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A 1948 Tucker Tornado.

I wonder how many know in any detail or even recognize Guy Fawkes, Gunpowder Rebellion. Hands. Anyone? 

A jingle came afterward. “Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot.” 

You can look this up, but the plan was to blow up King James, and I suppose anyone nearby with him. Take no chances, eh? 

When, as we do, we look at current events we might forget just how far back political and religious and ethnic, etc. violence reaches back. A long, very-long way. 

Grim irony shows oft times those most preachy of human dignity and grand new eras of peace prove most eager to rid themselves of pesky dissenters, including hint thereof. 

No longer relevant? Long time ago? Maybe. Look at N. Ireland. Well back, Henry VIII made the break with Catholicism to fain a divorce and much wealth from taking over church assets. Call it religious-social revolution. 

Henry’s son, Edward VI, was more radical-revolutionary yet, but died as a teen before being able to rule. 

Then came Bloody Mary, disturbingly radical in a direction opposite Edward VI. 

Elizabeth I was Protestant but mild in comparison to Ed and Mary. 

Then James, of the King James Bible, came along raising fears that stoked Fawkes to vote with gunpowder. 

Belief does strange things to humans giving us Baptists for Sharia or Catholics for fascism or democratic dictatorships. Understanding matters not.

Stories, however, we can grasp. 

When I was 10 dad took me to work. I remember stopping at the guard post to be cleared, followed by a long-long walk into the plant, at the time among the largest facilities on earth. 

In Chicago, safe from attack, the plant made bombers. Then Tucker got it to make cars. He lost it to a political plan for making affordable housing, about which we still dream. 

Then Ford Aircraft got it. The J-2 jet engine was no threat to Michigan (big 3 in Detroit), so it was OK, plus Ford was involved. The world of business-politics as usual was happy and at peace.

After the first time I wandered into that plant many times. I’d learned the route and the guards knew me, or at least recognized a 10-year-old in shorts and striped T wasn’t a security threat able to recognize a secret or able to steal it if he did. Ice cream I knew. Industrial or national secrets not at all. A

lmost needing to pack a lunch to make the trek to meet dad, I went to Engineering many a time. At points you could look down on the floor where massive engines were built end-to-end.

Dad, a machinist with extra skills, admired Tucker. We all might. His car was fast and safe, using an air-cooled, rear-mounted aircraft engine. Too ahead of his time, Tucker built an aluminum block with steel sleeves (an impressive achievement even today) on a body featuring caliper brakes, safety glass, seat belts, etc. And it was fast and for the time economical to drive. 

Detroit hated it. Chicago and Illinois would have loved to become car places, but Michigan was having none of that. Stay in your lane. Tucker was on his own. 

Mavericks are loved by some in equal measure to those who despise them. But, sure as I am about Chicago’s historic (and beyond) corruption, I’d bet (being aware of it even as a child) unseen forces were busy trying to run the show.

The fascist band of socialists figured this out to prime effect a century ago, but other sides do it as well. 

What? 

They use the power of governing and business interests to drive society down the paths they favor. Boosting political, business, economics or beliefs has benefits (for some more than others) typically in power or cash. Didn’t matter that Tucker had good ideas (many of which now standard in autos), his safety improvements caused liability worries for Motor City. 

‘Nother words, players behind-the-scenes acted to stave off an upstart posing challenges to their grip and therefore their power, primacy and profits. Yup. If you were Illinois and Chicago desiring jobs and new opportunity, was it worth a costly battle with Michigan and Detroit over car world? Nope.

Despite my father’s keen interest in Tucker and his innovations, I bring no special expertise on the man. 

Age 10 experiencing a jet engine test did little other than scare the wits out of me with unbelievably loud noise. So even though I knew/understood next to nothing I saw before me all the proof needed to know a lot more was going on than little Harry grasped. 

In the era when an ordinary guy could turn good ideas to success, dad (who held a few patents of his own, not a thing much heard where corporate and government ownership rules) sympathized with Tucker, accused of fraud, etc. trying to finance the car company he was trying to build. The case was a Catch-22. These days we might call it lawfare. 

However viewed it jerked the rug from under Tucker’s feet and sunk his endeavor at 50 cars (all but a few still in existence), a small enough number to be of no threat to Detroit. Problem solved, for Motor City.

Not as diabolical as seems. If you supplied material or made drum brakes you wouldn’t want the costs and upset of switching to caliper (disk) braking. 

Self-interest (selfish?) delayed but did not stop Tucker’s innovations from finally becoming standard. Ahead of his time, but not as Detroit saw it. Government helped Detroit quash a competitor. There are terms for that, you decide. 

A foreign push of quash and control was the communist marriage of government and business to push cotton growth with water needs that drained the Sea of Azov. A remarkable achievement. It’s history now, except for the ravaged environment and “little people” lives turned to turmoil. 

So, except for those damaged, it was all good, especially for those rewarded with medals and accolades for doing what they did, putting policy over people.