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“The New York Post wrote, ‘No more funds of American taxpayers [should] be squandered on these useless gasbags.’ “
The above is NOT a comment about the 2025 New York City mayoral candidates, but is a 1935 comment in reaction to the series of American airship crashes that killed hundreds of people.
The Book of the Week is “His Majesty’s Airship, The Life and Tragic Death of the World’s Largest Flying Machine” by S.C. Gwynne, published in 2023. In this sloppily edited, chronologically disordered, wordy, redundant (but suspenseful) volume, the author recounts the history of airships through the late 1930’s.
In the early decades of the twentieth century, the Germans racked up significant construction- and flying-expertise with regard to airships with rigid frames. However, they had an abysmal safety record. They papered that over with jingoistic propaganda. The 1910’s saw a few conditions established to make airship flights less risky: flying only in summer and in clear weather with only light winds.
There was a high risk of fire because the hydrogen that filled the airships is easily combustible with just one spark. Helium is less so, but was expensive and difficult to obtain or make, and the Americans controlled the small quantity that was easily accessible.
The German government got the idea that in the event of a war, it could destroy cities at night via airships much more efficiently than it could with ground troops. In WWI, its submarines were actually more effective, because Britain wised up quickly– training searchlights on the airships, and shooting them into fireballs. By 1917, warplanes had become superior to airships, even with their mechanical problems.
Anyway, the author went off on a tangent, detailing the life-histories of a few different royal family members– main characters in the airships story. One such character was Lord Christopher Birdwood Thomson. Beginning in spring 1924, he persuaded the British government to execute his big idea of contracting with a company to make airships a fun, efficient form of global, public transportation.
The author tossed around the term “socialism” but did not elaborate. He described two competing British airship projects; one as capitalist, and the other as socialist. Here is a clarification (more details of which can be found in this blog’s post, “The Last Idealist” about Norman Thomas, in the “Politics – Systems” category):
With SOCIALISM, the people collectively own entities, and share and share alike. These can be profit-seeking businesses; or the government can own entities that provide essential services– health, education, welfare and large public transportation entities– that should not be profit-seeking (but some of their subcontractors are, anyway).
With COMMUNISM, the government owns profit-seeking entities (businesses) in whole or in part (as in the former Soviet Union and China). So yes, these include public-private partnerships in which there are clearly outrageous conflicts of interest that result in patronage and profiteering. So, arguably, the former Soviet Union and China have both Socialism and Communism to a large degree. The U.S. is not far behind anymore.
Furthermore, in America, the super-rich who pay no income tax, salve their consciences through philanthropy, which allows them to propagandize that they’re helping the poor. BUT income tax revenues are pooled so that they could end up getting spent on anything in the political budget. The super-rich specifically choose where to donate their money– whom to help, and it is a tiny percentage of poor people who are helped, compared with the number who are helped if money is provided through income tax!
Anyway, read the book to learn the outcome of the flight of R101 (hint: a large, expensive project run by alpha males with hubris syndrome– in which Darwin award candidates partake– rarely ends well) plus lots more historical background that explains why rigid airships are a thing of the past.
As is well known, the American government has been a large, expensive project run mostly by alpha males with hubris syndrome. Given the current overwhelming influences of money and sophisticated messaging via global, sophisticated communications technology, individuals need not even be physically present anymore to run the government. Like Elon Musk, they can be a mastermind of national policies in absentia. Here’s what Musk is singing now.
AMERICA
sung to the tune of “Africa” with apologies to Toto and to whomever else the rights may concern.
See my influence echoing on the Right.
These are the results of our secret conversations.
I and Trump pretended to have a fight.
Withdrawal from D.C. has let me discreetly plot to save my nation.
I learned from my old man along the way,
looking to amass resources to impose my brand of supremacy.
I turn to forceful people for-pay.
Scan the whole world, is I all have to DO.
It won’t take a lot to make my dreams come true.
My money has such power, I can lord it over you.
I act behind-the-scenes in America.
Trump’s taking this time to do the things we always pla-a-a-anned. ooh ooh
We reach out to our friends on the Right,
and we’ve grown prosperous, assisted by our hegemonic companies.
I know I’m doing what is right, sure as I am aiming to gradually rid the White House of democracy.
I need world conquest, deep inside.
Priming the pump for the great times to come.
It won’t take a lot to make my dreams come true.
My money has such power, I can lord it over you.
I act behind-the-scenes in America.
Trump’s taking this time to do the things we always pla-a-a-anned. ooh ooh
Scan the world is all I have to DO.
It won’t take a lot to make my dreams come true.
My money has such power, I can lord it over you.
I act behind-the-scenes in America.
I act behind-the-scenes in America.
(I act behind-the-scenes)
I act behind-the-scenes in America.
(I act behind-the-scenes)
I act behind-the-scenes in America.
I act behind-the-scenes in America.
(Trump’s taking this time)
Trump’s taking this time to do the things we always pla-a-a-anned. ooh ooh