Balladeer’s Blog’s theme of Top Twenty lists for 2020 continues. With Memorial Day coming up in a few weeks let’s take a look at some servicemembers who died in assorted neglected Cold War hostilities.
APRIL 8th, 1950 – A U.S. Navy Privateer Electronic Intelligence aircraft was shot down by Soviet Union fighter planes over the Baltic Sea. All 10 crew members were either killed or captured by the Soviets with no further information ever becoming available.
NOVEMBER 6th, 1951 – A U.S. Navy Neptune patrol aircraft was fired upon by Soviet fighters off the coast of Siberia. The plane disappeared along with all 10 crew members.
JUNE 13th, 1952 – A U.S. Air Force Superfortress on a reconnaissance mission was reportedly attacked by Soviet fighters over the Sea of Japan and disappeared without a trace along with all 12 crew members.
OCTOBER 7th, 1952 – Another U.S. Air Force Superfortress encountered Soviet fighters off the coast of Japan and was presumed to have been shot down with 8 crewmen losing their lives.
NOVEMBER 29th, 1952 – A U.S. cargo plane was shot down over northeast China. Two crewmen died in the crash and were buried near the craft. The surviving pair – John Downey and Richard Fectau – were captured and imprisoned. Fectau was not returned to the U.S. until 1971 and Downey in 1973.
JANUARY 18th, 1953 – A U.S. Navy Neptune plane was shot down by Chinese anti-aircraft guns over the Formosa Strait off Swatow, China. It ditched, with 2 crew members presumed captured by the Chinese and 5 presumed dead. A U.S. Coast Guard “flying boat” crashed during the search for the downed crew, leaving 4 more men dead. Continue reading
With so many other outlets covering the landslide of new evidence emerging against Barack Obama and his administration’s criminal behavior & other scandals, and with Mexico demanding answers about Obama’s Fast and Furious debacle, Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog has decided to instead focus on this underrated book. 
Martin Luther King Person of Courage Kiara Ashanti (above right) authored COMMANDER-IN-FAILURE: AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN REFLECTS ON AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT AND HOW HE FAILED US ALL. It’s a riveting read.
PART FORTY-TWO – The targets of James Larkin Pearson and his Fool Killer in the December 1910 issue: 
As Bernie Sanders supporters pointed out, senile Joe Biden, amid multiple erupting scandals, proved once again that he and his people can’t even manage a virtual campaign event, let alone cope with problems on a global stage. 
*** PEOPLE WHO ARE EASILY OFFENDED AND LOVE ANNOUNCING THAT THEY ARE OFFENDED ARE THE MOST SIMPLE-MINDED FOOLS IN THE WORLD.
PART FORTY: The October of 1910 issue of James Larkin Pearson’s Fool-Killer. LORE CHANGE – For the first time the Fool Killer is depicted using a Bomb of Truth against his targets, making these explosives the latest addition to his arsenal of weapons. Even today we often use the figurative expression “Truth Bombs.” 
*** John J Astor and his wife, who were going through an ugly and costly public divorce. 
Balladeer’s Blog is always emphasizing how out-of-date the traditional “shirts vs skins” two-party system is in the U.S. You would think that Democrats could set aside partisan politics when it comes to President Trump’s FDR-style Payroll Protection Program, but no, as many have noted, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are AGAIN strategizing to try holding the country hostage by blocking the renewal funds for the Program. 
Democrat State Representative Karen Whitsett of Michigan has credited President Trump and his touting of hydroxychloroquine with saving her life as she recently combated the coronavirus. 
Whitsett courageously went non-partisan and publicly stated she would not have thought to ask for it (hydroxychloroquine) if President Trump had not touted its benefits as a possible coronavirus treatment. 
