Tuesday OYSTERS

Good morning.

Quote of the day:

“I represent to you the sins that you did not have the courage to commit.”

                                                    Oscar Wilde

My youngest daughter known throughout the family as “the over-achiever” has a very responsible and lucrative position with a famous world-wide company. Her home is Gulf Breeze, Fl. but her job is anywhere the company sends her. Earlier it was Columbus, Oh, Harrisburg, Pa., Phoenix, Az., Virginia Beach, Va. and a variety of other cities. The absolute best part is that she spends four days on the job, wherever it may be, and then flies home to Gulf Breeze near Pensacola, Fl. Her other two sister live there also. I cannot imagine a better situation and I am very envious but happy that it has worked out this way for her and my other daughters so they can enjoy each others company. Bonding promotes serenity.

All of us know that the United States has taken the lead in trying to bomb those ISIS jackasses into submission. This reminds me of 1939 when Herman Goering convinced Hitler that his Luftwaffe (air force) could bomb England into submission without experiencing a bloodbath in a ground invasion. This was called Operation Sea Lion. The Luftwaffe bombed England day and night for weeks and thousands of Brits were killed but their spirit was not broken primarily because of the bulldog leadership of Winston Churchill. Finally the Luftwaffe had 46 planes shot down in one day and Hitler put an end to daylight raid and started night raids only. Then he started sending rockets (V-1) and missiles (V-2) into England from the Belgian and German coast. All of this ended when the allies landed in France and the Russians invaded from the east. The point I am making is there is a rule of war that states there cannot be total victory without troops on the ground and occupation. That scares me to death and it should be the same for you.

This Date in History October 6

1973 Even after the severe ass-whipping they received in the 1967 six day war, the combined armies of Egypt and Syria attack Israel on this date. The Syrians attack down through Lebanon and the Egyptians attack across the thirsty Sinai desert. This attack came during Yom Kippur and the war was named such. The Israelis were not expecting this and their defensive forces were thrown back into a headlong retreat. After a while the Israelis got their act together and began a counter-attack. The Syrians/Egyptians were using the latest Soviet equipment and the Israelis were using the latest French and American equipment. After a ferocious tank battle with the Syrians, the Israelis gain the Golan Heights and brought swarms of artillery and rockets up there and rained hell on the hapless Syrian army. That, along with air superiority, sent the Syrians scurrying back toward Damascus. The Israelis then turned their attention to the Egyptians. Again using air power, the Israelis cut the retreat of the Egyptians and had them surrounded on the Sinai. It was within the Israeli’s grasp to virtually annihilate the Egyptian army. The Egyptians ran out of food, water, medical supplies and the end was near. Then Russia stepped in and threatened to go rescue the Egyptians if a cease fire was not brought to fruition. The Americans said ”Like hell you will” and both the Russians and Americans began to ramp up their military presence in the middle east. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and a shaky cease fire was reached. The Russians and Americans came within a gnat’s ass of open warfare but the cease fire held and peace of a sorts again prevailed. Those countries that want Israel out of there just do not get the picture. They want to attack without air supremacy and in that part of the world tanks, artillery pieces and rolling stock have no place to hide and the Israeli fighter-bombers just blow their asses into confetti. Not only that, they fail to realize the Israel has nuclear weapons...Armageddon indeed.

1972 A train in Mexico had picked up a load of 1,600 pilgrims going from Saltillo and Monterrey to a festival at Saint Francis of Catorce for All Saints day. It was a festive day for all; the tequila flowed like water even into the crew of the train that was to take to pilgrims back home. The festival broke up about 9:00p and the 1,600 pilgrims boarded the train for the trip back home most of which were hammered to the gills on tequila including the train crew. On the way back there is a rather shaky railroad bridge that has a speed limit of 35 MPH. The train reached the bridge doing 75 MPH, the bridge disintegrated and the engine and 20 rail cars went into a river. There were 200 dead and several hundred injured. The firemen and engineer were killed fortunately for them. I cannot imagine anything worse than doing time in a Mexican prison after a disaster like that.

1866 On this date the Reno Brothers, John and Simeon, execute the first train robbery in American history in Jackson County, Indiana. There had been some pilfering of some trains while they were stopped at a station but not one where a moving train was stopped and robbed out in a remote area away from curious onlookers. The Reno brothers got away with $13,000, an enormous sum for the time. Even though this method of robbery was invented in Indiana, it became very popular in the American west. The railroad owners finally installed very heavy safes and heavily armed guards to protect the cash and gold. They even went so far as to have a special rail car built whereby law enforcement officers and their horses would be ready to quickly disembark and give chase to the outlaws. Eventually, train robbery became more dangerous than it was worth and faded into legend.

Births and deaths:

1867 Saturday Evening Post editor George Lorimer is born. He said “Education is about the only thing lying loose in the world, and it’s about the only thing a fellow can have as much as he is willing to haul away.” I guess this means you can be as smart as you want to be.

1908 US actress Carole Lombard is born. When actor George Raft caught her applying peroxide to her pubic hair she said “Relax George, I am just making my collar and cuffs match.”

1989 US actress Bette Davis died. She said “Growing old is not for sissies.”

Quotable quotes:

“I got kicked out of ballet class because I pulled a groin muscle. It wasn’t mine.”

Rita Rudner

“I cannot understand how a woman can pour hot wax on their upper thigh and rip out the hair and still be afraid of a spider.”

Jerry Seinfeld

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow