Dailyhistory

Good morning,


Quote of the day:

“Young men! Do not get married and become a happy man or get married and become a philosopher.”

                                          Socrates

It is business as usual here in the buckle of the Bible belt. The Greenville County Sheriff’s department busted a gamecock fighting ring up in Cleveland, S.C. (just a few miles from the Blue Ridge Mountains) this past weekend. They arrested over 50 people from many different states and captured thousands of dollars along with many gamecocks that were in so bad shape they were euthanized and many others that were taken to be cared for at different facilities.

The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s department made a drug sweep this weekend and arrested over 150 people dealing mostly in Meth and Pot. The cops said that they had been investigating these people for several months and decided that this past weekend would be the time to lower the hammer. They went to Spartanburg County Solicitor Trey Gowdy for warrants. The cops say it was a very successful raid. By the way, Trey Gowdy is running for US Congressman on the Republican ticket for the 4th District of South Carolina. The Republican primary is Tuesday, June 8. Isn’t it strange coincidence that this drug raid and the Republican primary are so close together? Or is it? I love South Carolina politics, they are so transparent.

The leading candidate for the Republican nominee for Governor is Nikki Haley. Even though she has less than half the money than the others, she is still in the lead. The reason: She has been endorsed by Sarah Palin and the “Tea Party”. She was at “Wild Wing Café” in Spartanburg this past weekend doing some campaigning. She has been accused of having at least two affairs in the last four years, she has totally denied anything but being totally 100% faithful to her husband of 13 years. She said that all of the mudslinging accusers are beneath her dignity and they can kiss her ass. One of her opponents called her a “rag head” because back in her ancestry she has an Indian (not an indigenous American but one from Asia). Like I said, I love South Carolina politics.

This date in history June 8

1968    On this date the supposed assassin of Martin Luther King, James Earl Ray, is capture in Heathrow Airport near London, England. Ray had fled the United States to Canada and then to London then he was supposed to go to Rhodesia, Africa and spend the rest of his days. Rhodesia was founded by people from the area of South Africa that just could not abide blacks and neither could James Earl Ray. Ray was a small time hoodlum most of his adult life yet he was able to afford and airline ticket to Toronto and then to London with his final destination being Rhodesia. Rhodesia eventually became Zimbabwe, an independent nation. Anyway, how could a small time hood like Ray afford the plane tickets for such a jaunt? Also, someone had to get permission from the country of Rhodesia to allow Ray to expatriate himself there. There is no doubt in this redneck’s mind that he did not operate alone. Ray died in prison of liver failure but in his last days he had a conference with Rev. Martin Luther King’s son and, knowing he was dying, told King’s son that he was just a very small part of a giant conspiracy and it was not he that fired the fatal shot. There are so many other possibilities for that assassination just like there is for the assassination of JFK.

632AD    The exact date is unknown but the future prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca in the approximate year of 570AD. At the age of 25 he married a wealthy widow in Mecca and for the next 10 years he was an unremarkable trader. Then one day in the year 610AD he is was a cave in Mount Hira where he said the arch angel Gabriel came to him in a vision and instructed him to form the “true religion” and the roots of Islam began to form and grow. Strangely, Muhammad gathered thoughts and doctrines from the other two major religions, the Jews and Christians, and incorporated them into the new religion but added his own doctrines creating what he called the “perfect religion” and the introduced a bible known as Qur’ran or Koran. By 622AD Muhammad had gathered a substantial following which the city fathers of Mecca found threatening. They profited best under a pagan religion and put out a contract on Muhammad’s life. Muhammad found out about and fled to Medina. By the way, Mecca and Medina are in present day Saudi Arabia. Muhammad returned to Mecca in 629 as a conqueror and also at the head of substantial religion extending for thousands of miles across North Africa and into the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain). Muhammad died on this date in the arms of his third and favorite wife Aishah. Then Islam advance into Europe was blunted by the defeat of the Moslem army at the Battle of Tours by Charles Martel and a Christian army in the year 732AD. Islam today is the world’s second most populous religion.

1986    A seldom remembered race car driver named Tim Richmond wins the first of his seven Winston Cup races for this year. Tim cut his teeth in sprint cars and Indy cars and got his first NASCAR win at the race in Pocono in 1983. In 1986 he got the break of his life when he was hired by Rick Hendricks to drive the Folger Coffee sponsored car and he responded with the seven wins. It was he and the legendary Dale Earnhardt that were named co-drivers of the year. Earnhardt was the typical NASCAR driver with his cowboy hat and boots and drinking beer after the races while Richmond was the antithesis of this. He wore the latest fashions, drove the fanciest cars and rubbed elbows with rock and movie stars. The race fans loved him but he was rejected by his teammates and competitors. He fell ill in the winter of 1986-1987. He was originally diagnosed with pneumonia but a little later it was confirmed as being AIDS. As the 1987 NASCAR season approached his condition worsened to double pneumonia and he missed the Daytona 500 opener. Later that year he had recovered enough to drive at Pocono which he won. As Earnhardt, Kyle Petty and others gathered around to congratulate him; he burst into tears and continued to sob throughout the ceremony in the winner’s circle. This was his last victory. NASCAR did everything to keep Tim off the track even by trumping up a charge of Tim failing a “drug test”. Tim sued but withdrew the suit because he did not want the public to find out about his condition, they did anyway. Tim died in the winter of 1988 and virtually disappeared from the NASCAR record books. Kyle Petty put it this way. “Tim disappeared from the record books because of AIDS and not from the lack of his driving skills and victories.” Indeed Kyle, indeed.

1862     Earlier CSA General “Stonewall” Jackson had routed the US army in Winchester, Virginia led by the inept US General Nathaniel Banks. Abe Lincoln and boys in Washington about peed their pants because this victory left the road to Washington open to the Confederate Army, Stonewall Jackson in particular. Lincoln ordered Banks to reassemble his army and attack Jackson from the north, US General Irwin McDowell to attack from the east and US General John Fremont from the west with the intent of pinching Jackson’s army and destroying it. Jackson discovered the army under General Fremont approaching from the west and send CSA General Richard Ewell and 5,000 to meet them. On this date the battle occurred near the town of Cross Keys with the Confederates opening a can of whoop-ass and kicking he shit out of Fremont’s army. Ewell rejoined Jackson and the major engagement occurred at the Battle of Port Republic, but that is another story. There was another can of whoop-ass opened there, too.

1896    On this date President Grover Cleveland orders a probe into the number of “aliens” working in the United States Government. Cleveland was the leader of the Democratic Party who was decidedly anti-alien. There had been a large influx of southern Europeans (Italians, Greeks, and Russian Jews, etc) in the recent pass and Cleveland was concerned that they would bring their ways of life into America which would result in the loss of jobs for American citizens and become a burden to American taxpayers. As will happen to people from time to time, anti-alien sentiments spread nationwide, including the Orientals that came over to build our railroads. Cleveland believed the United States Government had the unquestioned authority to “prevent the influx of elements hostile to its internal peace and security” regardless of any treaties or agreements. Grover, you are gone and I hardly knew you, but I miss you.

1944    After only two days of combat after the D-Day invasion, US General Omar Bradley’s American troops join with the British and Canadian troops that came ashore on Gold and Sword beaches to the East forming a continuous 70 mile long front. At the same time Russian Premier Stalin opens a front east of Germany preventing them from concentrating their forces against the Allies. This maneuver was agreed upon by America, Great Britain and Russia at the Teheran Conference.

Born today:

1925    Former first lady Barbara Bush. After George H. injured two people when duck-hooking a drive playing golf she said “We have enough violence on TV.” Barbara is the only the second woman in American history to be the wife and the mother of an American president. The other was Abigail Adams.

1933    Female stand-up comic Joan Rivers. She said of her neighbor “Is she fat? Her favorite food is seconds.” Joan is funny but can be annoying.

1917    US Supreme Court Justice Byron “Whizzer” White. He said “We are the only branch of the government that writes out the reasoning of every decision we make.” Byron was probably the last Justice that I trust to make decisions based on the US Constitution rather than personal preference.

1957    US cartoonist Scott Adams (Dilbert). He said “There is nothing more dangerous than a resourceful idiot.” I think Scott knows Hillary and/or Barack.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.