Good morning,
Quote of the day:
“Come on boys, we have caught them napping!”
Col. George A. Custer just before launching the attack, and his subsequent annihilation, at Little Big Horn.
This past Wednesday afternoon up in the Asheville, North Carolina area, 27 year old Steven Wike was kicked out of the Side Pocket bar. He returned later on that night even more hammered than he was earlier. He went out back onto the patio and stabbed Harold McHone and William Warren. Then he went around to the front and encountered William Davis and stabbed him too. He then ran away and was chased by two bar patrons who easily caught the inebriated Wike and stabbed him. McHone died on the scene, Wilson died at the hospital, William Davis is in critical condition and Wike died at the scene. The two bar patrons that killed Wike were charged with first degree murder. I have mixed emotions about all of this. Wike deserved what he got, as far as I am concerned. After all, he could have returned and killed everbody.
LAST YEAR this past Sunday was the busiest day I have ever seen on Pensacola Beach. There is a gigantic parking lot in the center of the beach area and each and every parking place was taken. The same was true of another gigantic parking lot adjacent to the Quiet Water Beach entertainment center. I needed some Advil so I drove to the Tom Thumb about 200 yards from my condo. I would have to turn left to get into that parking lot but the oncoming traffic was bumper to bumper as far as the eye could see so I decided to go another mile to the Circle K located in the middle of the beach area. That was a mistake. The traffic, both foot and vehicle was so thick that I was down to a crawl for at least 10 minutes. After retrieving the Advil I had to fight my way back home. 32 minutes later and covering about 2.2 miles, I got back to the condo. It was easy for me to decide to stay in for the day. The closest bar is Peg Leg Pete's located about 130 yards east but the parking lot and all the roadside parking areas were full to overflow. There were people standing in line at the door that trailed down the steps and out into the parking lot. That meant that if I walked from my condo to that place it would be standing room only at the bar. I refuse to stand up to have a cocktail. I stood in line to eat every meal while I was in the Air Force and I swore to myself that I would never stand in line to eat or drink ever again. I drove by there Monday afternoon and there was plenty of parking available but I didn't stop, I need to take break from all this sin and debauchery, it is affecting my health. But on second thought, I think I must weigh how much fun I want to have against how much longer I will live. I know, it is a gamble, but what the hell.
While waiting at the condo for all the hoards to get there young butts off my beach, I watched the Armed Services Committee questioning Secretary of Defense Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mullen about our involvement in Libya. One of the questioners read the War Powers Act which says in part that no American military personnel may be put in harm's way without approval of Congress. There were few exceptions like America or it's possessions being attacked, etc. There is no question that members of the American military are clearly in harm's way in Libya without a consultation with Congress. They are flying high altitude cover while members of the Allied air forces enforce a no fly zone below and they are providing in-flight refueling for the Allied aircraft. All of these aircraft are in range of many different ground-to-air missiles in the possession of the Libyan military. Secretary Gates said that the world needs to support America and its allies in this effort to stop Gaddafi from slaughtering his own people. That sounds very noble but then he said that the oil reserves of Libya exceed those of Saudi Arabia and “we cannot ensure success without troops on the ground.” What is that jackass suggesting? We are in debt up to our eyeballs and engaged in two different wars already and he wants to open another military front? Hey Bill R, maybe you are right, perhaps a few Marine combat brigades are in the Mediterranean aboard assault aircraft carriers just waiting for the word. What have we gotten ourselves into with this administration? Huh, Bill?
This date in history April 6
1862 Yesterday CSA General Albert Sidney Johnston and his army based in Corinth, Mississippi detect a US army led by US General Ulysses Grant headed his way from Tennessee. He also found out that Grant has the army of US General Don Carlos Buell moving down the Tennessee River by boat to provide reinforcements. Johnston decided that now is the time to strike before both armies are joined. On this date the CSA army slams into the Union right flank and the battle is joined near a church named Shiloh Baptist Church which is close to Pittsburgh (not Pennsylvania) Landing on the Tennessee River. The howling Confederates are well arrayed and well led and begin a push forcing the Union forces back closer and closer to the river. As the battle reaches a critical point, Grant knows that if the Confederates are not slowed or delayed, the Union army would be annihilated or forced to surrender with their back against the river. So he ordered an infantry unit to stop the Confederate advance at all costs to allow Grant to organize a defense. So this particular Union infantry unit dug in and would not budge. The Confederate advance was indeed slowed and when CSA General Johnston rode forward to encourage his troops to advance he was killed by a shot through the thigh and he bled out in a matter of minutes. There was a brief time of confusion before Johnston was replaced by CSA General Beauregard but the delay provided by the stubbornness of that US infantry unit at a place that became known as “The Hornets Nest”. This gave Grant enough time to set up a defense and for a few Union warships to arrive and provide naval gunfire to turn back the Confederates. Beauregard called a halt to the attack after dark then US General Don Carlos Buell’s army arrived during the night and the next morning Grant launched a counter-attack that drove the Confederates from the field. This first day of this battle is the bloodiest single day in United States military history. Had not that US infantry unit held their ground at the Hornet’s Nest and General Johnston had not been killed, the war probably been over that day and we would have been two nations...maybe three.
1776 On this date the Continental Congress opened all its ports to international trade. Earlier the British has been trying to control the colonies by restricting trade. First the British ruled that the colonies could only trade with Great Britain and then when that didn’t work, the put an embargo of any trade with the colonies. Then they tried to seal off all the American ports and that didn’t work either. We won anyway.
1895 On this date the famous Scottish writer Oscar Wilde is sentenced to prison. A few years earlier Oscar, a flaming homosexual, had been having a relationship with the son of the Marquis of Queensbury much to the Marquis’ chagrin. The Marquis finally called Oscar a homosexual in the press and Oscar sued for slander. The Marquis had no problem with providing a ton of evidence showing that Oscar was indeed aflame which was a crime in those days in England. So Oscar lost his law suit and went to the joint. The strange thing was that after he was released his writings became even better. I guess he got an attitude adjustment, or some kind of adjustment, while in the joint.
1832 In 1767 the future chief of the Sauk Indians Black Hawk was born in the village of Saukenuk in present day Illinois. From the very beginning of his life he and his tribe had to deal with the encroachment of the honkie settlers coming in from the east. Eventually one of the Sauk chiefs met with a group of honkies. The honkies fed this chief a bunch of whiskey and then persuaded him to cede all their lands west of the Mississippi. Finally the honkies began moving in on Black Hawk’s village which eventually became Rock Island, Illinois. Black Hawk got fed up and on this date, began a war against these white devils. He was successful at first but units of the United States Army came in and put a stop to it. Eventually Black Hawk was forced to surrender and the Native Americans took yet another step toward oblivion.
1830 It is on this day that Joseph Smith organized the first Church of God of Latter Day Saints in Fayette County, New York. This was the first Mormon Church in America. I guess y'all know the history of Joseph Smith. A thumbnail sketch is that he claimed that he was visited by a Christian angel name Moroni who led him to a buried golden book with indecipherable writings. Maroni empowered Smith with the power to read the book and he deciphered it to different people, including his wife, who translated it into English. The book was supposedly the history of an ancient Hebrew sect that made it to North America. This book was known as the Book of Mormon and is the basis for the Mormon religion. The actual book (if it really exists) has never been found. Joseph Smith and his followers were kicked out of several states primarily because of their polygamy. Joseph Smith and his son were hanged outside Carthage, Illinois but the people of the church, led by Brigham Young, moved on and finally settled in the Great Salt Lake Valley, Utah. A few years ago a couple of very clean cut young men that arrived on bicycles knocked on my front door. They were Mormons. Their intent was to tell me what they were all about. I asked them if they had a bible and they said they did. I told them to leave one with me and come back in a week. It was the Book of Mormon. That was the most fantastic book of fiction I had ever read. There were many events that were supernatural and very hard to believe. But the Christian bible is also full of supernatural events; parting of the Red Sea, Enoch going to heaven while still alive in a “Fiery Chariot”, etc. We are expected to believe this version and not any other? I don't know. It is for every person to make that choice.
Born today:
1892 US newscaster/explorer Lowell Thomas. He said “After you reach the age of 80 everything you see reminds you of something else.” Say, that reminds me.....
1725 Italian writer Giovanni de Seingalt. He said “Every man is free, but not if he does not believe it”. I believe it Gio, just test me.
1882 Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. He said “Music is better understood by children and animals.” Igor did not include Rap and Hip-Hop in this generalization.
Died today:
1996 US actress Greer Garson. She said of Marlon Brando “He is a good actor on the whole but I do not enjoy those who try to commune with their armpits, so to speak.” Marlon is no longer with us. I think that “On the Waterfront” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” are the two greatest acting performances I have ever seen. I miss him.
1998 US country singer Tammy Wynette. She said “I never said I was the best singer in the world, just the loudest.” Stand by your man, Tammy.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
“Ugliness is superior to beauty because it lasts longer.”
Winston Churchill
It has been documented that the country of Azerbaijan has offered Israel an airfield for prepare for an attack on Iran. Israel has approached President Obama for the American made “triple-lunge” block buster bomb to be used to take out Iran's nuclear labs that are deep under ground surrounded by reinforced concrete. This bomb is capable of destroying these bunkers. The rumor is that your President has agreed to allow Israel the use of this weapon if they will wait until after the election to use it. You see, it has nothing to do the the safety of the world as a whole, and the middle east in particular, it all has to do with Obama retaining power. Do I hear an objection?
About a year ago 39 year old Shaquan Duley drove her car into the Edisto River with her two sons (age 2 and 1 ½) still aboard. The boys allegedly drowned and Shaquan ran out in the street trying to stop cars saying that it was an accident, The car was retrieved and it was found that the boys did not drown, they died of asphyxiation before entering the water. Shaquan had smothered them. Her trial ended this past Friday, she was sentenced to 35 to life. Last week Shaquan had a visitor...it was Oprah Winfrey. What the hell is she doing here talking with a child murderer. Why didn't she visit Susan Smith? I think y'all now why.
I am amazed at the obvious veracity of ESP that has been apparent of late. It seems that people from as far a way as 3,000 miles can determine what really happened in Sanford, Florida between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin sight and evidence unseen. Could it be ESP or could it be unmitigated ovine stupidity. I choose the latter.
The mighty University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team ran through a few practices a few days ago. They wanted to take a look at the upcoming offensive squad. As y'all may or may not know, the head coach, Steve Spurrier is a fan of the forward pass. During the practice he told the defensive coach to pull out defensive ends Jadevon Clowney and Devin Taylor. It seems that as long as these guys were in there the offense were unable to get a pass off due to their ferocious attacks. I can hardly wait until September.
This date in history April 2
1516 On this date the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon landed on the Florida peninsula near present day Saint Augustine. Florida had been sighted by previous Spanish sailing vessels but Ponce de Leon was the first to step ashore. Believe it or not, he was looking for a legendary “fountain of youth” thought to be there. He thought that he was on an island instead of a peninsula and named it La Florida because of the Easter ceremony called Pascua Florida that was about to be celebrated. He left and continued to explore other areas of the southern part of what was to become America and the Bahamas. He returned to this site in 1521 with the intention of establishing a Spanish settlement. He and his party were met at water’s edge by hordes of hostile Creek and Seminole Indians and were driven back into sea. They retreated to Cuba to re-group. Ponce de Leon died there of wounds received at the encounter with the Indians. Another group of Spaniards arrived at the Florida site in 1565 and were successful in establishing a permanent settlement that exists to this day. The United States bought Florida from Spain in 1819 and soon thereafter the first retirement community was established and a bunch of bossy old Yankees from New York, Providence, New Haven, etc, descended upon the site and immediately began complaining that it was a lot better than this up north.
1982 In 1832 the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic became a British possession and became a British colony in 1852. The possession of this strategically important island group had been contested for years by Argentina. On this date a group of Argentine Marines easily overcame the company of Royal Marines at the capitol of Stanley and captured the Falkland Islands. When word got back to London, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sent word to Argentina that they had two weeks to get their smart-ass soldiers back to Argentina. Two weeks would be about how long it wound take to mobilize the Royal Marines and get them down to the Falklands. The Argentinean blew it off as a bluff and continued to stay in Stanley and the rest of the Falklands. Two weeks later the Royal Navy arrived and a naval battle ensued. The Argentinean were able hold their own against the Royal Navy primarily because they had use of the French Excocet and the Chinese Silkworm anti-ship missiles. But once the Royal Marines accompanied by Royal Ghurkas got ashore it was just a matter of time. The British Naval air arm swept the skies clear of Argentine fighter-bombers and anti-aircraft batteries. Once this was accomplished the Argentine Marines were ordered to surrender of they would unleash the Ghurkas. The Ghurkas are mainly from India and Pakistan and prefer to engage in combat by surrounding their enemy, forcing them to give up their firearms and then wade into them and take care of business with their long curved knives. This was not that appealing to the Argentinean and they did indeed surrender and got their smart-asses back to Argentina.
1979 On this date near the Russian city of Yekaterinburg an epidemic of anthrax erupts. After all is said and done there were 65 dead and hundreds of head of livestock had perished. The official Russian report said that the people died from tainted meat. They chose not to explain the livestock deaths. The United States and nearly all the other free countries of the world knew this was bullshit because just outside Yekaterianburg was a well photographed and satellite viewed biological warfare laboratory ran by the Russian military. 13 years later the Russian government admitted that one of the operators in the plant had replaced a lid on a container of Anthrax spore incorrectly and some of the spore had escaped. Anthrax can be absorbed by various means but breathing in the spore almost guarantees death. Anyway the spores drifted downwind from the laboratory into a small village where the deaths occurred. Had the wind been blowing toward Yekaterinburg there would have been deaths of biblical proportions.
1800 On this date a trial occurred that gives us a peek at the way trials were conducted in the early days. On trial was a man name Levi Weeks. He was defended by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr and Weeks was acquitted. The peculiar part here was that the acquittal verdict came at 3:00AM. We came to find out that once a trial was started it did not stop until a verdict was achieved. Would that be better than a trial lasting as long as the one with O.J. Simpson? I don’t know. We want everyone to get the entire defense that was available for them but keeping the jury going that long would be impractical. I guess we had better not fool with the present judicial system. Even though it is not perfect I cannot imagine one better.
Born today:
1840 French writer Emile Zola. He said. “Perfection is such a nuisance that I often regret having cured myself of using tobacco.” Emile was an arrogant bastard.
1908 US actor Buddy Ebsen. He said “If brains were lard, Jethro couldn’t grease a pan”
Buddy played Jed Clampett on the TV show “The Beverly Hillbillies”.
1928 French singer Serge Gainbrough. He said “Ugliness is superior to beauty because it lasts longer.”
1947 US singer Emmylou Harris. She said “Mediocrity is going to kill the world before Armageddon ever does.” I am sorry Emmylou, my money is on Armageddon.
1964 US baseball player Pete Incaviglia. He said “Most people think we baseball players make $3 to $4 million dollars a year. Most of them don’t realize that we only make $500.000”. Is that too much for working 6 or 7 months a year?
Died today:
1920 Pope Paul John II. He said “The truth is not necessarily the majority opinion.” He is right, y’all.
Quotable quotes:
“You are the worst entertainer since Saint Paul the Evangelist toured Palestine with a trampoline.” Paul Blackadder in a review of a Broadway actor.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
“Ugliness is superior to beauty because it lasts longer.”
Winston Churchill
It has been documented that the country of Azerbaijan has offered Israel an airfield for prepare for an attack on Iran. Israel has approached President Obama for the American made “triple-lunge” block buster bomb to be used to take out Iran's nuclear labs that are deep under ground surrounded by reinforced concrete. This bomb is capable of destroying these bunkers. The rumor is that your President has agreed to allow Israel the use of this weapon if they will wait until after the election to use it. You see, it has nothing to do the the safety of the world as a whole, and the middle east in particular, it all has to do with Obama retaining power. Do I hear an objection?
About a year ago 39 year old Shaquan Duley drove her car into the Edisto River with her two sons (age 2 and 1 ½) still aboard. The boys allegedly drowned and Shaquan ran out in the street trying to stop cars saying that it was an accident, The car was retrieved and it was found that the boys did not drown, they died of asphyxiation before entering the water. Shaquan had smothered them. Her trial ended this past Friday, she was sentenced to 35 to life. Last week Shaquan had a visitor...it was Oprah Winfrey. What the hell is she doing here talking with a child murderer. Why didn't she visit Susan Smith? I think y'all now why.
I am amazed at the obvious veracity of ESP that has been apparent of late. It seems that people from as far a way as 3,000 miles can determine what really happened in Sanford, Florida between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin sight and evidence unseen. Could it be ESP or could it be unmitigated ovine stupidity. I choose the latter.
The mighty University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team ran through a few practices a few days ago. They wanted to take a look at the upcoming offensive squad. As y'all may or may not know, the head coach, Steve Spurrier is a fan of the forward pass. During the practice he told the defensive coach to pull out defensive ends Jadevon Clowney and Devin Taylor. It seems that as long as these guys were in there the offense were unable to get a pass off due to their ferocious attacks. I can hardly wait until September.
This date in history April 2
1516 On this date the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon landed on the Florida peninsula near present day Saint Augustine. Florida had been sighted by previous Spanish sailing vessels but Ponce de Leon was the first to step ashore. Believe it or not, he was looking for a legendary “fountain of youth” thought to be there. He thought that he was on an island instead of a peninsula and named it La Florida because of the Easter ceremony called Pascua Florida that was about to be celebrated. He left and continued to explore other areas of the southern part of what was to become America and the Bahamas. He returned to this site in 1521 with the intention of establishing a Spanish settlement. He and his party were met at water’s edge by hordes of hostile Creek and Seminole Indians and were driven back into sea. They retreated to Cuba to re-group. Ponce de Leon died there of wounds received at the encounter with the Indians. Another group of Spaniards arrived at the Florida site in 1565 and were successful in establishing a permanent settlement that exists to this day. The United States bought Florida from Spain in 1819 and soon thereafter the first retirement community was established and a bunch of bossy old Yankees from New York, Providence, New Haven, etc, descended upon the site and immediately began complaining that it was a lot better than this up north.
1982 In 1832 the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic became a British possession and became a British colony in 1852. The possession of this strategically important island group had been contested for years by Argentina. On this date a group of Argentine Marines easily overcame the company of Royal Marines at the capitol of Stanley and captured the Falkland Islands. When word got back to London, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sent word to Argentina that they had two weeks to get their smart-ass soldiers back to Argentina. Two weeks would be about how long it wound take to mobilize the Royal Marines and get them down to the Falklands. The Argentinean blew it off as a bluff and continued to stay in Stanley and the rest of the Falklands. Two weeks later the Royal Navy arrived and a naval battle ensued. The Argentinean were able hold their own against the Royal Navy primarily because they had use of the French Excocet and the Chinese Silkworm anti-ship missiles. But once the Royal Marines accompanied by Royal Ghurkas got ashore it was just a matter of time. The British Naval air arm swept the skies clear of Argentine fighter-bombers and anti-aircraft batteries. Once this was accomplished the Argentine Marines were ordered to surrender of they would unleash the Ghurkas. The Ghurkas are mainly from India and Pakistan and prefer to engage in combat by surrounding their enemy, forcing them to give up their firearms and then wade into them and take care of business with their long curved knives. This was not that appealing to the Argentinean and they did indeed surrender and got their smart-asses back to Argentina.
1979 On this date near the Russian city of Yekaterinburg an epidemic of anthrax erupts. After all is said and done there were 65 dead and hundreds of head of livestock had perished. The official Russian report said that the people died from tainted meat. They chose not to explain the livestock deaths. The United States and nearly all the other free countries of the world knew this was bullshit because just outside Yekaterianburg was a well photographed and satellite viewed biological warfare laboratory ran by the Russian military. 13 years later the Russian government admitted that one of the operators in the plant had replaced a lid on a container of Anthrax spore incorrectly and some of the spore had escaped. Anthrax can be absorbed by various means but breathing in the spore almost guarantees death. Anyway the spores drifted downwind from the laboratory into a small village where the deaths occurred. Had the wind been blowing toward Yekaterinburg there would have been deaths of biblical proportions.
1800 On this date a trial occurred that gives us a peek at the way trials were conducted in the early days. On trial was a man name Levi Weeks. He was defended by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr and Weeks was acquitted. The peculiar part here was that the acquittal verdict came at 3:00AM. We came to find out that once a trial was started it did not stop until a verdict was achieved. Would that be better than a trial lasting as long as the one with O.J. Simpson? I don’t know. We want everyone to get the entire defense that was available for them but keeping the jury going that long would be impractical. I guess we had better not fool with the present judicial system. Even though it is not perfect I cannot imagine one better.
Born today:
1840 French writer Emile Zola. He said. “Perfection is such a nuisance that I often regret having cured myself of using tobacco.” Emile was an arrogant bastard.
1908 US actor Buddy Ebsen. He said “If brains were lard, Jethro couldn’t grease a pan”
Buddy played Jed Clampett on the TV show “The Beverly Hillbillies”.
1928 French singer Serge Gainbrough. He said “Ugliness is superior to beauty because it lasts longer.”
1947 US singer Emmylou Harris. She said “Mediocrity is going to kill the world before Armageddon ever does.” I am sorry Emmylou, my money is on Armageddon.
1964 US baseball player Pete Incaviglia. He said “Most people think we baseball players make $3 to $4 million dollars a year. Most of them don’t realize that we only make $500.000”. Is that too much for working 6 or 7 months a year?
Died today:
1920 Pope Paul John II. He said “The truth is not necessarily the majority opinion.” He is right, y’all.
Quotable quotes:
“You are the worst entertainer since Saint Paul the Evangelist toured Palestine with a trampoline.” Paul Blackadder in a review of a Broadway actor.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Friday, March 30, 2012
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
“In the past I worried why my penis bends slightly to the left, and finally I read in a book that this is quite normal, but then wondered, what sort of person would read books like that?”
Garrison Keillor
I normally would be leaving on for a month long visit to the paradise known as The Emerald Coast of Florida with an overnight stop in Montgomery. The Emerald Coast is from the Perdido Key eastward to just past Panama City Beach. I would have been staying on Pensacola Beach. I would have had my laptop packed but alas, I have medical issues that I must resolve before going on that road trip.
Last year a local radio station here in Greenville has cut a deal with the Westboro Baptist Church to prevent them from demonstrating at the funeral of an American soldier from this area that was killed in Germany. Westboro had promised a demonstration because they believed that God is taking the lives of American soldiers because America is “soft” on homosexuality. Perhaps these morons have not read the history of Germany in WWII. The Nazis forbade any and all homosexuality and slaughtered thousands that were. Yes, they were “hard” on homosexuality but lost 7 million men and women that were annihilated during the war. Make up your mind Westboro, which is it?
Here is a reminder as to the heart of the American soldier. We all need to read this and then examine your own heart and the depth of your pride in this great nation. The lesson follows.
Congressional Medal of Honor
EVANS, DONALD W, JR.
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division
Place and date: Tri Tam, Republic of Vietnam, 27 January 1967
Entered service at: Covina, California
Born: 23 July 1943, Covina, California
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, he left his position of relative safety with his platoon which had not yet been committed to the battle to answer the calls for medical aid from the wounded men of another platoon which was heavily engaged with the enemy force. Dashing across 100 meters of open area through a withering hail of enemy fire and exploding grenades, he administered lifesaving treatment to 1 individual and continued to expose himself to the deadly enemy fire as he moved to treat each of the other wounded men and to offer them encouragement. Realizing that the wounds of 1 man required immediate attention, Sp4c. Evans dragged the injured soldier back across the dangerous fire-swept area, to a secure position from which he could be further evacuated. Miraculously escaping the enemy fusillade, Sp4c. Evans returned to the forward location. As he continued the treatment of the wounded, he was struck by fragments from an enemy grenade. Despite his serious and painful injury he succeeded in evacuating another wounded comrade, rejoined his platoon as it was committed to battle and was soon treating other wounded soldiers. As he evacuated another wounded man across the fire covered field, he was severely wounded. Continuing to refuse medical attention and ignoring advice to remain behind, he managed with his waning strength to move yet another wounded comrade across the dangerous open area to safety. Disregarding his painful wounds and seriously weakened from profuse bleeding, he continued his lifesaving medical aid and was killed while treating another wounded comrade. Sp4c. Evan's extraordinary valor, dedication and indomitable spirit saved the lives of several of his fellow soldiers, served as an inspiration to the men of his company, were instrumental in the success of their mission, and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
This Date in History March 30
1775 On this date King George III of England endorsed the so-call Restraining Act. Parliament had proposed this abomination and the King liked it. Now y'all listen to this. This act declared that the colonies must trade exclusively with Great Britain and that ain’t all, the Act forbade the American fishing fleet from fishing in the North Atlantic. Are you mad yet? This meant that all the most eaten fish in the colonies such as cod and salmon would have to be bought from Great Britain even though the Danes and Dutch fished the North Atlantic also and the American fleet had no problem with supplying its people with these fish. The British Prime Minister, Lord North, knew that this act would stir up a hornets nest in the colonies and tried to calm things down by stating that if a colony paid the salary of the Royal Governor of their Colony, they would be taxed less. But Lord North knew this would have little or no effect and sent the Military Commander General Thomas Gage to Boston to become Governor of Massachusetts. This was just the first step toward martial law and the colonists knew it. In July Gage sent a British regiment to destroy a cache of arms and ammo known to be in Concord, Massachusetts and arrest firebrand Patriots Samuel Adams and John Hancock. It was during this event that the first shot was fired at the British in anger and the Revolutionary War was under way. Considering what humiliation burdens the British put on the colonists, I am amazed it did not start before now.
1825 Samuel Bell Maxey is born in Kentucky. Maxey went to West Point and graduated next to last in his class of 59 in 1846. As with many West Point officers of this era, he went to fight in the Mexican War. Maxey resigned his commission after the war and moved to Kentucky to practice law. In 1857 he moved to Texas. After the outbreak of the Civil War he offered his services to the Confederacy and helped organize the 9th Texas Infantry. The 9th Texas was sent to fight in Mississippi with Maxey in command as a Brigadier General. Maxey was present at the battles of Vicksburg, Port Hudson and Chattanooga. It was here that Maxey was promoted to commander of the Indian Territories. Maxey began to train Cherokee, Creek and Choctaw Indians into Confederate combat troops. Maxey’s Indian troops attacked a Union wagon train near Poison Springs, Arkansas that was driven by a Black Kansas regiment. The Union troops were routed and many fled, but of those black troops that surrendered or were wounded there were no survivors. Maxey’s troops killed them all. After the war Maxey continued to support the Native Americans and as a United States Senator he introduced legislation in behalf of them. He died in 1895.
1980 In the stormy North Sea the oil companies provided apartments for the drilling platform workers on their off time. The apartment had room for about 220 workers and was afloat on gigantic pontoons. On this night while most of the workers were watching a movie with a gale howling outside, a gigantic rogue wave estimated to be over 100 feet high slammed into the apartment and capsizes it. Most of the workers were Norwegian but there were a few Brits and Americans aboard. The apartment was about 220 miles from Dundee, Scotland and soon Royal and Norwegian helicopters were on site but the gale was still howling and rescue was difficult if not impossible. Of the 208 that were aboard the apartment, 123 of those that were unable to reach a life boat were drowned. Eight years later there was a fire and explosion on a drilling rig in the North Sea took the life of another 167. The oil platform workers make a lot of money but it isn’t worth the risk.
1855 On this date the first legislative election is held in the state of Kansas. The only problem was that the so-called “Border Ruffians” were interfering with election. The Border Ruffians were pro slavery advocates from Missouri near the Kansas border. Kansas came into the Union as a “free” state meaning slave free and Missouri came in as a slave state. Even though more votes were counted than were registered voters and a pro-slavery legislation was elected, the Governor of Kansas ratified the election to avoid more bloodshed. It did not help that much because there was continued fighting between the pro and anti slavery advocates until the end of the Civil War in 1865. There was so much fighting in Kansas that it became known as “Bleeding Kansas”.
1867 On this date the United States Secretary of State William Seward coughed up $7.2 million dollars and gives it to Russia for what is now Alaska. Seward caught a large ration of shit for this deal. His detractors called Alaska a “huge stump of ice “or “Seward’s Icebox.” Little did they know what a plethora of minerals lay under ground including gold, silver, coal, and iron ore not to mention oil. I would say that the $7.2 million was a good investment for these United States.
Born today:
1135 Spanish philosopher Moses ben Maimon. He said “The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of no decision.” I think we all agree to this.
1880 Irish writer Sean O’Casey. He said “The world is just a stage and we are woefully unrehearsed.”
Died today:
1986 US writer John Ciardi. He said “Early to bed early to rise usually indicates unskilled labor.” I guess that means the majority of us.
Quotable quotes:
“The Cardinal rule of politics is don’t get caught in bed with a live man or a dead woman”. Larry Hagman...How about a semi-dead woman, Larry?
“Any party that takes credit for the rain should not be surprised if their opponents blame them for a drought.” Dwight D. Murrow
“If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Harry Truman I have known several, Harry.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
“In the past I worried why my penis bends slightly to the left, and finally I read in a book that this is quite normal, but then wondered, what sort of person would read books like that?”
Garrison Keillor
I normally would be leaving on for a month long visit to the paradise known as The Emerald Coast of Florida with an overnight stop in Montgomery. The Emerald Coast is from the Perdido Key eastward to just past Panama City Beach. I would have been staying on Pensacola Beach. I would have had my laptop packed but alas, I have medical issues that I must resolve before going on that road trip.
Last year a local radio station here in Greenville has cut a deal with the Westboro Baptist Church to prevent them from demonstrating at the funeral of an American soldier from this area that was killed in Germany. Westboro had promised a demonstration because they believed that God is taking the lives of American soldiers because America is “soft” on homosexuality. Perhaps these morons have not read the history of Germany in WWII. The Nazis forbade any and all homosexuality and slaughtered thousands that were. Yes, they were “hard” on homosexuality but lost 7 million men and women that were annihilated during the war. Make up your mind Westboro, which is it?
Here is a reminder as to the heart of the American soldier. We all need to read this and then examine your own heart and the depth of your pride in this great nation. The lesson follows.
Congressional Medal of Honor
EVANS, DONALD W, JR.
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division
Place and date: Tri Tam, Republic of Vietnam, 27 January 1967
Entered service at: Covina, California
Born: 23 July 1943, Covina, California
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, he left his position of relative safety with his platoon which had not yet been committed to the battle to answer the calls for medical aid from the wounded men of another platoon which was heavily engaged with the enemy force. Dashing across 100 meters of open area through a withering hail of enemy fire and exploding grenades, he administered lifesaving treatment to 1 individual and continued to expose himself to the deadly enemy fire as he moved to treat each of the other wounded men and to offer them encouragement. Realizing that the wounds of 1 man required immediate attention, Sp4c. Evans dragged the injured soldier back across the dangerous fire-swept area, to a secure position from which he could be further evacuated. Miraculously escaping the enemy fusillade, Sp4c. Evans returned to the forward location. As he continued the treatment of the wounded, he was struck by fragments from an enemy grenade. Despite his serious and painful injury he succeeded in evacuating another wounded comrade, rejoined his platoon as it was committed to battle and was soon treating other wounded soldiers. As he evacuated another wounded man across the fire covered field, he was severely wounded. Continuing to refuse medical attention and ignoring advice to remain behind, he managed with his waning strength to move yet another wounded comrade across the dangerous open area to safety. Disregarding his painful wounds and seriously weakened from profuse bleeding, he continued his lifesaving medical aid and was killed while treating another wounded comrade. Sp4c. Evan's extraordinary valor, dedication and indomitable spirit saved the lives of several of his fellow soldiers, served as an inspiration to the men of his company, were instrumental in the success of their mission, and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
This Date in History March 30
1775 On this date King George III of England endorsed the so-call Restraining Act. Parliament had proposed this abomination and the King liked it. Now y'all listen to this. This act declared that the colonies must trade exclusively with Great Britain and that ain’t all, the Act forbade the American fishing fleet from fishing in the North Atlantic. Are you mad yet? This meant that all the most eaten fish in the colonies such as cod and salmon would have to be bought from Great Britain even though the Danes and Dutch fished the North Atlantic also and the American fleet had no problem with supplying its people with these fish. The British Prime Minister, Lord North, knew that this act would stir up a hornets nest in the colonies and tried to calm things down by stating that if a colony paid the salary of the Royal Governor of their Colony, they would be taxed less. But Lord North knew this would have little or no effect and sent the Military Commander General Thomas Gage to Boston to become Governor of Massachusetts. This was just the first step toward martial law and the colonists knew it. In July Gage sent a British regiment to destroy a cache of arms and ammo known to be in Concord, Massachusetts and arrest firebrand Patriots Samuel Adams and John Hancock. It was during this event that the first shot was fired at the British in anger and the Revolutionary War was under way. Considering what humiliation burdens the British put on the colonists, I am amazed it did not start before now.
1825 Samuel Bell Maxey is born in Kentucky. Maxey went to West Point and graduated next to last in his class of 59 in 1846. As with many West Point officers of this era, he went to fight in the Mexican War. Maxey resigned his commission after the war and moved to Kentucky to practice law. In 1857 he moved to Texas. After the outbreak of the Civil War he offered his services to the Confederacy and helped organize the 9th Texas Infantry. The 9th Texas was sent to fight in Mississippi with Maxey in command as a Brigadier General. Maxey was present at the battles of Vicksburg, Port Hudson and Chattanooga. It was here that Maxey was promoted to commander of the Indian Territories. Maxey began to train Cherokee, Creek and Choctaw Indians into Confederate combat troops. Maxey’s Indian troops attacked a Union wagon train near Poison Springs, Arkansas that was driven by a Black Kansas regiment. The Union troops were routed and many fled, but of those black troops that surrendered or were wounded there were no survivors. Maxey’s troops killed them all. After the war Maxey continued to support the Native Americans and as a United States Senator he introduced legislation in behalf of them. He died in 1895.
1980 In the stormy North Sea the oil companies provided apartments for the drilling platform workers on their off time. The apartment had room for about 220 workers and was afloat on gigantic pontoons. On this night while most of the workers were watching a movie with a gale howling outside, a gigantic rogue wave estimated to be over 100 feet high slammed into the apartment and capsizes it. Most of the workers were Norwegian but there were a few Brits and Americans aboard. The apartment was about 220 miles from Dundee, Scotland and soon Royal and Norwegian helicopters were on site but the gale was still howling and rescue was difficult if not impossible. Of the 208 that were aboard the apartment, 123 of those that were unable to reach a life boat were drowned. Eight years later there was a fire and explosion on a drilling rig in the North Sea took the life of another 167. The oil platform workers make a lot of money but it isn’t worth the risk.
1855 On this date the first legislative election is held in the state of Kansas. The only problem was that the so-called “Border Ruffians” were interfering with election. The Border Ruffians were pro slavery advocates from Missouri near the Kansas border. Kansas came into the Union as a “free” state meaning slave free and Missouri came in as a slave state. Even though more votes were counted than were registered voters and a pro-slavery legislation was elected, the Governor of Kansas ratified the election to avoid more bloodshed. It did not help that much because there was continued fighting between the pro and anti slavery advocates until the end of the Civil War in 1865. There was so much fighting in Kansas that it became known as “Bleeding Kansas”.
1867 On this date the United States Secretary of State William Seward coughed up $7.2 million dollars and gives it to Russia for what is now Alaska. Seward caught a large ration of shit for this deal. His detractors called Alaska a “huge stump of ice “or “Seward’s Icebox.” Little did they know what a plethora of minerals lay under ground including gold, silver, coal, and iron ore not to mention oil. I would say that the $7.2 million was a good investment for these United States.
Born today:
1135 Spanish philosopher Moses ben Maimon. He said “The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of no decision.” I think we all agree to this.
1880 Irish writer Sean O’Casey. He said “The world is just a stage and we are woefully unrehearsed.”
Died today:
1986 US writer John Ciardi. He said “Early to bed early to rise usually indicates unskilled labor.” I guess that means the majority of us.
Quotable quotes:
“The Cardinal rule of politics is don’t get caught in bed with a live man or a dead woman”. Larry Hagman...How about a semi-dead woman, Larry?
“Any party that takes credit for the rain should not be surprised if their opponents blame them for a drought.” Dwight D. Murrow
“If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Harry Truman I have known several, Harry.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
“And now here are the headlines. The Pope actually found to be Jewish. Liberace is Anastasia and Ethel Merman jams Russian radar. The East Germans claimed today that the Berlin Wall was actually a fraternity prank. Today the Pope decided to release Vatican-based bath products. An incredible thing, yes it is going to be pope-on-a-rope, that's right folks, pope-on-a-rope. Take one bath with it an go straight to heaven.”
Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams)Good Morning, Vietnam
Mass hysteria is back with us, including your President, involving George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. I would like to hear from any eyewitness as to what really happened, all the freaking rest of you, shut the hell up. Remember Tawana Brawley? If not, you need to refresh your memory. The cops will find out what really happened and take the correct action. They do not and cannot ASSUME that Greorge Zimmerman killed young Martin in cold blood. Is it possible that young Martin attempted to grab Zimmerman's gun? Is it possible? If it is, then it is POSSIBLE that it WAS self defense, or the gun could have discharged in a struggle. Let the investigators do their damn job, for crying out loud. I will not discuss this issue again until there is a determinaion by the investigators. They know a hell of lot more about the facts and forensics in this case than ANYONE else, especially the sheep that jump on any bandwagon that comes by. Let the FACTS speak for themselves and don't listen to those that choose all opportunities to make themselves seem important. See Tawana Brawley.
Answer to the trivia question as to what is the largest naturally occuring land animal in North America...it is the Arctic Bison. These beasts weight about 2,000 lbs.each . They are about the same length and width as a plains bison but pack on more fur and fat to be able to stand up to the cold. This information is courtesy of “Frozen Planet” on Discovery channel.
The fuel used in the destroyed Japanese nuclear power plants was a mixture of utilities grade Uranium and weapons grade Plutonium in a 9/1 ratio. This is known as “MOX” and a plant to manufacture this mixture is being designed and built on the Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC. I worked on this project myself. This arrangement was brought about because America signed a disarmament agreement with Russia to decrease the number of nuclear weapons on both sides. The problem was what the hell were we going to do with all that very high powered and very expensive weapons grade Plutonium. The agreement was to mix it with utilities grade Uranium in a manageable ratio and use it in nuclear power plants. If nothing goes wrong, it is a win-win situation. But if something goes wrong it is a lose-lose situation. I believe that they will have to do what they did at Chernobyl and that is start pouring heavy duty concrete in the reactor building that is giving them trouble until all radiation is undetectable and write that one off to experience.
I was watching TV show about a young lady that was trying her hand at buying houses, remodeling them and then selling them at a profit. She had set a remodeling cost of $30,000 but it ended up being $51,000 because there was a water leak in an inside-the-wall water line that had soaked one whole hardwood floor end to end 2” deep. After that a brand new stainless steel refrigerator with through-the-door water and ice refused to give any water or ice. She called company that sold her the refrigerator and complained. The salesman said that it was probably because the valve on the water line was closed. She said “What water line?. Do you mean that after I paid what I did for that refrigerator I have to do something else than just plug it in?” She finally called Sam the plumber and he fixed it. No comment.
This date in history March 28
1979 On this date began a comedy of errors resulted the worst nuclear accident in United States history at the recently built Reactor #2 at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant. This particular power plant was built on an island in the middle the Susquehanna River about 10 miles from the Pennsylvania capitol of Harrisburg. There was a slight overpressure in the reactor and a pressure relief valve opened as it was supposed to, the only problem was that it failed to close back and cooling water began to escape. The emergency relief pumps began to operate automatically as they were suppose to. If the plant operators had let this safety system work as designed, nothing would have happened. But the newly trained plant workers could not figure out what the hell was going on. With the cooling water leaking out onto the floor of the containment building the reactor core temperature began to rise. For reasons known only to the plant operators, they chose to shut down the emergency relief pumps. There is no need for me to tell you what happened to the core temperature. Pennsylvania Governor Thornburgh was between a rock and a hard place. After being appraised of the situation, he had to so something but he did not want to cause a panic. He sent out a notice that everyone with a 10 mile radius of Three Mile Island to stay indoors. Then the next day he advised that pregnant women should evacuate. Then word leaked out that radioactive steam had escaped and a small amount of radioactive water had leaked into the Susquehanna River. All of this was true but it was not that much of a risk but a panic began and over 100,000 people near the plant evacuated. By now the core had reached a temperature of 4,000 degrees which is within 1,000 degrees of a complete meltdown. Eventually experts from Metropolitan Energy and the reactor designer (Babcock and Wilcox) arrived and figured out what the problem was and the emergency pumps were restarted and the core temperature began to fall. In an attempt to lessen the panic, United States President Jimmy Carter went to the plant. Carter was a Naval Academy trained nuclear engineer and had dealt with damaged cores in the past. This was probably in a nuclear submarine. But he was not there to offer expertise but to restore the confidence of the population. Everyone thought the problem had been solved but two days later a hydrogen bubble was discovered in the top of the containment building and there had been a small explosion but the containment building held. Apparently the containment building in Japan did not. It was determined that the hydrogen bubble was not a threat. By the way, it was an explosion of a hydrogen bubble that destroyed the Russian power plant at Chernobyl but the Russians did not use containment buildings over their reactors. The core had been damaged in reactor # 2 making it useless. During the crises, reactor # 1 had been shut down also. Reactor # 1 was not restarted until 1985 and reactor # 2 was sealed. Since this emergency the building of not one nuclear power plant has begun in the United States. There have been reports that those that stayed those few days after the initial accident have an increased incidence of leukemia and other cancers but it is not a proven statistic. There was one of the plant operators that put on a safe suit and went into the floor of the containment building where the water was about 18 inches deep trying to find out what the problem was. He had with him a flask of test water that began to effervesce like carbonated water very soon after he arrived. He saw this and got the hell out of there, and I don’t blame him. A lot of lessons were learned during this experience. That is the only upside I can find to this whole scenario.
.
1776 On this date Juan Bautista de Anza founded the city of San Francisco and has with him 247 settlers. Anza was born in Mexico and is the equivalent of Lewis and Clark, Kit Carson and John Colter when it comes to exploration. It was Anza that explored northwest out of Mexico City and discovered most of what is now the resort area of the west coast of Mexico. He blazed a trail all the way to northern California and established trading posts and helped locate several Spanish missions along the way. In spite of Spanish ships sailing up and down the west coast of North America for 200 years, they had never discovered San Francisco Bay and neither had the Russians. It took Anza’s exploration by land to discover it. This area remained under Spanish control until the Mexicans kicked them out and under Mexican control until they lost the Mexican War in 1848 to the United States.
Born today:
1868 Russian writer Maxim Gorky. He said “A man may be stupid and still be good. But a bad man needs brains.” Believe what you want, but Hitler was brilliant.
1890 US bandleader Paul Whiteman. He said “Jazz came to America 300 years ago in chains.” So did okra, the banjo and Gullah.
1942 English politician Neil Kinnock. He said “You cannot make one wit out of two half wits.” I know lots of them.
Died today:
1941 English writer Virginia Wolfe. She said “I have lost friends because of death and others for no other reason than the inability to cross a street.” I hope I never reach that point.
1957 US writer Christopher Morley. He said “A critic is a gong at a railroad crossing clanging wildly while the train passes by.” I cannot relate to this, y’all. Critique me all you want, I am very happy with me.
1958 US song writer W.C. Handy. He said “You never can tell what’s on a woman’s mind, and if she is from Harlem there’s no use trying.” Add Greenville, SC to that, W.C.
1984 US educator Benjamin Mays. He said “Isn’t it a calamity that we died with unfulfilled dreams, but it is even a bigger calamity not to dream.” Ben was a wise individual.
Quotable quotes:
“I think the reason men like women in leather outfits so much is they smell like a new car.”
George Fara
“She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket.”
Raymond Chandler
“Start every day with a smile and then get over it.”
W.C. Fields
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
“And now here are the headlines. The Pope actually found to be Jewish. Liberace is Anastasia and Ethel Merman jams Russian radar. The East Germans claimed today that the Berlin Wall was actually a fraternity prank. Today the Pope decided to release Vatican-based bath products. An incredible thing, yes it is going to be pope-on-a-rope, that's right folks, pope-on-a-rope. Take one bath with it an go straight to heaven.”
Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams)Good Morning, Vietnam
Mass hysteria is back with us, including your President, involving George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. I would like to hear from any eyewitness as to what really happened, all the freaking rest of you, shut the hell up. Remember Tawana Brawley? If not, you need to refresh your memory. The cops will find out what really happened and take the correct action. They do not and cannot ASSUME that Greorge Zimmerman killed young Martin in cold blood. Is it possible that young Martin attempted to grab Zimmerman's gun? Is it possible? If it is, then it is POSSIBLE that it WAS self defense, or the gun could have discharged in a struggle. Let the investigators do their damn job, for crying out loud. I will not discuss this issue again until there is a determinaion by the investigators. They know a hell of lot more about the facts and forensics in this case than ANYONE else, especially the sheep that jump on any bandwagon that comes by. Let the FACTS speak for themselves and don't listen to those that choose all opportunities to make themselves seem important. See Tawana Brawley.
Answer to the trivia question as to what is the largest naturally occuring land animal in North America...it is the Arctic Bison. These beasts weight about 2,000 lbs.each . They are about the same length and width as a plains bison but pack on more fur and fat to be able to stand up to the cold. This information is courtesy of “Frozen Planet” on Discovery channel.
The fuel used in the destroyed Japanese nuclear power plants was a mixture of utilities grade Uranium and weapons grade Plutonium in a 9/1 ratio. This is known as “MOX” and a plant to manufacture this mixture is being designed and built on the Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC. I worked on this project myself. This arrangement was brought about because America signed a disarmament agreement with Russia to decrease the number of nuclear weapons on both sides. The problem was what the hell were we going to do with all that very high powered and very expensive weapons grade Plutonium. The agreement was to mix it with utilities grade Uranium in a manageable ratio and use it in nuclear power plants. If nothing goes wrong, it is a win-win situation. But if something goes wrong it is a lose-lose situation. I believe that they will have to do what they did at Chernobyl and that is start pouring heavy duty concrete in the reactor building that is giving them trouble until all radiation is undetectable and write that one off to experience.
I was watching TV show about a young lady that was trying her hand at buying houses, remodeling them and then selling them at a profit. She had set a remodeling cost of $30,000 but it ended up being $51,000 because there was a water leak in an inside-the-wall water line that had soaked one whole hardwood floor end to end 2” deep. After that a brand new stainless steel refrigerator with through-the-door water and ice refused to give any water or ice. She called company that sold her the refrigerator and complained. The salesman said that it was probably because the valve on the water line was closed. She said “What water line?. Do you mean that after I paid what I did for that refrigerator I have to do something else than just plug it in?” She finally called Sam the plumber and he fixed it. No comment.
This date in history March 28
1979 On this date began a comedy of errors resulted the worst nuclear accident in United States history at the recently built Reactor #2 at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant. This particular power plant was built on an island in the middle the Susquehanna River about 10 miles from the Pennsylvania capitol of Harrisburg. There was a slight overpressure in the reactor and a pressure relief valve opened as it was supposed to, the only problem was that it failed to close back and cooling water began to escape. The emergency relief pumps began to operate automatically as they were suppose to. If the plant operators had let this safety system work as designed, nothing would have happened. But the newly trained plant workers could not figure out what the hell was going on. With the cooling water leaking out onto the floor of the containment building the reactor core temperature began to rise. For reasons known only to the plant operators, they chose to shut down the emergency relief pumps. There is no need for me to tell you what happened to the core temperature. Pennsylvania Governor Thornburgh was between a rock and a hard place. After being appraised of the situation, he had to so something but he did not want to cause a panic. He sent out a notice that everyone with a 10 mile radius of Three Mile Island to stay indoors. Then the next day he advised that pregnant women should evacuate. Then word leaked out that radioactive steam had escaped and a small amount of radioactive water had leaked into the Susquehanna River. All of this was true but it was not that much of a risk but a panic began and over 100,000 people near the plant evacuated. By now the core had reached a temperature of 4,000 degrees which is within 1,000 degrees of a complete meltdown. Eventually experts from Metropolitan Energy and the reactor designer (Babcock and Wilcox) arrived and figured out what the problem was and the emergency pumps were restarted and the core temperature began to fall. In an attempt to lessen the panic, United States President Jimmy Carter went to the plant. Carter was a Naval Academy trained nuclear engineer and had dealt with damaged cores in the past. This was probably in a nuclear submarine. But he was not there to offer expertise but to restore the confidence of the population. Everyone thought the problem had been solved but two days later a hydrogen bubble was discovered in the top of the containment building and there had been a small explosion but the containment building held. Apparently the containment building in Japan did not. It was determined that the hydrogen bubble was not a threat. By the way, it was an explosion of a hydrogen bubble that destroyed the Russian power plant at Chernobyl but the Russians did not use containment buildings over their reactors. The core had been damaged in reactor # 2 making it useless. During the crises, reactor # 1 had been shut down also. Reactor # 1 was not restarted until 1985 and reactor # 2 was sealed. Since this emergency the building of not one nuclear power plant has begun in the United States. There have been reports that those that stayed those few days after the initial accident have an increased incidence of leukemia and other cancers but it is not a proven statistic. There was one of the plant operators that put on a safe suit and went into the floor of the containment building where the water was about 18 inches deep trying to find out what the problem was. He had with him a flask of test water that began to effervesce like carbonated water very soon after he arrived. He saw this and got the hell out of there, and I don’t blame him. A lot of lessons were learned during this experience. That is the only upside I can find to this whole scenario.
.
1776 On this date Juan Bautista de Anza founded the city of San Francisco and has with him 247 settlers. Anza was born in Mexico and is the equivalent of Lewis and Clark, Kit Carson and John Colter when it comes to exploration. It was Anza that explored northwest out of Mexico City and discovered most of what is now the resort area of the west coast of Mexico. He blazed a trail all the way to northern California and established trading posts and helped locate several Spanish missions along the way. In spite of Spanish ships sailing up and down the west coast of North America for 200 years, they had never discovered San Francisco Bay and neither had the Russians. It took Anza’s exploration by land to discover it. This area remained under Spanish control until the Mexicans kicked them out and under Mexican control until they lost the Mexican War in 1848 to the United States.
Born today:
1868 Russian writer Maxim Gorky. He said “A man may be stupid and still be good. But a bad man needs brains.” Believe what you want, but Hitler was brilliant.
1890 US bandleader Paul Whiteman. He said “Jazz came to America 300 years ago in chains.” So did okra, the banjo and Gullah.
1942 English politician Neil Kinnock. He said “You cannot make one wit out of two half wits.” I know lots of them.
Died today:
1941 English writer Virginia Wolfe. She said “I have lost friends because of death and others for no other reason than the inability to cross a street.” I hope I never reach that point.
1957 US writer Christopher Morley. He said “A critic is a gong at a railroad crossing clanging wildly while the train passes by.” I cannot relate to this, y’all. Critique me all you want, I am very happy with me.
1958 US song writer W.C. Handy. He said “You never can tell what’s on a woman’s mind, and if she is from Harlem there’s no use trying.” Add Greenville, SC to that, W.C.
1984 US educator Benjamin Mays. He said “Isn’t it a calamity that we died with unfulfilled dreams, but it is even a bigger calamity not to dream.” Ben was a wise individual.
Quotable quotes:
“I think the reason men like women in leather outfits so much is they smell like a new car.”
George Fara
“She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket.”
Raymond Chandler
“Start every day with a smile and then get over it.”
W.C. Fields
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Monday, March 26, 2012
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
“Sometimes I lay awake at night and I ask 'Where have gone wrong.?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.'”
Charlie Brown, Peanuts
Answer to the trivia question as to what now deceased All-Pro NFL defensive lineman never played on a college team...It was 6'-6”-280 pound Eugene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb...He played for the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was recruited from the Camp Pendleton and Quantico Marines football teams. By the way, he died of a drug overdose at the age of 31. Nobody ever said he was smart.
Trivia question:
What is the largest naturally occuring land animal in North America? Hint: African elephants, Indian elephants and rhinos are NOT naturally occuring in North America.
Back in September of 2011 over in Spartanburg, SC., a 33 year old man sexually molested a child under the age of 11. He then left the country and went to South Korea. The Spartanburg PD could not find him and put his information out on the nationwide fugitive network. This past week this bastard arrived in Los Angeles attempting to re-enter the US. When his name was scanned by Customs it popped up as him being a fugitive from Spartanburg, SC. They arrested him and notified the SCSO who was very grateful. He will be extradited back to stand trial. I almost feel sorry for him if he is convicted of child abuse and goes to a South Carolina prison because I know what will happen to him. But on second thought...that will not be enough....they should get medieval on his as-.
It looks like Bank of America has begun to show that they have a heart after all. They have begun a pilot program whereby certain homeowners whose homes that are in foreclosure will be offered a deal where the bank retains the title and deed to the property. The homeowners will be allowed to stay in the house on a lease arrangement. The past due house payments will be forgiven and the lease payment will be equal to or less than current market. The leaseholder will not be responsible for taxes and insurance either. It is known as the familiar lease/purchase arrangement that first time home buyers frequently employ. The item did not mention if the lease payment went toward the price of buying the house or not but I suspect that it would.
Over in Charlotte, NC a 20 year veteran of the Charlotte PD named Bobby Wiliiams met Wendy Daniels who was working in the communications section. They realized that they had been dating while in high school 20 year ago and decided to start again. After a few months Bobby felt that it was not working and broke off the relationship. Wendy went crazy as hell. She came over to his house and kicked open the front door, broke some furniture, etc. After that she filed over 100 abuse charges against Bobby all of which were thrown out of court. Bobby said that Wendy made his life hell for quite a while. The prosecutor decided to put Wendy under “deferred prosecution” for two years. What this essentially amounts to is parole. You have to do exactly what the court orders and behave for two year and then your record is erased. Wendy was very happy with this but Bobby thought it was bullsh-t...So do I. What if that had been Bobby doing all that stuff? Deferred prosecution, my ass.
Rather than the history lesson, here is a biography on an interesting person.
Biography of James “Jumpin’ Jim” Gavin
This is the biography of a very driven and successful individual. He went from an orphan to a small coal mining town to a General in the US Army to the United States Ambassador to France with many adventures in between.
James Maurice Gavin was born James Nally Ryan in Brooklyn, New York in 1907. His precise ancestry is unknown. It is known that his mother, Katherine Ryan, was probably an Irish immigrant but the father is ambiguous. When James was about two years old his mother sent him to an orphanage where he stayed until he was the age of 8 and he was adopted by Martin and Mary Gavin who lived in the coal mining town of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania. As you might suspect, Martin Gavin was a coal miner. The Gavins treated James as well as could be expected but had trouble making ends meet which required James to drop out of school at the age of 12 and go to work to help support the family. James knew that his adoptive parents wanted him to become a coal miner and that was the last thing James wanted. So at the age of 17 James ran away from home and took a train to New York City. As soon as he could he sent a telegram to the Gavins telling them that he was OK but that he was ready to go it alone. He knew this would stop the Gavins from reporting him missing and the police would not come looking for him. He knocked around in New York for just a short time before going to a US Army recruiting office and tried to enlist. He had to prove he was at least 18 years old and he knew his parents would never approve so he told the recruiter that he was an orphan. The recruiter took James and two other “orphans” to an attorney who technically became the guardian of all of them and approved their enlistment. James Maurice Gavin became a Private in the US Army in 1924.
James’ first assignment was at Panama as a crew member in a 155 howitzer unit. The library in that facility was rich in military history books. James read ravenously the careers of many great military leaders including Hannibal and “Stonewall” Jackson. James was always very aware of his lack of education and read all the literature that he could get his hands on. He also would take long walks throughout the countryside trying to assuage his ever present curiosity. One of the men he looked up to was his First Sergeant who was an American Indian known as “Chief” Williams. Sergeant Williams saw the potential in James and made him his aide and James was promoted to corporal six months later. In spite of the heat, humidity and malaria carrying mosquitoes, James remembered his tour in Panama with fondness.
James let it be known that he was interested in a military career and at the Chief’s suggestion; he applied for a military training school where the graduates would be eligible to apply for an appointment to West Point. James was accepted to this school but needed a tutor for algebra, geometry, English and history. This tutor turned out to be Lt. Percy Black, a man that encouraged him to succeed and James never forgot him. James did indeed graduate from the school and was selected to go to West Point. Since James had no basic education he got up at 4:30a and studied in the bathroom where there was enough light to read. After a tough 4 years, in 1929 James graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. Soon after graduation he married Irma Baulsir of Washington, D.C.
His next assignment was in Douglas, Arizona with the 25th Infantry Regiment, one of the black only units in the Army. They were also known as the “Buffalo Soldiers”. His next assignment was the Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia with Colonel George C. Marshall at the helm. Marshall eventually became the US Army Chief of Staff. Marshall brought Colonel Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell with him as the instructor in tactics. Marshall and Stillwell believed in the premise of field commanders just giving a rough outline of the goal and let their combat commanders use whatever tactics works for them. This was exactly the Army James was looking for. He had been taught that he should issue detailed instruction in the field but here was a school that taught progressive use of improvisation and innovation in combat. James had a fertile mind and this was his calling. By the way, it was the German way of not allowing improvisation by their combat commanders that cost them the defeat on D-Day. If our soldiers ran across something that was unexpected and could not contact their superiors, they improvised. Not so with the Germans. Anyway, Stillwell was a tough and demanding instructor and insisted that all combat commanders not issue an order that they were unable to carry out themselves. James found his time at Fort Benning a very enjoyable one but his marriage to Irma was failing. In December of 1934 he and Irma drove to Washington to spend Christmas with her parents. When it came time to go back to Georgia, Irma chose to stay in Washington with her parents. James’ next posting was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma where there was an excellent library and as you might suspect, James was there most of his spare time while the others were partying. He then went to the Philippines in 1936 where he became concerned about the preparedness of the troops and equipment to be able to counter the Japanese expansion that was obvious. After the Philippines James came back to Washington and his family and served at the Vancouver Barracks. In 1933 a daughter was born to him and Irma and while in the Philippines he was promoted to Captain.
He next was sent to West Point as a tactics instructor. While the Germans were steamrolling Europe, the best equipment and armaments the US Army had were just copies of the Germans. It was during this period that the idea of airborne assault was borne. He next went to airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia. After graduating he was asked to write a book about tactics used by airborne assault troops. After this book was finished, he was given promoted to Major and given command of an experimental unit. He was commander of company C of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Battalion. He next wrote a book about how airborne troops could be used to the best effect. It was finally decided that there would be an airborne division and the choice was the 82nd Infantry division at Fort Claiborne, Louisiana and the task of shaping up this unit was given to James. He was promoted to Colonel at the age of 35. James was a hard taskmaster and honed his troops into a razor sharp fighting unit known forever after as the 82nd Airborne. James insisted on having as many jumps as his troops and was always the first out the door. His creed for his field commanders was “First out the door and last in the chow line”. His troops loved him. Just before the first airborne unit graduated James decided to test them. He took them on an exercise that began at 7:00pm and they marched all night to a small town 23 miles away, fought a simulated battle all day and surrounded a simulated airfield and fought off a counter-attack, broke up the exercise at 8:00pm and headed back to the Fort via another route through thick pine forests. They went into bivouac at about 11:00pm, were awakened one hour later and continued on to the Fort arriving about daylight. In the span of 36 hours they had marched about 50 miles, fought for 12 hours, and subsisted on reserve rations. James was in the lead for this entire operation. This type operation is the signature of American Airborne units to this day.
The first combat assignment for the 82nd Airborne was the invasion of Sicily and James Gavin was the first out the door in command of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The winds at the drop zone was stiff and from an unexpected direction and scattered his troops but James was able to gather about 25 men and headed off toward the sound of battle. James also jumped on D-Day and in Belgium during Operation Market-Garden.
After the war he was instrumental in the integration of the all black 555th Parachute Infantry Regiment into the 82nd Airborne. The commander of the 555th said that James was the most color-blind commander he had ever met. He next went into the design of an “airborne cavalry” utilizing lightweight vehicles and helicopters in assault tactics. This vision was realized later in Viet Nam and honed to a razors edge in various covert and overt battles and raids by the US Airborne. James retired in 1958 as a Lieutenant General (3 stars) at the age of 51. He was soon hired by the research and development firm of Arthur D. Little, Inc. As a Vice-President and in 1960 he became President of ADL.
In 1961 President John Kennedy asked James to take a leave of absence and become the Ambassador to France. Kennedy was concerned about the deteriorating relations with France. He knew that during WWII James had met and coordinated operations with French General Charles DeGaulle, now President of France. Hiring of James as the ambassador solved the problem and relations returned to normal.
In 1962 James returned to ADL. In 1971 President Jimmie Carter considered James for the director of the CIA but chose Stansfield Turner instead. During all of this James and Irma were divorced and in 1948 he married Jean Duncan of Knoxville, Tennessee. They remained married for 42 years until his death in 1990 at the age of 83. James has written many books about combat tactics and the history of several important military encounters.
Every year on June 6 (D-Day) the James Gavin family, a group from West point, representatives of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment from Fort Bragg, NC and others gather to honor Lt. General James “Jumpin’ Jim” Gavin. Was he here at this place at in this time period by accident? I think not.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.
Quote of the day:
“Sometimes I lay awake at night and I ask 'Where have gone wrong.?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.'”
Charlie Brown, Peanuts
Answer to the trivia question as to what now deceased All-Pro NFL defensive lineman never played on a college team...It was 6'-6”-280 pound Eugene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb...He played for the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was recruited from the Camp Pendleton and Quantico Marines football teams. By the way, he died of a drug overdose at the age of 31. Nobody ever said he was smart.
Trivia question:
What is the largest naturally occuring land animal in North America? Hint: African elephants, Indian elephants and rhinos are NOT naturally occuring in North America.
Back in September of 2011 over in Spartanburg, SC., a 33 year old man sexually molested a child under the age of 11. He then left the country and went to South Korea. The Spartanburg PD could not find him and put his information out on the nationwide fugitive network. This past week this bastard arrived in Los Angeles attempting to re-enter the US. When his name was scanned by Customs it popped up as him being a fugitive from Spartanburg, SC. They arrested him and notified the SCSO who was very grateful. He will be extradited back to stand trial. I almost feel sorry for him if he is convicted of child abuse and goes to a South Carolina prison because I know what will happen to him. But on second thought...that will not be enough....they should get medieval on his as-.
It looks like Bank of America has begun to show that they have a heart after all. They have begun a pilot program whereby certain homeowners whose homes that are in foreclosure will be offered a deal where the bank retains the title and deed to the property. The homeowners will be allowed to stay in the house on a lease arrangement. The past due house payments will be forgiven and the lease payment will be equal to or less than current market. The leaseholder will not be responsible for taxes and insurance either. It is known as the familiar lease/purchase arrangement that first time home buyers frequently employ. The item did not mention if the lease payment went toward the price of buying the house or not but I suspect that it would.
Over in Charlotte, NC a 20 year veteran of the Charlotte PD named Bobby Wiliiams met Wendy Daniels who was working in the communications section. They realized that they had been dating while in high school 20 year ago and decided to start again. After a few months Bobby felt that it was not working and broke off the relationship. Wendy went crazy as hell. She came over to his house and kicked open the front door, broke some furniture, etc. After that she filed over 100 abuse charges against Bobby all of which were thrown out of court. Bobby said that Wendy made his life hell for quite a while. The prosecutor decided to put Wendy under “deferred prosecution” for two years. What this essentially amounts to is parole. You have to do exactly what the court orders and behave for two year and then your record is erased. Wendy was very happy with this but Bobby thought it was bullsh-t...So do I. What if that had been Bobby doing all that stuff? Deferred prosecution, my ass.
Rather than the history lesson, here is a biography on an interesting person.
Biography of James “Jumpin’ Jim” Gavin
This is the biography of a very driven and successful individual. He went from an orphan to a small coal mining town to a General in the US Army to the United States Ambassador to France with many adventures in between.
James Maurice Gavin was born James Nally Ryan in Brooklyn, New York in 1907. His precise ancestry is unknown. It is known that his mother, Katherine Ryan, was probably an Irish immigrant but the father is ambiguous. When James was about two years old his mother sent him to an orphanage where he stayed until he was the age of 8 and he was adopted by Martin and Mary Gavin who lived in the coal mining town of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania. As you might suspect, Martin Gavin was a coal miner. The Gavins treated James as well as could be expected but had trouble making ends meet which required James to drop out of school at the age of 12 and go to work to help support the family. James knew that his adoptive parents wanted him to become a coal miner and that was the last thing James wanted. So at the age of 17 James ran away from home and took a train to New York City. As soon as he could he sent a telegram to the Gavins telling them that he was OK but that he was ready to go it alone. He knew this would stop the Gavins from reporting him missing and the police would not come looking for him. He knocked around in New York for just a short time before going to a US Army recruiting office and tried to enlist. He had to prove he was at least 18 years old and he knew his parents would never approve so he told the recruiter that he was an orphan. The recruiter took James and two other “orphans” to an attorney who technically became the guardian of all of them and approved their enlistment. James Maurice Gavin became a Private in the US Army in 1924.
James’ first assignment was at Panama as a crew member in a 155 howitzer unit. The library in that facility was rich in military history books. James read ravenously the careers of many great military leaders including Hannibal and “Stonewall” Jackson. James was always very aware of his lack of education and read all the literature that he could get his hands on. He also would take long walks throughout the countryside trying to assuage his ever present curiosity. One of the men he looked up to was his First Sergeant who was an American Indian known as “Chief” Williams. Sergeant Williams saw the potential in James and made him his aide and James was promoted to corporal six months later. In spite of the heat, humidity and malaria carrying mosquitoes, James remembered his tour in Panama with fondness.
James let it be known that he was interested in a military career and at the Chief’s suggestion; he applied for a military training school where the graduates would be eligible to apply for an appointment to West Point. James was accepted to this school but needed a tutor for algebra, geometry, English and history. This tutor turned out to be Lt. Percy Black, a man that encouraged him to succeed and James never forgot him. James did indeed graduate from the school and was selected to go to West Point. Since James had no basic education he got up at 4:30a and studied in the bathroom where there was enough light to read. After a tough 4 years, in 1929 James graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. Soon after graduation he married Irma Baulsir of Washington, D.C.
His next assignment was in Douglas, Arizona with the 25th Infantry Regiment, one of the black only units in the Army. They were also known as the “Buffalo Soldiers”. His next assignment was the Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia with Colonel George C. Marshall at the helm. Marshall eventually became the US Army Chief of Staff. Marshall brought Colonel Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell with him as the instructor in tactics. Marshall and Stillwell believed in the premise of field commanders just giving a rough outline of the goal and let their combat commanders use whatever tactics works for them. This was exactly the Army James was looking for. He had been taught that he should issue detailed instruction in the field but here was a school that taught progressive use of improvisation and innovation in combat. James had a fertile mind and this was his calling. By the way, it was the German way of not allowing improvisation by their combat commanders that cost them the defeat on D-Day. If our soldiers ran across something that was unexpected and could not contact their superiors, they improvised. Not so with the Germans. Anyway, Stillwell was a tough and demanding instructor and insisted that all combat commanders not issue an order that they were unable to carry out themselves. James found his time at Fort Benning a very enjoyable one but his marriage to Irma was failing. In December of 1934 he and Irma drove to Washington to spend Christmas with her parents. When it came time to go back to Georgia, Irma chose to stay in Washington with her parents. James’ next posting was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma where there was an excellent library and as you might suspect, James was there most of his spare time while the others were partying. He then went to the Philippines in 1936 where he became concerned about the preparedness of the troops and equipment to be able to counter the Japanese expansion that was obvious. After the Philippines James came back to Washington and his family and served at the Vancouver Barracks. In 1933 a daughter was born to him and Irma and while in the Philippines he was promoted to Captain.
He next was sent to West Point as a tactics instructor. While the Germans were steamrolling Europe, the best equipment and armaments the US Army had were just copies of the Germans. It was during this period that the idea of airborne assault was borne. He next went to airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia. After graduating he was asked to write a book about tactics used by airborne assault troops. After this book was finished, he was given promoted to Major and given command of an experimental unit. He was commander of company C of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Battalion. He next wrote a book about how airborne troops could be used to the best effect. It was finally decided that there would be an airborne division and the choice was the 82nd Infantry division at Fort Claiborne, Louisiana and the task of shaping up this unit was given to James. He was promoted to Colonel at the age of 35. James was a hard taskmaster and honed his troops into a razor sharp fighting unit known forever after as the 82nd Airborne. James insisted on having as many jumps as his troops and was always the first out the door. His creed for his field commanders was “First out the door and last in the chow line”. His troops loved him. Just before the first airborne unit graduated James decided to test them. He took them on an exercise that began at 7:00pm and they marched all night to a small town 23 miles away, fought a simulated battle all day and surrounded a simulated airfield and fought off a counter-attack, broke up the exercise at 8:00pm and headed back to the Fort via another route through thick pine forests. They went into bivouac at about 11:00pm, were awakened one hour later and continued on to the Fort arriving about daylight. In the span of 36 hours they had marched about 50 miles, fought for 12 hours, and subsisted on reserve rations. James was in the lead for this entire operation. This type operation is the signature of American Airborne units to this day.
The first combat assignment for the 82nd Airborne was the invasion of Sicily and James Gavin was the first out the door in command of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The winds at the drop zone was stiff and from an unexpected direction and scattered his troops but James was able to gather about 25 men and headed off toward the sound of battle. James also jumped on D-Day and in Belgium during Operation Market-Garden.
After the war he was instrumental in the integration of the all black 555th Parachute Infantry Regiment into the 82nd Airborne. The commander of the 555th said that James was the most color-blind commander he had ever met. He next went into the design of an “airborne cavalry” utilizing lightweight vehicles and helicopters in assault tactics. This vision was realized later in Viet Nam and honed to a razors edge in various covert and overt battles and raids by the US Airborne. James retired in 1958 as a Lieutenant General (3 stars) at the age of 51. He was soon hired by the research and development firm of Arthur D. Little, Inc. As a Vice-President and in 1960 he became President of ADL.
In 1961 President John Kennedy asked James to take a leave of absence and become the Ambassador to France. Kennedy was concerned about the deteriorating relations with France. He knew that during WWII James had met and coordinated operations with French General Charles DeGaulle, now President of France. Hiring of James as the ambassador solved the problem and relations returned to normal.
In 1962 James returned to ADL. In 1971 President Jimmie Carter considered James for the director of the CIA but chose Stansfield Turner instead. During all of this James and Irma were divorced and in 1948 he married Jean Duncan of Knoxville, Tennessee. They remained married for 42 years until his death in 1990 at the age of 83. James has written many books about combat tactics and the history of several important military encounters.
Every year on June 6 (D-Day) the James Gavin family, a group from West point, representatives of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment from Fort Bragg, NC and others gather to honor Lt. General James “Jumpin’ Jim” Gavin. Was he here at this place at in this time period by accident? I think not.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.
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