#Senator Paul Wellstone

[abigailspinach]

“How often in 100 days do you get to change the trajectory of the world? How often in 100 days do you get to do something that’s going to impact generations to come?” Walz asked. “And how often in the world do you make that bastard wake up afterwards and know that a Black woman kicked his a**, sent him on the road?”

The line was well received on the call and almost immediately grabbed headlines. For many Democrats, at least, the online virality – with apologies to Biden’s “Dark Brandon” meme – was the kind they have pined for over the past few years.

Walz also has a personal story befitting the zeitgeist – a family history, as he discussed last month, of infertility troubles, with his wife of three decades, Gwen, which allows him to speak with some authority against opponents or skeptics of in vitro fertilization, or IVF.

“My oldest daughter’s name is Hope. That’s because my wife and I spent seven years trying to get pregnant, needed fertility treatments, things like IVF – things (MAGA Republicans) would ban,” Walz told Harris supporters. “These guys are the anti-freedoms.”

And to draw a bright, cheeky line under his own childhood experience, Walz – not for the last time – recounted that he “grew up in a small town: 400 people, 24 kids in the class, 12 cousins.”

Prior to Congress, Walz was a high school teacher and football coach and served in the Army National Guard. Over more than a decade in Congress, he assembled a fairly centrist voting record. As a first-time campaigner, he opposed a ban on same-sex marriage and supported abortion rights. And once in Congress, he balanced that out with comparatively more conservative positions on gun rights, which resulted in scoring a National Rifle Association endorsement. Walz has since fallen out of favor with the gun lobby over his support for gun safety actions as governor.

“I think he was a solid Democratic member of the House with a few twists - focus on ag, farmers, rural areas,” said Democratic strategist Jeff Blodgett, a longtime aide to the late Sen. Paul Wellstone. “I think that he wanted to protect rifles and things of that nature as a rural congressman.”

Walz ran for governor in 2018, emerging victorious by a double-digit margin. He won reelection in 2022 with 52 percent of the vote. As governor Walz had to grapple with divided government and slim majorities in the state Legislature. But in 2022, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (as the state’s Democratic Party is known) won control of both the state House and Senate giving Walz’s party a slim “trifecta” of legislative control.

That allowed Walz to sign into law a raft of expansive social welfare programs such as free lunch for public school students, expansive access to Medicaid, increased protections that allow workers to unionize and expanded medical and family paid family leave.

Through the trifecta, Minnesota Democrats were also able to codify abortion rights into law, increase transgender rights protections, pass a marijuana legalization bill and install new gun safety laws. Progressives hailed the work as an example of all that Democrats could achieve. Former President Barack Obama wrote in a tweet praising the most recent legislative session that it was a “reminder that elections have consequences.”

Walz touted the trifecta’s work in a combative 2023 State of the State address.

“There’s nowhere quite like Minnesota right now,” he told the audience of lawmakers. “Together, we’re not just showing the people of Minnesota what we’re capable of in delivering on our promises. We’re showing the entire American people just how much promise is contained in that progressive vision held by so many people.”

“As governor, he’s embraced the idea that it’s really important to invest in people and infrastructure to grow the economy,” Blodgett said. “And to do it in a way that really helps people in the middle and down below. To me, it’s just a huge focus on economic issues that are kitchen table issues that people care about.”

When speculation began about who Harris would pick as a running mate, Walz started out as the darkest of dark horses. He did get support from a few members of Congress such as Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig and Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as well as encouragement from labor unions. In the end, Walz’s background as a governor experienced in working with Democrats and Republicans and his roots in rural Minnesota made him an appealing choice for Harris.

Walz was also a surprise to Republicans.

“Tim Walz doesn’t even register on the fear-o-meter,” Minnesota Republican strategist Kevin Poindexter said before the announcement, adding that Republicans had been more worried about Harris picking either Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly or Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. “Him joining the ticket as VP does not bring anything.”

Democratic strategist Raghu Devaguptapu, a former Democratic Governors Association political director, characterized Walz as a “real steady hand” more than anything else as a governor.

“He’s not the most charismatic guy, but he’s a steady hand. He’s really thoughtful, very likeable. He’s done a really nice job of building a broad coalition of support. … That’s the center of strength around Tim Walz,” Devaguptapu said.

[eldritchlittleblackdragon]

I usually don't voice my own personal political thoughts and usually just reblog stuff (when I post about politics at all). But just. The whole situation with people calling for Joe Biden to step down and let the Dems pick another candidate for an election is setting off alarm bells for me. Like. Regardless of whether it's the right decision or not, I'm not confident there's an alternative candidate that can muster enough support to beat Trump in 4 months.

This all really is just. Reminding me of when I was a kid and lived in Minnesota. There was a senate race happening in the 2000s (06 I think?) and it was the incumbent Paul Wellstone (democrat, well liked, to my understanding was good) vs Republican opponent Norm Coleman.

I don't remember how close to the election it was, but not long before Paul Wellstone and his entire family died in a plane crash (a freak accident) and the Dems scrambled to find another candidate. They chose former VP Walter Mondale, but they just didn't have enough time to rally support and Norm Coleman won the senate race. And he was awful! (Both as a person and a politician.)

Now granted this is a different situation but just. I don't know it makes me extremely existentially anxious.

[deadpresidents]

What other campaign souvenirs do you have with that badge you shared?

It's actually not a ton of stuff. I wish I'd been better over the years about collecting campaign memorabilia because I'm always jealous whenever I see someone who has a cool collection of things.

I have a ton of buttons and stickers from the Obama campaigns, as well as an Obama '08 yard sign that's signed by Obama. I have a stack of Clinton/Gore bumper stickers that I somehow held on to after all these years.

In 2000, I was young and idealistic and caught up in the excitement of the first Presidential campaign I was of legal voting age for, so I jumped on the Bill Bradley bandwagon very early on in the Democratic primaries. Most of you probably have no idea who Bill Bradley even was, but he was the 2000 version of Bernie Sanders once the legendary Paul Wellstone decided against running for President. Deep down, we all knew that Vice President Gore was going to be the nominee, but there was some excitement for Bradley early on even though he didn't win anything and was basically finished by Super Tuesday. I have some Bradley buttons and stickers, and I have an invitation to a Bill Bradley fundraiser that was going to be held at the home of Geoff Petrie in Granite Bay, a wealthy suburb of Sacramento. At the time, Petrie was the General Manager of the Sacramento Kings and he was a close friend of Bradley, so that was exciting for a 20-year-old basketball fanatic. (Oh...for those who really don't know anything about Bill Bradley, I should also note that not only was he a U.S. Senator from New Jersey, but before that he was star basketball player who won two NBA titles with the New York Knicks and is in the pro and college Basketball Hall of Fame.)

Other than that, I have some posters and a ton of buttons from various campaigns. When I lived in Austin and was regularly going to the @lbjlibrary I would often buy handfuls of the assorted campaign buttons that they sold in their gift shop. I don't know if they still sell them, but it was a huge collection from dozens of different Presidential campaigns from various decades. I think the oldest button I ended up with was for Al Smith's 1928 Democratic Presidential campaign. I'm especially fond of my Wendell Willkie button because it's always fun to mention Wendell Willkie. I got a bunch of Nixon and McGovern buttons and even got a Romney button, but it's not for Mitt -- it's for the unsuccessful campaign for the 1968 GOP nomination by his father, former Michigan Governor George Romney. I have a McGovern/Eagleton button from 1972, which is interesting because Thomas Eagleton was nominated as McGovern's Vice Presidential running mate at the 1972 Democratic Nation Convention and then dropped from the ticket for Sargent Shriver just nineteen days later. And of course, I got a TON of LBJ and LBJ-related buttons -- from the 1964 campaign which sometimes featured LBJ and sometimes featured Hubert Humphrey and sometimes featured both LBJ and HHH, and from the 1960 Kennedy/Johnson campaign.

Here are a few of them (the "We Shall Overcome" button is my favorite:)

The coolest bit of political memorabilia that I have are a set of staff passes from the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment proceedings for President Clinton's impeachment in 1998, including one from the day that the special prosecutor, Kenneth Starr, testified. Former Republican Congressman James E. Rogan, who was one of the thirteen Republicans House Managers who actually acted as prosecutors during the Senate trial following the President's Clinton's impeachment, wrote a really great book called Catching Our Flag: Behind the Scenes of a Presidential Impeachment (BOOK | KINDLE) that I reviewed way back in 2011. In the book, Congressman Rogan (he's a Judge in California now) mentioned that he was a collector of political memorabilia and that he was very cognizant of the fact that he was playing a part in a major historical event -- which I mentioned in the review -- and I also noted that I respected how fair his book was despite the fact that he was a major political player in the impeachment and that he was so clearly from the opposite side of the political tracks than I am. His fairness actually resulted in President Clinton offering to help when Rogan was struggling to win re-election to Congress after the impeachment (which Rogan was grateful for, but turned down because it would hurt him more with his GOP supporters than any Democrats on the fence). ANYWAY...after I posted my review, Congressman Rogan contacted me and thanked me for the review and SENT ME SOME OF THE PASSES THAT HE HAD SAVED FROM THE IMPEACHMENT:

Here's the review of Congressman Rogan's book from 2011 (go buy it). Here's a post where I wrote a little more detail about getting the passes sent to me (and about the whole idea of tickets to impeachment proceedings in general). Also, as I noted in that post, if you are a stalker or a hater, don't go to the address on the letter that Congressman Rogan sent me in that photo because I haven't lived in Texas since 2011. (Also, if you're a stalker who looks like Shakira or Tessa Thompson, just send me a message and I'll give you my address.)

[michianamedicare4all]

On this day in 2002 we lost a true American hero. He would have been such an inspirational voice for this time. Senator Paul Wellstone

[livinginhisgratefulness]

Gun control opponents recognize prevention bills may pass this session as St. Paul recovers from a deadly weekend

ST. PAUL (Minn.) – Anguish and fear have erupted following a violent weekend that saw five people injured and two killed in St. Paul. Two separate celebrations of life were opened to the elements by someone who set fire to them. One was for Devon Scott (15-year-old boy who was stabbed to death at Harding High School). Residents living near shooting locations are often anxious. One resident said, “There are just too many young children running around with guns. I just don’t get it.” Troy Kennedy, 37, of St. Paul and Larry Jiles Jr., 34, were both killed on Saturday. Jiles was also known as “Chef Hot Hands”. After the second incident, Melvin Carter, a visibly shaken mayor, spoke. Three teens sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a drive by shooting at a Scott Wellstone Center service. The shooting took place less than 24 hours later. Carter issued a new call for gun restrictions. Carter stated that “we continue to see some common sense gun violence prevention Reforms that the vast majority Minnesotans and vast majority Americans support.” “Any celebration, any community organization, any space, can be violated in this heartbreaking manner.” Mayor Melvin Carter Gov. Tim Walz tweeted, “The gun violence in St. Paul is unacceptable.” Four major gun proposals are currently making their way through Congress. Two of the most important are a stronger background check and red flag law. Legislators are also facing a stricter requirement for gun storage and a bill that requires the reporting of stolen handguns. Rob Doar, of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, says that none of these measures would have prevented the weekend’s tragedy. However, he believes this year could see the passing of one or more of these bills. “I believe it’s probable that some of these bill will be passed. Doar stated that the Senate’s narrow margin will be a determining factor. “These particular measures have not received the same strong commitments from the Greater Minnesota senators as they have on other controversial items that have been moved forward.” Doar is the face against Minnesota gun control measures. The caucus has a lot of power, so for him to claim that there’s a chance of one these bills passing after all the years of being introduced but going nowhere is quite an accomplishment. What must happen in the DFL-controlled legislature to allow one of these to be passed? It would be necessary for the Senate and House to retain their very small DFL majority. With just one vote, the Senate majority could not have been narrower. Despite all odds, the DFL held St. Paul together for two months. This is why opponents such as Doar admit that this could be the year. Source

[deprived-gay]

Gun control opponents recognize prevention bills may pass this session as St. Paul recovers from a deadly weekend

ST. PAUL (Minn.) – Anguish and fear have erupted following a violent weekend that saw five people injured and two killed in St. Paul. Two separate celebrations of life were opened to the elements by someone who set fire to them. One was for Devon Scott (15-year-old boy who was stabbed to death at Harding High School). Residents living near shooting locations are often anxious. One resident said, “There are just too many young children running around with guns. I just don’t get it.” Troy Kennedy, 37, of St. Paul and Larry Jiles Jr., 34, were both killed on Saturday. Jiles was also known as “Chef Hot Hands”. After the second incident, Melvin Carter, a visibly shaken mayor, spoke. Three teens sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a drive by shooting at a Scott Wellstone Center service. The shooting took place less than 24 hours later. Carter issued a new call for gun restrictions. Carter stated that “we continue to see some common sense gun violence prevention Reforms that the vast majority Minnesotans and vast majority Americans support.” “Any celebration, any community organization, any space, can be violated in this heartbreaking manner.” Mayor Melvin Carter Gov. Tim Walz tweeted, “The gun violence in St. Paul is unacceptable.” Four major gun proposals are currently making their way through Congress. Two of the most important are a stronger background check and red flag law. Legislators are also facing a stricter requirement for gun storage and a bill that requires the reporting of stolen handguns. Rob Doar, of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, says that none of these measures would have prevented the weekend’s tragedy. However, he believes this year could see the passing of one or more of these bills. “I believe it’s probable that some of these bill will be passed. Doar stated that the Senate’s narrow margin will be a determining factor. “These particular measures have not received the same strong commitments from the Greater Minnesota senators as they have on other controversial items that have been moved forward.” Doar is the face against Minnesota gun control measures. The caucus has a lot of power, so for him to claim that there’s a chance of one these bills passing after all the years of being introduced but going nowhere is quite an accomplishment. What must happen in the DFL-controlled legislature to allow one of these to be passed? It would be necessary for the Senate and House to retain their very small DFL majority. With just one vote, the Senate majority could not have been narrower. Despite all odds, the DFL held St. Paul together for two months. This is why opponents such as Doar admit that this could be the year. Source

[proserpine-in-phases]

Today marks 20 years since Minnesota senator paul wellstone died. Sometimes I wonder where we'd be if he hadnt died in that plane crash. The 2002 midterm election was the only one i havent voted in since i became able to vote in 2000, and i still feel pretty shit for not voting, because Mondale, wellstone's replacement on the ballot, lost by less than 40000 votes which. Sure, I couldnt have made up for that with my one vote, but only 60% of minnesotans voted in that election

If more of us had come out and voted, we wouldnt have had norm Coleman in office those 6 years, voting in favor of the patriot act and the iraq invasion and every other dumb thing the Bush administration decided to do

And if wellstone hadnt died, he likely would have won, and he would have continued to vote in favor of the middle and working classes and against the dumb shit bush and the Senate Republicans were doing.

Anyway in 2008 Al Franken won the senate seat by only 300-some votes

So you know. That was close.

Anyway. Fucking vote lol

[minnesotafollower]

Minnesota’s U.S. Senators’ Statements at Walter Mondale Memorial 

At the May 1 memorial service for Walter Mondale, Minnesota’s U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith made the following statements of praise about him.[1] Senator Klobuchar’s Statement “It was not easy for Walter Mondale to run against Ronald Reagan, knowing that most people were predicting that Reagan would win.” “It was not easy for Walter Mondale to come out of retirement and run for the…

[airplanefoodblackmarket]

I can’t believe it’s been 20 years today since Paul Wellstone died. Anyway, I haven’t seen anything about the anniversary yet today, aside from the radio here, so I thought I’d do my own little tribute.

20 years ago today, on a crisp Northern Minnesota fall morning, the United States lost one of its best Senators, Minnesota lost one of her favorite sons, and we all lost some of the best people in politics. Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, their daughter Marcia, campaign aides Mary McEvoy, Tom Lapic and Will McLaughlin, and pilots Richard Conroy and Micheal Guess died in a plane crash near Eveleth. Their loss is still deeply felt in my home state, and in the Democratic Party, and we’re still fighting to push forward all the things he believed in.

Rest In Peace, Paul, Sheila and everyone. We’ll remember you.

[hclib]

All About Kids! Television Program Now Online

Airing from 1988 to 1999, All About Kids! was a local television program for parents and adults who work with children. The series focused on children and family issues, including children's literature, education, and community resources for children and families.

Most episodes featured a central interview or panel discussion on a given theme. Sometimes these featured well-known guests, including local political leaders and renowned children's authors. Shorter segments, including book reviews and special announcements about local events, were occasionally included. All About Kids! aired on Metro Cable Network/Cable Channel 6 on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. as a half-hour program. The series ended after 283 episodes.

From 1988 to 1995 (episodes 1-220), All About Kids! was produced by the Hennepin County Library. Gretchen Wronka, Children's Services Coordinator for the library, oversaw production and hosted the program. Most episodes were taped at the Ridgedale Library production studio, with editing managed by Dave Carlson. These first 220 episodes are now in our digital collections. View the collection finding aid to learn more about All About Kids!

Images from All About Kids! episodes include: Girl Scouts visiting from Pakistan (episode 62), Senator Paul Wellstone at the Minnesota State Fair (episode 88), storytellers Toni Simmons and Jerry Blue demonstrating childhood jump rope rhymes and games (episode 7), and Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman discussing juvenile justice programs (episode 132).

[mariacallous]

WASHINGTON – Minnesota's two senators want to name a federal building in Minneapolis after the late Sen. Paul Wellstone.

Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are behind the push to honor Wellstone, with Tuesday marking the 20th anniversary of his death in a plane crash near Eveleth 11 days before the 2002 Senate election.

Wellstone, who was 58 and running for a third term when he died, remains deeply influential in DFL politics. Klobuchar called him a mentor and a friend in an interview. While some local places have been named after Wellstone, Klobuchar said the federal government should also take this latest step to "acknowledge his service."

"He just believed in the power of people," Klobuchar said.

The legislation would name a federal building on S. 3rd Avenue in Minneapolis the Paul D. Wellstone Federal Building. It's home to the Minneapolis Passport Agency and also has offices for the National Labor Relations Board and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the U.S. General Services Administration's website.

"Naming a federal building after him I think is in recognition of how he worked so hard as a progressive to also be effective in the Senate," said Smith.

Wellstone died in a plane crash that also killed his wife, Sheila, daughter Marcia, three campaign workers and two pilots.

A college professor, Wellstone upset incumbent GOP Sen. Rudy Boschwitz in the 1990 election. Notable moments in Wellstone's political career include his voting against war with Iraq both early and late in his tenure while his work focusing on mental health and addiction continues to be a lasting part of his legacy.

"Everyone thinks about him as a fighter for people," Klobuchar said, also noting that Wellstone had "optimism about our country and what we can get done."

While the Senate bill was only introduced last month — and has not made its way through Congress — the late senator's oldest son expressed appreciation about the potential change.

"This is wonderful," Dave Wellstone said. "It continues on that legacy."

The bill counts GOP Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who served with Wellstone, as an early supporter.

"From neighboring states, we often teamed up on agriculture and other issues to find common ground and get things done for Iowans and Minnesotans," Grassley said in a statement. "Although we had very different political philosophies, we shared a common passion for serving our constituents the best we could."

Over the years, other efforts have gone on at the federal level to remember Wellstone. They include President George W. Bush signing legislation into law in 2002 for a community center in St. Paul named after Wellstone and his wife. A group of Muscular Dystrophy Specialized Research Centers also bear the late senator's name, according to the National Institutes of Health.

A bill introduced in 2003 attempted to name the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis for Wellstone, but failed to get enough support.

In remembering the DFL senator, Klobuchar's new bill says that Wellstone's "legacy of advocacy and candor will always be remembered."

"We all need a dose of Paul right now," she said.

[foulserpent]

i dont remember 9/11 and i dont think i was very aware of it as a kid (i was just shy of 4 years old) but i Somehow was aware of and deeply affected by US senator paul wellstones plane crash death? (about a year later). it was the first time i was consciously aware of the fact that you can die in a plane crash and it really bothered me, so i coped by simulating plane crashes with my stuffed animals, which did not go over very well

[odinsblog]

JOE BIDEN helped pave the way for insurance companies to profiteer from Coronavirus.

Gilead Sciences, a drugmaker known for price gouging, has been working with Chinese health authorities to see if the experimental drug remdesivir can treat coronavirus symptoms. World Health Organization officials say it’s the “only one drug right now that we think may have real efficacy.” But remdesivir, which was previously tested to treat Ebola virus, was developed through research conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with funding from the federal government.

That’s how much of the pharmaceutical industry’s research and development is funded. The public puts in the money, and private companies keep whatever profits they can command. But it wasn’t always that way. Before 1995, drug companies were required to sell drugs funded with public money at a reasonable price. Under the Clinton administration, that changed.

In the 1994 midterms, the Republican Revolution, built largely around a reaction to Bill Clinton’s attempt to reform the health care system, swept Democrats out of Congress. On its heels, in April 1995, the Clinton administration capitulated to pharmaceutical industry pressure and rescinded the longstanding “reasonable pricing” rule.

“An extensive review of this matter over the past year indicated that the pricing clause has driven industry away from potentially beneficial scientific collaborations with [Public Health Service] scientists without providing an offsetting benefit to the public,” the National Institutes of Health said in a 1995 statement announcing the change. “Eliminating the clause will promote research that can enhance the health of the American people.”

The move was controversial, and a House member from Vermont, independent Bernie Sanders, offered an amendment to reinstate the rule. It failed on a largely party-line vote, 242-180.

Then in 2000, Sanders authored and passed a bipartisan amendment in the House to reimpose the “reasonable pricing” rule. In the Senate, a similar measure was pushed by the late Paul Wellstone of Minnesota.

“Many in Congress find it hard to argue with Sanders’ line that ‘Americans must pay twice for life-saving drugs, first as taxpayers to develop the drug and then as consumers to pad pharmaceutical profits,’” Nature wrote at the time.

Then Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware voted to table Wellstone’s amendment, and it was defeated 56-39.

(continue reading)

[zwischenstadt]

lol I had no idea about any of this.  The sons of the late Paul Wellstone (one of the best U.S. senators of have ever lived, and a genuinely decent person) got kicked out of the organization that bears his name after asking questions about how the finances were being managed.  The board came up with vague woke bullshit to justify what they did lol

(btw I’m 92.42364% sure Wellstone was a closet Marxist.  I’ve been doing a research project on one of his main advisers, who never made a secret of his marxist convictions.  They agreed on pretty much everything).

[dark-and-twisty-01]

Aircraft Crashes: accidents or murder?

The past nine decades, various fatal air crashes have spawned conspiracy theories that linger as haunting historical mysteries. Five cases produced official verdicts of criminal activity, but no suspects were ever indicted. The remainder are listed as accidents, but nagging doubts remain. These cases include:

July 4, 1923 Actor-pilot Beverly “B.H” DeLay and passenger R.I short (president of the Essandee Corporation) died while performing aerial acrobatics at Venice Beach, California. Time Magazine reported that half-inch bolts in the wings of DeLay’s aircraft had been switched with smaller bolts, causing the wings to collapse during flight. Gunshots of unknown origin had also been fired at DeLay days earlier, during a performance in Santa Monica. Journalists linked the crash to bitter litigation between DeLay and C.E Frey, a rival who claimed ownership of an airstrip purchased by DeLay in 1919. Several Frey employees were jailed for sabotaging that airfield, but no one was indicted for DeLay’s murder.

October 10, 1933 A United Airlines Boeing 247 aircraft travelling from Cleveland to Chicago crashed near Chesterton, Indiana, killing all seven persons aboard. Witnesses reported hearing a mid-air explosion at 9:15pm and watching the plane plummet into flames from 1,000 feet. Investigators from North-western University and Chicago FBI office concluded that a bomb had detonated in the plane’s baggage compartment, but no suspects were ever identified.

March 29, 1959 Barthelemy Boganda, first prime minister of the Central African Republic (C.A.R) and presumed to win election as president when France released control of his nation in 1960, died with all others aboard when his plane crashed 99 miles west of Bangui. No cause of the crash was officially determined, but suspicion of sabotage persists. On May 7, 1959, the Paris weekly L’Express reported discovery of explosive residue in the plane’s wreckage whereupon the French high commissioner banned sale of that issue in the C.A.R. In 1997 author Brian Titley suggested that Boganda’s wife, Michelle Jourdan, may have killed hi to avert divorce and collect a large insurance policy.

November 16, 1959 National Airlines Flight 967 vanished over the Gulf of Mexico with 42 persons aboard while en route from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans. The final radar contact with Flight 967 was recorded at 12:46 am. Searchers found scattered wreckage with corpses near that point, but most of the aircraft was never recovered. Suspicion focused on passenger William Taylor, who boarded the plane with a ticket issued to ex-convict Robert Vernon Spears. Authorities surmised that Spears had tricked Taylor, a friend from prison, into boarding the plane with a bomb, thus permitting Spears to collect on a life insurance policy purchased in his name. Police later arrested Spears in Phoenix, driving a car registered to Taylor, but he subsequently vanished and was never charged with any crime pertaining to the crash.

September 18, 1961 Dag Hammarskjold, second secretary-general of the United Nations, died with 15 others when his plane crashed near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), during a diplomatic tour of the strife-torn Congo. Security was tight during the tour, including use of a decoy aircraft, and Hammarskjold’s pilot filed no flight plans on the trip. Officially, the crash resulted from a pilot’s error in approaching Ndola’s airfield at the wrong altitude after nightfall. Many observers suspected a bomb or rocket attack. In August 1998, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, chairman of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, announced that recently uncovered letters implicated South African intelligence officers, Britain’s MI5, and the American CIA in Hammarskjold’s death. One letter claimed that a bomb in the plane’s wheel bay was set to explode on landing. In July 2005, Norwegian major general Bjorn Egge told the newspaper Aftenposten that an apparent bullet hole in Hammarskjold’s forehead was air brushed out of photos later published showing his corpse.

October 16, 1972 House majority leader Thomas Hale Boggs, Sr., was campaigning for Representative Nick Begich when their airplane vanished during a flight from Anchorage to Juneau, Alaska. Also aboard were pilot Don Jonz and Begich aide Russell Brown. The plane was never found. Begich won November’s election with a 56-percent margin, but his presumed death left GOP rival Don Young running unopposed in a special election to fill Begich’s vacant seat in Congress. Some conspiracy theorists link the disappearance to Bogg’s outspoken criticism of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (who died in May 1972), but Begich’s children blamed President Richard Nixon, claiming that the crash was staged in a vain attempt to thwart congressional investigation of the unfolding Watergate scandal.

August 1, 1981 Brigadier General Omar Torrijos Herrera, “Supreme Chief of Government” for Panama since 1968, died with several others when his plane exploded in mid air during a storm. Slipshod radio coverage delayed the report of his plane’s disappearance for nearly a day, and several more days elapsed before soldiers found the wreckage. Florencio Flores succeeded Torrijos as commander of Panama’s National Guard and de facto ruler of the country.

October 19, 1986 Samora Moises Machel, president of Mozambique and leading critic of South Africa’s racist apartheid system, died with all board when his plane crashed near Mbuzini, in South Africa’s Lebombo Mountains. At the time, Machel was returning home from an international conference in Zambia. The Margo Commission, an investigate panel including representatives from several nations, blamed the crash on pilot error, a verdict flatly rejected by the governments of Mozambique and the Soviet Union Russian members of the commission filed a minority report claiming that Machel’s plane was lured off-course by a decoy radio beacon, set up by South African intelligence officers. Machel’s widow, Graca, remains convinced that was murdered. In 1998 she married then-South African president Nelson Mandela.

 August 17, 1989 General Muhammad Ziaul-Haq, ruler of Pakistan since he overthrew predecessor Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1977, died with several other generals and U.S. ambassador Arnold Raphel when their plane crashed shortly after take off from Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Witnesses reported a smooth lift off, followed by erratic flying and a steep nosedive. FBI agents called the crash accidental, but persistent conspiracy theories blame a wide range of suspects, including the CIA, Russia’s KGB, Israel’s Mossad, India’s RAW Intelligence agency, Afghan communists, ad Shi’ite Muslim separatists.

April 6, 1994 Unknown snipers shot down a government aircraft at Rwanda’s Kigali airport, killing Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana, President Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi, and all others aboard. The resultant political chaos led to full-scale genocide in Rwanda, where ruling Hutu tribesmen slaughtered rival Tutsis, and sparked civil war in Burundi.

July 19, 1994 Alas Chiricanas Flight 901 exploded while en route from Colon, Panama, to Panama City, killing all 21 persons aboard. Authorities found evidence of a bomb, blaming the crime on terrorists. Suspicion focused on Jamal Lya, the only passenger who corpse remained unclaimed after the bombing. Soon afterward, an unknown spokesperson for a group calling itself Ansar Allah (“Followers of God”) claimed credit for the attack, but investigators could find no other trace of the organization.

July 17, 1996 Trans World Airlines flight 800 left New York’s JFK Airport, bound for Paris, at 10:19pm Twelve minutes later it exploded in mid-air, killing all 230 persons aboard and littering the ocean with wreckage offshore from East Moriches, New York. Despite initial speculation of a terrorist attack, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a final report in August 2000, blaming the explosion on a presumed electrical short circuit that ignited fumes in the aircraft’s centre wing fuel tank. Meanwhile, multiple eyewitnesses on land reported seeing “a streak of light” rising from sea level toward the airliner before it exploded. Initial examination of the wreckage revealed apparent residue from three different explosive compounds, PETN, RDX, and nitro-glycerine but authorities claimed to find no evidence of impact from a rocket or missile. Some conspiracy theorists maintain that Flight 800 was shot down by terrorists, while others suggest a disastrous mistake during an offshore U.S. Navy training exercise involving surface-to-air missiles. The case is officially closed.

October 25, 2002 Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone died with seven others, including his wife and three children, when his aircraft crashed near Eveleth, Minnesota. Wellstone was near the end of his campaign for a third Senate term, his death coming 11 days before the scheduled balloting. Initial reports blamed icing of the aircraft's wing, but that suggestion was later rejected. Federal investigators finally named pilot error as the “likely” cause of the crash, claiming that deceased First Officer Michael Guess was “below average” in proficiency. In fact, Guess had been fired from two previous flying jobs for incompetence. Jim Fetzer, a philosophy professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, published a book in 2004, blaming Wellstone’s death on unnamed members of President George W. Bush’s administration.

 July 30, 2005 Dr. John Garang De Mabior, vice president of Sudan and former head of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army, died when his helicopter crashed in southern Sudan. Circumstances of the crash remain unclear, and Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni blamed “external factors” for the incident. Foreign observers note that Garang’s death helped bring an end to Sudan’s long-running civil war.