Friday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

"Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you will die today.”

                                            James Dean

I think we all have read about the county clerk up in Kentucky that refused to issue a marriage license to a gay couple because it was against HER religion saying it was against “God's law”. Her attitude was backed by many of the obviously ignorant on Facebook saying she did the right thing and offered the Bible as the final authority. How many of these religious zealots go buy gas, depend on firemen, policemen, air traffic controllers, airline pilots, baggage handlers, bus drivers, cab drivers, restaurants, and a myriad of other people that work on Sunday, the Sabbath (Saturday if you are a Mormon) when the Bible states that we should remember the Sabbath and keep it holy? How about that biblical statement that “wives are to be submissive to their husbands”? WelI, how about it? If you are going to use the Bible as final authority you must abide by all its laws. Being selective about which biblical laws count and which ones don't makes you a hypocrite and that is certainly against “God's law”.

Here is a story of courage, thanks to #2 girl.

The Saga of Heidi

This is the tale of Heidi. She is small of stature but has the heart of a lion. No one knows what her real name was because she was named Heidi by a receptionist at a doctor’s office. In 2005 she was found roaming the streets near Lexington, South Carolina by a citizen who called the officials to come and pick her up because she was crippled and barely able to move. Heidi was found and taken to a safe shelter for the time being. Little Heidi is a dachshund whose spine had been damaged and her hind quarters are inoperable. The Lexington County Animal Control called a member of Dachshund Rescue of America who lived in nearby Columbia, South Carolina. This dedicated member gathered up Heidi and took her to a veterinarian for an examination. The vet said that surgery would not cure Heidi’s affliction and she should be euthanized because of the lack of a “quality of life” in her future. It is the policy of this particular Dachshund Rescue group that before a dachshund under guardianship of a member can be euthanized, it must be voted on by the President of the organization and the Board of Directors. After the President had a conversation with the vet, it was decided euthanasia was not necessary. Heidi remained in this member’s house even though Heidi would move around dragging her hind quarters. As you might suspect, Heidi did not have control of her bodily functions so the member fitted her with children’s number 3 diapers and cut a hole in it which allowed her tail to stick out. I met Heidi and on my first encounter it was obvious to me that she did not know she was handicapped. She ran around playing with the other dogs and responded to any actions by the people there. In fact, there was an obvious touch of vinegar in this girl's attitude. She was advertised for adoption on the Dachshund Rescue website which is www.DRNA.org. Later on a lady from Canada admired Heidi’s obvious spirit and will to survive and adopted her. Through a series of transfers from one member to another, Heidi made her way to Canada and the ownership of this lady of faith. This fine person fitted Heidi with a small carriage with wheels that lifted Heidi’s hind quarters off the ground and allowed her much more mobility. The lady from Canada reported that when she took Heidi to a dog park Heidi thought she was in command by running around and trying to herd up the other dogs. Heidi became a Canadian celebrity from her sheer courage and spirit. She eventually became a mascot that is taken from facility to facility that cared for crippled people and homes for the elderly to show that life is not over when a wheelchair is required. She is loved by all who has met her. Her “wheelchair” has a checkered race flag and the word Heidi painted on it. She is an inspiration for us all. I am glad I got to meet her. By the way, the rescuer and guardian was my daughter Mardy, in whom I am well pleased as I am of all of my children.

       This Date in History   September 4

1971 The Lawrence Welk Show went off the air much to the chagrin of almost every gray panther in the free world. However, the show stayed in syndication until 1982. I never understood the garish costumes that those folks wore from lime green to fire engine red and lapels that went to the tips of the shoulders when it was suppose to be an ultra-conservative outfit that was just and only interested in one dance number after another. But he and the band were very successful so I guess he knew what he was doing.

1972 God smiled on us all when the final episode of Gilligan’s Island aired on this date. This show was the epitome of trash and further reassures us that those FCC commissioner Newton Minnow’s words that TV was a “vast wasteland” had merit. But in the present sense, nothing has really changed with all these “reality” shows. They are nothing but a play on the familiar theme of Gilligan’s Island. Yet more trash.

1969 Radio Hanoi announces the death of Ho Chi Minh and declared a 3 day moratorium on military operations in honor of his memory. The American military believed that with the death of Ho the North Vietnamese would lose heart and begin a withdrawal of military activities. They were wrong. If anything the North Vietnamese resolve was strengthened and they fought the most powerful military force the world has ever seen to a standstill. It is all in the mind, y'all.

1967 The 1^st Marine Division engaged a sizable North Vietnamese army in I Corp for 4 days and nights. The 5^th Marine Regiment suffered the most casualties with 114 against the NVA count of 376. Speaking of the 1^st Marine Division, I remember seeing a film about the 1^st Marines being relieved after 45 days of combat on Guadalcanal and a news photographer asking one of the Marines coming out where he could find the headquarters of the 1^st Marine Division. The Marine answered, “Mister, there ain’t no more 1^st Marines.”

1864 CSA Gen. John Hunt Morgan is killed near Greeneville, Tenn. Morgan is recognized as one of the finest cavalry officers in American history He was a brilliant tactician and organizer. Morgan was born in Ala. But had moved to Ky. When he found out that Ky. was not going to secede he moved back to Ala. Morgan had planned an attack on Knoxville, Tennessee but his plans were discovered the US attacked his camp first. Morgan was killed trying to rally his men.

1957 Arkansas Governor Orville Faubus called out the National Guard to prevent 9 black kids from entering Little Rock’s Central High School. This unbelievably stupid act endeared him to the extreme redneck elements both North and South. President Eisenhower called bullshit on that and called in the long suffering 82^nd Airborne and the kids were finally allowed in school. I suppose y'all can imagine the shit those kids caught during their years at Central High School.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow