Daily history

Good morning,


Quote of the day:

“A relationship is like a shark. You know that a shark has to move constantly forward or it dies.”

                                       Woody Allen

Sunday was the spring equinox which means on that date the hours of daylight and dark are equal. The daylight will start getting longer until June 21 (summer solstice) then it is reversed with the daylight getting shorter.

I went on another fishing expedition on Friday. We (my brother and I) again went to Lake Russell after largemouth bass. We caught and released 5 or 6 but that was better than the last trip. The fish bit tentatively and therefore we missed several bites because they did not hold on to the bait, we should have caught 10 or 11. Very soon they will go on a pre-spawn feeding frenzy as they always do. The tricky part is trying to figure out exactly when the rush starts meaning several trips are required to be on site when the frenzy begins. As the water warms the fish will become more and more active until they decide to do the nasty and spawn. After that, it is all quiet for about two weeks while they recover from the stress of the spawn and then the normal feed pattern resumes. We normally use plastic worms for bait until they become really active, then almost any bait will get the job done. Anyway, we will continue our trips until the spawn begins. As the frenzy approaches we transfer to Lake Hartwell where the bass are larger fish for fish than they are at Russell. Enough about my obsession.

I suppose all of you read about that special education teacher in a remote area of Alaska that was killed. She was out jogging near a small lake when she was attacked, killed and partially devoured by a pair of wolves. The Alaska Wildlife Department tracked down and killed the wolves. I am not sure that I agree with that resolution. The wolves have been there since the end of the Ice Age about 25,000 years ago. They were just taking care of business in feeding the pack. I am sure they did not kill out of revenge or spite. The Alaska Wildlife officer said that it has been their experience that once a wild predator feeds on human flesh that is all they want afterward. I read a story about a man that was a cannibal in the Amazon rain forest but had become “civilized” and an officer in the state government. He was asked if cannibalism was still apparent with his home tribe. He said “They would not kill and eat you, but if you died of other causes within the tribe’s realm you would not be wasted.”

On one occasion while I was in Alaska I drove from Anchorage down to the Russian River area to fish for salmon. The closest access to the river was a mile long trail from the road that went through a thick forest. I did have a .357 magnum sidearm, a spinning rod and tackle box. You have to keep in mind two things. First the salmon are a prime target of the Grizzly and Black bears. Second is that both species have their cubs with them on their trips to fish and both species are very, very zealous in protecting their cubs. After I was deep in the woods I heard a loud “Woof” and a sound of something crashing through the underbrush. I could not tell if it was coming my way or going the other way but I thought my number was up. I pulled my gun and waited scared as hell. The trail was so closed in that a bear could have been on top of me before I could have raised and pointed the gun anyway. I waited for an eternity with my weapon at eye level. After a while I heard nothing else and picked up my fishing rod and tackle box and went on to the river. There is no doubt in my mind that I am alive today because that bear chose not to attack. By the way, after I picked up my rod and tackle box and had taken a few step there was a pile of bear dung in the trail still steaming.

This date in history March 22

1820    On this date one of America’s greatest naval heroes is shot in a duel with a man named James Barron. Stephan Decatur succumbs to his wounds that next day. Barron, also shot, survived his wounds. Stephen Decatur was born in 1769 in Maryland to a naval family. In 1789 he joined the American navy he went through the familiar naval training and was assigned as a midshipman of the new frigate, United States. The fledgling United States merchant navy was being preyed upon by pirates sailing out of the North African port of Tripoli on the north coast of Africa because they knew that the United States did not have a viable military navy such as Great Britain that could provide retribution. One of the United State’s newest warships, the Philadelphia, had been forced aground near Tripoli by the pirates. US President Thomas Jefferson tasked the navy with dealing with this situation because he did not want such a ship to fall into the hands of the pirates nor to allow them to use the American design of the ship to build one of their own. So the US Navy sent Stephen Decatur and 12 others to Tripoli disguised as Maltese fishermen. They sailed their small fishing smack into Tripoli harbor, overcame the guards on the Philadelphia and burned that puppy down to the waterline. English naval hero Horatio Nelson called this feat as “one of the most daring of the age.” Finally the United States navy gained enough armaments and manpower and sailed into each of the North African ports that had been giving them shit and sent in the recently chartered United States Marines. The Marines went in and kicked ass and took names and threatened each country with continued slaughter if they did not sign a peace agreement. It is from this action that in the Marine Corps Hymn the line “to the shores of Tripoli” arose. Anyway, the trouble with James Barron began when Barron was less that resistant to a British capture of a ship under his command. Barron was brought before a court martial board of which Stephan Decatur was a member. Barron was convicted of dereliction of duty and was kicked out of the US Navy for a period of five years. At the end of the five years, the United States was again at war with Great Britain in the War of 1812 and Barron chose to stay in Europe until the war was over. When he then tried to re-join the United States navy, Stephan Decatur opposed it and Barron was not accepted. Well, Barron felt now it was matter of honor and challenged Decatur to a duel. Duels were frowned upon except for the United States Navy. The challenge was accepted on this date the duel was consummated in Bladensburg, Maryland. Barron was finally reinstated into the US Navy in 1821.

1984    Earlier the most blatant display of public hysteria and miscarriage of justice ever seen began. Seven teachers at the McMartin Pre-School in Manhattan Beach, California are brought under siege by a yuppie soccer Mom who claimed that her 2 ½ year old toddler had been sexually molested at the school. The policed are brought in and they begin a comedy of stupid acts that results in the destruction several people’s reputations. After hearing the Soccer Mom they sent out 200 form letters to the parents of all the little kiddies that attended the school telling them about the charge and that the suspected culprit was one of the owner’s son, Ray Buckey. As you might suspect, the parents went apeshit and immediately withdrew their children and initiated lawsuits against the school and Ray Buckey in particular. Let’s recap at this point. As a result of zero credible information and the sheer stupidity of the police, a legitimate and honest business is destroyed and the eight employees are on the street. That ain’t all. On this date, seven employees including owners Ray Buckey and his mother are indicted after the Grand Jury interviews 18 of the toddlers. Then a wacko outfit is brought in called Children Information International. These jackasses spread panic across the United States by saying that nearly all juvenile daycare centers had instances of sexual abuse. The parents of the little kiddies nationwide acted as you might suspect, with hysteria. Finally, credible child psychologists were called in and convinced the courts that a child in the toddler range can and will tell you what he thinks you want to hear. As incredible as it sounds one child testified that Ray Buckey took him to a cemetery and they dug up bodies and cut them open. In the meantime the McMartin School was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Eventually, American parents came to their senses and the hysteria abated but not before a lot of damage was done. It took years for day care and pre-schools to regain credibility.

1908    On this date Louis L’Amour is born in Jamestown, North Dakota. Louis was not much of a student and at the age of 15 he left home to seek his fortune. At various times he was a cowboy, seaman, longshoreman, boxer, miner and fruit picker. During World War II he ended up an officer in the American tank corps. After the war he tried his hand at writing and was soon recognized for his compact and hard-hitting style. He wrote several novels that were moderately successful but he hit a home run with the novel “Hondo” that became the basis of a John Wayne movie. A little later he wrote the novel and screen wrote another hit in “How the West Was Won.” After these blockbusters his career was assured. He wrote a series of novels about three different pioneer families in the early west in “The Sacketts”, “The Chantrys and “The Talons”. For his contribution to the learning and lore of the American west he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1983. Louis went to that that great cattle ranch in the sky in 1988. I miss him.

Born today:

1930    US educator Derek Bok is born: He said “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” He is right. Mick Jagger has a degree in economics and look at him.

1930    US evangelical Pat Robertson. “During my Presidential bid I stated that I would only bring in Christians and Jews into my cabinet. This created a firestorm in the press and they asked “Do you mean that atheists, Hindus and Moslems are not any good at governing?” and I said “Yes, I do.” I normally am not enamored with his obvious prejudices and he did not disappoint this time either.

Died today:

1930    German philosopher Johann Goethe. He said “If everyone grew up to be what their parents think of them as children, we would all be geniuses.” Ah yes, I remember it well.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow