Good morning,







Quote of the day:


“Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere might be having fun.”


                                H. L. Mencken






The answer to the trivia question as to what Mexican-born actor was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor twice...It is Anthony Quinn. The movies were Viva Zapata and Lust for Life. I remember him most in Zorba, the Greek and The Guns of Navarone.






Trivia question:


What was the most expensive privately financed construction project in American history?






This is a report on the most unlucky man this month. Over in Greer, SC an automobile was traveling about 35 MPH on a secondary road and the driver saw a car coming up from behind and was not slowing down, he knew a rear end collision was imminent and braced himself. The other driver, 44 year old Bill Petrie, did indeed not slow down and rear-ended the other car and knocked it into a ditch. The paramedics showed up and both men were taken to a hospital as a precaution. Both were eventually released with little or no injuries apparent. What made Bill Petrie unlucky? The car he hit was a State Trooper Crown Vic. The paramedics stated that there was a strong odor of alcohol coming from Petrie and Bill was charged with a DUI. The item did not say if Bill was tested for alcohol percentage or not. If he was not tested soon after the collision the trip to the hospital will probably save his as-.






I suppose that all of you know about Iran's bragging about the progress they are making in developing nuclear capabilities. The rest of the world, especially Israel, reads that as Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has also bragged that their nuclear development labs are underground in bomb-proof bunkers. US Air Force Lieutenant General Herbert Carlyle begs to differ. He said that the US Air Force has developed a 30,000 pound “bunker buster” bomb. It is called a Massive Ordinance Penetrator or MOP. This puppy will penetrate at least 200 feet of concrete before detonating. General Carlyle said that they are making improvements on that performance and they only received delivery of this weapon last year. As some of you may know, I normally visit Pensacola Beach twice a year. Eglin AFB is about 35 miles east and is known as a center for testing US weaponry. The last time I was in Pensacola Beach there were a few of us sitting around the major watering hole on the beach when we heard and felt an explosion. The glasses behind the bar clinked together. What ever it was, it was powerful. We found out that it was a bomb being tested at Eglin. It was known as a MOAB or Mother Of All Bombs. This beast weighs 20,000 pounds and is a ground penetrator also. Now there is one weighing 30,000 pounds? We heard that the MOAB had to be delivered by a C-130 Hercules because of its weight. What are they going to use for the MOP? I found out that my worries were unfounded, the Hercules has a cargo capacity of 42,000 pounds. The Iranis are a strange group as are most Islamics. Several years ago I saw an interview of a resident of the Iran capitol of Teheran and he was told that nuclear attack on that city would kill 90% of the residents. This jackass responded with “We have a population of seven and a half million. So if we lost 90% that would be about six million, we would still have a million and a half.” What are you going to do with that kind of thinking?






            This date in history March 13






1733 Future Unitarian preacher Joseph Priestly is born in Birstall, Yorkshire, England. Priestly became acquainted with Benjamin Franklin while he was in London trying to do something to avoid a war with England and Ben became a Unitarian as a result even though he did not join Priestley’s Church. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson also were followers of Priestley and were indeed members of Unitarian Churches. John Adams frequently attended services in Priestley’s Church in Philadelphia. A Unitarian is one that believes in God but does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ. They believe that Jesus was a great speaker of God but was not divine. Priestley had a church in London and somehow preached in favor of the American and French Revolutions and got away with it for a while anyway. On the 2nd anniversary of Bastille Day, a crowd in London attacked and burned Priestley’s house, a well equipped laboratory and his Unitarian Church. After this, Priestley had not choice but to get the hell out of Dodge and he immigrated to the United States in 1794. He settled in Northumberland, Pennsylvania and established the 1st Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. He lived in Northumberland until his passing in 1804. Even though Priestly taught an unpopular religion, he was sincere in his belief and was a dedicated lover of freedom.






1865 On this date the Confederate States of America began recruiting black soldiers into their ranks. There were two sides to this issued. One side, Robert E. Lee included, wanted to recruit blacks into the Confederate Army and freedom as the incentive. The other side felt like that they should be allowed into the Confederate army with no incentive at all. The side that wanted no incentives prevailed and they did indeed succeed in recruiting a few black soldiers but not near as many as the over 200,000 recruited by the Union. It was a moot issue anyway because Lee surrendered in April of this year and the war was over. But the most horrible of all times began and that being the so-called Reconstruction which succeeded in instilling more hatred on both sides than four years of combat could have ever done.






1989 On this date one of the most evil men in North America is brought to justice. It is a Mexican named Adolpho de Jesus Constanzo. This jackass owned a ranch named Rancho Santa Elena. He believed in black magic and tortured his victims to the point of death and were mostly prostitutes which made their discovery most unlikely. If his intended victims did not beg for their life, he would kill them immediately and send his henchmen out to find some that would. His mistake was capturing an American named Mark Kilroy after he staggered out a bar in Matamoras. He ended up killing Kilroy and soon the American law enforcement officials were combing the countryside looking for Kilroy. Constanzo convinced one of his henchmen that if he uttered the right words he would be invisible to the police. This dumb-ass left town and drove straight to the ranch knowing that the police in hot pursuit could not see him. Anyway when the police arrive Constanzo is not home but the police “convince” those that are there to tell them where he is. He is in Mexico City and the police surround the apartment he is in. Constanzo wants to fight and opened fire with several Uzis. The police respond in kind and Constanzo knows the jig is up and convinces his henchman named El Duby to shoot and kill him rather than be captured. El Duby obliges and Constanzo died in a hailstorm of Uzi gunfire from good old El Duby. It is estimated that Constanzo was responsible for the torture and death of over 20 but the number could have been as many as 100. With monsters like this, we need to re-think the “cruel and unusual punishment” clause in the Constitution. We of English, Irish and Scottish ancestry can be very inventive when it comes to that, our history is full of it.






1996 On this date a man walked into a kindergarten in Dunblane, Scotland an opened fire killing 16 toddlers and one of their teachers and wounding 12 others before turning the gun on himself. This animal was at one time a leader of Boy Scouts but was kicked out for misconduct with the boys. So he decided to take it out on the littlest of children. Can anyone imagine how terrified those little kids were? It is too bad that he committed suicide, again my thought wander to the basement of the Tower Of London with the Iron maiden, the rack, the pear, thumb screws, a variety of iron rods in various shapes heated to a fiery red, disemboweling tools, a 1000 pound shire horse tied to each limb with someone beating the hell out of all four, etc. I believe if we still had these instruments the incidence of crime would plummet precipitously. But we would not be civilized, now would we?






1836 Just eleven days after the disaster at the Alamo Sam Houston hea that the Mexicans are on their way to Gonzalez, Texas and Sam doesn’t have anything to stop him. The troops that he does have are barely trained if at all. So Sam kept just out of Mexican chief Santa Anna’s reach while he trained his troops to a fine edge. The troops know that the men at the Alamo were annihilated and want their revenge but Sam knows they re not ready so he stays out of Santa Anna’s way. Finally, Sam feels that his men are ready and turns to face Santa Anna. Sam has 756 troops to more than 2000 Mexicans. Sam trapped the Mexicans between Buffalo Creek and San Jacinto Creek southwest of present day Houston and launched a surprise attack. The befuddled Mexicans ran away in every direction but the most of them get caught in the waist deep water of San Jacinto Creek and are massacred by the screaming Texans and other Patriots screaming “Remember the Alamo”. Revenge is sweet, y’all.






Born today:






1901 US actor Paul Fix. He said “The reason that people get lost in thought is because it is unfamiliar territory.” Does this include Hillary?






1950 US actor William Macy. He said “You don’t become an actor because you had a good childhood.” One of my favorite actors said the same thing...Gene Hackman






Died today:






1938 US attorney Clarence Darrow. He said “I am an agnostic. I do not pretend to know what many ignorant men are sure of.” Darrow was a spooky guy, y’all.






2006 US actress Maureen Stapleton. When asked how it felt to win and an Oscar for best supporting actress in the movie “Reds” she said “Not nearly as exciting as it would to be declared one of the greatest lays in the world”. Pretty crusty old girl, huh?






 Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow