Daily history

Good morning,


Quote of the day:

"I entered a spelling bee but I lost, the other conteastonts cheeted."

                                          Anon

Like I said a couple of days ago, it would be a miracle that if the shooter of those four policemen over near Tacoma, Washington was captured alive. Sure enough about 2:45a Tuesday morning a man resembling the suspect, Maurice Clemmons, was seen near a stolen car by a lone policeman. According to the cop he ordered Clemmons to stop but he didn't so the policeman capped his ass. They found out the Clemmons did indeed suffer a gunshot wound to the torso during the shooting of the four cops in the coffee shop. The police have rounded up four or five other people that treated Clemmon's wounds and provided shelter while he was on the lam. Clemmons was a career criminal in Arkansas. He had killed a policemen and raped a child there and he was tried and sentenced to 108 years but Governor Mike Huckabee commuted his sentence and he immediately went back to his criminal ways. Not any more.

Any of you that saw Monday Night Football saw as good of a display of passing prowess by Drew Brees as I have ever seen. It is my prediction that New Orleans will be in the Super Bowl against Indy. The biggest problem is that sooner or later the Saints will be facing the Vikings (Favre). That will be a tough game for both.

Good news:

5AM Tuesday morning Virginia Saenz, a real estate agent from San Diego, received a phone call that was obviously a wrong number. It was from a woman named Lucy Crutchfield who thought she had called her daughter and told her that she was going to send her money for food but it would cost a payment on her house that was already in foreclosure. Virginia listened for a minute and then identified herself. Lucy apologised and started to hang up but Lucy persuaded her to tell her some more details. It appeared that Lucy's house was in foreclosure and her daughter and two small children had no food at all. Virginia told Lucy to go ahead and make the house payment and she would take care of the daughter and her kid's food. Virginia talked with the daughter and all she wanted was milk and eggs. She knew that if anyone just wanted something like that then they must indeed be in severe straights. Virginia went to the grocery store with a dietician friend and bought enough food for three people to last a month or until the daughter's next check arrived and sent it to them. What is the chance of that connection being made in the first place? It was a miracle, y'all, a miracle.

This date in history December 2

1864    One of the finest CSA field officers is killed when an artillery shell explodes near his position in the Petersburg, Virginia fortifications. General Archibald Gracie was born in New York City in 1832. His family was wealthy and sent him to Germany to be educated and then he came back and attended West Point. After graduating he moved to Mobile, Alabama to run one of his father’s businesses there. It was during this time in the City of Azaleas that he became enamored with the mystique of the Deep South. When the Civil War broke out Gracie offered his services to the Confederacy. He was assigned to the army of CSA General Kirby Smith and served with distinction in Smith’s invasion of Kentucky. After this he was promoted to Brigadier General. He fought at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. He and his brigade joined with the CSA army led by CSA General James Longstreet in his attack on Knoxville, Tennessee. Even though he was wounded at the Battle of Bean’s Bridge, he followed General Longstreet back into Virginia to join General Robert E. Lee at Petersburg. It was Gracie’s brigade that turned back US General Benjamin Butler’s attack on the Confederate flank at Drewry’s Bluff. After this action he was recommended for a promotion to Major General but he was killed before it was confirmed. The US requested a special truce to bring Gracie’s body through the lines. He is buried in New York City.

1777     Legend has it that a woman named Lydia Darrah overhears British General William Howe planning a surprise attack on US General George Washington at Whitemarsh, New Jersey. Originally General Howe had his headquarters across the street from the Darrah home. The problem was that Howe’s house did not have a room big enough for a meeting of all his staff. So Howe commandeered the upstairs office in the Darrah house for his staff meetings. Little did he know that Lydia was taking

notes. When she learned of the planned surprise attack she sewed a note inside of one her aprons and asked for permission to go to a flour mill just across the lines. While there she gave her note to a Patriot officer named James Craig and he got the note to Washington. When Howe and his troops arrived at Whitemarsh he found Washington and his troops dug in and ready. After three days of inconclusive skirmishing, Howe said “To hell with it” and went back to New York. The CIA holds Lydia Darrah in high esteem as being on of the first spies in American history.

1985    John Gotti cements his position as the head of the Gambino Crime family in New York. He did it the honorable way. He knew that the present Godfather Paul “Big Paul” Castellano and his driver Thomas “Fat Tommy” Biliotti were going to Sparks Steak House for dinner. Gotti had three assassins waiting and Paul and Tommy were gunned down on the sidewalk in a hailstorm of gunfire. Gotti got to his position with the Gambino family by ruling over the Howard Beach area of New York with an iron hand. John was a nappy dresser. He wore expensive suits and got $300 haircuts. He was taken to trial several times but always was able to  beat the wrap and gained the nickname “The Teflon Don”. His luck ran out in 1994 when he was convicted on a RICO charge and was given life. He was sent to the Federal prison in Springfield, Missouri where he died of throat cancer in 2002.

1859    In Charles Town, Virginia John Brown is hanged. Brown was born in Connecticut in 1800.and became a violent anti-slavery advocate. This guy did not fool around. He would kill at the drop of a hat if he even thought you were an advocate of slavery. What brought Brown to the gallows was his raid on the US armory at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. He had intentions of capturing the armaments there and distributing them to the slaves that he was positive would come to his side when they found out about the raid. The problem was that the slaves in the immediate community did not know of the raid and he had no way to haul artillery. US Colonel Robert E. Lee and Captain J.E.B. Stuart and a brigade of Marines were sent to re-capture the Arsenal. Lee, Stuart and the Marines had little trouble in suppressing Brown and his motley crew. There were songs written about Brown and his bravery and dedication to the “cause”. Not in my opinion. He was a terrorist that got what he deserved no matter how dedicated.

Births and deaths:

1859 French impressionist George Seurat is born. He said “Painting is the act of making a surface holy.”

1924 American General/politician and king of double talk Alexander Haig is born. He said “It is not a lie, it is a terminological inexactitude.”

1981 The queen of white trash Brittany Spears is born. She said “One of the perks of being famous is that you get to go abroad, like to Canada.” What a stupid broad.

1990 US Composer Aaron Copeland dies. He said “So long as human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.”

I suppose all of you remember when the USS Cole was attacked by a terrorist bomber while it was taking on fuel in Yemen. The following is who the ship is named for.

The President of the United States in the name of Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

SERGEANT DARRELL S. COLE

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Leader of a Machine-gun Section of Company B, First Battalion, Twenty-Third Marines, Fourth Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assault on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, 19 February 1945. Assailed by a tremendous volume of small-arms, mortar and artillery fire as he advanced with one squad of his section in the initial assault wave, Sergeant Cole boldly led his men up the sloping beach toward Airfield Number One despite the blanketing curtain of flying shrapnel and, personally destroying with hand grenades two hostile emplacements which menaced the progress of his unit, continued to move forward until a merciless barrage of fire emanating from three Japanese pillboxes halted the advance. Instantly placing his one remaining machine gun in action, he delivered a shattering fusillade and succeeded in silencing the nearest and most threatening emplacement before his weapon jammed and the enemy, reopening fire with knee mortars and grenades, pinned down his unit for the second time. Shrewdly gauging the tactical situation and evolving a daring plan of counterattack, Sergeant Cole, armed solely with a pistol and one grenade, coolly advanced alone to the hostile pillboxes. Hurling his one grenade at the enemy in sudden, swift attack, he quickly withdrew, returned to his own lines for additional grenades and again advanced, attacked, and withdrew. With enemy guns still active, he ran the gauntlet of slashing fire a third time to complete the total destruction of the Japanese strong point and the annihilation of the defending garrison in this final assault. Although instantly killed by an enemy grenade as he returned to his squad, Sergeant Cole had eliminated a formidable Japanese position, thereby enabling his company to storm the remaining fortifications, continue the advance and seize the objective. By his dauntless initiative, unfaltering courage and indomitable determination during a critical period of action, Sergeant Cole served as an inspiration to his comrades, and his stouthearted leadership in the face of almost certain death sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Where do we find such men?

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow