Daily history

Good morning,


Quote of the day:

“There is no cure for birth or death. The best we can do is to enjoy the interval.”

George Santayana

As much as I hate to admit it, President Obama has decreed something I believe in also. He has increased availability of off shore drilling sites by several times over. What interests me the most is the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Many people will be upset over this judgment because they are afraid of an accident while will foul the sugar white sand beaches that exists from near Carrabelle, Florida to Gulf Shores, Alabama. There is no doubt that an accident is possible but that area of the western Gulf south of western Alabama to south of Texas has literally hundreds of drilling and production rigs. When is the last time you have heard of an oil well “disaster”? The beaches of Galveston, Texas and Padre Island, near Corpus Christie are as much of a tourist attraction as they ever were and so will the beaches of the eastern Gulf. The best part of it is that we will not be as much extorted by the freaking towel heads.

Down in Pensacola, Florida they are trying to build a “Maritime Park” on the banks of Pensacola Bay. It is pretty big project including retail markets, upscale condos, etc. The money man in project is a financier from San Antonio, Texas. A problem has arisen because the financier will not release his assets framed for the project to anyone except one member of the Community Maritime Park Association. This kind of secrecy makes the natives very nervous and I don’t blame them. This project is very important to the Pensacola downtown development. There is one additional problem. There is a sewage disposal plan directly across the street from the building site and the aroma is not enhancing. I believe I heard that the plant was going to be shut down as soon as a new facility is completed. I certainly hope so.

The Russians are still under attack from Chechnya suicide bombers. In an outlying section a terrorist bomber lit off a self-contained bomb in the midst of a police gathering killing 14 including the bomber. I don’t know how the Russians intend to deal with these attacks but I can assure you once they discover the source there will not be a trial either by a civil authority or a military tribunal like we are doing with the 9-11 animals, they will be unceremoniously executed on sight. I like it.

It has happened once again. A 38 year old teacher of computers and business in a Calhoun Falls, South Carolina high school went crazy as hell and had intercourse with a 15 year old female student in a patch of woods near the school. What was this dumb-ass thinking? Not only does he have the school board on his ass but he also has law enforcement looking at him for statutory rape. His life is ruined. I am sure the experience was not worth the consequence.

This date in history April 1

1789    On this date the first meeting of the United States House of Representative occurs in New York City. The first order of business was to elect a Speaker of the House. They elect the Pennsylvania Representative Frederick Muhlenberg. He came from a family of important German immigrants. His father was Henry Muhlenberg and his grandfather was Johann Weiser both were important persons of German ancestry in Colonial America. His brother was Major General Peter Muhlenberg was a well known military leader in the Colonies. Frederick was a Lutheran minister and studied in Germany at the University of Halle as did his father. Frederick returned to the Colonies in 1770 at the age of 20. He preached or was an assistant at three different churches in Pennsylvania, New Hanover, Oley and New Goshenhoppen but when the British captured Philadelphia, he moved to New York City. He preached there for several years before entering the political arena. He eventually returned to Pennsylvania and played an important role in state politics. He did not join the Patriot army as his brother Peter did. Peter was also a Lutheran minister also and on one occasion while in the pulpit he said he advocated the independence of the Colonies and then took off his robe to show the congregation his military uniform that he had on underneath, it was an electric moment in our history.

1621    A year earlier the Pilgrims landed near present day Providencetown, Massachusetts and eventually selected Plymouth as the location for their settlement. It was a few weeks before the Pilgrims had any contact with the local Indian tribe, the Wampanoag. This tribe was led by Chief Massasoit who personally came for a visit. There were several hostile encounters between members of the tribe and the Pilgrims which was clearly not in the best interest of the Pilgrims. So the leader of the Pilgrims William Bradford decides a peace treaty is in order. Using an English speaking member of the tribe, a man known as Squanto, as an interpreter a peace treaty was hammered out with Chief Massasoit on this date. Essentially the treaty allowed that if a crime was committed by a member of the tribe, the perpetrator would be handed over to the people of Plymouth for punishment. And if a Pilgrim committed a crime against a member of the tribe, the perpetrator would be handed over to the tribe for punishment. This treaty stayed in effect for almost 50 years. By the way, the way Squanto learned English is a saga in itself and worthy of research. Look into it.

1865    Throughout the Civil War the Governor of Florida John Milton had done an exemplary job supporting the Confederacy as best he could. After the Union forces had occupied forces much of Florida and it was obvious to Milton that the war was nearly over in favor of the Union. On this date he made a speech to the Florida legislature and said in part.... “The Yankees have developed a character so odious that death would be preferable than reunion with them.” He then went to his plantation named Sylvania and blew his brains out. I guess he meant what he said. He was 57 years old. By the way, the city of Milton, Florida is named for him.

1877    On this date Edward Schiefflein sets out seeking his fortune prospecting in the San Pedro Valley about 70 miles east of present day Tucson, Arizona. His fellow prospectors chided him saying “The only thing he is going to find in that desert was his own tombstone.” Schiefflein not only found his fortune, he found the richest silver deposit ever found in the United States up until that time. He named it the Tombstone Lode and founded a town near his mine and named the town Tombstone. Schiefflein sold his mine for an enormous sum and moved to more civilized environs. Needless to say, the town flourished with fortune seekers of all segments of society. Included were bad-assed gunslingers like the William “Wild Bill Hicock, the Earp brothers, Johnny Ringo, William “Curly Bill” Brocius (killed at the gunfight at the OK corral) and Frank Leslie among many others. The violence was so pronounced and long lasting that President Chester Arthur considered instituting martial law but the town took care of itself. The mine struck water and it was financially impractical to continue mining and the rough and ready crowd left. The town is still there and their motto is “A town too tough to die”. Maybe so, maybe not.

1945    On this date, after losing 116 ships and the damage of 3 aircraft carriers, the United States 10th Army, Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. commanding, puts 50,000 troops ashore on the southwest coast of the Japanese island Okinawa. Prior to the landing the Japanese had sent over an avalanche of Kamikaze aircraft trying to stop the invasion at sea. The Kamikaze action proved to be counter-productive because they ran out of aircraft to combat the Americans once they were ashore. The Japanese had 120,000 troops in the defense of the island commanded by Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima. The Japanese tried a different strategy this time. Rather than meeting the invasion at waters edge, they allowed the Americans to come inland unopposed. In fact the invading troops capture two airfields before meeting any appreciable resistance. Then all hell breaks loose. General Ushijima unleashes a series of massive suicide attacks that eventually inflicted 50,000 casualties on the Americans including 17,000 deaths. If ya’ll do the math you will see that the casualties equaled the invading force. In other words the invading force suffered 100% casualties. This does not mean that there were no Americans left, replacements were sent in as fast as the deaths or injuries occurred. The Japanese troops fought with unparalleled savagery and ferocity because Okinawa was only 350 mile from the Japanese mainland. After the island was secured, the Japanese had suffered 116,000 casualties and 4,000 surrendering. General Ushijima committed suicide in the traditional manner, he opened up his abdomen with a knife. General Buckner was killed just three days before the surrender. By the way, he was the son of Confederate General Simon Bolivar Buckner. General Buckner, Sr and was a teacher at West Point but resigned because his presence at Sunday chapel was mandatory and he felt that was a violation of his rights. He was also a Kentuckian meaning he could not return home for three years after the end of the Civil war because he fought for the Confederacy. General Buckner, Jr. was an acknowledged vehement hater of blacks. No one knows why.

Born today:

1753 French Diplomat Joseph de Maistre. He said “It is one of man’s idiosyncrasies to create problems just for the joy of solving them.” It is obvious to me that Joe has never been married.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.