Friday

                              Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“Growing old is like being increasingly penalized for a crime that you have not yet committed.”

                                                              Anthony Powell

Trivia question of the day:

In the Bram Stoker novel what country did Dracula come from? Answer at the end of the blog.

In December of 1937 after a stiff battle against a Chinese army defending Shanghai the Japanese army prevailed and continued on to Nanking. The commanding general of the Japanese ordered his men to rape and pillage the entire city so as to toughen them up for the battles yet to come. An orgy of the degradation and massacre of civilians followed of a magnitude never seen on this planet before or since. I will not go into the description the unspeakable atrocities but I will tell you this...Nanking had a population of 600,000 and in the span of 6 weeks the Japanese murdered 300,000 people. They did it the hard way with bayonets, knives, rifles, pistols, cans of gasoline, etc. 300,000 is about 70,000 more than the number of people killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Have you ever heard of the Japanese apologizing for this? Have you ever heard of this at all? Have you heard your president call this “evil”? It is the worst attack on civilians in recorded history. There is no doubt in my mind that Obama had an agenda to debase this nation as much as he could. But he has brought about a good thing...he has taught me what complete disdain for another human being is all about. I am sorry Barry (Barack), I don't feel guilty...I take that back, I am not sorry. I invite y'all to read The Rape of Nanking.

This Date in History May 31

1862 After persuading the Union military leaders, US General George McClellan ordered the gigantic assemblage of the Army of the Potomac, 120,000 strong to sail down the Chesapeake Bay, land on the James River Peninsula and proceed northwest and attack the Confederate capital of Richmond from an unexpected direction. His forces are met by the CSA Army of Northern Virginia let by General Joseph E. Johnston. Johnston recognized that he was vastly outnumbered and slowly retreated up the peninsula using delaying tactics. On this date they finally reach the outer perimeter of Richmond and bloody battle of Fair Oaks ensued. This was one of the bloodiest of the entire war. Two important events occurred during this bloodbath. One was that McClellan rode out onto the battlefield and was appalled at the mutilation of his troops and from then on he was even more timid and cautious. The second was that General Johnston was seriously wounded and President Jefferson Davis ordered his chief military adviser, General Robert E. Lee to take command of the Army of Northern Virginia. After this everything changed.

1964 On this date 18 year old Charles Schmid murdered his fifteen year old girl friend Aileen Rowe and buried the corpse out in the desert near Tucson, Arizona. Earlier he had bragged to his friends that he wanted to kill a woman that night. Charles had a “short man syndrome” and he was very paranoid about it to the point that he wore cowboy boots with extra high heels. He was also a pathological liar and would tell girls that he had a terminal illness and/or he was Mafia connected. He was able to enjoin two of his friends to help him murder Aileen. The three lured her out into the desert where Charles raped her and then smashed her head with a large rock. The three took turns digging a shallow grave and then buried Aileen. The three provided alibis for each other and the police charged the disappearance of Aileen as being a runaway. Charles killed three other girls before he was caught because he continuously bragged about it. The end came when he enlisted one of his friends to help him bury victim number two and his friend determined that Charles was indeed crazy as a loon and was afraid he would kill his girlfriend and went to the cops. Charles was tried and sentenced to death but a short time later the Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty so he was re-sentenced to life without parole. Too bad the death penalty was outlawed; he needed to realize the terror like he made others feel.

1889 On this date one of the greatest disasters in American history occurred. Johnstown, Pennsylvania is 60 miles east of Pittsburgh and is in a flood plain with the Allegheny, Little Conemaugh and Stony Creek rivers close by. The biggest threat was the Little Conemaugh so a dam was built across the river forming a huge lake behind it. The dam was 900 feet long by 72 feet thick and was built in 1840. It was made of earth making it the largest dam of its type in the country. The lake was used for years as a transportation medium but with the increase of railroads the lake transportation was abandoned and the dam was neglected. On this date, after several days of heavy rain an engineer at the dam saw ominous warning signs that the dam was on the verge of collapse. He rode on horseback to the next village downstream from the dam to warn the residences and to send a telegram to Johnstown, which was 14 miles downstream, about the danger but the telegraph lines were down. At 3:30p the dam collapsed with a thunderous roar and a wall of water moving at 40 MPH roared downstream sweeping everything in its path including nine locomotive engines. When it arrived in Johnstown the water was full of debris making it even more dangerous. Some of the residences were able to climb on the roofs of their houses and avoid the water but the debris battered their houses and they collapsed drowning or crushing them. There was a bridge across the river downstream from Johnstown that quickly became clogged with flammable debris and somehow caught fire. Some of the people caught in the flood were riding the debris downstream only to be burned alive at the bridge. One baby was on the third floor when the house collapsed and a portion of the house stayed afloat carrying the baby away. The baby was found 75 miles away alive and well. The exact number of deaths is not exactly known but it was in excess of 2,200. By the way, Johnstown has suffered deadly floods in 1936 and 1977 also. Why do people still live there?

Born today:

1819 American poet Walt Whitman. Walt gave us “Leaves of Grass”, a great piece of literature. He also retrieved his severely wounded brother from the Fredericksburg battlefield during the Civil War and tended to him for the rest of his life.

1816 English painter Walter Sickert. He said to departing visitors “Come again when you won’t stay so long.” Lighten up, Walt.

1930 American actor Clint Eastwood. He said “It seems that the less secure a man is, the more prejudicial he is”. Clint is on of my favorites especially his performance in The Unforgiven and The Outlaw Josie Wales.

1961 American actress Lea Thompson. She said “I only grow hair in places men like.” I am going to let that one alone.

Answer to the trivia question:

In the Bram Stoker novel Dracula came from Transylvania which is in central Romania. This was also the location of a real life monster named Vlad the Impaler and some assume that Stoker used him as a model for his book...but that is a myth.

    Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Thursday

  Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“While addressing a group of environmentalists not long ago she said “We are tired of the burning of coal polluting the atmosphere, I am going to put those coal miners and coal companies out of business.” Last week she said “Donald Trump is going to bankrupt America, he will cost thousands of jobs.”

                                                Hillary Clinton

I'll bet she has a tough time every morning having to match the makeup on both of her faces.

Trivia question of the day:

What and where is the tallest tree on earth? Answer at the end of the blog.

I was watching a rodeo on TV once again. There was one cowboy named Fred Whitfield from Stephenville, Texas that caught my attention. He is a black 42 year old calf roper and has been ranked number one in the world 8 times. He is a pretty good sized man and rode a horse easily. The way it works is a calf is released and the mounted cowboy is to chase it down, lasso it by the neck, dismount and run over to the calf, throw it down and tie three of the legs together. While all of this is going on the horse is backing up to keep the lasso tight. Then the cowboy remounts, puts slack in the rope and the calf is given a chance to kick free. If that happens there is no score...if it doesn't the time it took to tie up the calf is validated.

There were 10 cowboys including Fred in this event. On this night Fred did not get the lasso on the calf's neck and he got no score. The interesting part was that two of the other calf ropers were from Canada and had moved to Stephenville, Texas to take lessons from Fred.

                       This Date in History   May 30

1806 On this date the 39 year old future President of the United States, Andrew Jackson met Tennessee lawyer Charles Dickenson in Logan County, Kentucky to settle an affair of honor. Jackson had been a former Senator and Representative but this affair was to be settled with a duel using pistols at a distance of 24 feet. That is about the length of a good sized living room. Dickenson had written an uncomplimentary article in the newspaper about Jackson’s wife Rachael. Rachael had been previously married but abandoned by her husband. She and Jackson fell in love and got married thinking that her previous marriage had been annulled because of abandonment. It wasn’t, she was still legally married to her first husband making her a bigamist. The legalities were eventually settled but Jackson settled many a dispute with his fists, clubs and in this case, pistols. Jackson was born and raised in the Waxhaw which was a group of villages on the North Carolina/South Carolina border. He had a rough and hard life as a youngster. He was captured at the age of 13 by the British during the French and Indian war and beaten and tortured. This rough life formed his demeanor for the rest of his life. He was a scrapper, y'all. After the signal had been given to start the duel, Dickenson, a renowned pistol shot, raised his pistol and fired hitting Jackson in the right chest breaking several ribs. Jackson did not fall and in spite of being in what was terrible pain, raised his pistol and fired hitting Dickenson in the throat. Dickenson died the next day. Even though Jackson and Dickenson were Tennesseans, the duel was fought in Kentucky because dueling was illegal in Tennessee. Jackson went on to lead a very colorful and exciting life in both the military and in politics. On one occasion while president, he was walking out of the Capitol when a man ran up to him and fired a pistol at him almost at point blank range but the pistol misfired. The man then pulled another pistol and it misfired also. Jackson then raised his hickory cane and beat the man almost to death before he could be restrained. After this he was known as “Old Hickory”.

1593 Earlier Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury, England two months before William Shakespeare. He led a privileged life and attended Cambridge. A few days before he was to receive his degree, some questions arose as to his worthiness of the award. Soon thereafter representatives of Queen Elizabeth I showed up and told the powers that be in Cambridge that it would be to their advantage to give Marlowe the degree because of his “service to his country”. The professors in Cambridge did not know what the hell the Queen was talking about but they were not about to buck the most powerful monarch in Europe and Marlowe received his degree. It was found out later that Marlowe had been a spy for the Queen in Cambridge. Marlowe roomed with another author named Thomas Kyd. Representatives of the Church of England raided the apartment and found some “heretical” written material. After torturing Kyd to find out the author of these papers, he said that the papers were indeed Marlowe’s. Marlowe was arrested but made bail. He went out to celebrate and on this date got really hammered at the local pub, then he got into a fight with the bartender about his tab. The bartender inserted a knife into Marlowe’s liver and he expired very quickly. Moral: Pay your freaking bar tab and people that are hammered seldom win a violent encounter.

1942 After meticulous planning by the British Air Marshall T. A. Harris, Operation Millennium gets under way. Harris had got together every bomber-type aircraft in the realm, including training aircraft, to make a mass raid on the German city of Cologne. On this night Operation Millennium get under way with the launching of 1,046 bombers. The complete devastation administered by this raid went a long way toward the debilitation of the German morale and they were successful in the destruction of that city’s chemical and tool making factories which was the object in the first place. They lost 40 aircraft making the raid a cost of less than 4%, an acceptable loss in any military operation.

1428 Earlier a 16 year old French girl swore that she heard three saints tell her to lead the French military in kicking the English army out of France and restore the throne to French royalty. Joan went to a French military encampment and told the commander her vision. He blew it off and told her to go home. She returned once again and the commander is impressed with her piety and lets her pass to visit with the Dauphin (apparent heir to the throne). She does indeed visit with the Dauphin and convinced him that her vision is indeed a command from God. The Dauphin cannot take the throne because he must be crowned in the city of Reims which is in the hands of the English. Joan is given command of a small army and moved on the city of Orleans first. In a brilliant maneuver, she is able to outflank the English troops there and they retreat freeing the city. Joan lead the French army in several other victories and the people truly believe she was in touch with God. But eventually she was captured by the Burgundians and sold to the English. The English clerics immediately call her a witch and sentence her to death. Joan says “Wait a damned minute, what happens if I recant all that I have said in the past.” The clerics tell her that in that case she will go to prison for an undetermined length of time. You notice I keep saying the clerics are sentencing her to death or prison. Why the hell do preachers have that authority? Ever since Joan had been engaging in military operations she had been wearing men’s clothing so the English clerics dress her in women’s clothes and threw her in prison. A little while later the clerics pay her another visit and she is again in men’s clothing. They determine that she is a relapsed heretic and her punishment is the stake. On this date, Joan was burned at the stake in the French city of Rouen. She was 19 years old but it was her inspiration that turned the Hundred Years War to favor the French.

Answer to the trivia question:

The tallest tree in the world is acknowledged to be a sequoia in the Redwood National Park named “Hyperion”. This magnificent creature is nearly 380 feet tall.  Redwood National Park is on the northern California coast about 40 miles south of the Oregon border.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Wednesday

 I am sending this one out early...I will be busy tonight and tomorrow morning.  

                     

                                   Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“There is a new Sex Museum in New York. Guys get through it in five minutes. Women finish in half hour if they finish at all.”

                                                           Jay Leno

Trivia question of the day:

Where was the largest tsunami ever documented? Answer at the end of the blog.

                                      This Date in History   May 29

1780 On this date British Colonel Banastre Tarleton led a cavalry charge of mostly Loyalists (American colonists who remained loyal to King George) against an out gunned and out manned Patriot force near the Waxhaws, a village on the South Carolina/North Carolina border south of what is now Charlotte, North Carolina. The Patriots did not have a chance and surrendered but Tarleton ignored the signs of surrender and kept ordering the shooting and bayoneting of the Patriots. The end result was 113 Patriots killed and 203 captured whilst Tarleton’s troops suffered 17 killed or wounded. This event was from then own known as “giving Tarleton Quarter”. Even though it was a rout, word of this atrocity spread like wildfire throughout the Carolinas and lit a fire of revenge under every Patriot that heard it especially a South Carolinian name Thomas Sumter, known to the British as “The Gamecock”. Sumter began a bloody reprisal against the South Carolina Loyalist that could be interpreted as nothing less than a civil war because it meant killing your neighbors if they were loyal to King George and kill them he did. Sumter was originally from Virginia the son of Welch immigrant parents. Through a series of adventures that would warrant another lesson, Sumter ended up in central South Carolina with no money. He eventually married a wealthy widow and opened several successful businesses and an active plantation near the town of Stateburg located about 15 miles west of present day Sumter, South Carolina. Sumter was made Brigadier General of the local militia and was a proven warrior with the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. He was instrumental in driving Tarleton and Cornwallis out of the Carolinas and into the waiting arms of George Washington and the Continental Army at Yorktown. Again he was one of those people that ended up at the right place at the right point in time to allow this melting pot of immigrants to congeal into the great nation we are today. It was no accident.

1953 On this day with a stupendous display of strength and stamina, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese guide Tensing Norgay reach the summit of Mount Everest for the first time by anyone. Hillary and Norgay were part of an 11 man climbing team who reached a base camp at the elevation of 27,400 feet and Hillary and Norgay made the assault on 29,030 foot summit alone. Then the hard part began...the descent. The two had traversed near vertical walls on the way up, now they had to negotiate them coming down. But they prevailed and one of the greatest feats of exploration and adventure in history came to an end.

1914 On this date the ocean liner “Empress of Ireland” departed Quebec Harbor, Canada into the Saint Lawrence Seaway headed to Liverpool, England. Since the sinking of the Titanic the shipboard safety devices and procedures had been greatly improved. The Saint Lawrence was very foggy on this spring morning and the Norwegian freighter “Storstad” was nearby but the both the captains of the Empress and the Storstad were aware of each other and indeed had each other in sight. Through a series of miss-interpreted signals the two ships finally engaged in a fatal embrace when the Storstad plunged 15 feet into the starboard side of the Empress. It took the Empress just 14 minutes to find the bottom and took more than 1500 passengers with her. There would have been more but the heroic efforts of the crew of the still floating Storstad resulted in the saving of scores of passengers in the frigid waters.

1864 After a series of running battles that began near the Wilderness and swinging south to the James River, US General Ulysses Grant has been out maneuvered and out guessed by CSA General Robert E, Lee. After leaving the Wilderness Grant headed as quickly as he could for the Spotsylvania Courthouse in Virginia only to find CSA General James Longstreet and his Corps already there and dug in. A fierce and bloody battle ensued with Grant withdrawing after receiving a severe ass-kicking. Grant’s intention was to get between Lee and Richmond and Lee knew this. It was no mystery and Lee simply guessed where Grant was going to try to make this happen. On this date Grant reached the Topopotomoy Creek only to be greeted by the grinning rebels looking down on his army from the bluffs above. The frustrated Grant slid further south to a small crossroad called Cold Harbor only to find that Lee had indeed out-guessed and outmaneuvered him and had the Confederates dug in and waiting. The exasperated and angry Grant flung his army against the Confederate embrasures only to have his army chopped to pieces by aimed rifles/muskets and artillery. This is one of the bloodiest battles ever fought in North America for its duration. Grant had to admit defeat once again and withdrew but he knew that he had almost an unlimited supply of replacements and Lee had none. It was a war of attrition after that.

1843 American explorer John Fremont departed Saint Louis, Missouri on his second expedition of discovery. He had just returned from the first one just a few months before. Fremont was fortunate to have a guide with the skill and knowledge of Kit Carson on the first expedition and he was scheduled to meet with Carson in Wyoming to guide once again. This time they were going to explore the lands in the Wind River mountain Range and then on into Oregon. They ended up on the Pacific coast across from what is now Portland, Oregon. Fremont was to return via the Oregon Trail but decided that that was not adventurous enough and turned south to traverse the Sierra Nevada range. This proved to be a bad move because they almost got trapped in the snows and ended up eating some of their horses and had it not been for Kit Carson they could not have make it to Sutter’s Fort and safety. After restocking and refitting that headed back to Saint Louis via the California Trail. His descriptions of what the saw was instrumental in lighting the flame of adventure for thousands of immigrants that made the journey to Oregon and other lands in the American west.

Born today:

1736 American patriot Patrick Henry. He said “If this be treason, then let’s make the most of it.” Yet another fire breather in the right place at the right time.

1898 Canadian actress Beatrice Lilly. She said “One time Noel Coward and I was staying in London, adjoining rooms, of course. I felt mischievous and knocked on his door. He said “Who is it” and I lowered my voice and said “It is the hotel detective, do you have a gentlemen in your room?” Noel said “Just a minute, I will ask him.”

1917 President John F. Kennedy. He said, “I know nothing for sure except the fact that I know nothing for sure.” Sound wisdom

Answer to the trivia question:

The largest tsunami ever documented was in 1958 when a landslide into Lituya Bay Alaska produced a tsunami 100 feet high.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Tuesday

Quote of the day:

When told that he had died she said "It makes me sad but I am grateful that I was able to spend so many years with the coolest man on the planet."

                 Kim Bush, long time girlfriend of Ken "The Snake" Stabler

Trivia question of the day:

What was the largest bird ever documented?

I was in Pensacola right after Snake retired and he hung out on the Redneck Riviera a lot and that being the Alabama gulf coast around Gulf Shores and vicinity. I think he was at the very first “Mullet Toss” at the immortal “Flora-Bama” Lounge. I was there once when he was there at the same table with the ex-wife of George Wallace and a few bikers from the Screwballs Motorcycle Club. The Flora-Bama was and is a major stop on the gulf coast between New Orleans and Tampa. Snake kept his yacht/fishing boat at the Bear Point Marina near Orange Beach, Al. and was named “Honky Tonk”. His girlfriend at the time was names Wanda but he called her “Wicked Wanda” for reasons I never learned. There was very few people that ever existed that enjoyed life any more than Kenneth “The Snake” Stabler. Ken died of cancer in a hospital in Gulfport, Mississippi on July 8, 2015, he was 70 years old. He and was inducted into the Football Hall Of Fame the next year. His eulogy as given by Fred Beletnikoff (also in the Hall of Fame) one of Snakes favorite receivers, and his grandson amid many tears by both.

The Saga of Heidi

This is the tale of Heidi. She is small of stature but has the heart of a lion. No one knows what her real name was because she was named Heidi by a receptionist at a doctor’s office. She was found roaming the streets in near Lexington, South Carolina in 2005 by a citizen who called the officials to come and pick her up because she was crippled and barely able to move. Heidi was found and taken to a safe shelter for the time being. Little Heidi is a dachshund whose spine had been damaged and her hind quarters are inoperable. The Lexington County Animal Control called a member of Dachshund Rescue of America who lived in nearby Columbia, South Carolina. This dedicated member gathered up Heidi and took her to a veterinarian for an examination. The vet said that surgery would not cure Heidi’s affliction and she should be euthanized because of the lack of a “quality of life” in her future. It is the policy of this particular Dachshund Rescue group that before a dachshund under guardianship of a member can be euthanized, it must be voted on by the President and the Board of Directors. After the President had a conversation with the vet, it was decided euthanasia was not necessary. Heidi remained in this member’s house even though Heidi would move around dragging her hind quarters. As you might suspect, Heidi did not have control of her bodily functions so the member fitted her with children’s number 3 diapers and cut a hole in it which allowed her tail to stick out. I met Heidi and on our first encounter it was obvious that she did not know she was handicapped. She ran around playing with the other dogs and responded to any actions by the people there. In fact, there was an obvious touch of vinegar in this dog’s attitude. She was advertised for adoption on the Dachshund Rescue website which is www.DRNA.org. Later on a lady from Canada admired Heidi’s obvious spirit and will to survive and adopted her. Through a series of transfers from one member to another, Heidi made her way to Canada and the ownership of the lady of faith. This fine person fitted Heidi with a small carriage with wheels that lifted Heidi’s hind quarters off the ground and allowed her much more mobility. The lady from Canada reported that when she took Heidi to a dog park she thought she was in command by running around and trying to herd up the other dogs. Heidi became a Canadian celebrity from her sheer courage and spirit. She eventually became a mascot that is taken from facility to facility that cared for crippled people and homes for the elderly to show that life is not over when a wheelchair is required. She is loved by all who has seen her. Her “wheelchair” has a checkered race flag and the word Heidi painted on it. She is an inspiration for us all. I am glad I got to meet her. By the way, the rescuer and guardian was my daughter Mardy, in whom I am well pleased as I am of all of my children.

After this writing Heidi's organs began to fail from old age and was mercifully euthanize. She is gone but the memory of her heart and spirit remains.

Back in the mid 1500's Spanish conquistadors came ashore in California (Coronado), Mexico (Cortez) and South America (Pizzaro). They found an enormous horde of gold, silver and precious gems in the hands of the natives. Their answer was to slaughter those that resisted and enslave those who didn't to gain the treasure. They eventually had several ports on the Caribbean used to load cargo ships with treasure and sail them back to Spain. Word of this conveyor belt of treasure was soon discovered and the Spanish treasure ships repeatedly came under attack by pirates and privateers. Spain's response as to station warships at several places along the sea lanes back to Spain. One deal location was on the south coast of Jamaica near what is now Kingston. There was a narrow strip of land that ran out from the shore into the Caribbean enclosing an ideal harbor. The Spanish established the town of Port Royal on the tip of this peninsula along with a fort to control who comes and goes in and out of the harbor. It also became a major slave trading port. The town thrived and grew to about 3,000 permanent residences.  England and Spain were at war and therefore in addition to the British navy to worry about the Spanish had to be concerned about privateers (private warships hired by England to fight its enemies) and outright pirates that were only after the treasure. The British navy launched an all out effort to capture Port Royal and was successful in kicking the Spanish out of Jamaica. With the natural harbor (one of the greatest in the world at the time) and shallow sand bars that allowed “careening” that was much traffic in and out of this harbor and the merchants in Port Royal grew very wealthy especially the bar and whorehouse owners.

Careening means the wooden ships would be pulled up to a sand bar, tilted on its side and the crew would scrape off the barnacles and seaweed and patch any cracks. Sir Henry Morgan and Sir Francis Drake had their headquarters at Port Royal.

Then on June 7, 1692 at about noon an earthquake struck Port Royal. The quake was so severe that the entire town slid in the Caribbean. The strange thing was that even when the ground was still quivering there were looters out stripping gold rings and bracelets off the dead. Many of the looters were killed when the houses they were in collapsed on them or took them out to sea and drowned them. The horror increased when several cemeteries were flooded and corpses floated to the surface and drifted around in the harbor. Naturally, cholera followed. What normally happens after an earthquake on seaside communities is, you guessed it, a tsunami.  Sure enough an enormous tsunami showed up and swamped or capsized many ships in the harbor. There was one fair sized cargo ship that was lifted up, pushed inward 2 miles and deposited on a 30 foot high bluff. This ship was used as a hospital for several years. The actual number of dead is unknown because since it was a slave port there were undocumented slaves by the hundreds in the surrounding communities. It was hell for those that experienced it.

Answer to the trivia question:

The largest bird ever documented is the Elephant Bird of Madagascar. A mature one was About 9'-10” tall and weighed 1,100 pounds. They went extinct about 300 years ago.

                        Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

General

If any of y'all want to get the blog as an e-mail every day just send me your address and I will include you...but if you like it this way then so be it.  Send addresses to albig29640@yahoo.com    good night.

Monday

    Musings and History

Quote of the day:

A few years after realizing that he was worth about $20 million he said “I wish everybody could get anything they ever wanted then they would realize that this is NOT the answer.”

                                               Comedian/actor Jim Carrey

Trivia question of the day:

Who was George Patton's deputy commander in North Africa and Sicily?  Answer at the end of the blog.

A while back the father of one of the people killed in the shootings in Santa Barbara, California somehow received air time to express his grief saying the politicians are at fault for his sons death. He said that tighter gun control should have been enacted after the Sandy Hook massacre. The Sandy Hook shooter was under treatment for a mental illness and his relatives knew he was on the edge of being out of control. Why is those that treated the shooter for mental illness not at fault? Why was the shooter allowed to walk the streets in that condition? Suppose the mentally ill person had used a machete, a dagger, bow and arrow or a can of gasoline? Who would be at fault then? I understand that the father is emotionally distraught but how did he gain air time to express his personal outrage about firearms? I think we all know why....it is clearly the influence of the anti-gun lobby over there to your left.

My favorite bartender said this “There are three things we will not discuss at this bar...that is religion, politics and Justin Bieber.”

In further remembrance of Memorial Day, here is another Medal of Honor citation.

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to:

SERGEANT WILLIAM G. HARRELL
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

for service as set forth in the following.

CITATION:
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Leader of an Assault Group, serving with the First Battalion, Twenty-Eight Marines, Fifth Marine Division, during hand- to-hand combat with enemy Japanese at Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, on 3 March 1945. Standing watch alternately with another Marine in a terrain studded with caves and ravines, Sergeant Harrell was holding a position in a perimeter defense around the company command post when Japanese troops infiltrated our lines in the early hours of dawn. Awakened by a sudden attack, he quickly opened fire with his carbine and killed two of the enemy as they emerged from a ravine in the light of a star-shell burst. Unmindful of his danger as hostile grenades fell closer, he waged a fierce lone battle until an exploding missile tore off his left hand and fractured his thigh; he was attempting to reload the carbine when his companion returned from the command post with another weapon. Wounded again by Japanese who rushed the foxhole wielding a saber in the darkness, Sergeant Harrell succeeded in drawing his pistol and killing his opponent and then ordered his wounded companion to a place of safety. Exhausted by profuse bleeding but still unbeaten, he fearlessly met the challenge of two more enemy troops who charged his position and placed a grenade near his head. Killing one man with his pistol, he grasped the sputtering grenade with his good right hand and, pushing it painfully toward the crouching soldier, saw his remaining assailant destroyed but his own hand severed in the explosion. At dawn Sergeant Harrell was evacuated from a position hedged by the bodies of twelve dead Japanese, at least five of whom he had personally destroyed in his self-sacrificing defense of the command post. His grim fortitude exceptional valor and indomitable fighting spirit against almost insurmountable odds reflect the highest credit upon himself and enhance the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service."
/S/ HARRY S. TRUMAN

                                 This Date in History   May 27

1831 In 1822 the Ashley fur trapping expedition departed Saint Louis headed up the Missouri River. Included in the expedition was two men named Jedediah Smith and Jim Bridger. These two men play an immense role in the settling of the west. Jim Bridger was more of a mountain man/trapper and Jedediah Smith was more of an explorer. Bridger was shown the legendary South Pass in southern Wyoming by the Shoshone which allowed pioneers and their heavily laden wagons and carts to cross the Rocky Mountains into Oregon and California. Bridger also was the first Caucasian to lay eyes on the Great Salt Lake. Some of his friends dared him to track down the end of a nearby creek and off he went. The creek emptied into the Salt Lake. Bridger had thought it was an inlet of the Pacific Ocean because of its salty taste. Bridger had a great memory for topography and was depended on greatly as a guide to others. But it was Smith who explored Oregon in depth and survived three or four attacks by the Indians in Oregon. He also explored the northern part of California. Smith wrote down everything he saw which proved to be invaluable to the people that followed. Even though Jim Bridger found out about the South Pass he chose not to tell a lot of people about it but Smith told in detail how to get to the Pass and the Oregon Trail was born. After Smith found out that his mother and sister had died he decided to move back to Saint Louis and open a mercantile store and write a complete book about his explorations, But before he could get started a trader offered him a deal he could not refuse. He wanted Smith to guide a wagon train full of trade goods to Santa Fe. Smith agreed and off they went. Smith probably was over-confident about his skills and was eager to get back to Saint Louis knowing that the Santa Fe Trail was well marked and well used. After they got started Smith decided to depart from the Trail and head down the Cimarron River which would cut off about 300 miles. Smith was confident that he would be able to find potable water on the shortcut. Fresh water sources on the Santa Fe Trail were known and the wagon train left with enough water to get them to the first water hole but now they were off the trail. On this date the potable water became dangerously low and Smith sent seven men, including himself, in different directions to find water. While Smith was hunting water in central Oklahoma near the Canadian River a Comanche war party found him first. Smith was tortured and killed but his body was never found. We know that he was killed because of the account given by the Comanche and some items known to belong to Smith were seen for sale in Santa Fe. That is what being over confident and impatient will do for you and what a waste of a soul with the spirit of an explorer.

Answer to the trivia question:

Patton's deputy commander in North Africa and Sicily was Omar Bradley.

             Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Friday

•                                   Musings and History

  
  

  Quote of the day:

  “Old is when your wife or girlfriend says ' Let's go upstairs and make love' and you say 'Honey, it's one or the other'”.

                                                                Red Buttons

  
  

  I have been going to the local McDonalds for breakfast recently. It is because if you buy anything they will give you a sales receipt that gives you a website to go to and do a survey...your reward is a two for one quarter pounder or egg McMuffin. Two egg McMuffins and a large coffee is about $4.50 and is more than the average bear can handle.

  There is a group of old guys in there every time I go. These guys move old, act old and talk old. Yesterday while I was in there one guy said “I was asleep in my recliner and my cat jumped up on my chest and scared the hell out of me.” Another one said “Ellie cooked black-eyed peas, rice and cornbread last night.” It is depressing to think that their lives have become this mundane. I suspect this gathering is the high point of their day. They did read the newspaper and mentioned events only because they happened at places near where they used to live.

  I was sitting by myself reading a textbook from SMU about the history of the Comanche and was probably the oldest person in there. I am not saying that I am better or worse that they but I would hope that my enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge would never wane and I would not be content with a life that shallow.

  
  

                          This Date in History  May 24

  
  

  1543 On this date one of the most brilliant scientists in history died in what is now Frombork, Poland. Nicolo Copernicus was the first scientist to formulate the theory that it was the sun, not the earth, which was the center of “universe” meaning the solar system. It also was he that determined that it was the tilt of the earth on its axis that formed the seasons. His theories were discussed among other scientists but Copernicus would not publish his thoughts because it was adverse to the opinions of the Catholic Church and in those days no one opposed the Church at the risk of torture and death. Another Pole named Johann Kepler also fostered the theory of Copernicus but was able to make his theories known because he moved to Denmark where the Catholic Church did not hold sway. And finally the immortal Galileo determined that the theories of Kepler and Copernicus were indeed the closest to the mark as far as the mechanics of the “universe” is concerned and published his opinions. Unfortunately, Galileo lived in Italy and soon had a visit from a representative of the Vatican and was persuaded to recant his teachings under the threat of torture and was sent to exile in his country villa. But fortunately for science, Copernicus was able to get his thoughts published and distributed throughout Europe and eventually the world even though he lived in a country under the heel of the Pope. He did this by dying just days after publication so threats of torture meant nothing. God works in mysterious ways.

  
  

  1844 On this date while being watched by members of Congress, Samuel F. B. Morse sent a telegraph message to Alfred Vail at a Baltimore train station. Morse sent “What hath God wrought?” A few seconds later Morse received the same message back from Vail. Morse did not invent the telegraph an Italian inventor did but it was Morse that made it into something that could be used universally. He had worked on it for 12 years and even invented the famous code that is in used to this day. After perfecting his system, Morse was able to get a patent. He had members of Congress watch him send and receive the messages in the hope that Congress would help finance the expansion of this service. Naturally, Congress agreed and within 10 years there was over 20,000 miles of telegraph lines criss-crossing America.

  
  

  1989 On this date Lori Ann Auker disappeard from the parking lot of the pet store where she worked in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. The shop was at the busy Susquehanna Mall. The police were at a loss for what happened to Lori. That is until it dawned on them that there probably was a bank security camera film out there with a picture of Lori on it. And sure enough, they found a picture of Lori getting into a 1983 to 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity. Lori and her husband Robert had been involved in a bitter custody battle making him the prime suspect. Two weeks later Lori’s body was found dead with multiple stab wounds, the police also found out the Lori’s husband had been using his father’s 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity the day that Lori disappeared. The police went on a search for the car and found out that Lori’s father-in-law has sold the car two days after Lori disappeared. In spite of the car going through several owners, the police found the car and detected a few of Lori’s hairs and hair from her cat still in the car. Finally, the police felt they had enough evidence and three years after Lori’s death her husband was arrested, tried and convicted. He is now doing life without parole.

  
  

  1797 On this date widower and future President Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to his friend in the Angelica Church and casually asks about a mutual friend named Maria Cosway. It appears that Maria and Thomas had lit a fire a few years ago but was unable to continue. In 1786 while Jefferson was in Paris as an American representative he met Maria Cosway and a deep relationship ensued. There was no evidence that they ever slept together but there were strong implications that they had. It was reported that Jefferson acted like a giddy school boy when around Maria. He even once jumped into a fountain while walking with her. There was a small problem, Maria was married. During his jump into the fountain he had fallen and broken his wrist. Right after this Maria and her husband left for London for an expended stay. After his wrist had healed he wrote a very syrupy letter to her detailing his love sickness. I have not read the letter but I can imagine how juicy it would have been with his way with words.

  
  

  1941 On this day the mightiest warship afloat, the German battleship Bismarckengaged the best English battleship HMS Hood. They met in the North Atlantic southeast of Iceland and began exchanging gunfire. The Hood was faster but theBismarck had heavier armor. In just a matter of minutes the Hood was fatally wounded and went to the bottom carrying 1,500 English sailors with it. There were just three survivors. During the battle the Bismarck sustained damage in her fuel oil tanks and was leaving an oil trail. The Captain of the Bismarck decided that he needed to get his ship into a German held French port for repairs and headed southeast. After the loss of the Hood the British navy was going to put an end to the Bismarck come hell or high water. Over a period of several days the English navy attacked several times with no effect, they just could not penetrate her armor. But by sheer luck, one torpedo attack damaged the Bismarck’s rudder and she cannot do anything but circle. This gave the British time to bring up the heaviest ships in their navy from English waters and the Mediterranean and they surrounded the crippled Bismarck and all ships pour gunfire into the Bismarck until she disappeared beneath the waves taking 2,300 German sailors with her. There were several German survivors who spent the rest of the war in a prison camp. The Hoodhad been avenged.

  
  

  Born today:

  
  

  1870 US jurist Benjamin Cardozo. He said “Justice is not to be taken by storm, it is to be wooed by slow advances.” Ben, you dumb ass. It is well known opinion by the United States Supreme Court that “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

  
  

                      Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow

  
  

  
  

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Jen Campbell

jenleicam@yahoo.com

(803) 446-5279