Thursday, September 14, 2017

Friday

                               Musings and History

Quote of the day:
Show me someone that has done something worthwhile and I will show you someone that has overcome adversity.”
                                                           Lou Holtz

This is from a while back:
I think that because of recent events I detect a swing in the momentum of the Trump campaign. The recent collapse of Hillary at the 9/11 ceremony and the audacity of three of her IT corp that maintained her e-mails took the 5th amendment before a Congressional committee has caused a lot of people to rethink their commitment, not to mention a fourth nerd that constructed Hillary's private server and was subpoenaed to appear before that same committee and chose to not even show up...great Americans.

I would hope that if Trump does take the win he would understand the most basic rule of good leadership and that is to surround himself with knowledgeable people and listen to what they have to say and most of all...he works for us citizens, not vice versa. On second thought, maybe those computer nerds are stonewalling because they don't want to end up like Vince Foster or Ron Brown.

The following paragraph was written in 2013:
Everyone knows I am a “worrier”. Through research I have found many others that are worriers also. Two of the most famous was Queen Elizabeth I of England and US actor Burt Lancaster among may others. Due to recent events that particular trait in me rose to the top and on Sunday, September 12, 2013 when the stress I was under along with the worry was making me dizzy, having pains just above my sternum and cold sweats. That was too close to heart attack symptoms to let it pass so I had a long suffering friend take me to the nearest emergency room where my brother, nephew and niece soon arrived. The very efficient nurse and physician corps at St. Francis Patewood Hospital immediately hustled me into a treatment room and within 5 minutes I was hooked up to an EKG machine and it was discovered that my blood pressure was the highest it had ever been at 210/92. That was what was making me feel so bad. After I had lain there for a few minutes my BP began to fall precipitously and bottomed out at about 145/65. They ran a tape on my heart beats, did a chest x-ray and hung a bag of saline solution. Nothing serious was found and I was diagnosed as have an anxiety attack, my first. After a little dancing around they gave me a prescription for and anti-anxiety pill (probably Xanax) and a high velocity pain pill to be taken with meals to promote relaxation in my sternum area. After my long suffering niece dropped me by the CVS to fill my prescriptions, I soon had taken one of each. In a matter of minutes my attitude had changed. I felt like I was afloat on a sea of molasses. I am still navigating that wonderful sea as of this writing.

Up in Boiling Springs, SC on Saturday night an 18 year old boy/man and a 19 year old boy/man along with an adolescent boy and an adolescent girl were hanging out at a Kangaroo convenience store. The boys decided to take a leak on the side of the building and began laughing. Another car came into the parking lot driven by a 19 year old male. The boys on the wall began harassing the recent arrival and jumped on his car. The boy drove off and the other jumped in their car and began chasing him and eventually ran him off the road. After this, the chasers got out of their car and began throwing rocks at the boy in the ditch breaking his nose and shattering the windshield of his car. What the chasers need is what the military calls “an attitude adjustment” which is nothing but a severe ass-whipping. I wonder what would have happened if the boy being chased had produced a hogleg and capped a couple of those snot-nosed brats. Probably nothing, but you never can tell in these days and times.

             This Date in History   September 15

1859 CSA General Robert E. Lee has sent CSA Gen. Stonewall Jackson to capture the strategically important city of Harpers Ferry, Virginia and the US arsenal located there. With his usual effectiveness Stonewall not only captured the city and the arsenal but added 70 artillery pieces, 12,000 rifles and 12,500 prisoners. After this coup Lee gathered Jackson and his army back to western Maryland just in time for the Battle of Antietam on the 17th. Stonewall was the epitome of a military leader seldom equaled in history.

1940 This day sees the turning point for the Battle of Britain. Hitler in his hunger for the domination of Europe needed the neutralization of England to ensure his success. He began with saturation bombing which was supposed to destroy the morale of the English people. Germany bombed day and night for several months but the English people were not swayed in their determination to resist. On this day the English fighter pilots downed 56 German planes in less than an hour. On this note the Germans backed off and turned their attention toward Russia.

Born today:

1890 Agatha Christie is born in Devon, England. Agatha started writing on a dare from her sister. Agatha’s first novel was The Mysterious Affair at Styles written in 1920. This novel achieved moderate success but in 1926 she gave us the Murder of Roger Ackroyd which turned out to be a blockbuster of a success. Agatha introduced us to investigator Hercule Poirot with this book. In 1930 Agatha gave us the first Miss Marple novel. Agatha has given us many very readable books; in fact her books have been made into 400 million copies in over 100 languages. She died in 1976 making the world a worse place.

1990 A 13 year old girl Melissa Benoit disappeared in Kingston, Mass. while walking home from a friends house a short distance away. In spite of a huge search effort by the local authorities no clue was found. The local authorities finally asked for help from the FBI. The FBI went an unusual route and asked Melissa’s neighbors to take polygraph tests. One man tested as lying and a search warrant was obtained to search his house. Little Melissa’s body was found under a pile of rubble in the man’s basement. At trial the man claimed that he heard voices telling him to do it but the jury heard other voices and sentenced him to life without parole, the most severe penalty available at the time. At the sentencing the judge told the man “In Massachusetts’s history there was a time when a murderer once convicted would immediately be taken out to a gallows on the front lawn of the court house and hanged. I wish I had that option today.” Indeed, your Honor, indeed.

Born today:

1857 US President William Howard Taft. While making a speech he said “There is so much noise in here that I can’t hear myself talk.” Someone in the crowd yelled out “That’s OK, you aren’t missing anything.” There are smart-asses everywhere.

1894 French filmmaker Jean Renoir. After having a squabble with Daryl Zanuck of 20th Century Fox he said “Goodbye Mr. Zanuck, it certainly has been a pleasure of working at 16th Century Fox.” Ouch!

                Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow


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