September 8

Good morning,



Quote of the day:

"Professionals built the Titanic amateurs built the Ark."

                      Rodney Dangerfield


Today's lesson is being composed on Monday which is Labor Day therefore it will be abbreviated.


I wish someone would explain to me why the media
expounds upon any account of a few Pakistani or Afghani civilians that are killed as collateral damage during a strike by the allies against the Taliban. The Taliban is the enemy. We are at war with the enemy. It is the Pakistanis and Afghanis that allow the Taliban in their countries and expect soldiers from other nations to sacrifice their lives to keep those bastards in check. Civilian casualties are not unheard of in this country, in fact we slaughtered them by the thousands in the past. To any of you that do not believe me, I invite you to read about the US Army Air Force and the 8th Air Force in particular. They sent 800 to1100 bombers on a single daylight raid to cities like Hamburg, Leipzig, Berlin, etc. and turned those great cities into kindling. That night the English Bomber Command would come in with a equal number of bombers and drop incendiary bombs and set the whole thing on fire. 75,000 civilians were killed in one night in Hamburg by a ferocious firestorm not to mention Hiroshima and Nagasaki. US General George Patton said it this way. "There are three ways to fight a war. "Kill more of the enemy than they do of you, prosecute the war so severely that the enemy surrenders or kill them all. Any other way is a waste of the lives of your soldiers." I thought we would have learned that in Nam.



My middle daughter sent me a transcript of the speech that the anointed one will make to kiddies tomorrow. I will make no comment. A couple of days ago I made a comment about environmental "Czar" Jones that had to resign because he had a smart mouth. I said that all of these "Czars" that exist now reminds me of Czar Nicholas Romanov of Russia who was dethroned and his entire family was murdered in the 1918 Revolution. My middle daughter mistakenly thought I was suggesting the same thing here in America. That is the last thing we need at this point in time. Further division of this nation is a giant leap backward, y'all. Being a self-taught historian, certain words or phrases brings about thoughts of past events. There is no malice.



Good News:



Way back in 1924 Lebanese immigrant Abraham Davis opened a barbecue joint in Clarksdale, Mississippi named The Bungalow Inn. To the uninformed, Clarksdale is Buckle of the Cotton Belt and is located about 70 miles south of Memphis on the river. At that time there were many different nationalities that settled there but most have moved on, except the Davis family and their barbecue. Clarksdale is occupied by a large population of blacks now. Supposedly, the barbecue joint sits on the very spot that blues-man Robert Johnson sold his soul to devil for fame and fortune. In 1947 Abraham's son 10 year old Pat was helping out in the restaurant when four black men came in looking for something to eat. A crowd of "good old boys" in the restaurant starting yelling racial epithets. Abe came from behind the counter and told those rednecks that it was his restaurant and he would determine who ate there. He said that these men were just hungry like they were, to let them alone. That was brave words in those days. Abe has since passed on and Pat has taken over but he never forgot his father's actions in 1947. He changed the name of the restaurant to "Abe's Place" in honor of his father. By the way, "Abe's Place" is right around the corner from "Ground Zero Blues Club" owned by Morgan Freeman who lives nearby. Morgan is a customer of "Abe's Place" when he is in town.



Greenpatch Grime:



Down in Sumter, South Carolina an argument broke out between two cousins. One of the men picked up a stick of firewood and swung at the other one. The other one picked up a potato rake. That is a hand tool that has four solid steel tines. The other man swung the rake and hit the wood swinger in the chest with all four tines and killed him instantly. What is the lesson we can learn from this?



South Carolina Wildlife Officers found a tent on the banks of Lake Hartwell that had a peculiar aroma. Upon investigation they found a 26 year old dead man. He had all the camping tools out there but no food. An autopsy proved that he had died of starvation and pneumonia. An investigation showed that the man was a carpenter that had lost his job. How is this possible here in the land of the free and the home of the brave?

                  This date in History   September 8


1187   Richard (Lionhearted) II the future King of England is born to Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II of England. Richard gained the nickname “Lionhearted” during the Crusades. He was a superior warrior but was not a good administrator in peace time. On his return from the Crusades he was captured and held for ransom somewhere in Germany. His mother, who had just been released from imprisonment for fostering an unsuccessful coup against her husband the king, found out about her son’s capture and asked for the Pope to intervene and intervene he did, for a price. After a gigantic ransom was paid of which a good portion went to the Vatican, Richard was released.


1853   Continental Trailways Bus Company offers a coast-to-coast bus trip from New York to San Francisco. The trip took about 89 hours of which only 77 hours was riding time. I cannot imagine a more miserable time than a bus ride that long, especially with a cigar smoker aboard.


1966   The TV series Star Trek debuts. Even though the series only lasted for 3 years it had a hell of an impact on the entertainment industry. There were 5 or 6 big screen movies and 3 or 4 spin-off TV series as a result of Star Trek. In my opinion big screen movie The Wrath of Khan with Ricardo Montalban in the lead role was the best and The Changeling being the best TV show. Yes, I am a trekkie.


1926   Greta Garbo is a “no show” at her wedding to John Gilbert. This did not stop her and John’s relationship that continued for another 3 years. Greta was a weird but beautiful person. In her latter years she moved to a small apartment in Brooklyn, New York and tried to disappear. Greta was very jealous of her privacy and was rarely seen.


1863   The 2nd Battle of Sabine Pass happens on this day. The US decided that they needed to blockade Sabine Pass to deny the Confederacy another port of entry. CSA Gen. McGruder called bullshit on that and captured Galveston from the US and prepared for the defense of Sabine Pass giving the Confederacy 2 ports of entry in Texas. An 8 ship US flotilla left New Orleans and arrived at Sabine Pass on this day and started up the river. But the Confederate artillery in Fort Griffin at Sabine Pass had pre-registered (aimed) their guns at the opening of the Pass and they opened a withering fire on the flotilla at which the commander of the flotilla ordered a reversal and they sailed their young asses back to New Orleans and decided to attack in another place at another time.


1941   The siege of Leningrad begins. The German army along with some Finnish troops begin to cut off Leningrad from any supplies in the hope that this great city of 3 million will surrender. Before the Germans had completely surrounded the city approximately 1 million people fled. They were in fact surrounded and the siege lasted for 872 days. The people in the city ate everything in sight, even each other until the Russian army attacked and broke the siege. The Russians exacted a terrible revenge on the Germans after that. After seeing that over 1 million Russians had perished during the siege, the Russian Army would not be denied in the massacre of the Germans.


1942   Italy surrenders to the allies (So what else is new). Germany was expecting this to happen and already had an army on the way to occupy Italy before the allies. The end result was a ferocious seesaw battle between the allies and the Germans until the allied landing at Normandy. Very soon thereafter the German army in Italy surrendered because they knew they were cut off from their supply routes and home.


1935   Senator Huey P. Long of Louisiana is shot. Long was a bombastic and quite a colorful character in the annuls of politics. Long eventually gave himself such power in Louisiana that not even a school teacher could get a job if he did not approve. He unabashedly admitted that he bought other politicians and shuffled them around like a deck of cards. He was shot by a Dr. Carl Weiss inside the senate office building in Washington. Weiss apparently was pissed because his father-in-law, a former judge in Louisiana, had lost his job because he would not join the Long political machine. Long’s body guards killed Weiss instantly and Long died 2 days later.


Born today:


1896   US actor Howard Deitz. He said “A day away from Tallulah Bankhead is like a month in the country.”


1773   French writer Alfred Terry. He said to his wife “You look exceptionally ugly tonight madam, is it because we have company coming?” I see a divorce on the horizon, Alfred.


1915   American football coach Duffy Daugherty. He said “Not only is he ambidextrous, he can throw with either hand.” Shut up Duffy.


1924   US writer Grace Metalious (Peyton Place). She said “It is those who wish they had something or done something that hate the most.” That reminds me of my third ex-wife.


              Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow