Good morning,







Quote of the day:


“I am tired of hearing about money, money, money. All I want to do is play basketball....drink Pepsi and wear Reeboks.”


Shaquille O'Neal






After spending four years in the US Marines and part of if in Iraq in a combat unit, Spartanburg, SC native Keith Soules returned home and joined the Spartanburg Sheriff's Department. After four year on the force with two of those years on the SWAT team, he was involved in a motorcycle wreck that cost him his left leg below the knee. He was fitted with a prosthesis called a Cheetah Toe and re-joined the Sheriff Department in an administrative position. Keith was not happy with a desk job and requested to be tested to see if he could at least go back onto patrol duty. He was able to pass the physical tests and went back on patrol duty. He still was not happy, he wanted to go back on the SWAT team. The physical requirements are much more stringent for this duty. He would have to be able to run a mile in 12 ½ minutes, climb a 20 foot rope, qualify with a sidearm and a rifle, sit-ups, push-ups, chin-ups, etc. His supporters had no doubt that he had the will power because he was a determined man. What they were the most anxious about was the rope climb. The feet and legs are paramount when climbing a rope. The SWAT team commander did not cut Keith any slack because his physical condition is important to supporting his fellow officers in times of crisis. Amazingly, this past weekend Keith ran a mile in 11 minutes and 25 seconds, did the calesthenics successfully, climbed the 20 foot rope within the allowed time and qualified with the weapons. He is waiting for word about being accepted as a SWAT team member once again. As the saying goes, I think Keith has true grit. We need more like him.






Down in the Columbia, SC the employees of the Animal Rescue facility came to work only to find that all of the pit bulls in the lock-up had been stolen. I think we all know what will happen to those poor animals. Yes, dog fighting is apparently still alive and well here in the Palmetto State...not to mention cockfighting.






Last Friday night a Mobile, Alabama city cop was transporting 24 year old Lawrence Wallace to the Metro jail on a charge of robbery. Somehow Wallace got his hands on a knife and stabbed the cop to death and took the car and the cop's weapons. Another cop saw what happened and gave chase. Wallace shot him in the arm and fled the scene. Wallace decided to barricade himself in a house and a standoff ensued...that is until the chief of police arrived on the scene. The chief called for a SWAT team and after they arrived the chief gave Wallace five minutes to surrender. He did not and the chief ordered the SWAT team to go after him. The SWAT team went in and capped Wallace. End of story.






Right after I moved to Pensacola a man went into a downtown bank, walked up one of the tellers and shot and killed her. It was his wife and they had been squabbling. He fled up 9th avenue and barricaded himself in his mother's house on Bayou Blvd. The cops came, surrounded the house and gave the shooter five minutes to surrender. He did not. The cops shot tear gas into the house and went in wearing gas masks and capped him. End of story.






Up near Raleigh, NC a woman with a three year old in a car seat drove into a McDonalds, went around the line waiting to place an order at the menu/speaker and pulled in at the pick-up window and placed her order. The people at the window would not take her order because she broke in line. 20 minutes later she was still sitting there when a cop showed up and ordered her to move on. She did not so the cop pulled his trusty Taser and put her arrogant ass down and arrested her for trespassing. The kid went to family services until the mother was bailed out. If I had been in that line I don't know if I could have contained myself...and I don't think y'all could have either.






This date in history February 6






1820 On this date the first ship carrying freed slaves out of the country left New York harbor for Freetown in the West African country of Sierra Leone. This voyage was sponsored


by the American Colonization Society led by Robert Finley but the United States Congress had kicked in $100,000 for the expenses. These former slaves were those that were brought to the United States illegally after the passing of the American Law in 1808 that forbade slave trade. That’s right folks, slave trade in America was forbidden after 1808. This meant that slaves could no longer be brought into the United States. That did not mean that you could not keep the slaves you had and trade them, buy them or sell them within the boundaries of the United States. So the “illegal slaves” that were brought here after 1808 had the option to go back to Africa. The American plan was based on the English plan whereby the slaves that fought for England during the American Revolutionary War and were unhappy with what was given them in Canada and were allowed to go back to Africa. In 1787 England sent 300 former slaves and 60 white prostitutes to Sierra Leone. Very soon after their arrival they died of disease or in warfare with the Temne tribe. However, in 1792 a second fleet of ships departed but now it had 1,100 former slaves that had fought for England during the Revolutionary War plus thousands that had fled the West Indies and other parts of West Africa and came under the leadership of Thomas Clarkson to the new found country of Liberia and the capitol of Freetown to establish an independent nation. Between 1822 and 1861 15,000 Africans moved to Freetown and the new nation of Liberia was granted independence in 1847 and received diplomatic recognition from the US in 1863. Liberia is the first democratic black nation in history.






1865 On this date one of the most promising military officers on either side, Confederacy or Union, was killed at the Battle of Dabney Mill that I had written about a few days ago. It was the 33 year old John Pegram that was born in Virginia in 1832. He went to West Point and graduated 10th in a class of 46. As with many of his classmates, he resigned his commission at the outbreak of the Civil War and offered his services to the Confederacy. He was originally assigned to the staff of CSA General Braxton Bragg in Tennessee and then to CSA General Kirby Smith’s staff in Mississippi. He was severely injured at the Battle of the Wilderness. He recovered just in time to join CSA Jubal Early in his ill-fated battles with US General Phillip Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley. In December of 1864 he was assigned an infantry division under CSA General John B. Gordon at Petersburg. Pegram took this opportunity to marry his fiancé, Hetty Cary in Richmond. It was reported that Hetty Cary was a stone fox. She was reported to be “The handsomest woman in the south.” John and Hetty were married on January 19, 1865 in Saint Paul’s Church in Richmond. Afterward Pegram returned to duty and was engaged in the Battle of Dabney Mill and while trying to rally his troops, he was killed instantly. His body was brought back to Richmond to Saint Paul’s church where the funeral was held with Hetty kneeling by his casket, they being married three weeks. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.






1891 On this date the Dalton Brothers tries unsuccessfully try to rob a Southern Pacific railroad near Alila, California. Previously the Dalton Brothers, Grat and Bob, had left Oklahoma headed for California to meet brother Bill to rob banks and trains and had left behind their younger brother Emmett because they felt the was too young. On their first unsuccessful try, they boarded the train and asked the engineer where the money was but he refused and Bob shot him in the stomach. They three found the safe car on their own and ordered the guard to open the door. But the guard began firing through a small hole in the heavy door and the Dalton’s booked. The Daltons were four of a family of ten brothers. Their brother Frank was a deputy US Marshal that was killed by bootleggers and bother Bob was selected to take his place. So Bob hired his brothers Grat and Emmett as his deputies. The brothers used this opportunity to use the law to their advantage and began rustling cattle and horses unencumbered. They even killed a man that was hitting on Bob’s girlfriend. Well, the law enforcement hierarchy got fed up and fired them all. They did not do any hard time, however. After this they went into a system of train, stagecoach and bank robberies. Then finally, they did a stupid thing. They tried to rob two banks at once in Coffeyville, Kansas. They rode into town in disguise but were recognized anyway and the good citizens of Coffeyville armed themselves and waited for the Daltons to come out of the banks and out they came. They made it back to an alley where they had their horses tied but the citizenry blocked them into the alley and opened up with a withering fusillade. They all were killed except Emmett and he suffered twelve wounds. Emmett finally recovered from his wounds and was sentenced to 16 years in the slammer. After his release he moved to California and became a land speculator and contractor and became a very wealthy man.






Quotable quotes:






“I am sorry, what was the question? I was distracted by that half-masticated cow wallowing around in your mouth”.


Michael Caine in Miss Congeniality






“George W. Bush’s economic plan will create 2.5 million jobs. The bad news is that they are all for Iraqi soldiers.”


Craig Kilborn






“The graveyards are full of indispensable men.”


Charles de Gaulle






“There are only two types of men on this beach, those that are dead and those that are going to be. Let’s get the hell out of here.” Story attributed to US General “Dutch” Cota but was probably made by Colonel George Taylor on Omaha Beach, 1944.






“Who the hell are you guys?” ”The 5th Rangers, sir”. “Well 5th Rangers, lead us the hell out of here.” Assistant Division Commander of the US 29th Division, Brigadier General Norman “Dutch” Cota, Omaha Beach, 1944.






“We are surrounded. Now they can’t get away from us killing them.”


USMC Brig. General “Chesty”Puller, Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, 1953






Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow