN BONANZA By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble – Chief Correspondent, Dusty…
704 hits