Monday

                                      Musings and History 

                                                         

Quote of the day:

“The love that lasts the longest is the love that is never returned.”

                               Somerset Maugham

Trivia question of the day:

Who was the commander of the German tank column that broke out of the Ardennes Forest resulting in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII.  Answer at the end of the blog.

I read an interesting concept about the Exodus. The author surmised that the Hebrews did not get lost and wander the desert but Moses intentionally camped out for those 40 years. The reason being was after leaving Egypt the Hebrews could only mount an army of about 5,000 warriors and Moses felt that he needed at least 9,000. Not only that, the army was poorly trained and poorly armed. According to to the descriptions in the Bible the Hebrews camped in Saudi Arabia on the eastern shore of the Red Sea about 150 miles southeast of Egypt. The only volcano (Mount Sinai) within a reasonable distance is in this area. In the span of two generations (40 years) it would be feasible for Moses to increase his army the desired amount, have Joshua train them and would be able to forge iron into a sufficient number of swords, daggers and spears. I personally do not see how they could “be lost” in the desert. Egypt had been squabbling for centuries with the Assyrians, Hittites and Canaanites from present day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and southern Turkey. It was well known that these lands were north of Egypt and so was the Jordan River valley. I am sure that Moses and/or one of the Hebrews would be able to find which direction is north. It would be simple. At dawn just turn until the sun is shining on your right cheek and you would be facing north, more or less. Far be it for me to second guess what the Bible says about the Hebrews wandering the desert as punishment from God but it is more logical for me to imagine that Moses knew better that to head directly into combat with an untrained, undermanned and ill-equipped army. Moses was no dummy.

                           This Date in History   June 3

1800 On this date the second President of the United States John Adams moved to the new nation’s capitol of Washington, D.C. Before this the nation’s capitol was Philadelphia but a new capitol was established that was nearer to the center of the 13 colonies. The states of Maryland and Virginia ceded land on both sides of the Potomac River for the new city. Both the Capitol building and the White House were under construction so Adams moved to his temporary quarters in the Union Tavern in Georgetown. There is a man after my own heart. Eventually Adams notified his wife Abigail in Braintree, Massachusetts that the White House was ready for occupancy and they moved in. There was a small ceremony when they moved in and Adams dedicated the White House with these words. “I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but wise men ever rule under this roof”. In the war of 1812 the British troops set fire to the Capitol building and the White House. A massive thunderstorm prevented the destruction of the Capitol but the White House burned to the ground. The British burned these buildings in retaliation for American troops burning British government buildings in Canada. The city of Washington was designed by French architect Charles L’Enfant. He visualized a city with streets arranged in spokes with a lot of circles and parks and one of the most beautiful cities in the world emerged. The White House was designed by an Irish-American architect named James Hoban who used a building in Dublin, Ireland as a model. After the original White House was burned to the ground, Hoban was again tasked with resurrecting the new White House and what he came up with is pretty much what we have today. By the way, if we were to re-locate the nation’s capitol to the center of the continental United States it would be in the middle of a prairie just south of Omaha.

1937 Edward, the Duke of Windsor, after abdicating the throne of England married the former American socialite Wallis Warfield Simpson on this date. Edward was born in 1896 making him the eldest son of King George V and heir apparent to the crown with the title of the Prince of Wales. By the age of forty Edward still had not married but he was indeed involved in London’s social elite. Also involved in London’s social elite was Wallis Simpson and her husband John who were residing in London. Evidently Edward and Wallis hit it off and in spite of being married, Wallis became Edward’s mistress and he fell hopelessly in love. John was not Wallis’ first husband; she had been married and divorced to an American pilot before. Edward was going to discuss his dilemma with his father the King but before the meeting took place, King George V died, making Edward the King of England with the title of King Edward VIII. Eventually Wallis was able to secure a divorce from John clearing the way for Edward to marry her. But British law forbade a divorcee from becoming queen, especially one without a royal blood line, so Edward did what he had to do. He abdicated, meaning he gave up the crown. He was then titled the Duke of Windsor and Wallis became the Duchess. I do not know where the Duke got his money but for the majority of his life with Wallis they traveled the world in luxury and lived primarily in Paris. They would go to England only on rare occasions and they were not invited to many Royal events in London. They did attend the funerals of his brother King George VI and his mother Queen Mary. Edward died in Paris in 1972 and was buried in Frogmore which was a section of the grounds of Windsor Castle. Wallis died in 1986 and was buried at Edward’s side.

1961 On this date a man named Clarence Gideon was arrested for breaking into a poolroom in Panama City, Florida. This event and subsequent actions changed the legal system in the United States forever. A man living close to the poolroom told the police that he had seen Clarence Gideon (a poor drifter with a record) leave the closed poolroom with his pockets bulging with coins and an armload of soft drinks and get into a cab. The police found and arrested Clarence. He asked for a lawyer claiming he had not robbed the poolroom but the state of Florida did not have to provide a lawyer if the accused could not afford one. Clarence went to trial having to represent himself and he was quickly convicted and sent to prison. Clarence wrote out an appeal on a sheet of notebook paper and a pencil claiming that he was constitutionally entitled to a lawyer. His appeal went all the way to the United States Supreme Court and a lawyer named Abe Fortas plead Clarence’s case before the court. As y'all know, Abe Fortas became a Justice of the Supreme Court himself. Anyway, the Supreme Court agreed with Clarence and he was ordered released. The state of Florida chose to try Clarence again for the poolroom break-in but this time, because of the notoriety he received, Clarence was represented by a first class lawyer who shot the state’s case full of holes and Clarence was acquitted. The end result of all of this is if an accused cannot afford an attorney one will be provided at no cost. That ruling and another one that resulted in when anyone is arrested they must be told of their rights as soon as possible or the so-called Miranda ruling. It just goes to show you that anyone can make a change in the system if you are persistent enough.

Born today:

1771 British clergyman Sydney Smith. He said “There are three sexes, men, women and clergymen.” What are you trying to tell us Sydney?

1865 British monarch King George V. After hearing Strauss’ “Elektra” he said “His Majesty does not know what the band has just played but it is not to be played again in his presence.” I wonder what King George V would think of Metallica.

Answer to the trivia question:

The commander of the German tank column was Joachim Peiper.

              Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow