Sunday, 7 May 2017

THE NAVAL BATTLE OF LEPANTO - 1571.

Introduction
This is the third and last installment of the three naval battles which saved the WEST from Eastern or North African domination. The previous two naval engagements, I already posted: SALAMIS in 480 BCE and ACTIUM in 31 BCE.
Gaining supremacy of the Mediterranean basin was of supreme strategic importance for whoever ruled the sea could then invade southern Europe at will, anywhere from Greece to Spain. Occupying Sicily and southern Italy which are at the center of the Mediterranea would be the first tactical objective to be used as the jumping off point for a future invasion of Europe. In the VIII th century, the Arabs did conquer Sicily and Sardinia and kept them for 300 years. Now, 500 years later, was the time of the OTTOMAN Turks.



 OTTOMAN EMPIRE










SHOWING LEPANTO


 THE NAVAL BATTLE OF LEPANTO - 1571


The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement taking place on 7 October 1571 in which a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of European Catholic maritime states arranged by Pope Pius V, financed by Habsburg Spain and led by admiral John of Austria, inflicted a major defeat on the fleet of the Ottoman Empire in the Gulf of Patras, where the Ottoman forces sailing westwards from their naval station in Lepanto (the Venetian name of ancient Naupactus Ναύπακτος, Ottoman İnebahtı) met the fleet of the Holy League sailing east from Messina, Sicily.
In the history of naval warfare, Lepanto marks the last major engagement in the Western world to be fought entirely or almost entirely between rowing vessels, the galleys and galeasses which were still the direct descendants of the ancient trireme warships. The battle was in essence an "infantry battle on floating platforms". It was the largest naval battle in Western history since classical antiquity, involving more than 400 warships.

PREAMBULE
The Christian coalition had been promoted by Pope Pius V to rescue the Venetian colony of Famagusta, on the island of Cyprus, which was being besieged by the Turks in early 1571 subsequent to the fall of Nicosia and other Venetian possessions in Cyprus in the course of 1570. On 1 August, the Venetians had surrendered after being reassured that they could leave Cyprus freely. However, the Ottoman commander, Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha, who had lost some 50,000 men in the siege, broke his word, imprisoning the Venetians. On 17 August, Marco Antonio Bragadin was flayed alive and his corpse hung on Mustafa's galley together with the heads of the Venetian commanders, Astorre Baglioni, Alvise Martinengo and Gianantonio Querini.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 

The Battle of Lepanto took place between the Holy League, consisting of Spain, Venice and the Papacy, and the Ottoman Empire, which lay to the south of Poland and Russia. Two thirds of the Holy League ships were Italian, but Spain contributed most of the financing. The Holy League, under the command of Don Juan of Austria, met the Ottoman fleet, led by Ali Pasha, at Lepanto on 7th October 1571.


 There had long been tensions between the Muslim Ottomans and the Catholic Spanish in the Mediterranean. Spain had captured Tripoli and Bougie in 1510, and in 1551 and 1555 the Ottomans recaptured them. By the late 1550s the Spanish felt that their coastline was threatened by the advancing Ottomans, and there were concerns that the converted Muslims (Moriscos) in Spain would assist an Ottoman invasion: between 1568 and 1570 there was a serious revolt of the Moriscos in Granada. In 1570 the Ottomans captured Cyprus from the Venetians. It was the last of the crusader states still in western European hands, and the Sultan, Selim, claimed it as King of Jerusalem. Additionally, the Venetian forces there were failing to prevent western corsairs from using the Cypriot coast to launch attacks on Muslim pilgrim ships on their way to Egypt and Mecca.

 THE HOLY LEAGUE


The members of the Holy League were the Republic of Venice, the Spanish Empire (including the Kingdom of Naples, the Kingdoms of Sicily and Sardinia as part of the Spanish possessions), the Papal States, the Republic of Genoa, the Duchies of Savoy, Urbino and Tuscany, the Knights Hospitaller and others.


THE LEAGUE'S COMMANDERS


John of Austria (24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578), in English traditionally known as Don John of Austria, in Spanish as Don Juan de Austria[1] and in German as Ritter Johann von Österreich, was an illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. He became a military leader in the service of his half-brother, King Philip II of Spain and is best known for his role as the admiral of the Holy Alliance fleet at the Battle of Lepanto 











Marcantonio II Colonna (sometimes spelled Marc'Antonio; 1535[1] – August 1, 1584), Duke of Tagliacozzo and Duke and Prince of Paliano, was an Italian aristocrat who served as a Viceroy of Sicily in the service of the Spanish Crown, Spanish general, and Captain General of the Church. He is best remembered for his part as the admiral of the Papal fleet in the Battle of Lepanto. 










Saturday, 21 January 2017

HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT THE USA CENTRAL BANKING SYSTEM (THE FED) IS PRIVATELY OWNED

“WE THE PEOPLE…..THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Republic)….” It was transformed from the lofty ideals of a REPUBLIC to the wheeling/dealing of a CORPORATION manipulated by greedy bankers. Now read to learn WHY, WHEN, HOW and WHO did it.


“WE THE PEOPLE…..THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Republic)….” This envy of the world, this beacon of light, guaranteeing freedom and justice to all, shone brightly, but briefly. It was transformed from the lofty ideals of a REPUBLIC to the wheeling/dealing of a CORPORATION manipulated by greedy bankers. Now read to learn WHY, WHEN, HOW and WHO did it.
    
   Thomas Jefferson

                      ______________________________________
I have been thinking about writing this article for a few years (now that internet gives access to all documents). As an early lover of linguistics and logic, I have always been concerned with the meaning of words, their selection and their placement/role in the structure of sentences.  The choices of the Wording used always alter the conceptual meaning of a phrase: its sense, reference, implication and logical forms. What I am about to reveal will be a shock to all, especially to Americans who think that they live in THE REPUBLIC AS SET IN 1776….IT IS FALSE, it has become a fraud, A FALSE ILLUSION…. THE EARLY AMERICAN REPUBLIC HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED HIJACKED MORE THAN 100 YEARS AGO and USURPED INTO A LOWER FORM OF GOVERNMENT….A DEMOCRACY…. Not a REPUBLIC anymore.


THERE IS a conceptual SEMANTIC COGNITIVE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NOTIONS REPUBLIC vs. DEMOCRACY…. “For” vs. “OF”… “SOVEREIGN” vs. “SUBJECT”…RIGHTS vs. PRIVILEGES.
Let me explain:


“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" (REPUBLIC) — Preamble of the original "organic" Constitution July 4, 1776.


Click to enlarge and read. Notice wording "THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" (Republic)

Pay attention to the preposition F O R. It is vital to understand ITS later transformation from F O R to the present O F because the consequences of such a change have transformed Americans from being “SOVEREIGN” TO “SUBJECT”…. SUBJECTS OF A CORPORATION. And so Americans have no idea how THEIR freedoms are maintained — or lost…. that beloved parchment, THE CONSTITUTION, is no longer a symbol of enduring freedom. It is, instead, representative of a form of government which seemingly NO LONGER EXISTS IN THE US TODAY. The Constitution has been thrown out the window, the Republic shoved aside and replaced with a democracy. The thing is; most people in the US (99.99%) remain unaware that this is so because they simply do not know the truth — what lies beyond the myths.

                >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871… The Act of 1871 also called for adopting a corporate constitution - Curiously identical to the Constitution for the United States of America, minus the original 13th amendment, which forbids titles of nobility. The new corporate ―government‖ empowered attorneys to wield power directly, whereas the 13th amendment to the original, national constitution prohibits that. How convenient! Under corporate rules, policy is simply dictated, not ratified by voting.

 

Click to enlarge and read wording "Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America


LET ME TRY TO EXPLAIN FURTHER by using the Notion of RESTAURANT VS Notion of MCDONALD CORPORATION
Suppose you are devising by-laws FOR THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY which includes a company called McDonald Corporation. There are 3 parties involved here YOU….  RESTAURANT …..  MCDONALD Corporation. The SUPRA parties here are only 2: YOU & RESTAURANT…..not McDonald.


You = the sovereign = restaurant = the encompassing body…..WHILE McDonald corporation = an entity subject to/is secondary to Restaurant. Once finished, your document reads:


1.  THE BYLAWS FOR RESTAURANT (of McDonald Corporation)….. BUT when you eliminate FOR & RESTAURANT and changed the wording and use capitalization to read:


2.  THE BYLAWS OF MCDONALD CORPORATION, it becomes a totally different ball-game, especially your relationship to MCDONALD CORPORATION; transforming you from Sovereign to Subject who no longer has RIGHTS, but only privileges/permits, etc. which can be revoked at any time.

In document 1: YOU = SOVEREIGN = FOR = RESTAURANT, just like in the original wording of the US preamble in which THE WORDING USED WAS…….THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (REPUBLIC)…. = INALIENABLE = ORGANIC = RIGHTS…. YOU ARE THE REPUBLIC…”YOU” AND THE NOTION “REPUBLIC” ARE INTERCHANGEABLE.

NOT SO WHEN “FOR” CHANGES TO “OF”.
In document 2:  YOU = SUBJECT/EMPLOYEE = OF = Corporation…. = privileges/permits given (which can be withdrawn by Corporation anytime) = no Longer Rights. In addition you = no longer Sovereign as in FOR REPUBLIC. The change in wording has in effect transforming you from Sovereign to Subject who no longer has RIGHTS, but only privileges/permits, etc. which can be given or annulled at any time.
                _____________________________________________________

HOW AND WHY DID IT HAPPEN?  Three Presidents tried to reinstate the REPUBLIC and its original ideal without the controlling interest of the foreign banks. All three were assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and John F. Kennedy.

            _______________________________________________________

ABRAHAM LINCOLN


During the Civil War (1861-1865), President Lincoln needed money to finance the War from the North. The Bankers were going to charge him 24% to 36% interest. Lincoln was horrified and went away greatly distressed, for he was a man of principle and would not think of plunging his beloved country into a debt that the country would find impossible to pay back. 
Eventually President Lincoln was advised to get Congress to pass a law authorizing the printing of full legal tender Treasury notes to pay for the War effort. Lincoln recognized the great benefits of this issue. At one point he wrote: 

“... (We) gave the people of this REPUBLIC THE GREATEST BLESSING THEY HAVE EVER HAD – THEIR OWN PAPER MONEY TO PAY THEIR OWN DEBTS...” 
The Treasury notes were printed with green ink on the back, so the people called them “Greenbacks”. 


Lincoln printed 400 million dollars’ worth of Greenbacks (the exact amount being $449,338,902), money that he delegated to be created, A DEBT-FREE AND INTEREST-FREE MONEY TO FINANCE THE WAR. It served as legal tender for all debts, public and private. He printed it, paid it to the soldiers, to the U.S. Civil Service employees, and bought supplies for war. But The Rothschild’s of London & Paris Bankers obviously understood. The only thing, I repeat, the only thing that is a threat to their power is SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENTS PRINTING INTEREST-FREE AND DEBT-FREE PAPER MONEY. THEY KNOW IT WOULD BREAK THE POWER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BANKERS.


RETALIATION of European bankers led by the ROTHSCHILD’s, always the ROTHSCHILD’s.      


So, Shortly after that happened, “The London Times” printed the following: “If that mischievous financial policy, which had its origin in the North American Republic, should become indurated down to a fixture, then that Government will furnish its own money without cost. It will pay off debts and be without a debt. It will have all the money necessary to carry on its commerce. It will become prosperous beyond precedent in the history of the civilized governments of the world. The brains and the wealth of all coun­tries will go to North America. That government must be destroyed, or it will destroy every monarchy on the globe.”…..  AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT the European bankers started to back the Confederate South, hoping to defeat Lincoln and the Union, and destroy this government which they said had to be destroyed…..but the North won the war, also because the Czar of Russia sent a portion of the Russian navy to the United States with orders that its admiral would operate under the command of Abraham Lincoln.


Of course, the Bankers were not going to give in that easy, for they were determined to put an end to LINCOLN'S INTEREST-FREE, DEBT-FREE GREENBACKS. He was assassinated by an agent of the Bankers shortly after the War ended.  Thereafter, Congress revoked the Green­back Law and enacted, in its place, the National Banking Act. The national banks were to be privately owned and the national bank notes they issued were to be interest bearing. The Act also provided that the Greenbacks should be retired from circulation as soon as they came back to the Treasury in payment of taxes.
                    _____________________________________________________

WHEN WAS “FOR” CHANGED INTO “OF”
We must look backward in time to the period following the Civil War. We must go back to the year 1871 which changed REPUBLIC into DEMOCRACY in 1871. Here are explanatory excerpts from Melvin Sickler’s book: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND JOHN F. KENNEDY TWO GREAT PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES ASSASSINATED FOR THE CAUSE OF JUSTICE.


CREATION OF WASHINGTON DC
“The date is February 21, 1871 and the Forty-First Congress is in session. I refer you to the "Acts of the Forty-First Congress," Section 34, Session III, chapters 61 and 62. On this date in the history of our nation, Congress passed an Act titled: "An Act to Provide a GOVERNMENT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA." This is also known as the "Act of 1871." What does this mean? Well, it means that Congress, under no constitutional authority to do so, created a separate form of government for the District of Columbia, which is a ten mile square parcel of land.


The Act of 1871 was passed at a vulnerable time in America. Our nation was essentially bankrupt — weakened and financially depleted in the aftermath of the Civil War. The Civil War itself was nothing more than a calculated "front" for some pretty fancy footwork by corporate backroom players. It was a strategic maneuver by European interests (the international bankers) who were intent upon gaining a stranglehold on the neck (and the coffers) of America.
The Congress realized our country was in dire financial straits, so they cut a deal with the international bankers — (IN THOSE DAYS, THE ROTHSCHILD’S OF LONDON WERE DIPPING THEIR FINGERS INTO EVERYONE'S PIE) thereby incurring a DEBT to said bankers. If we think about banks, we know they do not just lend us money out of the goodness of their hearts. A bank will not do anything for you unless it is entirely in their best interest to do so. There has to be some sort of collateral or some string attached which puts you and me (the borrower) into a subservient position. This was true back in 1871 as well. The conniving international bankers were not about to lend our floundering nation any money without some serious stipulations. So, they devised a brilliant way of getting their foot in the door of the United States (a prize they had coveted for some time, but had been unable to grasp thanks to OUR FOUNDING FATHERS, WHO DESPISED THEM AND HELD THEM IN CHECK), AND THUS, THE ACT OF 1871 WAS PASSED”.
     ____________________________________
I now resume my own personal analysis: 
In essence, this Act formed the corporation known as THE UNITED STATES. Note the capitalization, because it is important. This corporation, owned by foreign interests, moved right in and shoved the original "organic" version of the Constitution into a dusty corner. With the "Act of 1871," the USA Constitution was defaced in the sense that the title was block-capitalized and the word "for" was changed to the word "of" in the title. The original Constitution drafted by the Founding Fathers, was written in this manner:


"THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" (Republic) = SUPRANOTION = YOU = SOVEREIGN.
                                           BUT
  The altered version NOW reads: "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA".


Notice that “THIS” WAS REPLACED BY “THE” AND “FOR” BY “OF”. It is the corporate constitution. It is NOT the same document you might think it is. The corporate constitution operates in an economic capacity and has been used to fool the People into thinking it is the same parchment that governs the Republic. It absolutely is not.


Capitalization — an insignificant change – NO, Not when one is referring to the context of a legal document, it isn't. Such minor alterations have had major impacts on each subsequent generation born in AMERICA. What the Congress did with the passage of the Act of 1871 was create an entirely new document, a constitution for the government of the District of Columbia. The kind of government THEY created was a corporation. The new, altered Constitution serves as the constitution of the corporation, and not that of America. Think about that for a moment.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN 1871

                         ______________________________________________

In 1871 the British Empire was at its Zenith with the British flag flying over 40% of the globe and whoever controlled the Bank of England (ROTHSCHILD) and the issuance of currencies effectively controlled 40% of the world….not yet the USA…. When the USA REPUBLIC became bankrupt after Civil War and needed immigrants “to go West Young man”, the opportunity presented itself in 1871 and that’s when the bankers in Europe jumped on it. They asked for guarantee to ensure a steady flow of profit before lending money and that’s how the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WAS CREATED. Who were the greedy bankers? You guessed it. WHO ELSE BUT THE ROTHSCHILD’S of LONDON & PARIS….  Always the Rothschild’s again & again.


That’s when with the "Act of 1871,"the Constitution was defaced in the sense that the title was block-capitalized and the WORD "FOR" WAS CHANGED TO THE WORD "OF" IN THE TITLE. The original Constitution drafted by the Founding Fathers, was written in this manner:


"THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" (original wording).


The altered version reads: "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". AS mentioned above, it is a corporate constitution. It is NOT the same document Americans might think it is. The corporate constitution operates in an economic capacity and has been used to fool the People into thinking it is the same parchment that governs THE REPUBLIC. It absolutely is not.
One more time the insatiable greed of a few bankers – Rothschild’s, always the Rothschild’s, again & again -- has transformed Americans into subjects to the whim of the corporation. Incidentally, this corporate constitution does not benefit the Republic. It serves only to benefit the corporation. It does nothing good for the average American — and it operates outside of the original Constitution. Instead of absolute rights guaranteed under the "organic" Constitution, Americans now have "relative" rights or privileges. One example of this is the Sovereign's right to travel, which has been transformed under corporate government policy into a "privilege" which everyone must be licensed to engage in. This operates outside of the original Constitution. So, Congress committed TREASON against the People, who were considered Sovereign under the Declaration of Independence and the organic Constitution. When we consider the word "Sovereign," we must think about what the word means.

              ______________________________________________

JAMES GARFIELD 



“Whoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce. And when you realize that the entire system is very easily controlled, one way or another by a few powerful men at the top, you will not have to be told how periods of inflation and depression originate.”


 – President James Garfield, 1881. He was assassinated just weeks after making this statement.
                                      _____________________________________________

JOHN F. KENNEDY


President Kennedy was not afraid to “buck the system”, for he understood how the Federal Reserve System was being used to destroy the United States. As a just and honorable man, he could not tolerate such a system, for it smelled corruption from A to Z. Certainly he must have known about the Greenbacks which Abraham Lincoln created when he was in office.  On June 4th, 1963, President Kennedy signed a presidential document, called Exec­utive Order 11110, which further amended Executive Order 10289 of September 19th, 1951. This gave Kennedy, as President of the United States, legal clearance to create his own money to run the country, money that would belong to the people, an Interest and debt-free money. He had printed United States Notes, completely ignoring the Federal Reserve Notes from the private banks of the Federal Reserve. 


Kennedy issued $4,292,893,825 of cash money. It was perfect­ly obvious that Kennedy was out to under­mine the Federal Reserve System of the United States.  But it was only a few months later, In November of 1963, that the world received the shocking news of President Kennedy's assassination. No reason was given, of course, for anyone wanting to commit such an atrocious crime. But for those who knew anything about money and banking, it did — not take long to put the pieces of the puzzle together. For surely, PRESIDENT KENNEDY MUST HAVE HAD IT IN MIND TO REPEAL THE FEDERAL RESERVE ACT OF 1913, AND RETURN BACK TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS THE POWER TO CREATE ITS OWN MONEY.

                    ___________________________________________________

WHO OWNS THE US CENTRAL BANKING SYSTEM – known as the FED.


AS MENTIONED IN MY PREVIOUS POSTING, A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE FED IS A PRIVATELY OWNED COMPANY. The question is WHO ACTUALLY OWNS THE USA FEDERAL RESERVE CENTRAL BANKS? The ownership of the 12 Central banks, a very well-kept secret has been revealed only in 1974, after much probing. Here are the owners:


1. ROTHSCHILD BANK OF LONDON, 2. WARBURG BANK OF HAMBURG 3. ROTHSCHILD BANK OF BERLIN, 4. LEHMAN BROTHERS OF NEW YORK, 5. LAZARD BROTHERS OF PARIS, 6. KUHN LOEB BANK OF NEW YORK, 7. ISRAEL MOSES SEIF BANKS OF ITALY, 8. GOLDMAN, SACHS OF NEW YORK, 9. WARBURG BANK OF AMSTERDAM, 10. CHASE MANHATTAN BANK OF NEW YORK (MULLINS - REFERENCE 14, P. 13, REFERENCE 12, P. 152)
UNBELIEVABLY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CHASE MANHATTAN BANK OF NEW YORK; ALL 9 OTHERS BANKS/FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ARE OWNED/CONTROLLED BY JEWISH families, which always mean Israel, since the loyalty of all Jews is FIRST to world Jewry (Israel)….second comes some loyalty to their country of birth.

                                ___________________________________________

Conclusion:
in the last 200 years, SIX GENERATIONS OF ROTHSCHILD’S BANKERS (1820 ?-2015) WERE LINKED AND ASSOCIATED THEMSELVES WITH 2 VIOLENT, AGGRESSIVE ENGLISH SPEAKING NATIONS WHICH BY A QUIRK OF DESTINY BECAME CONSECUTIVELY DOMINANT WORLD POWERS.– GREAT BRITAIN FIRST, NOW SUCCEDED BY USA – IN CAHOOT WITH THE ROTHSCHILD’S OF LONDON, PARIS & BERLIN together with the Lazard brothers of Paris.


As these two nations kept spreading their tentacles over the globe, so did the power of their bankers. Today the bankers dominate everything because they hold the monopoly of issuing currencies.

                  _________________________________________
Remark


Jews number 19 million in the world….the Sikhs also number 19 Million…..the Tibetans come close with 16 million….why are the Sikhs or Tibetans NOT ruling the world …..Simple: Because neither Sikhs nor Tibetans had 5-6 generations of greedy bankers who LENT MONEY WITH INTEREST AND PROFIT TO 2 ENGLISH SPEAKING NATIONS WHICH BECAME CONSECUTIVELY dominant global powers.
                    ___________________________________________________
QUOTES

“I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.”
― Thomas Jefferson

“It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.”
― Henry Ford

When a government is dependent upon bankers for money, they and not the leaders of the government control the situation, since the hand that gives is above the hand that takes… Money has no motherland; financiers are without patriotism and without decency; their sole object is gain.
― Napoleon Bonaparte

 
 “The death of Lincoln was a disaster for Christendom. There was no man in the United States great enough to wear his boots and the bankers went anew to grab the riches. I fear that foreign bankers with their craftiness and tortuous tricks will entirely control the exuberant riches of America and use it to systematically corrupt civilization.”
– Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), German Chancellor, after the Lincoln assassination.

“I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe”.
– Abraham Lincoln

 
 “These international bankers and Rockefeller-Standard Oil interests control the majority of the newspapers and the columns in those papers to club into submission or drive out of office officials who refuse to do the bidding of the powerful corrupt cliques which compose the invisible government.”
– Theodore Roosevelt as reported in the New York Times, March 27th, 1922.
          ___________________________________
 
The USA is living a tragedy, especially for the common people. Let me encapsulate my article by saying: In a REPUBLIC, every citizen is a KING. In a CORPORATION, only the Board of Directors are KINGS. When the USA ceased to be a REPUBLIC and became a CORPORATION, the BANKERS are the only KINGS.
      ___________________________________

POST SCRIPTUM
THE ROTHSCHILDs

Though the bulk of their wealth is hidden, there is no doubt that the Rothschild are one of the most powerful and influential families in the world. They do indeed own (as principal shareholders) most of the central reserve banks, large media corporations and energy companies in the world. They are fantastically wealthy and powerful. Although the family wealth has been divided among many descendants and heirs throughout the years, the Rothschilds still rank among the wealthiest lineages in the world. 

It is estimated that the Rothschild family controls more than $2 trillion worth of assets … YES YOU READ IT RIGHT $2 TRILLIONS. Today, their holdings span a number of diverse industries, including financial services, real estate, mining, energy and even charitable work. There are a few Rothschild-owned financial institutions still operating in Europe, including N M Rothschild & Sons Ltd in the United Kingdom, and Edmond de Rothschild Group in Switzerland. The family also owns more than a dozen wineries in North America, Europe, South America, South Africa and Australia.


Tuesday, 10 January 2017

NAVAL BATTLE OF ACTIUM 31 BCE

THIS IS THE SECOND OF THREE NAVAL BATTLES WHICH SAVED THE WEST - ACTIUM IN 31 BCE.
(THE FIRST – SALAMIS - FOUGHT BETWEEN AN ALLIANCE OF GREEK CITY-STATES UNDER THEMISTOCLES AND THE PERSIAN EMPIRE UNDER KING XERXES IN 480 BCE, I HAVE ALREADY POSTED).

Roman Republic in 44 BCE at the death of Ceasar





The Battle of Actium was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic, a naval engagement between Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra on 2 September 31 BCE, on the Ionian Sea near the promontory of Actium, in the Roman province of Epirus Vetus in Greece. Octavian's fleet was commanded by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, while Antony's fleet was supported by the power of Queen Cleopatra of Ptolemaic Egypt.




PRELUDE
Both Octavian and Antony had fought against their common enemies in the civil war that followed the assassination of Caesar. The alliance between Octavian, Antony and Lepidus, commonly known as the Second Triumvirate, was renewed for a five-year term in 38 BCE. However, the triumvirate broke down when Octavian saw Caesarion, the professed son of Julius Caesar and Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, as a major threat to his power. This occurred when Mark Antony, the other most influential member of the triumvirate, abandoned his wife, Octavian's sister Octavia Minor. Afterwards he moved to Egypt to start a long-term romance with Cleopatra, becoming the de facto stepfather to Caesarion. Such an affair was doomed to become a political scandal. Antony was inevitably perceived by Octavian and the majority of the Roman Senate as the leader of a separatist movement that threatened to break the unity of the Roman Republic.




After years of loyal cooperation with Octavian, Antony started to act independently, eventually raising his rival's suspicion that he was vying to become sole master of Rome. When he left Octavia Minor and moved to Alexandria to become Cleopatra's official partner, he led many Roman politicians to believe that he was trying to become the unchecked ruler of Egypt and of other eastern kingdoms, while still maintaining his command over the many Roman legions in the East. As a personal challenge to Octavian's prestige, Antony tried to get Caesarion accepted as a true heir of Caesar, even though the legacy did not mention him.

ANTONY ARGUMENTS



As the Second Triumvirate formally expired on the last day of 33 BCE, Antony wrote to the Senate that he did not wish to be reappointed. He hoped that he might be regarded by them as their champion against the ambition of Octavian, whom he presumed would not be willing to abandon his position in a similar manner. The causes of mutual dissatisfaction between the two had been continually accumulating. Antony complained that Octavian had exceeded his powers in deposing Lepidus, in taking over the countries held by Sextus Pompeius and in enlisting soldiers for himself without sending half to him. Antony and Cleopatra formally elevated Caesarion, then 13, to power in 34 BCE, giving him the vague but alarming title of "King of the Kings" (Donations of Alexandria). Being a son of Caesar, such an entitlement was felt as a threat to Roman republican traditions. According to a widespread belief, Antony had once offered a diadem to Caesar. Thereafter, Octavian started a propaganda war, denouncing Antony as an enemy of Rome, asserting that he was seeking to establish a personal monarchy over the entire Roman Empire on the behalf of Caesarion, circumventing the Roman Senate. It was also said that Antony intended to move the capital of the empire to Alexandria.

OCTAVIAN COUNTER ARGUMENTS

Octavian complained that Antony had no authority for being in Egypt; that his execution of Sextus Pompeius was illegal; that his treachery to the king of Armenia disgraced the Roman name; that he had not sent half the proceeds of the spoils to Rome according to his agreement; and that his connection with Cleopatra and the acknowledgment of Caesarion as a legitimate son of Caesar were a degradation of his office and a menace to himself. Octavian's prestige and, more importantly, the loyalty of his legions, had been initially boosted by Julius Caesar's legacy of 44 BCE, by which 19-year-old Octavian was officially adopted as Caesar's only son and the sole legitimate heir of his enormous wealth. Antony had been the most important and most successful senior officer in Caesar's army (magister equitum) and, thanks to his military record, claimed a substantial share of the political support of Caesar's soldiers and veterans. Both Octavian and Antony had fought against their common enemies in the civil war that followed the assassination of Caesar.

THE BATTLE   ORDER OF BATTLE




The two fleets met outside the Gulf of Actium (today Preveza), on the morning of 2 September 31 BC. Antony's fleet numbered 240, of which 230 were large war galleys with towers full of armed men. He led these through the straits towards the open sea. Octavian had about 250 warships. 
 

Antony and Gellius Publicola commanded the right wing of the Antony fleet, while Marcus Octavius and Marcus Insteius commanded the center, with Cleopatra's squadron positioned behind them. Gaius Sosius launched the initial attack from the left wing of the fleet, while Antony's chief lieutenant Publius Canidius Crassus was in command of the triumvir's land forces.



CLEOPATRA IN BARGE













Octavian's fleet was waiting beyond the straits, led by the experienced admiral Agrippa, commanding from the left wing of the fleet, Lucius Arruntius the centre and Marcus Lurius the right. Titus Statilius Taurus commanded Octavian's armies, who observed the battle from shore to the north of the straits.




EGYPTIAN HEAVY QUINQUEREME

It was September 2nd and the seas were rough. As Anthony’s fleet headed out, with Cleopatra and her gold-tipped oared floating palace tucked in safely behind. He was facing a smaller fleet than his own, and his ships were towering 250 ton quinquereme’s: armored, with rams that could render anything they hit to matchwood, and towers bursting with archers capable of tearing any nearby enemy crew to shreds. His fleet was a MONSTER. What he faced was not only fewer in numbers, but Octavian’s galleys under Agrippa were generally smaller, so much so that they’d struggle to make ramming actions effective against the much bigger opponents.



But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses for Anthony; he had some problems. Firstly, the illness that had plagued his camp had left him short on men and not all of his “battle tanks” were going to be able to work at top efficiency. Worse, with the incredible size of his ships came a ponderous speed and agility, especially compared to what Agrippa was punting around in, and Agrippa’s men were the better, fresher, sailors. Undermanned, slower, and with inferior crews, Anthony was going to have a problem bringing his main weapon to bear: the ram.

The battle raged all afternoon without decisive result. The majority of Antony's warships were Octaries (eight bank rowing galleys), with huge rams, that could weigh over 250 tons. Antony's personal flag ship, like those of his admirals, was a Deceres (ten bank rowing galleys). The bows of the galleys were armored with bronze plates and square-cut timbers, making a successful ramming attack with similar equipment difficult.




Unfortunately for Antony, many of his ships were undermanned with rowing crews; there had been a severe malaria outbreak while they were waiting for Octavian's fleet to arrive. Making the best of the situation, he burned those ships he could no longer man, while clustering the remainder tightly together. With many oarsmen dead or unfit to serve, the powerful, head-on ramming tactic for which the Octaries had been designed was now impossible. It is estimated that Antony had around 140 ships, vs 260 ships of Octavian's fleet. Antony's ships were built heavier and wide making them ideal weapon platforms. An Octaries war galley had around 200 heavy marines, archers, and at least 6 ballista catapults. Being larger than Octavian's ships, Antony's war galleys were very difficult to board in close combat, and were able to rain down missiles onto their smaller and lower opponent's ships.


BALISTA ON GALLEYS

 Being lighter, they could outmaneuver Antony's ships, get in close, attack the above-deck crew with a shower of arrows and ballista-launched stones, and then retreat. A medium ballista was capable of penetrating the sides of most warships at close range and had an effective range of around 200 yards. Most ballista firing was aimed at the marines on the fighting decks of the ships.


 
Having heavily constructed hulls, Antony's war galleys were nearly impossible to sink by ramming. The only way to disable such a ship was to smash its oars, rendering it immobile and hopefully, isolated from the rest of its fleet. The main weakness of Antony's ships was their lack of maneuverability; such a ship, once isolated from support of its fleet, could be swamped with boarding attacks.




Octavian's fleet was largely made up of the standard Roman warship, Quinqueremes (five bank rowing galleys) with a few smaller Quadremes (four bank rowing galleys) mixed in. His crews were better-trained, professional, well fed and rested. Octavian's ships, although smaller, were still manageable in the heavy surf, capable of reversing their course on short notice and returning to the charge or, after pouring in a volley of darts on some huge adversary, able to retreat out of range with ease.

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AFTERMATH 

The political consequences were far-reaching. Under cover of darkness some 19 legions and 12,000 cavalry fled before Antony was able to engage Octavian in a land battle. After Antony lost his fleet, his army, which had been equal to that of Octavian, deserted. Antony, though he had not laid down his imperium, was a fugitive and a rebel without that shadow of a legal position which the presence of the consuls and senators had given him in the previous year. Some of the victorious fleet went in pursuit of him; but Octavian himself visited Greece and Asia, and spent the winter at Samos; though he was obliged to go for a short time to Brundisium to settle a mutiny and arrange for assignations of land.
At Samos, Octavian received a message from Cleopatra with the present of a gold crown and throne, offering to abdicate in favor of her sons. She was allowed to believe that she would be well treated, for Octavian was anxious to secure her for his triumph.
Antony, who had found himself generally deserted, after vainly attempting to secure the army stationed near Paraetonium under Pinarius and sending his eldest son Antyllus with money to Octavian and an offer to live at Athens as a private citizen, found himself in the spring attacked on two sides. C. Cornelius Gallus was advancing from Paraetonium; and Octavian landed at Pelusium, with the connivance it was believed of Cleopatra. Antony was defeated by Gallus, and returning to Egypt, advanced on Pelusium.

SMALL LAND VICTORY OF ANTONY AT ALEXANDRIA



Despite a victory at Alexandria on 31 July 30 BC, more of Antony's men deserted, leaving him with insufficient forces to fight Octavian. A slight success over Octavian's tired soldiers encouraged him to make a general attack, in which he was decisively beaten.




DYING ANTONY

 He tried to flee from the battle: as a result of a communication breakdown he believed that Cleopatra had been captured. Failing to escape on board a ship, himself. He did not die at once and insisted on being taken to the mausoleum in which Cleopatra was locked up, and died in her arms. She was shortly afterwards brought to the palace and vainly attempted to move Octavian to pity.


 DYING CLEOPATRA




In her meeting with Octavian, Cleopatra told him candidly, "I will not be led in a triumph" (Ancient Greek: οὑ θριαμβεύσομαι, romanizedou thriambéusomai), but Octavian only gave the cryptic answer that her life would be spared. He did not offer her any specific details about his plans for Egypt or her royal family. When a spy informed Cleopatra that Octavian intended to bring her back to Rome to be paraded as a prisoner in his Roman triumph, she decided to avoid this humiliation and took her own life at age 39, in August 30 BC
Cleopatra committed suicide, on 12 August 30 BC. In one account, she put an end to her life by the bite of an asp conveyed to her in a basket of figs. Octavian had Caesarion killed later that month, finally securing his legacy as Caesar's only 'son'.


EPILOGUE


Octavian's victory at Actium gave him sole and uncontested control of "Mare Nostrum" (Our Sea, i.e., the Roman Mediterranean) and he became "Augustus Caesar" and the "first citizen" of Rome. This victory, consolidating his power over every Roman institution, marked the transition of Rome from Republic to Empire. Egypt's surrender following Cleopatra's death marked the final demise of both the Hellenistic Period and the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Octavian's supremacy enabled him to consolidate his power over Rome and its dominions. He adopted the title of Princeps ("first citizen") and some years later was awarded the title of Augustus ("revered") by the Roman Senate. This became the name by which he was known in later times. As Augustus, he retained the trappings of a restored Republican leader, but historians generally view this consolidation of power and the adoption of these honorifics as the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire.

HYPOTHESIS

There is no doubt that if Anthony and Cleopatra had been victorious at Actium, they would have moved the Roman capital to Alexandria, and started wholesale Egyptian influence and religion across the empire. Antony would have ruled the empire as the guardian of Caesarion ... Or had him assassinated, after having a son from Cleopatra who was still in child bearing age. who knows, POLITICS IS A PRACTICAL BUSINESS!!   
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As it turned out, Octavian executed Caesarion, annexed Egypt into the Roman Empire, and used Cleopatra’s treasure to pay off his veterans. Augustus became the first and arguably most successful of all Roman emperors, and ruled a peaceful, prosperous, and expanding Roman Empire until his death in 14 AD at the ripe old age of 75.
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Belligerents
Octavian's Roman and allied supporters and forces
Mark Antony's Roman and allied supporters
Ptolemaic Egypt
Commanders and leaders
Marcus Antonius
Gaius Sosius
Cleopatra VII
Strength
250 galleys
16,000 infantry
3,000 archers.
290 galleys
30–50 Transports
20,000 infantry
2,000 archers
Casualties and losses
About 2,500 killed
Over 5,000 killed;
200 ships sunk or captured

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