Daily lesson

Good morning,


Quote of the day:

"We do not so much need the help of our friends as the confidence of knowing of their help in times of need."

                                            Epicurus

I don't know about the rest of the world, but a hell of a rainstorm came stomping through here about 1:00a last night. I opened my sliding glass door so I could hear the rain but it was so heavy that it kept me awake. This morning is partly cloudy, the temperature is 81 and the wind is calm. The forecast shows the low in the early part of next week will be in the 40's. That is really cold here on the coast.

Down near Orangeburg, SC 94 years ago a Confederate army veteran was murdered. The police arrested four black men and eventually executed two of them after being found guilty. They didn't do it. Later on a white man confessed to the murder but it was too late. Back in those days black people had very little credibility when it came to criminal activities and the police. A couple of days ago the South Carolina state legislature granted a pardon posthumously to the two men that were executed. What great hearts those legislators have.

Last winter a 56 year old man named Dennis Hall was out hunting in a patch of woods. He heard a noise in a brush pile and opened fire and then he heard the voice of a person moaning. Dennis chose to run back home and let the 15 year old boy who he had shot in the chest lay there and die. The cops came out and found the shotgun shell and sent for a bloodhound. The dog tracked Dennis right back to his house. Dennis eventually plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter and a couple of days ago was sentenced to four year in the joint.

That reminds me of the last time I went deer hunting during gun season. There was a tree that had fallen over and was wedged at a 45 degree angle. I decided to climb up into the limbs of that tree and wait for a deer to happen by. I had on a day-glo orange vest for safety reasons. After a while I saw an man, gun in hand, coming my way through the woods. He eventually saw me and froze. He started darting through the woods sneaking from tree to tree and peeking around at me. It reminded me of Wiley Coyote in the cartoons. He finally figured out what he was looking at and came on in and said "Man, I thought you were a deer." Let me get this straight, I am up in a bunch of tree limbs about 12 feet off the ground and wearing an orange vest and he thought I was a deer! He could have opened fire on me at any time! I climbed down and went to the truck and I have not been back in the woods hunting during gun season since. If there are armed people out there that are that stupid then I'll just stay home.

I read about a man that was bow hunting for deer and a man and his kid were riding through the woods on a four-wheeler. The man thought the noise of the vehicle was a deer running through the woods and unleashed and arrow. The arrow went through the father and the kid killing them both. I used to bow hunt for deer, I don't do that anymore either.

Good News:

Derreck Kayongo came to America from Kenya to work with the diplomatic corp in Atlanta. While staying in a hotel he was amazed to see how much soap is wasted in the hotels. In Kenya and much of the rest of Africa soap is a luxury but is very common with us "rich" Americans. He formed an organization called the Global Soap Project where lightly used soap from hotels across America would be collected, melted down, sterilized and reformed into the traditional bars. He said that soap alone would go a long way toward preventing childhood diseases across Africa.


This date in history October 15


1966    A 75 year old McKinney, Texas man earns the distinction of the world’s worst driver when he receives 10 traffic tickets in 20 minutes. He was cited for driving on the wrong side of the road four times, hit-and-run four times and causing six accidents. What’s the big deal here, it sounds like the average driver in Greenville, SC. Just joking, but it is ironic that a native Texan has this distinction when Texas drivers are known as some of the best in the country especially in the Houston area. I have lived in the Houston area and let me tell ya’ll something; you must be an expert driver just to survive in that town. But, in truth what I observed was that the average person there was not in a real big rush and was polite and friendly and it showed in their driving habits.


1863    The Confederate submarine CSS Hunley sinks during a test run in Charleston harbor before a huge crowd of observers taking all aboard to a watery grave. After this disaster it was difficult for a crew to be found but a crew was found with the inventor, Horace Hunley, in command. On one fateful day the Hunley approached the Union blockader USS Housatonic, stuck a torpedo into its side and backed off and lit off the torpedo, sinking the Housatonic. Thus the Hunley became the first submarine in history to sink another ship in combat. The down side of this was that the Hunley sank on its way back in taking yet another crew to their death. The Hunley normally had a crew of eight with one man steering and seven men turning a crankshaft that turned the propeller. In the year 2000 the Hunley was found and raised and now rests in the Charleston Historical Museum. This reminds me of my late sister who was a Civil War historian such as I and was very excited about the raising of the Hunley. I miss her.


1878    On this day Thomas Edison opens the offices on Edison Electric Company. Edison had promised his investors that he would invent an electric light and did so setting off a lot of other small companies trying to feed off of this revolutionary invention. Edison was a brilliant inventor but was lost when it came to big business so big business men such as J.P. Morgan came to his aid and taught him how to be ruthless in the elimination of competition. This was possible because there were no anti-trust laws. Eventually Edison’s company became General Electric and soon thereafter another inventor name George Westinghouse opens his company, and the rest is history.


1946    German Herman Goering dies from cyanide poisoning. Herman was an aide and confidant to Hitler during WWII and rose to be one of the highest ranking officers in the 3rd Reich. Herman was a hero in WWI as a fighter pilot. In 1924 he was involved in a riot in Munich that started Hitler on his rise to power. During the riot Herman was injured in the leg and thus began Herman’s addiction to pain killers which stayed with him for the rest of his life. It was Herman that convinced Hitler that England could be brought to her knees by bombing alone and set about Operation Sea Lion which was designed for the defeat of England. But Herman and Hitler did not plan on the dogged determination of the British people. The bombing has little or no effect on the British spirit and morale and therefore Operation Sea Lion was scrapped. After this Herman became more and more depressed and took more and more drugs. After the surrender of Germany, Herman was tried as a war criminal because he advocated and promoted genocide of the Jews. Herman was convicted and sentenced to death on the gallows. On the set day of his execution, somehow Herman got his hands on a cyanide capsule and he missed the hanging. Too bad.


1886    Chiricahua Apache leader Victorio is killed south of El Paso. Victorio was born in 1807 in New Mexico and from an early age was in almost constant combat with the Mexicans that kept trying to move in on the people’s lands. After America kicked out the Mexicans, here come us honkies doing the same thing with the same result which was almost constant warfare. For many years the US cavalry was unsuccessful in trying to capture the elusive Victorio and his band. Finally, Victorio was convinced to go to the San Carlos reservation in Arizona. After one summer with temperatures in the 120’s, Victorio said “Screw this” and he and his band pulled out and went back to New Mexico and eventually to Mexico. All Victorio wanted was for him and his people to be left alone on their own land. Somehow, this was not possible.


Births and deaths:


70 BC    The Roman writer Virgil is born. Virgil once said “They are able because they think they are able.” Tell that to the Carolina Panthers, they are 1-4


1844    German philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche is born. He once said “Large states have mediocre education like large kitchens have mediocre food.” Hey Fredrick does this mean that Alaska’s people are not well educated? I don’t think so.


1921    The author of “The Godfather” Mario Puzo is born. Mario is credited with “One lawyer with a briefcase can steal more that 100 men with guns.” Indeed.


1924    Ex-Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca is born. Lee once said “After all, how much clean air do we really need?” I don’t know if Lee was kidding or not.


1959    One of my favorite people Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York is born. Sarah never let anyone or anything bother her. She is a cool customer.


1964    Songwriter Cole Porter dies. Cole was one of the most influential songwriters of our time with songs like “Night and Day” and "You Would Be So Nice to Come Home To" among many others. Cole was always unsure about his gender.


Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow