Operation AXIOM
We here at The Secret Base were neglectful of two important anniversaries this week, & we hang our heads in shame. Tuesday, 4 June, saw the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre on 4 June 1989. An unknown number of protesters, with estimated ranging from the hundreds to several thousands, were killed when the ironically named People's Liberation Army (P.L.A.) violently cleared the square which had for weeks preceding hosted protests calling for greater individual liberty within the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.) & reform of the capricious legal system. The most famous image from the Tiananmen Square Massacre is reprinted below; it shows a solitary citizen temporarily halting a line of P.L.A. tanks. His real name has never been definiteively established, so he is known the world over as the "Tank Man." The P.R.C. used full military force against non-violent protesters, revealing the true & enduring nature of that monstrous government, twenty-four years ago Tuesday.



Thursday, 6 June, saw the sixty-ninth anniversary of Operation OVERLORD, the Allied invasion of Hitler's "Fortress Europe," on 6 June 1944, D-Day. Western Europe—France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, & Norway—had been under Nazi occupation for four long years, parts of eastern & central Europe for even longer, & for all the success of the British & American aerial bombing campaigns the only way to wrest control of the continent away from the Führer was through a land invasion. General Dwight Eisenhower, later to be president of the United States, described the effort as the "crusade in Europe," a crusade to reestablish democracy, liberty, & the rule of law. Unambiguous evil held sway in the heart of Western civilization & only by meeting the Nazi war machine head-to-head on the continent could that evil be defeated. The brave American, British, Canadian, & Allied troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day did so sixty-nine years ago Thursday.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Ben Folds, "Zak and Sara" from Rockin' the Suburbs (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: The Guy & The Gal (Zach & Sarah) are in town this weekend!

Donnerstag, 6 Juni
Aram Khachaturian & the Wiener Philharmoniker, "Sabre Dance" (from Gayaneh) via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: I heard the "Sabre Dance" played at least twice yesterday on WKAR, the public radio station that plays mostly classical music, along with the morning & late afternoon N.P.R. news-cum-propaganda programs Morning Edition & All Thing Considered. Khachaturian, as was remarked upon both presentations of the "Sabre Dance," was born on 6 June 1903, one hundred ten years ago to the day, yesterday. Sweet mercy, I love that music!