Wednesday

                         Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“It is just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the beach. I knock dudes out.”

                                               Muhammad Ali

Trivia question of the day:

The USA dropped an 8.3 megaton nuclear device from a B-52 over Johnston Island in the central Pacific in the early 60's. Why wasn't the bomber destroyed in the enormous blast? Answer at the end of the blog.

A good friend from Texas advised me that Joe Scarborough who is the co-host of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC has stated that he is dismayed by the fact the present day schools are not teaching the real history of this great nation. They do not even acknowledge the greatest tragedy to ever befall this country and that being the American Civil War from 1861-1865. THIS WAR COST MORE AMERICAN LIVES THAT ALL OTHE R WARS COMBINED AND THEY DON’T TEACH IT?? To try and help Joe out I sent an e-mail telling him about my lessons that are available on my blog site. It is unlikely that anything will happen but I feel like I did the right thing.

I am reading about the American Revolutionary War once again. From the start the American military knew that they could not stand up the British military in the traditional manner of infantry encounters of the day. They would gather in neatly dressed lines about 100 yards apart and blaze away until one side or the other lost their nerve. The Americans had been dealing with the Indians for many years and the Indians did not buy that routine of lining up out in the open, they attacked from ambush. George Washington found favor with this method and formed a company of 500 snipers lead by Daniel Morgan. The first major battle won by the Patriots was as a direct result of Daniel and his boys. It was at the Battle of Saratoga. The British were coming through a dense forest from Canada to Saratoga. Daniel’s snipers began by picking off the Native American guides until there were none left, then they started picking off the commanding officers until there were just a few left and then the British lost contact with their supply train, it was all over after that. British general Burgoyne surrendered.

             This Date in History   December 13

2003 After nine months on the run, on this date former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is found by American soldiers in a “spider” hole in the ground near his home town of Tikrit, Iraq. The search for this ghoul and monster was intense and all encompassing after the invasion of Iraq by the Allies. They had cornered Saddam’s sons in one of their castles but they wanted to fight rather than surrender and fight they did. But it was for naught because the Allies brought in a tank and leveled that building killing all of the occupants including Saddam’s sons. The atrocities committed or allowed by Saddam and his sons were inserted in the catalog of crimes on humanity never to be forgotten. Saddam was put on trial convicted and was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. Saddam went to meet Allah wearing a hemp necktie.

1937 At the outset of the Sino-Chinese war, the Japanese military leader Matsui Iwane ordered the leveling of the city of Nanking after the Chinese leadership had escaped inland. The Japanese troops swept into Nanking and unceremoniously killed over 150,000 men, raped over 20,000 women and children and burned the town to the ground. This atrocious act of terrorism is known to this date at “The Rape of Nanking.” Not that it really matters, but after the war all the major Japanese officers involved in these acts were tried and hanged for crimes against humanity. Crimes, indeed.

1862 Yesterday I told y'all about the Union Army finally being able to cross the Rappahannock River and occupy Fredericksburg, Virginia. But CSA General R.E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia had been there for two days digging in on a hill and aiming their artillery. Not only that at the base of the hill was a road with a stone wall on one side. Lee sent General George Cobb and a few hundred of Georgia sharpshooters to hide behind the stone wall and wait on an infantry charge. At one point General Lee’s artillery commander said “General, I don’t think a chicken could cross that field and live.” He was nearly correct. Burnside ordered infantry charge after infantry charge and all were cut to pieces by Lee’s artillery before they got half way and those that did were met with Cobb’s Georgians at the stone wall who shot them at nearly point blank range. As I said yesterday, it was the worst battle loss in the shortest period of time in American history. Burnside was going to try it again on the 14^th of December but he was talked out it by cooler head and he headed back north. As soon as he got back he was immediately relieved by US General Joseph Hooker, he wasn’t very good either. It was during this battle that General Lee said the Immortal words “It is good that war is so terrible or we would learn to love it.” These words were parroted by US General George Patton.

1798 On this date one of the greatest mountain men/explorers in American history is born in the backwoods of Tennessee. Joseph R. “Joe” Walker was recognized as being very intelligent and had the talent to be able to remember any lands that he had traveled; therefore he was rarely lost and made an excellent guide. He was persuaded by William Bonneville to into the southwestern area and does some mapping for his upcoming fur trapping enterprise. At that time that land belonged to Mexico and he was captured and put into jail in Santa Fe. He got out of jail when he helped the Mexicans fight off several raids from the Pawnee and the Apache. He was released and continues his searching. In 1833 he and three of his party accidentally came upon the Yosemite Valley. It is believed that he and his men were the first honkies to see the wonders of this magic land. Walker established a farm in northern California where he died ravaged by rheumatism and blindness. He wanted his gravestone to read “Camped Yosemite, November 11, 1833.” Evidently the viewing of Yosemite was the most important time of his life. Joe Walker was not the only trailblazer out there. There were Jim Bridger and Kit Carson among many others. But Joe Walker found his niche in life and enjoyed every second of it. We should all be so fortunate.

Born today:

1797 German writer Heinrich Heine. When speaking of one of his enemy he said “He was ordinarily insane but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid.” I think I know this person.

1879 English actress Emily Belmont. She said “The private railcar is not an acquired taste. One takes to it immediately.” I would think so.

1915 US Mystery writer Ross McDonald. He said “There is nothing wrong with Southern California that a sudden and complete rise in the ocean level wouldn’t cure.”

1949 US musician Tom Verlaine. He said “The press deserves nothing but lies”. Why not, that is what the feed us

1954 English singer Berton Averre. He said “To err is dysfunctional; to forgive is to be codependent.” Bert, you need to simplify your life.

Answer to the trivia question: The reason the B-52 was not destroyed was the device had a parachute allowing time for an escape.

                    Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow