Chapter Review: Who is Tokyo Rose

Taken from Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Hannah Beck, Theshold Editions, New York, 2013.

The interesting thing I learned from this chapter is that Tokyo Rose was not just one person, but five or six women who announced on Radio Tokyo.  The Japanese goal was to discourage the U.S. soldiers; and in some respects this was accomplished.  However there were those on the radio, who hoped their program on the radio would have the opposite effect.  They would tell inside jokes, and talk quickly so the news could not be understood.  A team of POW's was n the radio and recruited Iva Toguri to join them on the radio.  She too wanted to use the radio to promote the Allied was effort rather than discourage.  Iva was Japanese American, born in Los Angeles.  She would not renounce her U.S. citizenship when she became trapped in Japan when the war started.
When the war was over, two reporters searched out Iva as they were looking for Tokyo Rose.  Iva had never heard of Tokyo Rose, but when is was explained to her that it was the name given to all the Japanese women radio broadcaster by the U.S. soldiers, she took credit for being Tokyo Rose.
As a result she was arrested and imprisoned.  However she was eventually released for lack of evidence.  She returned to the United States.
Thomas DeWolfe was a prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney's office.  He had reviewed the case, and new there was no case.  However public outcry was persistent.  This included political pressure.  He was ordered to prosecute, and so Iva found herself in court.  Charles Cousens, one of the two radio broadcaster testified and verified Iva's story.  She had no intent to harm the war effort but just the opposite.  However she was found guilty.
She served six years in prison, and was almost deported.  She did lose her citizenship.  Her husband was deported, and their marriage was ruined.  She had been pardoned by President Gerald Ford in 1977, and her citizenship restored.  Some members of the jury later regretted that they had been persuaded to go with the majority.  Thomas DeWolfe took his own life three years after the verdict.

Iva Toguri

Chapter Review: The My Lai Massacre: A Light in the Darkness

Taken from Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Hannah Beck, Theshold Editions, New York, 2013.

This is a very sad day in U.S. military history.  True it was that the orders were to wipe out everyone in the village of My Lai because they were believed to be harboring The Viet Cong Forty Eighth , which would attack, and then melt into the jungle.  Someone must be helping them.  However, in this case intelligence was faulty.  When Charlie Company attacked the village, they did not find Viet Cong, but took to killing the civilians all the same.  Some even raised their hands in surrender, and were easier prey.  Lieutenant William Calley was leading the killing.  With 200 prisoners lined up in front of a trench, a helicopter pilot, Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, tried to intervene.  However Calley insisted he had his orders.  When the helicopter had taken off, Calley ordered the slaughter.  The continued shooting into the bodies to make sure nothing moved.  A group of Vietnamese holed up in a bunker.  Again they were pursued, but this time Thompson was able to rescue them, he also pulled a living boy from the pile of massacred bodies.
The massacre was covered up.  However the press finally did get a hold of the information.  Captain Medina, who gave the orders got off, having a good lawyer.  Lieutenant Calley was convicted of multiple counts of premeditated murder, but his sentence was commuted by President Nixon.  Hugh Thompson was harassed and threatened with prosecution.  It took thirty years for his bravery to be recognized.  He and his crew received the Soldier's Medal for their actions.

Warrant Officer Hugh THompson

The MIssing 9/11 Terrorist: The Power of Everyday Heroes

Taken from Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Hannah Beck, Theshold Editions, New York, 2013.

It may well have been the actions of an Orlando border agent Jose Melendez-Perez, an Army veteran who took protection of the United States seriously.  The individual in question had incomplete documents, and so was interviewed by the agent.  His story did not add up.  He wouldn't say who he was to meet, and how he was getting around with his limited English skills.  He did take the finger prints of Mohammed al Qahtani before denying him entry.  He was given they opportunity to return to Dubai, paying for his ticket back.  Facing this or imprisonment he took the opportunity.
The day of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Flight 93 only had four terrorists on board, not five like the other planes.  Perhaps one less man defending the cock pit after taking over the flight is what allowed the heroes aboard Flight 93 to drive it into the ground instead of the intended target in Washington, D.C.
After the attack on Afghanistan, Qatani was captured in the Tora Bora area.  He was identified from the finger prints.  He had not given his name when captured, but the finger prints gave him away.  Qatani ended up at Guantanamo Bay.
There he was subjected to accepted interrogation procedures, restraint on a swivel chair, deprivation of sleep, loud music, prohibition of praying, threats of rendition to countries who use torture.  After a week the interview began.  He was accused of being the twelfth hijacker.  He was asked the location of Bin Laden.  He was accused of wasted the interrogators time, and asked to give one name.  He gave Abu Ahmed al Kuwaite, who taught him internet.
Some months later, that name came up, Sheik Al Kuwaite.  Invasion of the compound where he was located lead to the killing of Bin Laden.
Small things can bring important results.

Jose Melendez-Perez

Chapter Review: The Sabateurs: In a Time of War, the Laws Are SIlent

Taken from Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Hannah Beck, Theshold Editions, New York, 2013.

German trained saboteurs to invade the American coast and cause damage to American infrastructure during WWII.  These were generally men who had lived in America and knew the customs and language.  Some did not know what they were getting into.  George Dasch was one of them.  They really were not good learners, nor good spies.  That didn't seem to matter to the Nazis.  They were given specific targets, bridges, railways and factories.  They were headed to America, dropped off by submarine; two groups, four men to New York, Long Island, the other four to Florida.  A National Guard man came upon them as the landed.  They presented as fisherman, without fishing tackle.  The story didn't add up, when they threatened him, he let them go.  They had been given ample money to stay in rich hotels.  George did not intend to carry out sabotage, nor did Peter Berger.
George called the FBI and asked to speak to Herbert Hoover.  His call was handled as a crank call.  He traveled to Washington D.C. where he called the FBI and was put in contact with Duane Traynor to expose the entire operation.  He was sure he would be a hero.  He could take the money and live well.  However, after taking days to explain his case, George was arrested and imprisoned as a spy.  J. Edgar Hoover took credit for breaking the spy ring. The other men were all gathered.  George faced a military tribunal.  However his lawyer was able to appeal his case, George was an American, and entitled to a fair trial.  His case made its way all the way to the supreme court.  The military argued that in time of was, such laws could be suspended with regards to enemy combatants.  The Supreme Court sided with the government, and the military trials preceded.  Six of the eight spies were executed.  George was sentenced to 30 years in prison, and Peter to life in prison.
However, even though the Supreme Court had announced its ruling, writing a opinion was harder.  It was not based on sound legal precedent.  Four of the justices were now doubting their ruling.  However six men had been executed.  The opinion, written by Chief Justice Harlan Stone was not written well, but they all signed it.  President Truman granted executive immunity to the two men, and they were shipped back to Germany in 1948.
This case was later used as precedent during the Afghanistan conflict for holding American Citizens as enemy combatants.

George John Dasch

Chapter Review: The Battle of Wounded Knee: Medals of Dishonor

Taken from Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Hannah Beck, Theshold Editions, New York, 2013.

Th Massacre at Wounded Knee is common knowledge to most of us.  But the official Army version is much different from what we know happened.  As a result of the Ghost Dance, the federal forces were on heightened alert.  The intended to arrest Sitting Bull.  However he and two of his sons were killed in the arrest attempt.  Six Native American policemen had also been killed.
Under the command of General Nelson Miles, Major Samuel Whiteside was ordered to find Big Foot and his band and escort them back to reservation.  There worries he might join another group and make a large force together.  Big Foot was not with the original negotiating party.  He was ill.  Whiteside insisted he talk with Big Foot, and he was brought in his sick wagon.  They had no intention of fighting and were willing to be accompanied back to the reservation.  Whiteside put up a loose perimeter, however when he was relieved by Colonel James Forsyth he was ordered to encircle the Indians, and disarm them in the morning.
Disarming was the trick.  At first they asked the Native Americans to bring their guns, and they brought a few.  A search of the tepees garnered about that many more.  Then the started a person inspection and were finding even more.  When a young man who was deaf, was having his weapon taken from him by force, it discharged.  There was a second of silence, then Forsyth gave the order to fire.  That they did, mowing down the warriors, as well as women and children.  The let lose with the Hotchkiss guns, Gatling guns, and the devastation was quick.  However, being in a circle, many of their own bullets his comrades on the other side of the circle.
The frozen bodies left in the snow was a testament to the brutality.  However in the investigation, the government exonerated Forsyth and his men.  Miles brought him up on charges, but the inquiry just said he may have camped too close to the Native Americans, allowing for sabotage, but not giving any clear blame.  In fact, just to prove the troops were not at fault, 20 citations were made for action in this battle.  That is more than are generally given after a battle, let alone a massacre.
To finish the rub, a grandson of Big Foot's actual name (rather than the one given by the Americans) is Chief Spotted Elk.

Chapter Review: The Battle of Athens: Repeated Petitions, Repeated Injuries

Taken from Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Hannah Beck, Theshold Editions, New York, 2013.

This is a story that you find hard to believe could happen in the United States, however it is a story of conditions right after WWII that faced some of the returning GI's.  Many areas of the country have political bosses, and such was the case here.  Athens, Tennessee was a rural town.  It had the same Sheriff, Paul Cantrell, for many years.  They insisted on counting the ballots in private, and turned out he always won.  This only changed when he took higher office, but then he placed puppets in his place, using the same routine.  Sheri was paid for how many stayed in jail, so the trumped up the numbers by arresting people for nothing, and beating them if they didn't cooperate.  Some of the local citizens, lead by the retuning GI's who had been the victims of these assaults, decided enough was enough.  The easily had triple the votes of the corrupt Sheriff, who had returned to run again because many were displeased with his replacement.  Only through some shenanigans could the Sheriff win.
They brought in men to intimidate the polls, and even shot a Black man.  However the key as to sneak enough ballots away and count them out of sight.  They did this in the jail.
Bill White had warned to state government and the FBI of the situation in Athens before the election.  However there was no response.  When the Sheriff had taken ballots to count in secret,  action was needed.  They confronted the men in the jail, asking for the ballots.  They were greeted with a couple shot gun blasts.  The battle and siege was on.  The people could rearm themselves, and did so by visiting the local stores.  They men in the jail had no such opportunity.  People were wounded on both sides, but no one died.  However eventually the governor or the National Guard would come to rescue the Sheriff.  Something had to be done.  Bill White had brought dynamite.  It wasn't until the third throw that he got one close enough to take the front off the jail.  The ballots would be counted fairly.  The only person tried as a result of this day was the police man who shot another man keeping him from the ballot box.

Chapter Review: Easy Eddie & the Hard Road to Redemption

Taken from Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Hannah Beck, Theshold Editions, New York, 2013.

Easy Eddie was a lawyer.  He became the mob lawyer in Chicago, particular the lawyer of AL Capone, because Capone selected him, and he wasn't in a position to say know.  With being the lawyer for the mob came family consequences.  Eddie would lose his family and his kids, except in the case of his son, the younger Eddie, he decided he could make a difference.  The younger Eddie had started mixing with the wrong crowd, missing school, and show signs he was headed for trouble.  Fast die intervened by sending his son to military school.  It actually worked.
Easy Eddie was eventually approached by the government, and he knew they had him.  However they wanted Capone, so made a deal.  Part of the deal was they would get his son an appointment to Naval Academy.  Easy Eddie wasn't sure they could do this, but he knew they could keep him out.  Fast Eddie turned, and was a major witness against Capone when he went to prison.  With that action, he was also a man marked for death.

Easy Eddie

Task Force 11 was on its way to attack Rabaul in the Pacific and were deep in enemy waters when they were discovered by the Japanese.  All the fighters scrambled, and chased the incoming planes, keeping them at bay.  Eddie Jr. and his buddy were the last planes launched.  They were headed skyward when the noticed a group of Japanese bombers, who were approaching the convoy untouched with no one to stop them.  The other fighters had all chased the earlier bombing raids.  Perhaps this was the plan all along.  Eddie's buddy's guns wouldn't fire.  This left only Eddie.  He was a good pilot, and a good shot.  He had to fire in short bursts, but he took the Japanese by surprise his first run, and subsequent runs his aim was very good.  When his guns finally ran out of ammunition, he was prepared to ram the few planes still remaining.  However he didn't have to as other fighters joined the fight, and the planes skedaddled leaving their bombs well short.  Edward Butch saved many lives and important naval vessels that day.
Easy Eddie met his end, a victim of murder as a result of his life of crime and testifying against Capone.  His son however was proclaimed a hero.  He received the first medal of honor awarded to a Navy man in WWII.  He could have gone on a hero's tour and stayed out of the fighting, but he insisted on returning to his men.  He was shot down a few months later.
Some years later, the Chicago airport was named in his honor, and so also named for his father.  O'Hare Airport carries the name of Easy Eddie.

Edward Butch O'Hare

Chapter Review: Alan Turing: How the Father of the Computer Saved the World for Democracy

from the book Dreamers and Deceivers: True Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe, Theshold Editions, New York, 2014.

This is the only individual featured in this book who was not a citizen of the United States.  Alan Turing was a mathematician, and a marathon runner.  It was while running that he thought of the idea of machines being used to solve problems.  The machine he imagined could read instructions, it would scan a tape with numeric code which would tell the machine what to do.  He thought this machine may solve complex mathematical problems.  
And so the beginnings of the computer where hatched.  This idea of a problem solving machine became a necessity during WWII.  The Nazis were using a sophisticated coding machine, enigma it was called.  Only a machine would be able to decipher the code fast enough to have a chance at breaking the Nazi codes.  Turing worked on this through a good part of the war, but finally had developed something which would help them crack the code, by using known words or frequent words.  Turing was especially prominent in the work against the U-Boats.  Who knows how many lives he saved by being able to pinpoint the location of submarines.  His work was part of the strategy to eliminate or reduce the threat from the Nazi U-boats.  
During his time in the deciphering business, he visited America where he again helped with developing the computer, while taking ideas home.  
After the war Turing became known as a homosexual, which was against British law of the time.  He was subject to hormone therapy,and later took his own life via one bite form a cyanide laced apple.  Beck wonders if that may be the reason behind the Apples with one bite missing on all i-phones and Apple computers.

Chapter Review: The CIty of Tomorrow: Walt Disney's Last and Lost Dream

from the book Dreamers and Deceivers: True Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe, Theshold Editions, New York, 2014.

Epcot Center was Walt Disney's last and great dream.  Previously he had proved critics wrong when he insisted on creating Disneyland as a different kind of park.  However Epcot was suppose to be much more than a display of technology.  Walt Disney envisioned it as a self enclosed city.  EPCOT, Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.  Disney had seen suffering in the world, and poverty, and this was his plan to counteract such issues.  He had also seen the riots in Watts, and knew there was a better way.  However Disney's health did not allow him to finish this dream.  He made his older brother, Roy, promise to finish the work.  However Roy could not quite see Walt's dream.  Sure Walt Disney World (Roy insisted on the Walt) opened as a great amusement park, but it never quite was what Walt envisioned, nor did it have the impact Walt had hoped for.  Epcot is an exhibit acknowledging technology, but is only a sad compromise of Walt's original dream, EPCOT.

Roy Disney

Walt Disney

Chapter Review: The Spy Who Turned to a Pumpkin: Alger Hiss and the Liberal Establishment That Defended a Traitor

from the book Dreamers and Deceivers: True Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe, Theshold Editions, New York, 2014.

Alger Hiss was a rising star in the Democrat Party.  He accompanied President Franklin Roosevelt to Malta for Roosevelt's last visit with Churchill and Stalin before the end of WWII.  At this meeting, the Allies basically gave up the Easter European countries to the Soviet Union, including Poland.  Alger Hiss was identified as a spy by Whitaker Chambers.  Hiss had left the State Department, and was no at the Carnegie Foundation.  He approached this information by facing the House Un-American Activities Committee.  He denied ever knowing Chambers.  One of them was lying.  
His challenged Chambers, saying he would sue him if he made his accusations public.  When they were made public, then Chambers turned over to the government evidence of Hiss' spying activities.  Papers that Chambers had matched the typewriter that Hiss kept under his bed.  He was tried and convicted of perjury.  The Democratic controlled justice department did not try him for espionage.  
Hiss maintained his innocence.  In fact after the Soviet bloc fell, a Soviet leader said he had never seen evidence Hiss was a spy.  However he later admitted he only had access to a small percentage of documents. However Hiss became the first person to be restored to the Massachusetts Bar after having been removed.   Later a note about Hiss recruiting another spy was found among Hungarian documents.  Further damning evidence was found by the State Department who apparently forced him out because of his ties with espionage.  The government knew all along about Hiss' spying but chose to look the other way.  

Chapter Review: "Make it Great, John": How Steve Jobs and John Lasseter Changed History at Pixar

from the book Dreamers and Deceivers: True Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe, Theshold Editions, New York, 2014.
During the time when Steve Jobs had been forced out at Apple Computer, he purchased from George Lucas a his computer graphics division which had about 100 employees and was named for their computer, Pixar.  John Lasseter was one of the employees there.  Lasseter was the artist, animator among the computer technicians.  He had previously worked for Disney, and been let go because of his ideas about using computers to do animation.  
Before Pixar found it self if cost Jobs millions of dollars; 5 million to purchase it, another immediate investment of 5 million, and over the next couple years another 10 million.  They were bleeding money.  It was unclear how long Jobs could continue.  At a meeting to see how they could save money, Lasseter proposed making a short film, for $300,000.  When money is tight asking for more is not always a good thing.  However Jobs gave Lasseter this one instruction, "Just make it great."
The short he had in mind was called Tin Toy.  It was a precursor to Toy Story.  The short won an Academy Award for animation.  The bigger project followed, However they needed financing, so they invited Disney to oversee the project.  They had evolved the character to Woody and Buzz Lightyear.  However Disney insisted on Woody being cantankerous so they could attract an adult audience.  The movie lost its focus and was not going well.  Tom Hanks, the actor for Woody said, This guy is a real jerk."  Initial previews did not go well.  Disney shut own the project.  However Jobs convinced them to give it another shot, and they rewrote the script.  The movie was on its way.
Jobs did not want to be dependent on Disney in the future.  He made plans for Pixar, a company with successive years of loss, to go public as soon as the movie came out.  And that is what he did, against everyone's better judgement.  Pixar gained financial independence, and went on to make many more movies; A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monster Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and more.  
Jobs was welcomed back at Apple, and Pixar became a subsidiary of Disney.  The original Pixar Computer is now in the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.

Chapter Review: The Muckraker: How a Lost Letter Revealed Upton SInclair's Deception

The Muckraker: How a Lost Letter Revealed Upton Sinclair's Deception, from the book Dreamers and Deceivers: True Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe, Theshold Editions, New York, 2014.

Upton Sinclair is best known for writing the book "The Jungle."  However this story is not about that book so much, but a subsequent book Sinclair wrote entitled "Boston."  This book is about two Italian immigrants, Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco, who were put to death by the electric chair in Massachusetts after they killed two payroll clerks, and stole a parole to help fund their terroristic organization which was fighting against the elite in the Boston area.  Mostly they would set of bombs, but they needed to purchase dynamite to do this.  The two men had alibis, but they were also identified as being the killers.  Sinclair, always for social justice, had a point to make with his book.  He challenged the verdict and the trial feeling it had been unfair.  Besides the men maintained their innocence.  Sinclair however saw some inconsistencies in the men's testimony, and sought out a lawyer who had worked on the case.  Despite the lawyer proclaiming them guilty, that he had trumped up the alibi witnesses, Sinclair still published the book maintaining the trial was unfair.  Many years later a letter about this meeting would come to light which indicated that Sinclair knew the men were guilty.  Sometimes the truth just gets in the way of a good story or cause.

Upton Sinclair

Chapter Review: Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball

This chapter is entitled : He Loved Lucy: The Tragic Genius of Desi Arnaz, the Inventor of the Rerun.  It is from the book Dreamers and Deceivers: True Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe, Theshold Editions, New York, 2014.

Desi Arnaz escaped with his family from Cuba when he was a teenage.  The went from having three homes, to having nothing.  His father barely escaped with his life, and slowly arranged for other family members to join them, starting with Desi.  Desi had a dream to never be in that situation again.   And the slowly rebuilt their life.   However when Desi told his father he ws going to pursue msic, playing the bongos and singing, his father resisted.  In the old country this was not good work.  However Desi would prove successful.
When Desi began to pursue movie deals as part of his career, he met Lucille Ball.  When he first met her she had a black eye (make up) and Desi was not impressed.  However that soon changed.  Lucy and Desi were married, and because of the different nature of their personalities, except for their stubbornness, the marriage was not expected to last.  With individual lives in entertainment, which took them different ways, it had a rocky start; especially due to Desi's drinking and womanizing.  However they had hopes of doing a show together, a television show.  Lucy already had a radio show.  However when they pitched it to studios it was rejected.  The said people wouldn't belief they were married.  SO they created their own production company, Desilu Industries, and became the first independent T.V. producers.  They were able to sell their t.v. show, filming in Los Angeles, close to their home.  Desi negotiated that they would maintain the rights to the programs they produced, and thus when they became popular, reruns were born.  DesiLu actually sold the rights for millions of dollars.  They would produce many more programs, including Star Trek and Mission Impossible.  However their marriage would not last.  Desi and Lucy would have two children together, but eventually Desi's drinking and womanizing would take its toll.  However Desi and Lucy continued to love each other, even when Lucy moved on to subsequent versions of her t.v. shows.

Chapter Review: Edison vs. Westinghouse: An Epic Struggle for Power

This chapter is reviewed from Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Hannah Beck, Threshold Editions, New York, 2013.
The struggle between alternating current and direct current was significant in our country, and determined how the power grid in the United States would go.  Nikola Tesla actually worked for Thomas Edison, and had developed things for him using alternating current.  However Edison was totally committed to direct current, so in the end Tesla left and joined George Westinghouse.  Alternating current had some advantages over direct current.  It could be transported over longer distances without losing as much power.  This made it so the lines used less copper in transmission.  At the time the price of copper was over inflated, which was a hindrance to Edison.
However Edison had developed citywide systems based on direct current.  He wasn't going to give up the power grid without a fight.  He tried to paint alternating current as being dangerous.  It was the spark of Edison which used alternating current for the electric chair.  He contended that many people would die if the grid went to alternating current.  He publicly proclaimed the use of the electric chair.  However when it was used it wasn't quite as effective as believed, as it took several attempts to kill the condemned.  Westinghouse had his opening.  The pinnacle was being able to light the World's Fair Columbian Exposition in New York.  After successfully bidding on this, at a price half that of Edison.  From there Westinghouse won the Niagara Falls contract, using Tesla's advances.
In the end, Edison would lose control of his power company, and would focus on film and mining adventures.  His company became General Electric.  Westinghouse would eventually also lose ownership of his company to bankers, but he continued in other interests as well and controlled many patents.

The Barbary War: A Steep Price for Peace

This is a review of a chapter from the book, Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Hannah Beck, Threshold Editions, New York, 2013.
This story explains why the Marine Song includes the line, "To the shores of Tripoli."  When the United States was a new nation the Barbary Coast pirates were notorious, with safe haven in Tripoli and many other North African Ports.  Yussef Qaramanli had taken Hamet Quaramanli's, his brother's throne as Pashta, and supported the pirates, and demanded ransom from countries for safe passage.  He demanded millions of dollars from the United States, which at the time represented over ten percent of the country's budget.  Finally, when Thomas Jefferson was president, war was declared.  The people of Tripoli had overtaken the U.S. consulate.  However, early efforts to fight the pirates failed.  Finally a large ship, the U.S.S. Philadelphia was sent.  They were going to make their first capture, but ran aground and were surrounded and the sailors caught and made slaves.  This would begin a hell that would last a year and a half for these men, including Marines.  Stephen Decatur later lead a force which boarded the Philadelphia, used her cannon to fire upon the city, and then her aflame and she sank when the magazine room was lit.  The men escaped.

William Eaton, the former consul approached Jefferson with a plan to replace Yussef with his brother, the rightful ruler.  He was given men and money to make this happen.  He put together an army which traveled over desert from Alexandria, some 400 miles to reach their first test, Derna.  This was an outlying town loyal to Yussef.  Supported the the Navy, Eaton and his men of Marines, European mercenaries and Muslims loyal to Hamet.  Hamet traveled with them.  They finally stormed the fortified positions at Derna, and won the day.

However reinforcements from Tripoli, loyal to Yussef arrived and pinned them in the city.  However siege was futile as Eaton and his men were well supplied by the U.S. Navy.  A new ship arrived, and with it orders from Jefferson that peace terms had been accepted.  Yussef would retain his crown.  The mercenaries and Hamet would be taken to Italy.  The imprisoned sailors and Marines were freed from their hell.  However Eaton remained bitter as he knew he could have taken Tripoli and effected regime change.
Yussef broke all the agreements of the treaty.  The taking of Tripoli had to be done later.  It wasn't until after the War of 1812, that the U.S. had a Naval force such that they could back up their threats.  They went to Tripoli and forced a final peace.

Chapter Review: Streets of Gold: Charles Ponzi and the American Scheme

I am familiar with the term, Ponzi Scheme, but was not familiar with the man who prompted this term.  That man is Charles Ponzi, was born Carlo Ponzi in Italy.  He flunked out of university, and so set his sights on America as a place to win his fortune.  He had heard the streets in America were made of gold.  He eventually drifted north, where he became involved in  a scheme to pay back loans (self loans made to yourself illegally from people giving you money to wire to relatives).  It eventually tumbled, and Ponzi was jailed for writing a forged check to himself.  He then landed in Federal prison in Atlanta, Georgia for helping people enter the United States illegally.  While there he met Charles Morse, and from him learned more about speculation schemes.   He thought about returning to Europe, to fight for Italy in the war, but changed his mind  He met a woman, fell in love and married Rose Gneccco.  Rose contended they didn't need to be rich to be happy.  However Ponzi had other ideas, and began promising incredible returns to his investors in a scheme to buy International Reply Coupons abroad, and sell them in the United States.  The idea being they were accepted for postage any where in the world, but were sold more cheaply in Europe.  This he used as his draw, but what he was really doing was paying investors back with the money from new investors.  In fact the Post Office had written him a letter saying such a scheme was not allowed.  No matter if he made believe this was his method, and besides, he was paying people back with incredible interest.  We are all gamblers.  We all crave easy money.
Working upon this crave Ponzi kept his scheme going for several years.  He bought a large mansion.  He brought his mother from Italy.  He had made good.  When the paper ran an article about his investment program, he made even more money.  However, eventually in such a scheme, the debts our weigh the assets, and when that happens it comes crashing down.  Thousands of people lost millions of dollars.  When it collapsed, and he was audited, his scheme was up.  After serving five years in prison he was deported.  He died in Brazil a broke man, but he had given the people of America quite a show for a time.

Chapter Review: Woodrow Wilson: A Masterful Stroke of Deception

This chapter is from the book: Dreamers and Deceivers by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe.  It is subtitled True Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America.  Published by Threshold Editions, New York, 2014.
Woodrow Wilson was a progressive educator, President of Princeton.  However when offered the chance to run for governor, as a jumping point to run for president he jumped at the opportunity.  There were concerns about his health, arteriosclerosis, but he did not let that stand in is way.  In fact, during his first term as president, it was not his health, but his wife's that was a concern.  His wife died of liver disease, and her passing devastated him.  However he remarried while in the White House.  He married Edith Bolling Galt, a woman who shared his political views.  Wilson was a racist from the South.  He did not support women's suffrage and felt women were inferior, and should compliment men.  He also allowed segregation to take place int eh federal government, and supported Jim Crow laws.  He also agreed with the movie "Birth of a Nation" which during his presidency, was the first movie screened in the White House, with its reference to the Ku Klux Klan as saviors of the South.  However he won reelection on the theme, "I kept us out of War," referring to WWI.  However it wasn't long into his second term that the United States entered the war.  Woodrow Wilson's biggest push was to negotiate a treaty not too harsh on the Germans, and to establish the League of Nations.  However, in the end of his presidency, Wilson was absent.  He had a stroke, which left his face droopy, and his arm paralyzed.  He was also afflicted by paranoia and anger.  It was his wife, Edith, who in essence ran the country.  She was able to pass him off as running the country to two senators, but still he was ineffective as an actual world leader.  The final treaty at the end of WWI was punitive to the germans, requiring war reparations and taking territory from them.  Resentment over this treaty lead to the rise of the Nazi Party and Hitler, and played a real part in continued hostilities.  The League of Nations was only a shell of what Wilson envisioned, as a result of his stroke he could not pursue it vigorously, and only after compromise was it acceptable to the United States.
Of course as it happened, knowledge of WILson's stroke was not common knowledge.  It was only over 40 years later at the death of his doctor, Cary Grayson, and release of his notes, that the serious nature of his health problems was known.

Chapter Review: The Constitutional Debate in Virgiania

The constitutional debate pitted Alexander Hamilton arguing against the ratification of the constitution, while James Madison argued for ratification.  The federalist, those for the constitution, had decided that a stronger federal government was needed to ensure the continued existence of our nation.  Those who argued against did not want a more central government which they equated with kings and tyranny.  Edmond randolph spoke for ratification, while George Mason spoke against the document without a Bill of Rights.  James Madison felt his side, the Federalist were winning.  But that was before Patrick Henry stood to talk, and point by point tore the constitution apart.  It was almost to the point of blows between he and Randolph.  However, the next day, Hamilton came back and only spoke of the need for a Bill of Rights, which was put to a vote as an amendment.  The Federalist argued the Bill of Rights could be added after ratification.  However, passing amendments would but all those states who had already ratified the Constitution back in the ratification stage.  The vote for the amendments was close, but did not pass.  With that vote the vote for ratification of the Constitution also passed.  However wise minds prevailed, and a Bill of Rights was added to the constitution.
This is a summary of the chapter in Glenn Beck: Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America.

Chapter Review: I Did not Kill Armstrong: The story of Edwin Howard Armstrong: Radio Pioneer

Dreamers and Deceivers: True Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America, Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe, Threshold Editions, Mercury Radio Arts, New York, 2014.

“I Did Not Kill Armstrong”: The War of Wills in the Early Days of Radio.

Edwin Howard Armstrong was a genius.  Radio was his passion, that and heights.  But it was radio where he made his mark.  He developed an oscillation system which advanced radio.  This used putting the sound through the radio many times to increase the sound.  It worked.  He was using however an Audion tube, Which was the invention of another party, Lee DeForest. 

Armstong shared his invention with David Sarnoff of the American Marconi Company.  This company would eventually evolve into RCA.  Armstrong helped solve many problems with reception and sound, which resulted in RCA being able to sell hundreds of thousands of radios.  However he also became embroiled in legal issues.  DeForest claimed he was the inventor of radio. 

When WWI started, Armstrong loaned his patents to the military, and volunteered himself.  He was a major and helped greatly with communications.  DeForest also helped the war effort, if he was paid. 

After the war the court case went through the courts all the way to the Supreme Court, who ruled for DeForest. 

However by this time, Armstrong was developing the next thing, FM radio.  This was an attempt to make radio more clear, and less subject to environmental conditions.   He was successful.  He developed radio which was much clearer.  At this time he worked for  Sarnoff and RCA.  When the idea was introduced, which Sarnoff had requested several years earlier, it was an obvious success.  FM Radio was much clearer with less interference from the elements.  However, Sarnoff had gone the way of AM radio.  There were hundreds of thousands of people listening to, and networks producing to AM radio.  Sarnoff suggested putting FM aside.  This was not acceptable to Armstrong.  At this time they split company, Armstrong being kicked out of his office within a day. 

Now Armstrong plowed ahead on his own, with only the support of his wife, and developed a network of FM stations on the east coast.  In the meantime, Sarnoff tied Armstrong up in court in legal battle after legal battle, and claimed RCA was the legal owner of FM radio.  WWII was a reprieve, as both Sarnoff and Armstrong participated in the war effort.  However the legal battles continued after the war.  Sarnoff at one point offered $1,000,000 to buy Armstrong out, but this wouldn’t even pay for the equipment. Sarnoff, in court, later denied ever making such an offer. When Sarnoff could not win, he lobbied the FCC to change the frequency of the FM signal, and overnight all the FM radios were obsolete.   

Armstrong finally gave in, and began smashing his awards, as the tyrants would never let him be.  His wife was struck in this episode, and he never saw her again.  Two months later he jumped out of his apartment to his death.  Upon hearing this, Sarnoff instinctively said, “I did not kill Armstrong.”  (He must have felt guilty.)  Armstrong’s name is enshrined by the International Telecommunication Union. 

Chapter Review: Grover Cleveland: The Mysterious Case of the DIsapearing President

Dreamers and Deceivers: True Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America, Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe, Threshold Editions, Mercury Radio Arts, New York, 2014.

Grover Cleveland: The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing President.  I am sure if this is not the first time a president had lied about their health, and it definitely wasn’t the last time.  In this case, presumably President Cleveland wanted to keep his health out of the public eye to not interfere with his chances of negotiating through Congress legislation to change the silver standard.  He felt this was contributing to depression.  Of course it was also felt the president’s health was important so as not to instill panic or fear in the general populace. 

President Cleveland had cancer, a tumor in his jaw.  He went aboard a boat, and had surgery at sea.  He was basically overdue by four days, and people began to notice his absence.  He was out of touch with people for five days.  The story given is that he went on a fishing trip, had rheumatism, and had teeth extracted.  His health was fine.  Rumors abounded, but this was the official story and it stuck.

However a reporter uncovered the truth.  Two months later E.J. Edwards reported for the Philadelphia Press,  “The President a Very Sick Man.”  He had discovered the story from one of the doctors, an anesthesiologist.  However the president continued to deny, and none of the five doctors who attended the president came forward.  Instead of the reporter having a scoop, he became a fall guy as the president and his staff questioned his integrity. 

It wouldn’t be for twenty-five years, and after President Cleveland’s death, that the truth would finally come out.  E.J. Edwards was an honest man and reliable reporter, while it was President Cleveland who was not truthful. 

This is a very short version of this story.  The Glenn Beck version has many more details.  I also understand there is a book about the same story, “The President Is a Sick Man” by Matthew Algeo.