James Miller Center: President Jimmy Carter: ‘Statement on Iran Rescue Mission’

Source:James Miller Center- James E. Carter (Democrat, Georgia) President of the United States (1977-81)

Source:FRS FreeState

“President Carter offers his condolences for the families of those who died in the attempted rescue of American hostages in Iran.

April 25th, 1980”

From the James Miller Center 

The failed rescue attempt in 1980 during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, was a disaster for several reasons:

One, it showed that the greatest superpower in the world was still be held hostage by a group of Islamic terrorist thugs from the third world. And that America was unprepared and not up for the job in dealing with and ending this crisis. They weren’t sure who they were dealing as far as the people, but also what type of weather they were dealing with and how far they would have to go to make the rescue attempt. Being short on fuel, which is why the helicopter crashed.

Two, it was just another reminder about the energy shortage back home in America with people not able to afford, or having enough fuel of their own for their own automobiles.

Three, the Iranian Hostage Crisis was in one of the top 3-5 oil and natural gas producers in the world and a country like Iran. Where America use to get some of their oil and gas from, was not helping the situation.

But these are just the policy disasters of the situation and then you get to the politics of it. This meant that the chances of the Carter Administration being able to rescue the American hostages before the 1980 general elections, were probably not going to happen. And that this along with a weak economy, with high unemployment, high interest rates and inflation, cost of living basically across the board.

And on top of that an energy shortage, were going to be issues that Ronald Reagan, Congressional Republicans and the Republican National Committee were going to be able to use against President Carter and Congressional Democrats for the entire 1980 general elections. And these would be issues that Democrats were simply going to have to deal with and not be able to run from. And would see everyday.

So this failed rescue attempt during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, was a disaster on several fronts. It just made the United States look very weak compared with a group of third world Islamic terrorists. And just another reminder of how bad things were at home in America.

Al Jazeera: 'Operation Eagle Claw's Anniversary'

Source:Al Jazeera- Barry Rosen was one of the American hostages that was held by the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979-80.

"It has been 30 years since the US undertook Operation Eagle Claw - a failed military mission to rescue 52 diplomats and embassy staff taken hostage in Iran.

About 90 commandoes, eight helicopters and six aircraft landed in the Iranian desert on the first stage of the mission, but an accident resulted in the deaths of eight soldiers and it was called off.

The hostage crisis lasted for another year after "divine intervention", as some Iranians say, stopped Eagle Claw. 

The anniversary comes amid rising tensions between the US and Iran. 

Al Jazeera Alireza Ronaghi reports from Tehran."

From Al Jazeera 

"Al Jazeera (Arabic: الجزيرة, romanized: al-jazīrah, IPA: [æl (d)ʒæˈziːrɐ], "The Peninsula")[3] is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera Media Network. The flagship of the network, its station identification, is Al Jazeera.

The patent holding is a "private foundation for public benefit" under Qatari law.[4] Under this organizational structure, the parent receives funding from the government of Qatar but maintains its editorial independence.[5][6] In June 2017, the Saudi, Emirati, Bahraini, and Egyptian governments insisted on the closure of the entire conglomerate as one of thirteen demands made to the Government of Qatar during the Qatar diplomatic crisis.[citation needed] The channel has been criticised by some organisations as well as nations such as Saudi Arabia for being "Qatari propaganda"

From Wikipedia

"Operation Eagle Claw, known as Operation Tabas (Persian: عملیات طبس) in Iran,[1] was a failed operation by the United States Armed Forces ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt the rescue of 52 embassy staff held captive at the Embassy of the United States, Tehran on 24 April 1980.

The operation, one of Delta Force's first,[2] encountered many obstacles and failures and was subsequently aborted. Eight helicopters were sent to the first staging area called Desert One, but only five arrived in operational condition.[3] One had encountered hydraulic problems, another was caught in a sand storm, and the third showed signs of a cracked rotor blade. During the operational planning, it was decided that the mission would be aborted if fewer than six helicopters remained operational, despite only four being absolutely necessary.[3] In a move that is still discussed in military circles, the field commanders advised President Carter to abort the mission, which he did.[4]

As the U.S. forces prepared to withdraw from Desert One, one of the remaining helicopters crashed into a transport aircraft that contained both servicemen and jet fuel. The resulting fire destroyed both aircraft and killed eight servicemen.[3]

In the context of the Iranian Revolution, Iran's new leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, stated that the mission had been stopped by an act of God ("angels of God") who had foiled the U.S. mission in order to protect Iran and his new Islamist government. In turn, Carter blamed his loss in the 1980 U.S. presidential election mainly on his failure to secure the release of the hostages.[5] The American hostages were released shortly after Reagan's inauguration." 

Source:Wikipedia- with a look at the 1979-90 Iranian Hostage Crisis.

From Wikipedia 

This rescue attempt not working was a disaster for the Carter Administration for a few reasons: 

One, it showed that they were not prepared and weren't sure who they were dealing with and the area they were dealing with to have a helicopter crash like that, because it lacked the fuel and that they were simply just weak even compared with a group of Islamic terrorist thugs holding a group of American diplomats. And keeping the greatest superpower in the world in crisis mode like that. Seeming not to know what to do and how to handle the situation. To go on top of a  pretty bad economy, the worst economy since the Great Depression.

With high unemployment, high prices, high interest rates and inflation, an energy shortage, America was already in bad shape economically and didn't need anything else to go on top of what they were already going through. The Iranian Hostage Crisis along with the bad economy would be something that Ronald Reagan and Congressional Republicans as well as the Republican National Committee would be able to use against President Carter and Congressional Democrats for the entire 1980 campaign, because the hostages weren't coming home before the general elections. 

I do give credit to President Carter for simply attempting the mission and looking for ways to quickly free the American hostages. One of those A for effort decisions. But an F as far as how the mission was planned and executed.  

You can also see this post at The Daily Press, on Blogger.

Chatham 43: Richard Dingley Interviews Kim Novak (1956)

Source:Chatham 43- Hollywood Goddess Kim Novak, being interviewed by Richard Dingley, in Britain, in 1956.

Source:The Daily Press 

 “Hollywood actress Kim Novak interviewed in 1956.” 

From Chatham 43 

The mid and late-1950s was probably Kim Novak’s career at its peak. She essentially left Hollywood by 1970, for a brief return in the mid 1980s. Not that she had to because could’ve easily remained a star through her sixties and she was only twenty-three in 1956. She could probably still be acting today, because she’s still very healthy and still looks great. 

But in 1955 and 56, she gets The Man With The Golden Arm, Picnic and then two-years later in 1958 Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Kim Novak was on a role a Hollywood Goddess who not only looked the part, but got great substantial roles and performed beautifully in them. Not an actress who was simply a star because of her sex appeal and physical beauty, which she certainly had a lot of both anyway. But she was also a hell of an actress who I wish chose to have a long career.

A Current Affair: The Current Affair- Linda Kasabian: 1988 Special Interview

Source:A Current Affair- Manson Family Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi.

Source:The Daily Press

"20th Anneversary Special on the Manson murders. Linda Kasabian is interviewed for the first time in 20 years. This is the only television interview that Linda Kasabian ever did after the trials. FOX Televsion. 1988."

From A Current Affair

It’s hard to feel sorry for anyone no matter how long they are in prison who receive the same pleasures that people in free world get. At taxpayers expense that some of the Manson Crime Family members have gotten while in prison. Like having sex and fathering babies which is what Charles Tex Watson has been able to do. There’s nothing about The Manson Family that any decent sane person should feel sorry about. They made their beds in life and now are sleeping in it. Actually they are sleeping in much better beds than they made for themselves. Serial murderers don’t tend to get the privileges that some of the Manson Family members have received.

For the crimes that the Manson Family committed, Charlie and everyone else most murderers who were diagnosed as sane and knowing what they were doing when committing their murders would’ve gotten the death penalty. Actually they did get the death penalty before their sentences were commuted to life in prison. And generally when serial murderers are sentenced to life in prison, it is life without the possibility of parole. They all are getting opportunities at parole, but probably none of them will ever get parole for their crimes. Because they are still lucky to be just alive, unlike any of their victims.

CBS Sports: CB 1985- National Championship- Villanova Wildcats vs Georgetown Hoyas

Source:CBS Sports- Villanova Woildcats head coach Rollie Massinino. 

Source:The Daily Press

“Watch this complete national championship game from 1985, when one of the original Cinderella stories, Villanova, marched its way to the championship game against heavy favorite Georgetown. Villanova pulled off the upset with a 66-64 victory in the first year of the 64-team NCAA tournament format.” 

From March Madness 

The one basketball game that John Thompson would probably like to have back. The Georgetown Hoyas wee poised to win back-to-back national championships in 1985 having what clearly looked like the best team in the tournament, with the best player in center Patrick Ewing. Who I at least believe without the leg injuries from the early and mid 1990s I think we’re talking about the best two-way center of his generation. Who was a dominant offensive and defensive force. With his great size, strength and athletic ability. Who accomplished so much in his career with bad knees and never being able to play with another great player. And in many seasons being the only All Star on his team with the New York Knicks.

I’m a Georgetown Hoyas fan even though I’m not as big of a fan as I was when I was growing up and watched a lot of both NBA and college basketball back then. And even though the Hoyas lost this game this season still brings up great memories for me. Because it was a time when the Big East Conference was not only relevant, but it ruled college basketball. It had the same importance as the SEC has for football today.

You win the Big East back in the 1980s, or at least do very well and you’re probably a national title contender. Very similar with the ACC of the 1990s and 2000s. The Big East had the Hoyas, but they also had the Villanova Wildcats, but the St. Johns Redman, Syracuse Orangeman and later the Connecticut Huskies and Providence Friars. All very good and top-level basketball programs.

The Big East Conference was like the SEC for college football, what the ACC is fo college basketball today, what the NFC East has traditionally been for the NFL. That one division or conference where if you do well there, you’re having a very good season. You’ve accomplished something very important, because it means you’ve beaten a lot of good teams.

It also means that everybody you play in that division or conference will be gunning for you to take you down. Especially if they’re not having a good season. It was a conference again similar to the NFC East where you don’t have a rival, but you have several arch-rivals and it’s just a matter of which of those arch-rivals hates you the most in a sports sense.

I’m not taking anything away from the Villanova Wildcats here. They played a great game and beat a great team that had two of the best players in college basketball in 1985 on them in Pat Ewing and David Wyngate. Who both went on to have good NBA careers. Patrick of course being one of the top 5-10 centers of all-time. And the Wildcats are not just still the lowest seed to win the national championship, but they also beat the best team in college basketball that year. And had they played each other for the championship ten times, the Wildcats might not have won another game.

But what I’m saying here is that the Big East was so great back then having three teams in the 85 Final Four alone, that you had to very good just to get where the Wildcats got that season. In position to win the national championship.

Biography: 'Malcolm X - Civil Rights Activist'

Source:Biography with a look at Nation of Islam Minister Malcolm X.

Source:The Daily Press

"Malcolm X (May 19, 1925 to February 21, 1965) was a minister, human rights activist and prominent black nationalist leader who served as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and 1960s. Due largely to his efforts, the Nation of Islam grew from a mere 400 members at the time he was released from prison in 1952 to 40,000 members by 1960. Articulate, passionate and a naturally gifted and inspirational orator, Malcolm X exhorted blacks to cast off the shackles of racism "by any means necessary," including violence. The fiery civil rights leader broke with the group shortly before his assassination on February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, where he had been preparing to deliver a speech...

From Biography

This to me is what the whole message of  what "Black-Power"is about. What Minister Malcolm X was in favor of was, that African-Americans shouldn't sit around and expect other people to give them their freedom and constitutional rights that they are already supposed to have under law, just for being native-born American citizens. But that they should go take what is there's and build their own communities and create their own wealth. And not be dependent on others government or otherwise for them to be able to survive. He was talking about educating an entire community in America to stand up for what is rightfully there's.

Minister Malcolm didn't want African-Americans  to sit around and wait for someone to give it to them. That instead they need to get educated and be able to create their own wealth and create their own power and build their own communities, their own business's, own schools, hospitals and so-forth and not be dependent on others to take care of them. Which is very different from Dr. Martin L. King who was talking about the welfare state and redistribution of wealth. Malcolm X, didn't want Caucasians to give him and his community anything, other than privacy and be able to live independently.

As much as today's so-called Progressives (militant Socialists in actuality) claim to support Malcolm X and be behind him, they don't get the man. They see Malcolm as some type of Fidel Castro taking on the man (meaning the White man) rebel. And that was part of his message, at least early on. But Minister Malcolm wasn't a Socialist and he sure as hell wasn't a Communist. He didn't expect or want government to give his community money. 

Minister X wanted his community to empower themselves, get their education, raise their kids, father's to stay home and not abandon their children, build their own business's and create their own wealth. He was a Classical Liberal (the real Liberals) or Conservative when it came to economic policy. And someone who deserves a lot of respect for that.

CBS Sports: NFL 1966

Source:CBS Sports- the game that kicked off the Super Bowl in America.

Source:The Daily Press

“LOS ANGELES – JANUARY 15: Green Bay Packers’ Elijah Pitts #22 runs with the ball during Super Bowl I against the Kansas City Chiefs at Memorial Coliseum on January 15, 1967 in Los Angeles, California. The Packers defeated the Chiefs 35-10. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)”

From I'm a Sportsphile 

1966 was a huge transition year for the NFL because it was the first season of the Super Bowl to decide who was the pro football champion of America, not the world. The championship game between the Green Bay Packers of what eventually became the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference, and the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League that would become the American Football Conference. 

It was the first year of divisional play in the NFL where the Eastern Conference and Western Conference was broken up into four team divisions. Pre-1966 the NFL Championship was played between the Easter and Western Conference’s regular season champions. No playoff games at all before the Championship, unless there were ties for first place in the conference’s. 

Big year for the NFL because they won the first Super Bowl and was at the beginning of the end of the NFL-AFL rivalry as they became of league by 1970 with the NFC and AFC. So the NFL was certainly in transition in 1966-67 and becoming a much larger national league.