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History, politics, and culture articles and forum discussions.

Recent history

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On the Eve of Election 2024

A night of waiting and expectation for history to unfold

In just a few hours, the polls open for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The feelings I have are surely shared by other people, including those on the opposite political side as myself. These feelings reflect the mounting tension that has been building up for months and months.

With each new story in the election season, a new drop has fallen into the bucket of anxiety. This year, the drops have been falling faster than ever before, so much that it at times seems like a steady stream of tension is pouring in. From the Republican primaries to Biden’s debate disaster, to multiple assassination attempts on Trump to Kamala’s rise, to vice presidential picks and endorsements along the way, this election cycle has been one unlike any other. We can cut the tension like a knife. It’s the feeling you might get if you knew you had a big performance to give the next day, and you only had one shot at it. Get it right and you bask in intense glory, but get it wrong and it’s an internal pain that you know you will have to shoulder for a very long time. Now spread this feeling across America so that collective anxiety hangs like a cloud from coast to coast, and this is where we’re at.

And with that said, I am actually cautiously optimistic. Depending on whom you listen to, the race is either a dead heat, or Trump is positioned just well enough in enough states to be able to take it. I am in this latter camp, as it seems his support in key battleground states will be enough to win it for him. Also, about half of all votes that will be cast in this election have already been cast, and Trump has enjoyed momentum, and a consistent polling lead, over the past few weeks. I have to think that this prolonged support has certainly helped him.

Yet, I merely need to think back to the disappointment of four years ago to remember that things aren’t how they seem. I was one of those people who was holding on to dear hope as I saw Trump leading in places like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, only to find out later that votes for Biden mysteriously materialized at odd hours.

So in less than 24 hours, we shall see where the election ends up – in glory or in defeat. The collective joy or pain will be an intense, shared act of catharsis. I just hope and pray that I will be among those rejoicing.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

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The CIA’s role in Lumumba’s downfall

Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected prime minister of the Congo, was overthrown in a coup that ultimately led to his assassination. Many historians believe that the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) played a significant role in the events leading to Lumumba’s downfall. The CIA’s involvement in foreign affairs has been a topic of debate for decades, and Lumumba’s case is no different. In this article, we will explore the CIA’s involvement in Lumumba’s overthrow and how declassified documents reveal CIA’s covert actions against Lumumba.

The CIA’s Involvement in Lumumba’s Overthrow

In the early 1960s, the Congo was in a state of political turmoil. Patrice Lumumba, a charismatic leader who had campaigned for Congolese independence from Belgium, was elected as the country’s first prime minister in 1960. Lumumba’s policies were seen as a threat to the interests of the United States and other Western countries. The CIA, in particular, viewed Lumumba as a communist sympathizer who could potentially ally with the Soviet Union.

The CIA began to work with Congolese politicians who were opposed to Lumumba’s government. The agency provided financial support to these politicians and helped them organize a coup to overthrow Lumumba. In 1960, Lumumba was removed from power in a military coup led by General Joseph Mobutu. The CIA was reportedly involved in the plot to overthrow Lumumba, and the agency was providing logistical support to Mobutu.

The CIA’s involvement in Lumumba’s overthrow did not stop there. After Lumumba was removed from power, he went into hiding, and the CIA continued to work with Mobutu to capture him. The agency provided Mobutu with information on Lumumba’s whereabouts and helped him plan the operation to capture Lumumba. In January 1961, Lumumba was captured and handed over to his political enemies, who would eventually execute him.

Declassified Documents Reveal CIA’s Covert Actions Against Lumumba

In 1975, the U.S. Senate formed the Church Committee to investigate the CIA’s activities. The committee discovered that the CIA had played a significant role in Lumumba’s overthrow. Declassified documents revealed that the CIA had provided significant financial and logistical support to Congolese politicians who were opposed to Lumumba. The agency had also been involved in planning the coup that removed Lumumba from power.

The documents also revealed that the CIA had continued to work with Mobutu after Lumumba’s overthrow. The agency provided Mobutu with intelligence on Lumumba’s whereabouts and helped him plan the operation to capture him. The CIA’s involvement in Lumumba’s capture and eventual execution was also revealed in the documents.

The Church Committee’s findings were significant, as they shed light on the CIA’s covert actions against Lumumba. The documents showed that the agency had been involved in a plot to overthrow a democratically elected leader and had played a role in his assassination. The CIA’s actions in Lumumba’s case raised questions about the agency’s objectives and its role in foreign affairs.

In conclusion, the CIA’s involvement in Lumumba’s downfall was significant. Declassified documents revealed that the agency had been involved in a plot to remove Lumumba from power and had played a role in his capture and eventual execution. The CIA’s covert actions against Lumumba raise questions about the agency’s objectives and its role in foreign affairs. Lumumba’s assassination remains a controversial topic, and the revelations about the CIA’s involvement in his downfall only add to the complexity of the situation.

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The Unanswered Questions of the COVID Era

Answers to many question remain unanswered in this never-ending global saga

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most world-changing events in the past century. The virus itself has been quite deadly in absolute numbers, with the global death toll surpassing 6 million dead by November 2021. However, perhaps the even greater threat has been the political response to the event by governments around the world.

Here in the U.S., COVID has affected virtually every aspect of society and will likely leave an indelible imprint on the development of the nation from this point forward. Despite this impact, it’s fascinating to note that there are quite a few fundamental questions about COVID and the pandemic that have yet to be answered. These are issues that a curious populace might normally pursue, but for some reason, they seem to have eluded the attention or interest of our media.

Below are some of these basic questions. I will point out in advance that answers to some of these questions might actually have answers of which I am unaware.

How are people actually getting sick from COVID?

How did COVID infections increase despite the near-complete shutdown in late-Spring 2020?

How much do masks actually help prevent the spread of COVID?

Why did Fauci change his position on masks over the course of a few months?

Why have some infection rates risen in places where the vaccine has been widely adopted?

Why has the rate of infection been low in crowded countries with low vaccine adoption?

Why did China’s COVID numbers remained virtually unchanged for well over a year after April 2020?

And the most important questions of them all:

How COVID originate?

Did the Chinese government play a role in creating COVID?

Did the U.S. government play a role in creating COVID?

Why aren’t countries hit hardest by COVID (like the U.S.) more interested in finding out how COVID originated?

If it turns out that COVID was manufactured, will other countries actually do anything to the guilty nation?

One of the reasons why we don’t have ready answers to some of these questions is probably that our attention has moved on. Once humans face a new challenge, or a new struggle, they eventually get used to dealing with it and move past the questioning stage. But another reason might be a darker one – perhaps we don’t want to know the answers to these questions.

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