Recent Comments

• On March 20th, 2009 said:

  Thanks for reading, thanks for the comments.

  Commented on the post Interview With Sharpe Creator Bernard Cornwell, Part II on the blog Great History.
• On April 7th, 2009 said:

  Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court denied Jamal’s appeal for a new trial.

  The state’s appeal to reinstate the death penalty is still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

  Paul Davis

  Commented on the post Widow of Slain Policeman Fights On on the blog Great History.
• On May 3rd, 2009 said:

  As one who has perfomred security work for 37 years in the U.S. Navy and the Defense Department, I am hardly a supporter of Walker.

  In fact, as I noted in part one of my two-part blog on Walker, I believe his espionage caused the death of American servicemen during the Vietnam War.

  But having said that, I also believe one should shine a light on Walker’s actions, even if they are evil. After all, writers and historians continue to look at Hitler and Stalin.

  Also, as Walker has a huge IRS lien against him, he is unlikely to profit from his book.

  Commented on the post John Walker, Notorious Spy Part II on the blog Great History.
• On May 5th, 2009 said:

  John Lehman, the Secretary of the Navy at the time, wanted to recall Walker to active duty, court-martial him, and then execute him.

  I believe that would would have sent a strong message to potential spies, and it would have at last wiped that smirk off of Walker’s silly face.

  But the Justice Department and Casper Weinberger, the Secretary of Defense at the time, overruled Lehman. The government believed that damage control of Walker’s espionage was of far greater value to the country than his execution. We had to know just what Walker gave the Soviets so we could take corrective action.

  But be advised, life in prison can, in some ways, be a greater punishment than a death sentence.

  Commented on the post John Walker, Notorious Spy Part II on the blog Great History.
• On May 20th, 2009 said:

  Times have changed since Vietnam, thankfully.

  Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld pushed Special Operations to the forefront of the War on Terrorism, and we are the better for it.

  And today we see General McCrystal, a former Green Beret and Special Operations Commander, set to take command of forces in Afghanistan.

  Commented on the post Robin Moore and his Classic Novel The Green Berets, Part I on the blog Great History.
• On June 6th, 2009 Paul Davis said:

  I would submit that Eisenhower’s amity did not extend to Hitler or our other sworn enemies at the time.

  In my view, Obama is speaking for himself and his followers when he speaks of American “arrogance.”

  I and many other Americans reject this view. It was American “arrogance” that enabled us to free more than half of the world from tyranny – including many Muslim nations.

  We have nothing to be sorry for. The world is a much better, safer and freer place due to the United States of America.

  Paul Davis
  Philadelphia, PA

  Commented on the post Eisenhower's Lesson: Working Well With Others on the blog Great History.
• On June 8th, 2009 said:

  I agree that President Bush (The Elder) did everything write in 1991 – except he didn’t finish the job.

  It took his son, President Bush (The Younger), to finish Saddam off.

  Although there were critial errors made in the aftermath of the Iraq War, we are on track now. I believe history will be kind to Bush The Younger.

  Obama and his supporters truly believe that his wonderfully read speech off a TelePrompter will win over Islamic fanatics and make them love us. That is true arrogance, it seems to me.

  As for friends lost by Bush The Younger, have you seen the results of the European elections? It appears that the European leadership is closer to Bush than Obama…

  Commented on the post Eisenhower's Lesson: Working Well With Others on the blog Great History.
• On August 3rd, 2009 said:

  Well, Mr. Radey, in addition to help kill the Americans he claimed to love so much, as well as his fellow Vietnamese, An supported an evil, murderous communist regime.

  After the fall of the South Vietnamese government , thousands of Vietnamese were killed, imprisoned and tortured by the “Vietnamese
  patriots” like An.

  (By the way, the communists defeated the South Vietnamese Army in 1975, not American forces. At that time, there were no American combat forces engaged in the battle. The communists never won a battle over company strenth against American forces)

  Thousands of Vietnamese so feared the communists that they endured the high seas and piracy, rape and murder to leave the communist way of life. They also indured God-awful living conditions in camps before striking a new home in counties that allow freedom. An’s own daughter being one of them.

  The Vietnamese patriots, in my view, were the ones who fought the communists.

  Paul Davis

  Commented on the post The Vietnam Spy Who Betrayed Us, Part I on the blog Great History.
• On August 10th, 2009 said:

  Considering that the Tet Offensive was a complete and utter military failure, I’m not sure that bragging about helping to plan it would elevate one’s status.

  An was a top spy for the Viet Cong and the Viet Cong were under the control of the North Vietnamese. An’s reports were read by Ho Chi Minh and other top Viet Cong and North Vietnamese leaders.

  An assisting in the planning of Tet by identifing targets to be attacked in South Vietnam during the offensive. As he knew the country, the South Vietnamese and American leadership, and the American press corp very well, his views were valued by the top leadership of the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese.

  As I noted in the first two parts of my three-part series, I’m not an admirer of An and I suspect his “love” for Americans, but I have to admit that he was a devasting spy against us.

  Paul Davis

  Commented on the post The Vietnam Spy Who Betrayed Us, Part II on the blog Great History.
• On August 12th, 2009 said:

  Ernest Blunk, a deputy sheriff at the Crown Point jail stated that Dillinger used a real gun to escape and I’ve read other accounts that claim the same thing as well.

  However, upon rereading the section of the Crown Point jail break in Bryan Burrough’s “Public Enemies,” I see that he offers conflicting views on the subject, including John Toland’s idea that Dillinger used both a wooden replica and a real gun.

  As Burrough notes in his book, “the truth is lost to history.”

  I like Woody Allen’s take on the subject in his film “Take the Money and Run.” While in jail Allen craves a gun out of a bar of soap and then colors it black with shoe polish.

  But when he takes a guard outside it is raining and the gun made from soap starts to bubble and melt. Very funny scene, I thought.

  Thanks for asking the question.

  Paul Davis

  Commented on the post Due Dillinger: A Look Back at America's Classic Bankrobber, Part Two on the blog Great History.
• On August 20th, 2009 said:

  At a time when we have boots on the ground in two wars and we have military people around the globe combating al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, cutting military spending seems crazy – and suicidal – to me.

  We also face serious threats from near-nuclear dictatorships like North Korea and Iran.

  The American military has also performed countless humanatarian missions from Hurricane Katrina at home to Africa, Asia and other spots around the world.

  Military spending also produces wonderful by-products, such as the Internet we are now using. Defense Department people, not Al Gore, invented the Internet.

  I’ve spent nearly all of my working life – 37 years – as a sailor in the U.S. Navy and a Defense Department civilian. I’ve been around the world in the service of our country.

  I’m here to tell you that our money has been well spent.

  Paul Davis
  daviswrite@aol.com

  Commented on the post Global Military Spending: Are We Crazy? on the blog Great History.
• On September 2nd, 2009 said:

  He may be eligible for parole in 2015, but I doubt if he will be paroled.

  I don’t think his book will aid him in receiving parole.

  Paul Davis
  pauldavisoncrime@comcast.net

  Commented on the post John Walker, Notorious Spy Part II on the blog Great History.