Monday

                                    Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“You might have to fight a battle more than once to win it.”

                        Margaret Thatcher

Trivia question of the day:

What language did Jesus speak? Answer at the end of the blog.

There was a family near Pensacola that was the idol of everyone that knew them. It was the Billings family who lived on large estate west of town. They were wealthy and had adopted 9 special needs children and a full time nurse to care for them. About this time last year a group of four men allegedly led by Patrick Gonzalez, Jr. invaded the home. With Gonzales as the alleged shooter, Mr. and Mrs. Billings were shot and killed in cold blood. There were two of those poor kids that were witnesses. The first adult to arrive was the on-site nurse who could do nothing for them. Gonzalez and crew made their escape in an older red colored van. The reason for the attempted robbery was Gonzalez believed that there was at least $31 million in the house that would so a long way in keeping his failing Karate business afloat. The gang found a small safe in the house and took it with them when they left. There was a minimum amount of cash in the safe meaning the Billings died for nothing. The house well fitted with cameras so as to keep tabs on all the kids. Apparently, someone had cased the house very well because not many of the gang was caught on film inside but the outdoors cameras got some good pictures which resulted in the arrest of all four and led to the arrest of two accomplices. A couple of the gang pled guilty and rolled on the others for a lighter sentence. The trial of Gonzalez began 10/27/2009. I do not believe Gonzalez and the others will see the light of day for the rest on their lives…or worse. The Florida Department of Corrections is very familiar with “the needle”.

            This Date in History   October 29

1777 After a prolonged illness, on this date John Hancock resigned as president of the Continental Congress. Hancock is famous for his large and flowing signature on the monumental Declaration of Independence that was signed on July 4, 1776. He was present in one capacity or another at nearly every important document signing in this country’s fight for independence. He was a very wealthy man and had much to lose if the rebellion had failed. After resigning he went back home to Massachusetts and started his recovery from his illness. By 1780 he had recovered enough to run for the Governor of Massachusetts which he easily won. He served for five years and then refused to run again in 1785 and went back to his home. Two years later in 1787 he ran for the Governorship again and won. He served in this capacity until his death in 1793. His tenures as Governor of Massachusetts proved this man’s great leadership and administrative skills. Not only that, he was a feisty devil and the British knew it and had a bounty on him. After signing the Declaration of Independence, Hancock said “Now the British can read it without their spectacles, their bounty be damned.” I like it.

1962 Bahamian actor Sidney Poitier testified before the United States Congress about the lack of opportunity for black actors and actresses in the movie industry. Sidney was recognized as a superb actor and was indeed an Oscar winner for his performance in the movie Lilies of the Field. What I don’t understand is what Sidney wanted Congress to do about it. The movie industry is like any other business, its goal to make money for their investors. If I was an investor I would not give damn about the equality of the casting of roles, I would just be interested in the making of a profitable enterprise and the producers and casting directors had damn well better keep that in mind, racial issues not withstanding. Congress cannot dictate to a business enterprise such as this who they must hire or not hire. After all the success of any movie is greatly dependent on the skill of the actors, not the color of their skins. Or am I being too pragmatic?

1740 On of the greatest writers of his time is born on this date. James Boswell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to wealthy and influential parents. The name Boswell goes deep into the history of the ancestry of Scotland. As with most parents of that era, they had already decided that James was going to be a lawyer. Well, after James grew up he decided that he wanted to be a writer instead and ran away from home and traveled Europe and met with other great writers such as Rousseau, Voltaire and a short Corsican that later became the legendary Napoleon Bonaparte. But James parents ran him down and brought his young ass back Edinburgh and began forcefully teaching him English law. That did not extinguish the flame of writing burning inside James in spite of the fact that he established a successful law practice in London. He eventually became a very successful writer of essays. He consorted with another successful writer in Samuel Johnson and they exchanges ideas regularly. James delivered his most famous and successful essay “The Life of Samuel Johnson”. This essay came in three volumes. Boswell finished writing the first two but while writing the third he decided to drink heavily and chase skanky women in the London night life. Boswell died drunk with a smile on his face before finishing the third volume. He was 53 years old.

1619 English explorer and bon vivant Sir Walter Raleigh has a fateful meeting with a big guy with a big axe on the lawn of the Tower of London and goes to meet his maker in two pieces. It seems that Sir Walter had been a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and she was quite fond of him. She sent Sir Walter on several exploratory trips to the new world including the fateful settlement on Roanoke Island, North Carolina of which not one scrap was ever found after a supply ship arrived two years later. After returning to London Queen Elizabeth found out that Sir Walter had been having a liaison with a Scottish beauty named Bessy Throckmorton, one of the Queen’s Maids-of-Honor, and the Queen became enraged the threw Sir Walter and Bessy into the Tower. Sir Walter coughed up enough money to bail him and Bessy out. Sir Walter and Bessy were married and they tried their damnedest to stay out of the way of the Queen. Elizabeth died in 1603 and James I rose to power. James accused Sir Walter of opposing his becoming King shortly after the coronation but allowed him to live so he could send Sir Walter on some more expeditions. Sir Walter finally returned from an expedition of establishing a village near a gold mine in South America. James I evidently felt that Sir Walter had outlived his usefulness and recalled the supposed crime of 15 years before and had him executed. Sir Walter Raleigh was 66 years old and had spent the greatest part of his life in the service of his country. But as the saying goes “What have you done for me lately, Walt?”

Born today:

1897 Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. He said “If the day should ever come when we Nazis must go, if some day we are compelled to leave the scene of history, we will slam the door so hard that it will shake the universe and mankind will stand back in stupefaction.” Hey Joe, what really happened was the Allies sealed off the western side of Germany and allowed the Russian army to attack unhindered from the east. The Russians were bloodthirsty for revenge because the Germans had slaughtered over 26,000,000 Russians in their attack toward Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad. Then when the Russians found the German extermination camps of Dachau, Buchenwald and several others, they decided that no German air breather should live. They headed toward Berlin slaughtering everybody and everything in sight including dogs, cats and various and sundry livestock. The Russians crushed any resistance to the city of Berlin that was being defended by sub-teen boys and men in their 70’s. Yeah Joe, mankind was stupefied alright. And you, being the brave son-of-a-bitch that you were, poisoned yourself, your wife and your five children. It was that kind of cruelty that stupefied mankind to this day.

Died today:

1619 English adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh. He said “All men are evil and will declare themselves so if the occasion occurs.” See the above paragraph on Joseph Goebbels.

Answer to the trivia question:

Jesus spoke Aramaic not Hebrew. They are from the same family but not to the same.

                  Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow