Thursday OYSTERS

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

A small group of 101^st Airborne troops were surrounded on a hilltop in remote Afghanistan and they were being chopped to pieces. The attending medic was wounded in the side and bleeding badly. He continued to treat three others that were also wounded until he became so weak from blood loss that he couldn't move but he continued to give instructions on how to treat the others. Finally, he said “I am sorry guys, that is all I can do”...and he died. Think about the things you complain about... this man apologized for dying.

This edition will be one that I have done before and was requested again. It is about my ordeal with prostate cancer which is common among men when reaching a certain age.

Enjoy and learn.

A while back I had a routine office visit with my family physician that I will call “Homeboy”. As a matter of course he had a blood sample taken to check my diabetes among other things. I got a call a few days later and it is Homeboy. He said that my diabetes is tolerable but PSA count is elevated. I have no clue what he is talking about. He said that it is a sign of a prostate problem and that should see a urologist. I asked him to suggest one, and suggest one he did. He sent me to a urologist that I will call “Piledriver”. In the meantime, Homeboy gave me some antibiotics to take before going to see Piledriver so that if it is an infection it will show up on the next blood test. I got an appointment with Piledriver for about three weeks later and that visit is primarily to get my insurance information first and foremost and take another blood test and see if any change has taken place since the antibiotics. Piledriver’s office is easy to find because it is right behind the Bojangles on West Faris Road. I met Piledriver and he took me into a little room and did an obscene thing to me and said that my prostate was somewhat swollen but he did not feel any hard spots but we need a follow up blood test. I got to meet the nurse that is going to take the blood sample and I nicknamed her “Vlad the Impaler”. Vlad had a little trouble finding a blood flow and chose to wallow the needle around some. Finally as I am getting faint, Vlad got her sample and withdrew the needle and put a cotton ball on my arm. Old dumb ass me, still believing I am ten feet tall and bullet proof, almost immediately took the cotton ball off and headed for the door. Before I got to the door a lump the size of a goose egg arose on my forearm and my arm began to swell and stiffen as I got into the car. Three hours later my forearm was black and blue from elbow to wrist and was so sore I could not move it. Two days later my forearm looked like a dead dog so I decided that I had better go see Homeboy. I told Homeboy that I was worried that it might be blood clot so he checked my pulse and blood pressure and all is well that it is just some blood that had gotten loose under the skin because I did not hold the cotton ball on the spot long enough, and in the future I should hold my arm elevated and the cotton ball on the spot for at least 10 minutes after a blood sample. The discoloration and soreness finally subsided. The blood test taken by Vlad did not show any decrease in my PSA level and Piledriver suggested a biopsy three weeks later. I ask him what does a biopsy of a prostate gland entail. My jaw dropped to the floor when he told me. You mean you are going to stick what up where? So I made an appointment three weeks ahead for the biopsy. On the night before the biopsy I was suppose to get an enema. I live alone and a self administered enema is a hell of a trick for a long-waisted, short-armed boy, if you get my drift. Anyway, with some practice and maneuvering I got the job done. I arrived at Piledriver's office early and they finally called me in and wanted me to take all my clothes off except for my socks. I wondered that the socks had to do with it but I was just happy to get that far. After taking my clothes off I laid down on a gurney in a “treatment room” and waited about 35 minutes. This was the best part, I went to sleep. Finally Piledriver came in and we chatted for a short while and he told me to turn on my side. Very soon thereafter I found out what Piledriver had been talking about. He did yet another exploration with his finger and said that I wasn’t swollen very much but he was going to do an Ultrasound to help guide him in the “procedure”. It is believed that in another life Piledriver was the chief papal representative during the Spanish Inquisition and therefore has a propensity for instruments of torture. He pulled out one on this day. I never saw it, but it felt as being of a size between a “D” cell flashlight and a Thermos bottle with a golf ball sized object on the end. I also did not realize that my prostate gland was up near my navel. He looked around in there for a while and then pulled out another instrument of torture and said he was going to give me a “numbing” agent that the needle might “sting a little”. I was beginning to see spots before my eyes. After a few seconds he said that he was going to take a “few samples” and I began hearing sounds like a pneumatic nail gun. “How many samples” I gasped. He said normally it is 12, but he likes to be aggressive so he will get 20. I just bowed my head and tried to think of something more pleasant like a root canal or a wisdom tooth extraction. Eventually he said he was finished and withdrew all of his apparatus. Then I heard a female voice say “I will send these off to the lab”. I turn around and there is a fairly young nurse standing there that I had met before. I asked her if she had been there the whole time and she said yes. How could this girl ever have a romantic interlude with a man? This experience instilled in me a new respect for the gay men community. Anyway, the biopsy showed that it was indeed prostate cancer. Piledriver gave me three options. It was radiation therapy, surgery or radioactive implants and told me the positives and negatives of each procedure. I opted for the radiation therapy and he made arrangements for me at Cancer Center of the Carolinas behind the Platinum Plus strip joint. They were very professional and guided me through 38 treatments at five treatments a week until the therapy was complete. I went back over see Piledriver for a follow up visit. He said that I needed to get a hormone shot that would last a year. I asked him what was in the shot and he said Estrogen. That my friends, is a female hormone and the after effects are predictable. Piledriver said it was meant to shrink my prostate just in case. The next year is just a haze that I have little memory of. After a year I went back to Piledriver for a blood test for my PSA level and it was minuscule. He said that I need not come back anymore. It finally dawned on me how fortunate I really was. However the encounter with the “D” cell flashlight and the pneumatic nail gun will not be forgotten.

                  Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.

Wednesday OYSTERS

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“Men have always been able to read maps better than women. It takes a male mind to understand the concept of 1 inch equals 5 miles.”

                                        Roseanne Barr

I had my normal 4 month “follow up” visit with my doctor yesterday morning. My height was measured (6'-0 1/2”) I was weighed (225), had my blood pressure taken (130/60), a blood sample taken for my diabetes (A1C 6.2), blood sample taken for liver, kidneys, cholesterol, PSA, etc., a flu shot, a pneumonia shot, a short conference with the doctor and was back in my car in 14 minutes. My doctors office is the epitome of efficiency and he ain't one for idle chatter, I ain't either. But he did say that I should be on the cover of an old people magazine for being in as good a shape as I am in spite of the torture I have put my body through....but it was a hell of a ride.

I received yet another treatise making fun of us southerners. I deleted it with much scorn. Here are a few of my thoughts. In spite of what is believed by many the sun does not rise in Long Island and set in Yonkers with Manhattan being the center of the universe. Anyone that automatically assumes that a person's intelligence is based upon the location of their birthplace relative to a degree of latitude and longitude is way more stupid than Junior Sample. If anyone would look into the history of this great nation they would realize that if it were not for those wild and crazy guys from the southern Appalachians taking care of business during the American Revolution we all would be speaking with an English accent. Back when I was working I was offered a job and a lot of money but the job was in New Jersey just across the river from Manhattan. I refused because I just did not want to endure the unmitigated arrogance that I have experienced in the past once my accent was detected. I had that problem when I took an engineering job in Reading, Pennsylvania. After a week or so the natives would say things like “Don't let his accent fool you, he is no dummy.” My accent? Someone's intelligence is determined by an accent? Who are the dumb-asses here? From this day on I am going to believe that anyone born north of the 42^nd parallel and east of the 103^rd meridian is a dumb-ass because of where they were born. That makes a lot of sense doesn't it?

Here is the completion of the rise of Mary I as Queen of England. She did indeed marry Phillip II of Spain and soon thereafter her appetite changed, her belly began swelling and had “morning sickness” and accordingly everyone thought she was knocked up. Later on even Princess Elizabeth was called into witness the birth. But Mary was not pregnant, it was a false pregnancy and her appetite returned to normal and her belly shrank back to normal. Mary was Queen until she died in 1558, probably of uterine cancer...remember the swelling of the belly?...It happened again but this time it was fatal. This would make one think that Phillip II would become King of England and he was indeed titled as the King of England and Ireland...but there was a provision. Phillip would retain this title for as long as he was married to Mary so when she died it was all over for Phillip. Before she died, Mary named her half-sister Elizabeth as heir to the throne since there was no issue of a son by her and Phillip, in fact they had no children at all but during her five years, Mary had about 250 protestant dissidents burned at the stake. Was Mary's illness and death karma for this? Bloody Mary, indeed.

This Date in History September 30

1955 Actor James Dean and his mechanic Rolf Wutherich are killed in a head on collision in Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder while enroute to a road race. Dean, even though only making 3 movies, became an icon of the restless generation and its convoluted lifestyle. He never could get a handle on his unbounded energy and lust for speed even trying motorcycle racing. I remember him best as Jett Rink in the movie Giant. What an amazing performance he gave us. But what made the movie especially good was that Elizabeth Taylor was co-starring. I have been in love with her for centuries. I guess he is best known for his first movie Rebel Without a Cause where he played a tortured man that is pretty much like himself. To me he seemed like a person going fast down a hill and don’t know how to stop. His death was a great loss for us all.

1938 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Prime minister Eduardo Daladier met with Hitler in Munich and sign a pact with this monster that they would not intervene when Hitler “annexed” Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain is elated that war between England and Germany had been averted even though Czechoslovakia was offered up as a sacrificial lamb. Daladier in really pissed off about it but he knew that the French army could not stand up to the German war machine and did not want to have his country destroyed. It happened anyway. The next day the German army rolled into Czechoslovakia. Shortly thereafter Germany invaded Poland and Chamberlain has to announce that England is going to war against Germany. The Germans also invade France and France capitulated without a fight. So what else is new? Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield one said “Going to war with France as an ally is like going duck hunting with an accordion.”

1924 Author Truman Capote is born in New Orleans. Truman was aflame but achieved much success and wealth from his writings primarily with In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s both of which were made into movies. He did not how to handle his fame very well and began a life of jet setting and party, party. Truman died at the age of 60 after a life of excesses.

1949. The Berlin Airlift ends. Let me tell you folks, as an ex-air traffic controller this was the greatest logistical operation ever conceived. Russia had blocked all ground accesses to West Berlin leaving those folks with no way to get anything for survival. So the allies, primarily the good old USA, began flying supplies to the beleaguered city. The Airlift began 15 months previous and those airmen flew 250,000 flights and hauled 2 million tons of supplies into West Berlin. I have seen movies on how this was done without planes running over each other. It was a miracle that there were very, very few instances of danger. After seeing that the allies could supply West Berlin indefinitely the Russian said “To hell with it” and opened the roads and rails.

1889. The state of Wyoming enacted a law that allowed women to vote and was the very first one to do so. There was a lot of speculation as to why a remote western state would be the first and the consensus of opinion was that this was a reward for the pioneer women that helped settle this wild frontier. By 1914 there was a definite pattern emerging because every state west of the Mississippi had woman suffrage and none of the states east of the Mississippi did. What’s up with that? Anyway, all is cool now.

Born today:

1207 Afghan mystic Jalal-ud-din-Rumi. He said “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.” Sounds like the stock market to me.

1921 Scottish actress Deborah Kerr. She said “I came over here (Hollywood) to act, but turned out that all I had to do was be high-minded, long-suffering, white gloved, and decorative.” This girl was dynamite in two movies, From Here to Eternity and An Affair to Remember.

1924 Playwright Truman Capote. He said “Life is a moderately good play with a poorly written third act.” Truman was a notorious homosexual who died at the age of 60 probably of AIDS but he burned the candle at both ends while alive.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Tuesday OYSTERS

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

When asked how he wanted be remembered he said “I want to be remembered as a friend and loved by my family.”

                                                  Doc Watson

Recently deceased Civil War historian Shelby Foote refused to use any mechanical or electronic device to write his essays, he used only pencil and paper. Here is one of his stories: There was a group of 10 Confederate infantrymen encircled by 100 Union soldiers and the Confederates were ordered to surrender. They refused and continued to fight at a ferocious pace. Finally all the Confederates were killed except one and he was out of ammo. The Union soldiers closed in and the Confederate came out of his cover swinging his musket like a Louisville Slugger. The Union officer in charge ordered this Confederate not to be killed and he was finally overpowered and restrained. Afterward he was asked why he fought so hard. He did NOT say so that John Reynolds up in North Carolina could keep his slaves to tend to his tobacco fields...he did NOT say so that Wade Hampton III in South Carolina could keep his slaves to tend to his rice fields and cotton plantation...he did NOT say so that the Gwinnett brothers down in Georgia could keep their slaves to tend to their pecan orchards, peach orchards and corn fields...what he DID say say “I fought like this because y'all are down here.” He felt invaded as did 90% of the average Confederate infantrymen. That is why the ferocity and persistence of their attacks were without parallel regardless of the odds. To them the political mystique about slavery meant nothing, they were simply fighting to save their homes and families from invaders. That is why the Union army suffered a series of ignominious defeats in the early years of the war. The Confederates were more motivated than their enemy and most of the early battles were fought on Confederate soil...it is not that hard to understand.

Thanks Shelby

Speaking of politics, the Congressman from my district before the present one was named Bob Inglis. As I remember it his campaign slogan was “two terms and out”. When he was running for his SIXTH term he was defeated in the primaries by a bulldog named Trey Gowdy. When asked why he had betrayed us by ignoring his campaign promise he said that the power he had was intoxicating. Once he was defeated in the primaries he only had a few more months left in office. He and five or six more “lame duck” couples were sent on a “fact finding mission” to the Galapagos Islands off the west coast of Peru and then to the Great Barrier Reef east of Australia. They went on a US Air Force equivalent of a DC-9 with a catering crew aboard seeing to their every need. Intoxicating indeed, but it sickened the hell out of me.

This Date in History September 29

 

1908 Gene Autry is born in Tioga, Texas. At a young age his family moved to Oklahoma where Gene became a railroad telegrapher. One day while sitting in the train station strumming his guitar and singing, a stranger walked up and listened for a while and suggested that he should try singing on the radio. The stranger was the world famous Will Rogers and Will told Gene he should go to New York and who to contact. Gene did not succeed in The Big Apple and came back to Oklahoma and started a radio show that ran for many years. He started a successful TV show also along with making many B Grade movies. Gene was a wise investor and became one of the wealthiest men in America. Gene went to that great ranch in the sky in 1998. By the way, his horse’s name was Champion.

1862 In Louisville Ky. US Gen. Jefferson Davis (not the President of CSA) and US Gen. William Nelson got into a screaming argument in the lobby of a hotel. Nelson losses it and slaps Gen. Davis and headed upstairs. Davis followed him and pulled out a pistol and capped Nelson. Davis was never taken to trial for two reasons and that being Davis was a recognized as a superior military leader and the Governor of Indiana intervened in Davis’ behalf. The Governor was with Davis when the shot was fired. Davis went on the serve with distinction in the Chickamauga/Chattanooga campaign among others.

1748 The legendary British hero Horatio Nelson is born in Burnham Thorpe, England. If there ever was a military leader that needed to be canonized it was Nelson. Nelson joined the British Navy and went to sea as a midshipman at the age of 12 and became a Captain at the age of 20. In their seemingly unending battles with Spain and France Great Britain gave Nelson command of the 64 gun frigate HMS Agamemnon to beef up the naval forces. He immediately showed his peers his bravery and skill in naval warfare and I could spend an entire lesson on the adventures of Nelson. His life was one that would make a great novel. But briefly he won several important naval engagements that prevented Spain or France from invading England. During these battles he lost and eye and his right arm but kept his command. He had a lover who was the wife of a British diplomat along with a wife of his own. His lover’s husband Lord Hamilton allowed the tryst because of Nelson’s importance in his country. Finally he was in command of the frigate HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar where his navy crushed the French navy that was in support of Napoleon stopping him from invading England. During this battle Nelson was shot in the shoulder and chest by a French sharpshooter. Knowing he was close to death Nelson uttered the famous phrase “Thank God I have done my duty.” After he died, his body was put into a barrel of rum to preserve it while reroute back to England for a heroes burial. He was buried at the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. I have been to St. Paul’s and have seen the statue of Nelson at, you guessed it, Trafalgar Square. From that time on the rum kept aboard ships was known as “Nelson’s blood”

Born today:

1547 Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. He said “Where there is music there can be no evil.” Miguel is the author of The Man of La Mancha better known as Don Quixote, one of the most read and beloved creations of literature in history.

1810 English writer Elizabeth Gaskell. She said “I’ll never listen to reason. Reason means that you are listening to what someone else has to say.” Good thinking, Liz.

1889 German author Martin Heidegger. He said “Man acts if he were the shaper and master of language, when in fact language remains the master.” Hey Martin, did you say something?

1903 US actress Greer Garson. When speaking about Marlon Brando she said “Actors like him are good but I do not like people that try to communicate with their armpits.” Marlon was one of my favorites but he has gone to that great sound stage in the sky.

1935 US rock and roll pianist Jerry Lee Lewis. He said “If I go to hell, I will go playing a piano.” Jerry Lee married his 14 year old cousin at one time. A lot of people remember Jerry Lee for the song Great Balls of Fire but I think his rendition of Hank Williams’ Born to Lose is his best. It really gets to me.

1943 Polish leader Lech Welesa. He said “I must tell you that the supply of words worldwide is increasing, but it appears the demand is falling.” I agree with you, Lech.

            Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Monday OYSTERS

Good morning,

Quotes of the day:

“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'”

                                      John Greenleaf Whittier

 

“Men would sleep with a bicycle if it had the right color lip gloss on. They have no shame. They are like a bull elk in an open field. They locate what they want by scent.”

                                                       Tori Amos

Last Friday a friend from the Four O' Clock Club and I was discussing US politics. He was really upset that John Boehner was resigning from the Speaker of the House and Congress in general effective October 30, 2015. My friend felt that it was because the “Tea Party” and members of the “ultra right wing” had leaned on him so heavily that he felt he was no able to gather the Republicans against the Democrats making him ineffective. He also felt that Boehner had “sacrificed his life” in the service of his country. I am not sure that “sacrificing his life” is the correct term. He and his family has had a phenomenal life with him as a professional politician and his retirement will not be drudgery. The benefits that he and his family have and will receive are light years more than the average person gets in their lifetime including me. But perhaps my friend is right. Boehner is a devout Catholic and therefore I believe he is deeply disturbed with the Planned Parenthood issue. I don't know the real reason and neither does my friend, the reason for his resignation is known only to Rep. John Boehner. I personally think that he realized that the rank and file Republican Congressmen have lost faith in he AND Mitch McConnell. He is an emotional man and has been observed several times in tears deciding the route to take on given issues. So have I...and so have all of you.

A while back a friend of mine said that he was going to start taking Karate lessons because it was getting dangerous out on the streets. I told him that instead of that he needs a course on How to Meet and Greet People given by people like Colt, Smith, Wesson, Remington, Rossi, Glock, etc…They have something that barks over here and bites over there.

A few days ago a 73 year old man in a South Carolina prison was found dead in his cell. He had been murdered. Saverio Piazzola was serving a 10 year sentence for criminal sexual conduct with a minor. In most prisons in America men that are incarcerated for sexually abusing children live short lives. I have no sympathy.

The United States delegation to the United Nations walked out on a speech given by that moron from Iran, Ahmadinejad. This jackass suggested that it was the United States that orchestrated the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center to help insure the survival of Israel. If I had been in that delegation I would not have been able to contain myself. I would had to have called him something I heard from a drunk sailor in Biloxi. It was not complimentary and very descriptive.

This Date in History September 28

1991 Trumpet virtuoso Miles Davis died at the age of 65. Miles was born to a privileged family who gave to him a good education including the renowned Julliard School of Music where Miles soared with his virtuosity. Miles was basically a jazz musician but was not restricted to that. He was not afraid to venture out into or mix different genres of music. He had a monkey on his back most of his adult life as did his roommate Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. Charlie was a gifted musician on the alto sax. Miles and Charlie played many, many sets together. If I am not mistaken, Charlie Parker died of a heroin overdose. Miles was finally able to kick the habit and produced several jazz milestone albums before going to the great trio in the sky.

1863 US Generals Alexander McCook and Thomas Crittenden are given the blame for the severe ass-kicking that was received at Chickamauga at the hands of CSA Gen. Braxton Bragg and CSA Gen. James Longstreet. It was the flanks held by McCook and Crittenden that were shattered by Longstreet’s Rebs resulting a panic and rout of the Union left. The Union right flank under the command of US Gen. George Thomas stayed cohesive and withdrew in an orderly manner. It was the Union overall commander US Gen. Rosecrans that did the finger pointing to take the heat off him. McCook and Crittenden were relieved and sent to the Indiana area to menial jobs. Rosecrans did not dodge the bullet and he also was relieved and the command of his army was given to US Gen. George Thomas known as “The Rock of Chickamauga.”

1066 One of the most important events the history of western man occurs on this day. William of Normandy set foot on English soil near Pevensey in Southeast England to stake his claim for the English throne. However, he wasn’t the only one who had eyes for the throne. Three days before William’s brother Tostic and King Harald III of Norway joined forces and had attacked England from Scotland but were met by King Harold of England and his army at Stamford Bridge. The English army annihilated Tostic and Harald III and their army. The destruction was total. King Harold of England was told of the landing of William at Pevensey and turned his army in that direction. He marched the 250 miles to Hastings battlefield in 29 days gathering volunteers as me went. Once there he and his army dug in on a hill to minimize any cavalry movements and awaited Williams attack. William did not disappoint and struck hard at Harold’s center. Harold was correct in assuming the hillside minimized the effect of the cavalry and the fight was mostly with infantry. A chronicler wrote that “William’s forces looked as a dancer in their movements whilst Harold’s army appeared to grow out of the ground unmoving.” A French mounted knight got through Harold’s lines and swept by and beheaded Harold with one swipe of his sword. After this the English forces scattered. Harold of England’s army was soundly defeated and William was crowned King of England the following Christmas. William got his claim to the throne by being the illegitimate son of one of the natural heirs to the English throne who had died. William was from a long line of Scandinavians meaning Vikings. His crowning marked the end of Anglo-Saxon England and the French speaking people from Normandy melded their languages into what now is modern English. William from this day on was known as William the Conqueror. I have a separate essay on William the Conqueror I think y’all would find it interesting.

Born today:

555BC Chinese philosopher Confucius. He said “Have no friends not equal to yourself”. Hey Confucius, not equal to yourself doing what?

1902 TV host Ed Sullivan. He said “If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time because a dose of joy is a spiritual thing, it transcends all barriers.” That is pretty deep thinking there Ed.

1909 US cartoonist Al Capp (Li’l Abner). He said “Young people should be helped, sheltered, ignored and clubbed if necessary.” You can’t do that any more, Al.

1972 US actress Gwyneth Paltrow. She said “Beauty to me is being comfortable in your own skin, or maybe a kick-ass red lipstick.” This girl has great lips.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Wednesday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“Enjoy when you can and endure when you must.”

                              Johann Von Goethe

A couple of days ago I lambasted those Syrian and Iraqi men for running away from their homeland and leaving it to ISIS. This just goes to show you how Americans think. This country was established and held by force of arms and I assumed that if anyone invaded this country they would have to deal with an estimated 500 million firearms of a variety of powers, gauges and calibers and many very angry citizens, me included. Not every country has a 2^nd Amendment guaranteeing the right to bear arms meaning the Syrians and the Iraqis may have had nothing to fight with. When the Japanese architect of the raid on Pearl Harbor Admiral Yamamoto was asked why he did not cross the Pacific and invade the United States west coast he said “There are too many firearms in the hands of the citizens”. Our ancestors had a hell of a lot more foresight than the leaders of today.

Here in my home town a recent “letter to the editor” was published by the local mullet wrapper known as the Greenville News. Some ignorant redneck sent a letter to the paper lambasting Starbucks for publishing an item saying that they are not going to forbid anyone from entering any of their shops bearing a weapon but request that their customers do not. This lunatic sent a letter to the editor saying that Starbucks might as well put a sign on their doors saying “robbers welcome”. Using this logic this lunatic obviously believes that if you put a sign on a front door saying “no guns allowed” it will stop any armed robberies. The bad part was that the Greenville News published this baloney. Ads and notifications in the newspapers will have no effect on crime but they published it anyway. It just shows you how anti-gun this local rag is. It is disgusting.

A friend leaned on me for condemning Jimi Hendricks because Jimi chose to commit suicide with drugs rather than bless us with his God given talent for a longer period of time. My friend said that I should just acknowledge what contribution Jimi made and let it go at that. He is right...if just aggravates me that many, many talented people die from self inflicted wounds or fatal addictions. Perhaps I should just take a pill and chill...maybe not the pill. Thanks Pete.

A few days ago I sent y’all a vignette about the Battle of Thermopylae in eastern Greece. In spite of the heroics by the Spartans, the Persians did eventually prevail and went through Greece burning, raping and pillaging. They did not prevail in the long run and here is why. It was because of two battles, one by sea and another was a land battle…here the sea battle:

Salamis

After the defeat of the Greeks at Thermopylae, the Persian army marched almost unopposed and began the razing of many of the city-states in Greece including Athens. Earlier the Athenians began evacuating to the Salamis peninsula across the Sardonic Gulf from Athens. Following the Persian army was the Persian navy of about 750 ships. The only way for the Athenians not to be captured or cut off was to prevent the Persians from blockading Salamis. The Greeks assembled about 378 triremes (warships) to combat the 750 ships in the Persian fleet. The Persians were lured into a small estuary in a light wind with the Athenians slowly retreating. The Persians did not learn a damned thing at Marathon. The Greeks do not withdraw unless they have a mission in mind, especially if Spartans are involved. After a while the wind began to freshen and blew the Persian ships right at the Greeks. The Greeks were not interested in fighting ship-to-ship as the Persians; they use their larger and slower ships as nothing more than platforms for their infantry and catapults of “Greek fire”. Greek fire is mentioned in many manuscripts throughout the ancient world. No one knows exactly what it was but Herodotus tells us that is was probably a mixture of tar and naphtha, poured into a clay jar and set afire then launched toward the enemy by catapults. The burning tar sticks to nearly everything it touches and since all the ships were made of wood, the fire was deadly. If that didn’t work, they would throw grappling hooks to the enemy ships, pull them together and send the wild-eyed Spartan Hoplites (professional well armed soldiers) aboard the enemy ships to take care of business with spear and sword. The Greeks knew that the winds would increase and from what direction and set up for the Persian to be blown right into their laps. The retreat was just a delaying tactic waiting on the winds to come, and come they did. The Persians finally figured out what the Greeks were up to and tried to retreat but the prevailing wind prevented it. Before the battle was joined, King Xerxes set a chair out on a bluff overlooking the battle site and was stunned as he watched over 200 of his ships destroyed or sunk. After this, Xerxes boarded one of his ships and sailed his young ass back to Persia. It is thought by many historians that this was the most important military victories in history because it prevented a Persian presence in Europe. Today the Persians are running to Europe in fear of ISIS and crying like a baby. The next major encounter was a land battle...later.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Tuesday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“We are all captains of our own ships; if your ship sinks you go down with it.”

                                               Winston Churchill

Here is an interesting story:

Some of you may not know this but the Earth is not perfectly vertical on its axis relative to the sun, it is tilted about 16 degrees. This is what gives us our seasons. This tilt allows the northern hemisphere to be closer to the sun than the southern hemisphere during our summer. When the Earth moves to the other side of the sun, it is winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere. If the Earth was perfectly vertical we would have the same weather year round. Not only that the Earth wobbles on its axis like a whirling top when it is slowing down. It takes a thousand years for this recession (wobble) to complete one rotation. During the winter of 1697 the winter was especially harsh with the temperatures about 15 degrees colder than normal meaning a lot more snow possibly caused by the recession (wobble) making the northern hemisphere further away from the sun than normal for several years. This era was known as “The Little Ice Age”. The American colonies from Maryland through New England were especially hard hit. In the small village of Leonardtown, MD. there lived an aged spinster named Moll Dyer. The people of Leonardtown were really suffering...except for Moll Dyer. She lived alone in a small cabin out in the woods some distance from the village. She had an in depth knowledge of roots and herbs and sold them to the ailing residents of Leonardtown and kept herself up very well. The residents decided that the cause of the severe weather and Moll Dyer doing well was because she was a witch. They gathered together torches aflame on the shortest night of the year (Dec. 21) and burned her house down. Moll escaped and ran down a small creek so her footprints in the snow would not be seen and wearing nothing but the clothes on her back. She was pursued and they heard her shreiking a curse at her pursuers. They finally found her froze to death with her left hand on a large boulder and her right hand up in the air with a finger pointing skyward. It is legend that her hand print was embedded into the boulder. The patch of woods where her cabin was is still as it was in 1697. The present owner of this land says that on occasion she sees a faint figure walking through the woods and hears screams especially if there is snow on the ground. To this day no one in the town will go into those woods and stay any length of time. One elderly lady said that she and three other went walking in the woods and the deeper they went the more the wind blew and eventually there was thunder and lightning. They ran back to their car feeling for sure they were being followed...they all said they felt a presence. Once they reach their car the wind died and the thunder and lightning subsided. I do not believe in ghosts but I do believe in spirits of the soul...I also believe that you can communicate with those passed souls that you were bonded to. I know, if I believe in this then it is only a baby step to believing in ghosts...but a step none the less.

I saw J.J. Watt interviewed a few days ago. He is a monster of a man that is a defensive end for the Houston Texans. The interviewer eventually got around to all the bad news we are reading since the Ray Rice (beating his wife) episode came to light. J. J. acknowledged that domestic violence is not to be tolerated but he also said something that I have been crowing about for years. He said that all we see in the media is bad news and scandal because it improves ratings and that sells air time, magazines and newspapers, but hundreds of players in all professional sports sponsor many, many charities and worthwhile endeavors that are never mentioned. This is true to a a lesser extent at the local level. OK, I am off my soap box.

This Date in History September 22

1989 Irving Berlin died at the age of 101. What can be said that hasn’t been said already? He was a Russian immigrant and came to New York in 1893. His father died early and little Israel Balin (Irving Berlin) began trying to help his mother and his 7 siblings by doing a sidewalk entertainment show. He sang, danced, told jokes, etc. for whatever coins that were tossed his way. But later he changed his name to Irving Berlin and began writing song and plays and was soon recognized for the genius that he was. Just a few of the songs he gave us: God Bless America, Dancing Cheek to Cheek, Puttin’ on the Ritz, White Christmas, Blue Skies and many others. He was drafted during WWI and went uncomplainingly into the infantry. While in the army he wrote Oh How I hate to get up in the morning. He was a truly gifted individual.

1964 Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona was running for president against LBJ and said that if the US is not willing to go in and conquer North Vietnam it would be better if the US withdraws completely. He also recommended using low yield nuclear devices at all country borders so they would be impassable for years to come. He called LBJ a liar and said that LBJ is indeed committing the US to what is essentially a private war. LBJ and the Democrats rose up in unison and called Goldwater a bloodthirsty warmonger. Within weeks after Johnson won the election he ordered the 1^st and 5^th Marines among others into Nam and very soon there 80,000 American troops on Nam and the numbers were still climbing. Maybe LBJ was indeed lying. But I ain’t sure low yield nuclear devices was the answer either.

1961 JFK brings the Peace Corps into existence. Originally thought to be used a weapon against Communism, it evolved into an agency to improve the education and well being of the less fortunate no matter who or where and that is what it is today.

1554 The Spanish conquistador Coronado died never having achieved his dream of finding the Seven Cities of Gold full of precious gems as told in mythology. He was lead on an expedition to what was said to be the city but it turned out to be a small Zuni village of adobe huts. Another Indian came and said that his tribe has a city like he was looking for and off they went on yet another trek. They went through what is now Texas, Oklahoma and on into what is now Missouri. No golden cities were found so Coronado returned to Vera Cruz, Mexico. Even though he found no gold, Coronado had the sense to map the areas he went through and these maps proved to be very valuable to those that followed.

Born today:

1791 English scientist Michael Faraday. When trying to explain the usefulness of electricity to Prime Minister Gladstone he said. “Why sir, it is likely that soon you will be able to tax it.” Hey Mike, you have no idea how accurate you were.

1958 US rocker Joan Jett. She said “I use to stand in front of a mirror and pretend I was Janis Joplin”. Janis sang not with her voice but with her heart and soul, Piece of My Heart in particular.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Monday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“Happiness is not found in possessions and gold; Happiness is found only in the soul.

                                                         Democritus

I cannot get over the Syrian and Iranian “immigrants” that are flooding into the Balkan countries. It looks like 90% are men between the age of 16 and 30. These men are running away from ISIS domination giving their country to them without a fight. Their problem appears to be that they paid a lot of money to “transporters” to get them to the European borders and now they are not allowed to cross immediately and are angry and rioting. Regardless, what would you do if ISIS attacked the United States from Mexico? Would you run away to Canada, Iceland or Ireland and riot if they did not let you in immediately...or would stay at home and fight and die if necessary to protect your country using the weapons that the 2^nd Amendment guarantees you? I think I know the answer to that one. I have nothing but contempt for those men...no, they are not men they are gutless children.

As most of you know the administration and the media are terrified of Donald Trump. The reason is that Donald does not need political office to make a living and therefore he does not need the approval of anyone especially the political cabal and the media...only the people. Both are looking for anything to discredit Donald. I am no fan of Donald (it is Carly Fiorina for the present) but when the media jumped Donald for the following it just shows how desperate they really are on which side their bread is buttered. A person at a meeting where Donald was in attendance said that he thought Obama was a Muslim and Donald said nothing. The media jumped all over that saying that Donald should have admonished this person for making that statement. Donald said that he is not a defender of Obama and everyone has a right to their opinion...and it proves just how dishonest and prejudiced the media really is. Donald also said that he would serve as President with no pay. Look and see how much Michelle Obama makes. I don't know if Obama is a Muslim or not but he certainly is no Patriot.

A few days after D-day a trumpeter/bugler came ashore and was playing Reveille in the morning and Taps at night. On one particular n ight his commander told him to not play Taps because they knew of one particular German sniper out there that they had not been able to locate. The trumpeter known as Captain Jack decided to play anyway, except he played Lili Marlene, which is almost the national song of Germany. Jack was not shot at but the next morning a team of Allied soldiers brought in 15 German prisoners and one of them said in broken English, “Who played the trumpet?” Captain Jack said that he was the trumpeter and they shook hands. The prisoner said that when he heard Lili Marlene he thought of his girl friend, his brothers and sister, his parents and grandparents and decided that he had rather live and surrendered. In this case, music made a difference.

A while back 31 immigrants from all over the globe completed the process and took the oath of allegiance to the United States and became citizens. The ceremony took place in the amphitheater on the property of poet/writer Carl Sandburg near Flat Rock, North Carolina. These people I welcome with open arms. It is the fence jumper, river swimmers and drug dealers that cross our borders illegally that I have a real problem with.

This Date in History September 21

1915 Henry Ford II takes over at Ford after the sudden death of his father. The company was rapidly approaching bankruptcy and needed help. The first thing Henry II did was fire the Personnel Chief Harry Bennett who for years had used strong armed tactics and a anti-union stance that made Ford famous for bad labor relations. Henry had virtually no management training or experience and he knew it. So he hired several young financial wizards led by Robert McNamara known as the “Whiz kids”. Among these young guys was a Princeton graduate named Lee Iacocca. As we all may or may not remember Robert McNamara later became the Secretary of Defense under JFK and Iacocca became president of Chrysler. The “whiz kids” saved Ford from bankruptcy and the rest is history.

1961 The US 5^th Special Forces Group, 1^st Special Forces is activated at Fort Bragg, NC by President JFK. Kennedy was very interested in this unit and came to visit. While there he specified that the unit was to be used to train the Vietnamese people to do their own counter-insurgency work. He also allowed them to wear a special headgear, the Green Beret. The 5^th Special Forces Group went to Nam in 1964 and assumed responsibility for all Special Forces. They zeroed in on the mountain people known as the Montagnards and trained them extensively. By 1970 there were about 42,000 men and women trained by the Green Berets in Nam and the Green Berets transferred responsibility to the South Vietnam Border Rangers for the rest of the war. The 5^th was withdrawn from Nam in February of 1971. The Green Berets executed their mission magnificently but sadly it seems that it was all for naught.

1942 On this date the first B-29 Super Fortress went on a test flight in Seattle, Washington. The bomber was an idea dreamed up by US Gen. Hap Arnold that wanted a bomber that could lift nearly its own weight and have a range of 3,000 plus miles. Boeing got the contract and delivered the bomber in minimum time. This bomber was instrumental in ending the war in the Pacific as the B-17 Flying Fortress was in ending the war in Europe during WWII. I guess the 2 most famous B-29s were the Enola Gay and Bock’s Car. The morning of August 6, 1945 saw the Enola Gay over Hiroshima, Japan and the morning of August 9, 1945 saw Bock’s Car over Nagasaki, Japan. Bock’s Car got its name from the pilot John Bock but on this day the pilot was Major Charles Sweeney.

Born today:

1821 English writer H.G. Wells. He said “Every time I see an adult riding a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” It will take a lot more than that for me to lose my despair.

1950 US comic Bill Murray. He said “I am a nut, but not just any nut.” Me neither.

1954 US drummer Phil Taylor. He said “We go home afterward safe in the knowledge that we have deafened a few.” Not this horse, Phil.

Died today:

19BC Roman writer Virgil. He said “It does not bother the wolf as to how many sheep there are.” That sounds like Robert E. Lee to me.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Friday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“Those that try to appear wise among fools, to the wise appear foolish.”

                                Marcus Fabius Quintalianus

I have launched a two pronged assault on two different historical eras. The first one is the siege of the city of Troy by King Agamemnon and his brother King Menelaus and their associated navies and infantries. The Greek kingdoms governed by Agamemnon and Menelaus did indeed exist and has been proven by archaeological evidence. However, the actions of said kings against the city of Troy (including Helen of Troy) were written by Homer in his immortal novels The Iliad and The Odyssey. Homer's great writings obviously mixed actual events and mythology. The problems is figuring out what is myth and what is actual fact. There is no question that the city of Troy existed. The city was uncovered by a German archaeologist many years ago. It is near the Aegean Sea in western Turkey. But knowing for sure that there were warriors like Achilles, Ajax, Hector or people like Helen, Paris and Priam are real or a stupendous feat of the imagination of Homer, will never be proven...but it is fun to read the words of a genius like Homer.

The second one is the turmoil in England after the death of Henry VIII. A few years before his death Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church over a divorce issue. He founded the Church of England which is always lead by the King or Queen of England. He presented an edict that his heir to the throne would be of Tudor (Henry's family name) blood and most of all a Protestant. This edict was passed into law by Parliament. Henry had three children that survived him, one male and two females. They were Edward, Mary and Elizabeth. Being male, when Henry died Edward took the throne at the age of 9 as King Edward VI. One of the people in the line of succession was Lady Jane Grey who was married to Guilford Dudley, the son of John Dudley also known as the Duke of Northumberland. The Duke opined that if Edward were to expire, the next in line would be Mary, but she was a dedicated Catholic and her rise to the throne would not be allowed and would eventually lead to Lady Jane Grey. With this in mind he decided to slowly kill Edward which would lead to Lady Jane Grey taking the throne as Queen with his son Guilford as King. Northumberland had Guilford under his thumb and knew that with this control he would become enormously more powerful and wealthy. He had several followers of this line of thought hoping to reap some of the windfall that they hoped would come. Northumberland made a deal with an apothecary (pharmacist) that gave him small doses of arsenic which he fed to Edward beginning when Edward was about 12. Edward eventually died a horrible death at the age of 15. Under the influence of immense political pressure, Lady Jane Grey very reluctantly took the crown and became Queen. However, soon after this Northumberland treachery was found out and the infamous shit hit the fan beginning with the suicide of the apothecary. All of those involved in this cabal, especially Lady Jane herself, were arrested and thrown into the Tower. Elizabeth was also arrested and while in the Tower Elizabeth and one of Northumberland's sons also named Robert who was also imprisoned, struck up a relationship that lasted for the rest of their lives (their relationship is one for the ages and I will include it in one of m future blogs). Several of those involved were found guilty of treason. The men were sentenced to being hanged, drawn and quartered and the women were sentenced to being burned at the stake. Elizabeth and Robert were exonerated and freed. Mary, now Queen, stepped in and changed the sentences to beheading. This was essentially an act of mercy since a beheading would be painless...maybe. When Henry VIII split from the Catholic Church the land and properties of the church were divided among different persons of royalty and influence. Mary was allowed to become Queen and remain a Catholic as long as those that had stolen the property of the church were allowed to keep them. The executioner did his job and heads literally rolled, y'all, beginning with Northumberland and ending with Lady Jane. I am now into the first few days and months of Queen Mary and yet more turmoil is afoot. More about this real life adventure will follow later.

Speaking of poison one of the sneakiest assassinations of all time involved poisoning. A British diplomat was allegedly targeted by Russia during the Cold War. They assigned a Bulgarian trained assassin the job of eliminating this diplomat. One day the diplomat was walking down a street in Sofia, Bulgaria with the assassin right behind him carrying an umbrella. It wasn't a normal umbrella, it had a hypodermic syringe full of curare hidden in the tip. The assassin walked past the diplomat, stabbed him the leg and kept walking. The diplomat lasted about 8 hours and was unconscious for most of the time. Curare is a poison derived from a plant only found in the Amazon river basin. Curare is very rare and kills by relaxing the muscles and death arrives from asphyxiation when the lungs quit working. Not only that, it is a powerful sedative and will put you to in a coma very quickly. This meant that the diplomat could not tell anyone what happened. Much later on with the collapse of the Soviet Union the truth was revealed.

This Date in History September 18

1955 On this day Ford Motor Co. delivered its 2,000,000 V-8 engine. They had started producing V-8 engines 23 years before to satisfy the world’s lust for speed and power in their automobiles and their has been no let up since. I have owned a Ford V-8 in a Crown Vic that I drove for years but it finally gave up the ghost after much neglect on my part. But it was brave and always trying up to the last. I donated it to Goodwill for a tax deduction. It was still running but not very well.

1964 The “Mother Road” Route 66 essentially disappeared as a new 4 lane highway is built in its place. In a previous lesson I told y'all about how in 1926 a group of automobile fans got a bunch of money together and started building the Lincoln Highway which turned out to be Route 66, that was it’s birth, here is it’s death. There are so many tales about the old Route 66 that I don’t know where to start. There was a very popular TV show about it, “Route 66”, about 2 guys just traveling the country in a red Corvette. Not to mention the song “Get your kicks on Route 66”. Route 66 was the home of many, many cheap roadside attractions, cheap hotel and restaurant, etc. It was Americana, y'all. Now it is gone in favor of going fast from point A to point B. What a damn shame. What have we become? We don’t want to stop and smell the roses anymore.

1862 That epitome of ineptness US Gen. George B. McClellan fails to follow a severely mauled CSA Army of Northern Virginia, CSA Gen. R. E. Lee commanding after the Battle of Antietam or the Battle of Sharpsburg as those that are “unreconstructed” call it. McClellan was yelled at almost immediately by A. Lincoln and General Henry Halleck that this was the US chance to crush Lee’s army and end the war. But the timid McClellan waited 3 days to even begin a chase because he thought Lee had over 100,000 troops when in reality he had Lee outnumbered 3 to 1. I personally think that McClellan just did not have the stomach for combat as it was prosecuted in those days and would avoid it if he could. Because of his ineptness the war went on for 2 ½ more years and cost the lives of thousands upon thousands of Americans.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.

Thursday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“When you feel you are going through hell, keep putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually you will come out on the other side.”

                                         Winston Churchill

In the debate I think that Carly Fiorina was far and away the most intelligent and articulate. I was really impressed.

Yesterday I broke my own rules. I made a comparison of the crime rate in my home town of Greenville, SC to Austin, TX. This comparison has two flaws. One is I got the information off the internet, and two I used data from polls coming from a variety of sources. In the past I have preached that all information on the internet is suspect and in addition any poll can be generated to point fingers in any direction at the discretion of the pollster. All of this proves that I am human in that I believed something that agreed with my preconceived ideas. Not any more...I can assure you that I will be more diligent in the future. Thanks to KK for the reminder.

I received an email from a friend of mine that resides on Pensacola Beach...he has the time, temperament, flora and fauna that promotes philosophical thought...in addition to being a fellow bar fly at the Sandshaker. He poses these questions: Do the Syrian “immigrants” look like the displaced immigrants in central Africa and Somalia? Why are they well dressed and well fed and many of them were seen talking on cell phones? Did many American men of draft age back during WWII commit suicide because their health prevented them from going to war against their county's enemies? Why are many of those Syrian men and women running away rather than staying and defending their country? Is this flood of Muslims into central Europe a planned attempt by Islam to take control? Why isn't Muslim counties like Saudi, Kuwait, U.A.E., Indonesia, Turkey, etc. offering their countries as sanctuary? Even if these questions came from the internet I know the author personally. By the way, the Sandshaker is one of the most well know watering holes on the Gulf Coast. The most well known is the infamous Flora-Bama.

One more question. How long would Kim Davis stayed in office stayed in office if she had refused a marriage license to an interracial couple?

This Date in History September 17

1950 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis make their debut on the TV show The Colgate Comedy Hour and are an immediate smash hit. They stayed together until 1956 when they decided to go their separate ways. Dean went on the nightclub circuit, especially in Las Vegas. Jerry made 3 or 4 movies that were a flop here in the US but were very popular in Europe where he is considered a comic genius. Dean teamed up with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop forming what was known as” The Rat Pack”. They were a nightclub act that was very popular for a long time. Dean also had a TV variety show for 9 years. After Peter Lawford died Dean was asked what had Peter died from, Dean responded with “Peter died of vodka”. Sad. Dean died in 1995 ending a remarkable life.

1862 The bloodiest single day in American history occurred on this day near a small town in Maryland named Sharpsburg and near a small creek name Antietam. There were actually 3 separate battles; Dunker Church, West Woods and Miller’s cornfield. At dawn US Gen. Joseph Hooker unleashed an attack on the Confederate troops under the command of CSA Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson near Dunker Church. Hooker’s attack is stemmed by a ferocious counter-attack by the Confederates at which there was a ghastly number on casualties on both sides. The worst attack came when US Gen. Edwin Sumner was able to get artillery pieces aimed down a sunken road where the Confederates had a line of infantry lying down and shooting over the embankment. The slaughter was unbelievable. This road from is known as “Bloody Lane” to this day. This battle was a tactical draw but it did force Lee back into Virginia to refit. The total casualty count for this day was 22,807 Americans. What can I say here?

1957 Louis Armstrong had been asked to go to go on goodwill tour to Russia for the US and he agreed. On this day he angrily refused to go because of the happenings in Little Rock, Ark. It seems that a federal judge decreed that Central High School in Little Rock must be integrated. 9 black students showed up to go to school and were met by an angry white mob and the Arkansas National Guard sent there by Governor Orville Faubus to stop them from entering the school. After hearing about this debacle Louis told the people responsible for the goodwill tour to take this tour and shove it even though President Eisenhower had sent in the 82^nd Airborne to get those kids in the school. Louis was not impressed and said words to the effect that “How can I go promote goodwill between the US and Russia when blacks are treated like that?” Indeed.

Born today:

1923 US singer/songwriter Hank Williams. He said “You have to smell a lot of mule shit before you can sing like a hillbilly.” Hank was from south central Alabama. There is a portion of I-65 in that area known as the “Lost Highway” named after one of Hank’s most popular songs. Hank allowed his success to kill him with booze and drugs at the age of 30. What a damned shame.

I have a question here. When you listen to “country music” stars of the same genre of Hank Williams, Hank Williams,Jr., Webb Pierce, Ray Price, Buck Owens, Tammy Wynette, etc. and then listen to the alleged “country music” stars of today are they even similar...can it be called country and western...or is it pop music sung with a steel guitar and a re-mix?

1931 US actress Anne Bancroft. Anne was going to get married to Mel Brooks when Mel called his Jewish mother and told her that he was going to marry a Catholic woman and his mother said “OK, bring her over, I will be in the kitchen....with my head in the oven.” Now I know where Mel got his sense of humor.

1997 US comedian Red Skelton. He said “All men make mistakes, married men just find out about it sooner.” I had forgotten why I ain’t married; now I remember

              Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow