Monday

                           Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“I have never killed anyone, but I have read many obituaries with much pleasure.”

Clarence Darrow

Trivia question of the day:

Who played Sonny Corleone?  Answer at the end of the blog.

                This Date in History January 1

1781 On this date 1,500 infantrymen known as the “Pennsylvania Line” serving under Patriot General Anthony “Mad Anthony” Wayne gather up their gear near Morristown, N.J. and headed home because their enlistments had expired. I forgot to mention that more than half of them were drunker than Cooter Brown. Anyway, soon after they left Wayne they were approached by emissaries from British General Sir Henry Clinton offering them a complete pardon and all the back pay the US owed them if they would join the British army. Instead they turned south and attacked and captured Princeton, N.J. The then headed toward Philadelphia and the US Congress. But before that they sent some emissaries back to see General Wayne who had been following them. They had not given up on the Patriotic cause but felt they had grievances. When they met with Wayne they handed over the emissaries sent by British General Clinton and Wayne promptly hanged them. At the meeting with Wayne, it was agreed that those with expired enlistments could go home but Wayne offered a 30 day furlough and a handsome bonus for those that re-enlisted. Nearly half of them accepted the offer to re-enlist and were sent to fight with the Southern Army. A week or so later a group of about 200 Patriot troops from New Jersey heard about this deal and decided to mutiny themselves and barter for the deal that Wayne issued. Only this time the troops were under George Washington and George rounded up the two ring leaders and stood them up in front of a firing squad. That kept the Continental army together for the present. But even at that, there were more colonists fighting with the British than with George Washington. What enormous character this man must have had to have continued and prevailed. I must believe he was not there by accident.

1973 On this night a 28 year old school teacher named Kathy Cleary decided to bring in the New Year at Tweed’s Bar of the upper west side of Manhattan, while there she meets a man named Joe Willie Simpson. Simpson was dangerously disturbed but appeared to be a pleasant and affable young man to young Miss Cleary. Kathy and Joe Willie agree to go to Joe Willie’s place for the rest of the evening; it was there the other Joe Willie emerges. It seems that Joe Willie is a suppressed homosexual at heart which makes him a hater of women. Joe Willie ends up strangling Kathy and stabbing her numerous times and sexually mutilates her. This event was the theme of the book and movie titled “Looking for Mister Goodbar”. The book was written by Judith Rossner as a warning about what could happen during the so-called “sexual revolution”. By the way, before Joe Willie Simpson came to trial he hanged himself in his cell.

1863 On this date the most useless document ever fomented goes into effect. It is the Emancipation Proclamation. This document supposedly freed the slaves in “those states in rebellion” and no where else. They were not “states in rebellion”, they were another nation, constitution included, called the Confederate States of America. How can one nation issue laws applicable to another nation? And how could they hope to enforce it? What happens to the slaves in those slave-holding states NOT in rebellion like Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri and Delaware? For the life of me I cannot figure out what Abe was thinking. It could have been just to let the CSA know that he did not recognize its legitimacy. But the downside was that it put the four slave-holding states not in rebellion one step closer to seceding and joining the Confederacy. I don’t know who talked Abe into this abomination called the Emancipation Proclamation should have been fired for lack of vision and sheer stupidity. Slavery was outlawed in the United States and its possessions with the adoption of the 13^th Amendment in December of 1865.

1966 On this date the Transportation Workers of America and the New York subway workers in particular cause on of the worst nightmares imaginable for New Yorkers. The subway workers went on strike at the direction New York TWA leader Michael Quill. On the January 3, the Governor ordered the strike stopped or Quill would go to jail. All that did was inflame the situation and the striker dug in their heels and Quill was indeed jailed. The strike crippled the transportation in New York and the situation became intolerable. On the 13^th the subway workers went back to work with a 13% pay raise.

1915 During WWI a British battle group containing the battle ship Formidable had been assembling in the English Channel for a couple of days. What they did not know was that German submarine U-24 commanded by Captain Rudolph Schneider had been watching the whole scenario undetected waiting for a chance at the battleship. On this day his chance came. He slipped in close and put a torpedo into the starboard side just even with the front stack. The bad part was that he maneuvered around, again undetected, and put another fish into the port side just even with the second stack. The ships pumps could not handle the influx of the water and she went to the bottom taking all but 223 of her crew of 770 to Davy Jones Locker.

Births and deaths:

1839 English writer Ouida is born. She said “Could we see when and where we would meet again, we would be tenderer when we bid our friends goodbye.” Pretty heavy, y'all.

1919 US writer J.D. Salinger is born. He said “I am a paranoid in reverse. I believe that there are people out there plotting to make me happy.” Me too.

Quotable quotes:

“Walter Mondale has as much charisma as a speed bump”

                                   William Durst.

When speaking of Adlai Stevenson he said “He is no better than the average sissy.”

                                                Harry Truman

Answer to the trivia question:

Sonny Corleone was played by James Caan.

                 Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow