Good Morning and God Bless To Everyone !!!
Today is December 20, the 354th day of 2013 and there are 11 days left this year and it is yet another blessed day in the work for our Lord here at:
For God’s Glory Alone Ministries !!!
It’s a wonderful 34 degrees here in Albuquerque this morning and we’re expecting highs in the upper 40’s. There is a storm moving into New Mexico from the west which may bring snow to a few parts of the state later today or over the weekend but here in Albuquerque we’re expecting highs to stay in the 40’s through the weekend so if we get precipitation there may be a light snow dusting when you wake but it will probably come in the form of rain with a possibility of snow up on the mountain.
As we approach the last weekend before Christmas Day and due to a shortened shopping period this year we warn that there will be a lot of folks out getting their last-minute shopping done. We urge everyone to exercise caution and please be careful out on the roads. Last minute shopping can be frustrating and that can manifest itself while driving to and from the shopping centers; (Not Texting or Phone Calls while your driving!). Please be careful out there everyone and let’s all enjoy a wonderful and blessed Christmas while we celebrate the birth or our Lord & Savior Jesus!
So, What Happened Today In 1989:
United States Troops Invade Panama
The United States invades Panama in an attempt to overthrow military dictator Manuel Noriega, who had been indicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges and was accused of suppressing democracy in Panama and endangering U.S. nationals. Noriega’s Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) were promptly crushed, forcing the dictator to seek asylum with the Vatican anuncio in Panama City, where he surrendered on January 3, 1990.
In 1970, Noriega, a rising figure in the Panamanian military, was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to assist in the U.S. struggle against the spread of communism in Central America. Noriega became involved in drug trafficking and in 1977 was removed from the CIA payroll. After the Marxist Sandinista government came to power in 1979, Noriega was brought back into the CIA fold. In 1983, he become military dictator of Panama.
Noriega supported U.S. initiatives in Central America and in turn was praised by the White House, even though a Senate committee concluded in 1983 that Panama was a major center for drug trafficking. In 1984, Noriega committed fraud in Panama’s presidential election in favor of Nicolás Ardito Barletta, who became a puppet president. Still, Noriega enjoyed the continued support of the Reagan administration, which valued his aid in its efforts to overthrow Nicaragua’s Sandinista government.
In 1986, just months before the outbreak of the Iran-Contra affair, allegations arose concerning Noriega’s history as a drug trafficker, money launderer, and CIA employee. Most shocking, however, were reports that Noriega had acted as a double agent for Cuba’s intelligence agency and the Sandinistas. The U.S. government disowned Noriega, and in 1988 he was indicted by federal grand juries in Tampa and Miami on drug-smuggling and money-laundering charges.
Tensions between Americans in the Panama Canal Zone and Noriega’s Panamanian Defense Forces grew, and in 1989 the dictator annulled a presidential election that would have made Guillermo Endara president. President George H. Bush ordered additional U.S. troops to the Panama Canal Zone, and on December 16 an off-duty U.S. Marine was shot to death at a PDF roadblock. The next day, President Bush authorized “Operation Just Cause”–the U.S. invasion of Panama to overthrow Noriega.
On December 20, 9,000 U.S. troops joined the 12,000 U.S. military personnel already in Panama and were met with scattered resistance from the PDF. By December 24, the PDF was crushed, and the United States held most of the country. Endara was made president by U.S. forces, and he ordered the PDF dissolved. On January 3, Noriega was arrested by U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency agents.
The U.S. invasion of Panama cost the lives of only 23 U.S. soldiers and three U.S. civilians. Some 150 PDF soldiers were killed along with an estimated 500 Panamanian civilians. The Organization of American States and the European Parliament both formally protested the invasion, which they condemned as a flagrant violation of international law.
In 1992, Noriega was found guilty on eight counts of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering, marking the first time in history that a U.S. jury convicted a foreign leader of criminal charges. He was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.
Other Memorable Or Interesting Events Occurring On December 20 In History:
1192 – Richard the Lionhearted is captured in Vienna;
1606 – Virginia Company settlers leave London England to establish Jamestown, Virginia;
1699 – Peter the Great ordered Russian New Year to be changed from September 1st to January 1st;
1783 – Virgina cedes large area of western land to federal government;
1803 – Without a single shot fired, the French surrender New Orleans & lower Louisiana to the United States;
1803 – Louisiana purchase formally transferred from France to the United States for $27 million;
1820 – Missouri imposes a $1 bachelor tax on unmarried men between the ages of 21 & 50;
1836 – President Andrew Jackson presents congress with a treaty he negotiated with the Ioway, Sacs, Sioux, Fox, Otoe & Ohama tribes of the Missouri territory;
1862 – Confederate General Earl Van Dorn thwarts Union General Ulysses S. Grant’s 1st attempt to capture Vicksburg, Mississippi when Van Dorn attacks Grant’s supply depot at Holly Springs, Mississippi;
1879 – Thomas Edison privately demonstrated incandescent light at Menlo Park;
1907 – 91 killed in coal mine explosion at Yolande, Alabama;
1914 – 1st Battle of Champagne begins in WWI;
1920 – English-born entertainer Bob Hope becomes an American citizen;
1941 – In WWII, 1st battle of American Volunteer Group know as the “Flying Tigers” occurs in Kunming, China;
1941 – In WWII, Adolf Hitler informs General Franz Halder that there will be no retreating from the Russian front near Moscow. “The will to hold out must be brought home to every unit!”;
1945 – Following the end of WWII, auto tire rationing in the United States ends;
1946 – The morning after Viet Minh forces under Ho Chi Minh launched a night revolt in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, French troops crack down on the communist rebels;
1957 – Elvis Presley receives his U.S. Army draft notice while spending the Christmas holiday at Graceland in Tennessee;
1960 – North Vietnam announces the formation of the National Front for the Liberation of the South at a conference held “somewhere in the South.” This organization, more commonly known as the National Liberation Front (NLF), was designed to replicate the success of the Viet Minh, the umbrella nationalist organization that successfully liberated Vietnam from French colonial rule;
1963 – Berlin Wall opened for the 1st time to allow West Berliners 1 day to visit relatives in East Berlin;
1987 – A passenger ferry collides with an oil tanker near Manila in the Philippines leaving 4,000 people dead;
1995 – United Nations peace keeping force transfers military authority in Bosnia to NATO forces;
2007 – United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II becomes oldest ever monarch of the UK surpassing Queen Victoria who lived for 81 years, 7 months & 29 days.
Now For The Fun Stuff:
Today’s Silly Doggie Picture:
Today’s Sign Of The Times; Do You Remember This:
Did you, or anyone you know, ever take this class in school?
Today’s Let’s Get Ready For Christmas:
Hilarious children lip syncing, watch the bass singer in particular: https://www.flixxy.com/kids-lip-syncing-a-wonderful-christmas-song.htm
Today’s Silly ?:
Why do people order double cheeseburgers, fries and a DIET Coke?
Today’s Christian Quote:
“Our public schools began as ministries of the church; now it is time to return them to the Lord.” -Jan Alan Sekulow
Today’s Christmas Light Show:
(the show congested traffic to the point the guy had to hire off duty police to control traffic): <https://www.flixxy.com/best-christmas-lights-display.htm
Today’s Happy Bulldog Picture:
Today’s Inspirational Music Video:
It’s Christmas To Me: https://youtu.be/xS3RaagRv_I
Today’s Word Of The Day:
Propaganda – is any kind of information that is spread to help or harm a specific doctrine, system, person, group and so on. The origin of the word is connected with the “College of the Propaganda,” a school created by Pope Urban VIII to educate priests for missions around the world.
Today’s Patriot Quote:
Today’s Christian Thought:
Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.
Today’s Funny Headline:
“Something Went Wrong In Jet Crash, Expert Says” – (Really, Ya think?)
Today’s Funny Sign:
Today’s Inspirational Image:
UNTIL TOMORROW – GOD BLESS TO All !!!