Mornin’ Politocadoes!
Today, Veterans Day is observed in the United States. Originally known as Armistice Day, to commemorate the end of World War I, as the armistice was signed at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. It was changed in 1954 at the urging of various veteran organizations as a day to celebrate all Armed Force veterans, as opposed to Memorial Day which honors those who have died and Armed Forces Day which celebrates all active duty members of the military.
Woodrow Wilson (well-known racist fuckhead) had great hopes that the end of conflict would lead to greater peace in the world. And in fact, I believe you can see some of the seeds of his hoped-for League of Nations in his address on the original Armistice Day.
The White House, November 11, 1919.
A year ago today our enemies laid down their arms in accordance with an armistice which rendered them impotent to renew hostilities, and gave to the world an assured opportunity to reconstruct its shattered order and to work out in peace a new and juster set of international relations. The soldiers and people of the European Allies had fought and endured for more than four years to uphold the barrier of civilization against the aggressions of armed force. We ourselves had been in the conflict something more than a year and a half.
With splendid forgetfulness of mere personal concerns, we remodeled our industries, concentrated our financial resources, increased our agricultural output, and assembled a great army, so that at the last our power was a decisive factor in the victory. We were able to bring the vast resources, material and moral, of a great and free people to the assistance of our associates in Europe who had suffered and sacrificed without limit in the cause for which we fought.
Out of this victory there arose new possibilities of political freedom and economic concert. The war showed us the strength of great nations acting together for high purposes, and the victory of arms foretells the enduring conquests which can be made in peace when nations act justly and in furtherance of the common interests of men.
To us in America the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service, and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations.
WOODROW WILSON[6]
Congress formally called for an official observance of Armistice Day in 1926, requesting then-President Calvin Coolidge to issue annual proclamations on November 11th. It was not until 1938 that the day would become a legal holiday at the federal level.
It was a veteran from Birmingham, Alabama, Raymond Weeks, who originally petitioned for the name change of the holiday. Having the idea to expand the holiday into a larger observance of veterans, not just to commemorate the end of World War I. To which, I personally, would say that Armistice Day and Veterans Day are two different things. One celebrates the end of hostilities and the hope for a better, more peaceful future. The other celebrates the sacrifices of those who go into deadly and bloody conflict. Pretty sure we could have had both? But I digress. Weeks would lead the celebrations in Birmingham from 1947 until his death in 1985.
Legally, two minutes of silence is recommended to be observed at 2:11 pm if that’s your bag, please do so. If you don’t want to, I won’t stop you.
There is now a dedicated Kyle Rittenhouse thread to vent your frustrations about in.
https://the-avocado.org/2021/11/10/kyle-rittenhouse-testimony-now-live/
Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other in the comments. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, if you have not been vaccinated please consider finding time to get an appointment. If you have had only one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, do not forget about the second dose! Even if you are vaccinated, please continue to maintain social distancing measures, wear masks in public areas in accordance with CDC guidelines in regard to your own vaccination status. EVEN VACCINATED INDIVIDUALS CAN STILL GET AND SPREAD IT.