Author Major Dan

Major Dan

Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

April 9, 1948: Freedom Fighter or Terrorist?

By Major Dan on April 9, 2019 April 9, Crime, Politics, Religion

A Brief History On April 9, 1948, events in Palestine brought to the forefront the adage that “One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist.” (An adage of uncertain origins, but dating back well over a century, or more.) On that fateful day about 120 Zionists from the Irgun and Lehi groups attacked a Palestinian town called Deir Yassin outside Jerusalem, killing about 107 of the Palestinian inhabitants of the village of only 600. In the massacre, 4 Zionists were also killed. Digging Deeper The Civil War in Palestine conducted by Jewish Zionists (those intent on establishing a Jewish state…

April 7, 1868: Former Irish Freedom Fighter Assassinated by Irish Fenians

By Major Dan on April 7, 2019 April 7, Crime, Politics, Religion

A Brief History On April 7, 1868, one year after he helped Canada achieve a measure of independence in the formation of the Canadian Confederation, Irish immigrant to the United States and then Canada, Thomas D’Arcy Etienne Grace Hughes McGee, was assassinated by Patrick J. Whelan, a Fenian Irish nationalist. McGee goes down in history as one of the Founding Fathers of Canada, what they call the Fathers of Confederation. Digging Deeper Ironically, McGee, born and raised in Ireland as a Catholic that hated the British rule over the Emerald Isle, fought against that British rule for Irish independence and…

Reminders of the Past are Everywhere

By Major Dan on April 6, 2019 April 6, Politics

A Brief History On April 6, 1888, Thomas Green Clemson died, leaving his fortune for the establishment of The Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, the college that became Clemson University. Ranked #24 among all public universities in the United States by US News and World Report magazine, Clemson University is much more than just a college football powerhouse. So happy are Clemson graduates with the education they received there, the school ranks #3 in the US for the percentage of alumni that donate back to the university. And yet this wonderful institution of learning was founded by a man…

April 5, 2019: Pet Sematary, A Reboot With Some Kick! (Movie Review)

By Major Dan on April 5, 2019 April 5, Cinema & TV

A Brief History On April 5, 2019, the chilling Stephen King story, Pet Sematary (novel 1983) is ready once again for widespread release on the big screen as a reboot of the 1989 movie version. A cautionary tale along the lines of The Monkey’s Paw, The Box, and any such “be careful what you wish for” type of stories, Pet Sematary teaches us that dead things are better left dead. Digging Deeper The gist of the story is that Louis Creed, a medical doctor, and his family, consisting of a wife (Rachel), a toddler (Gage) and a Kindergarten age daughter…

April 4, 1965: Most Advanced European Fighter Jet Revealed (Saab Viggen)

By Major Dan on April 4, 2019 April 4, Inventions, Military, Vehicles

A Brief History On April 4, 1965, Swedish automaker and aerospace manufacturer Saab introduced its upcoming Saab 37 Viggen (Thunderbolt) fighter jet, the most advanced European jet fighter design until superseded by the Panavia Tornado in 1981. The futuristic looking Viggen was distinctive in its “canard” design, a sort of double delta wing layout never before used on a mass produced aircraft. The Viggen replaced the Saab 35 Draken (Dragon) as Sweden’s primary jet fighter. The Draken, introduced in 1955, had been the first fully supersonic jet fighter produced in Europe. Digging Deeper Originally created as an airplane manufacturing company…