Friday

                                       Musings and History 

Quote of the day:

“Success is worrying about everything in the world except money.”

Johnny Cash

                                      Hammurabi

The Babylonians of the 1800 century BC were led by a king named Hammurabi. A dolomite finger shaped stelae (carved column) was found by an Egyptian archaeologist in 1901. The stelae had all 261 laws of Hammurabi engraved on the side. Later on there was found identical markings on several clay tablets. They were all written in the Akkadian language that was still in use at the time of Christ. We must keep in mind that the Hebrews were captured and enslaved by the Babylonians on three different occasions and there is little doubt that the Jewish law absorbed part of the Hammurabi law into their own. Here are a few of them that will smack of present day law.

If a man and a woman married and there is no intercourse, she is not his wife. In these days an “annulment” quickly follows the absence of sex in a marriage or if either partner objects.

Hammurabi says If a man takes another man’s child he shall be put to death. Back in the 1930’s the Charles Lindberg baby was kidnapped and killed. Bruno Hauptman, an illegal German immigrant was captured, tried and convicted on the flimsiest of evidence of this horrible crime. A year after the conviction he was executed by electric chair In Trenton, New Jersey.

Hammurabi law stated that if a man accused another of a crime, the accused would be required to jump in the river and if he died, the accuser would gain the man’s house and lands. However, if the jumper survived, the accuser would be killed and the accused would gain all of his lands and house. It hasn’t been that long ago that “affairs of honor” were settled in duels. This law is very close to that.

It appears that the Babylonia law system of sorts existed. The Executive and Legislative branch was the king, the Judicial and enforcement branch was the “elders”. Nearly all serious cases came before the “elders” for judgment. There were defined punishments for a given crime but the punishment had a little “wiggle room” dependent upon circumstances.

Even judges that convicted a man that later proved to be innocent, the judge was to be executed. I like this one.

It seems a harsh method of justice but they were harsh people and the Hammurabi knew that.

This is just few of the Hammurabi laws of the 261 but it should give us some insight into how life was in the Middle East 3800 years ago. 

                   This Date In History   March 17

1804 Two months before the Lewis and Clark left on their immortal expedition James Bridger was born in Richmond, Virginia. Jim became one of the most important explorers of the American west in its history. He was the original “Mountain Man”. Little is known of Jim’s childhood but it is known the he and his family moved to Saint Louis, Missouri in 1818. Jim honed his skill by exploring the area around Saint Louis and followed the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition. When Jim was 18 years old he found out about an enterprise named the Ashley-Henry Fur Company expedition. Their idea was to head west and trade with the Indian for furs, especially beaver and mink. The first person hired was Jim Bridger. Jim was successful in trading with the Indians, even with the fierce and protective Blackfeet that gave Lewis and Clark so much trouble. He was successful in building the first fur trading post on the Yellowstone River. It is acknowledged that he was the first Anglo to lay eyes of the Great Salt Lake even though he thought it was the Pacific Ocean. He had an enormous recall of geographic detail that saved his ass more than once. He operated as an independent trapper for several years. He grew tired of the nomadic life and decided that there was enough traffic on the Oregon Trail to warrant a trading post so he married a Flathead woman named Cora and founded and build Fort Bridger in the Green River section of southern Wyoming. His fort became a regular stop for the pioneers headed west. He and Cora had three children and it looked like an idealistic life for Jim, but it was not to be. Cora died, one of his daughters was killed by the Blackfeet and the third died of jaundice. After these episodes Jim would retreat into the mountains and trap, living with different Indian tribes. In 1853, Jim married a Shoshone woman he named Mary, and lived at the Fort in the summer and with the Shoshone in the winter. The Mormons in the area became jealous of Jim’s success and tried to have him arrested. But Jim and Mary escaped into the mountains along with their children. The Mormons burned and gutted his fort destroying his supplies. They are not as benevolent as they would want you to believe. He was worried how to feed his family and bought a farm near Westport, Missouri and left his family there during his western adventures. In 1858 he sold his fort and made his living as a guide to the pioneers and as a scout to the US cavalry. In 1868 he retired to his farm in Westport and tended his apple orchard. With his eyesight failing and rheumatism rampant, he died July 13, 1881 at the age of 76 in Westport. What a contribution this man made to the expansion of these United States.

By the way, The movie “Revenant” was loosely based on the life of mountain man Hugh Glass. Hugh's troubles began when he was attacked by female grizzly and severely injured. While under attack he was screaming his lungs out and the 2 of the trappers he was with came running and killed the bear. They thought Hugh would die so they skinned the bear, covered him with the pelt and left. One of these men that killed and skinned the bear was Jim Bridger.

                Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Thursday

                          Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“You are not a real star until they can spell your name in Pakistan.”

                                     Humphrey Bogart

The following is from a while back.

I guess all of you have read about people trying to interrupt Trump's meetings. One of the lunatics that was thrown out said that wanted to stop Trump. Stop Trump from what? Did he want to stop Trump from speaking because he does not agree with him?  All of that sounds like Nazis to me. I am not a died in the wood Trump fan but I am a fan of the United States Constitution. Trump and everybody else has the right to speak their mind. The police protect Westboro Baptist Church lunatics when demonstrating in front of a funeral for a soldier that was killed in combat. As much as I hate it, they do have that right. They do NOT have the right to go into the church and interfere with the service and neither does that jackass that tried to stop Trump at a meeting of his followers. All that obnoxious man has to do is change channels when Trump or anything offensive is shown...change stations when he is on the radio...and finally, do not vote for him or anyone else he/she finds offensive. But you know what, that demonstration may have been staged to make the Trump supporters more steely in their dedication...or maybe by the Republican Party “establishment” to derail down the Trump express, in any event it as NOT spontaneous.

                                        Heidi

This is the tale of Heidi. She is small of stature but had 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 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 were 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 out 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 girl'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 for 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.

Since I composed this Heidi's organs began to fail because of her age and she was mercifully euthanized...but the memory of her endures...thanks Margaret.

              This Date in History   March 16

1751 On this date future president James Madison is born on a Virginia plantation. James led a privileged childhood and attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton) and graduated after only two years. After college in 1771 Madison returned home very ill and it took him until 1776 to sufficiently recover to return to politics where he became a member of the Virginia legislature. James was a drafter of the United States Constitution and was a chronicler of the Constitutional Convention. His notes of the Convention are the most accurate of any records of that immortal meeting. But Madison forbade any of his notes to be made public until all those in attendance had died. It was he, John Jay and Thomas Jefferson that authored The Federalist Papers which foster the idea of a larger government being better capable of the protection of individual rights. The most important of these was Federalist Paper No. 10 authored by Madison alone. James married Dolly Payne Todd who proved to be one of the finest hosts of all time in Washington. While James Madison was Secretary of State under the widowed Thomas Jefferson, it was Dolly that arranged and hosted the White House frivolities in behalf of Jefferson. After resigning from public office he became rector for Thomas Jefferson’s beloved University of Virginia. Later on he became the president of Virginia State Teachers College at Harrisonburg. The college eventually became James Madison University. Madison was yet another man that showed up at the right place in the right time in history with the right skills and determination to contribute to the success of this great experiment in freedom known as the United States of America. We need many more men/women of this caliber.

              Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Wednesay

                    Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“Your best friend...or your worst enemy is a United States Marine”

                      General “Mad Dog” Mattis, USMC

Here is another event that tells me I am here for a reason:

I was stationed at Elmendorf AFB near Anchorage, Alaska. As I have said before Alaska is hunter/fisherman's paradise. It was June during the spawning run of the sockeye salmon and I decided to go fishing. I borrowed my roomie's car and went down the Kenai peninsula to a well known parking spot that was the beginning of a well marked trail that lead to the Kenai river near Kenai Lake. It was about a 2 mile hike. I was armed with a casting rod, a couple of lures and a .357 magnum S & W revolver. It never occurred to me that every carnivore within 100 miles was headed to that river also including black bears, brown bears, grizzly bears, wolverines, etc. Not only that, the female bears were not long out of their dens with their cubs. I had been hiking for quite a distance and the cover was very heavy on both sides of the trail which was about 6 feet wide at and over 6 feet tall at that point. I heard something very loud and very close to my left that went “WOOOF” and then there was the sound of something very big crashing through the undergrowth. I pulled my revolver and waited but nothing came out into the open. I continued a few more steps and there in the trail was a pile of bear dung still steaming. If that bear had wanted to kill me it would have been easy because the cover was so heavy that I would not have seen it before it was too late but that bear chose to run the other way. Yes indeed, I am here for a reason. BTW, I caught 3 sockeye.

I was transferred to Eielson AFB south of Fairbanks, Alaska. Eielson was a multi-purpose facility. There was a SAC (Strategic Air Command) recon unit and a ADC (Air Defense Command) unit flying all-weather interceptors. The SAC recon unit had RB-47s, RB-66s, RB-57s and KC-135s. The ADC unit had F-102's. Because of the recon unit the security was very tight. I was working in the control tower and got a call from an aircraft asking for landing instruction...and casually mentioned that he had flamed out. As I remember it, his call sign was “Dutch 19”. I did not have advance information about this flight meaning if he landed it would be a breach of security. I called the OD (officer of the day) and told him about it and he asked the call sign and I told him. He said to go ahead and let him land...he had forgotten to tell us about it. So I gave Dutch 19 landing instructions. 30 minutes later he landed...it was a U-2. There is no telling at what altitude he was when he flamed out to stay aloft for 30 minutes. I had never seen one before only pictures but I understood how this plane could stay aloft for so long with no power...It had very long wings like a sailplane. Not only that, after it landed two men ran along beside the aircraft, leveled the wings and installed a small dolly under both wings indicating how balanced it was. The U-2 only had landing gear in the center of the fuselage. I found out later that this plane had departed Del Rio, Texas. It was a hell of an aircraft designed and built by the Lockheed “Skunk Works” led by Kelly Johnson. The U-2 became outdated when the Skunk Works came up with the SR-71 Blackbird. Recon aircraft became outdated when satellites were invented that can read an automobile license tag from orbit.

This Date in History March 15

1783 Previously the United States Congress had received word that a group of officers in the Continental Army had planned a secret meeting in the Newburgh, New York area to plan a revolt or mutiny, if you will, because Congress had failed to pay them and provide them with a clothing and food allowance that had been previously promised. On this date, George Washington showed up at the meeting of the officers. As you might suspect, you could hear a pin drop when Washington walked up to the rostrum. He read them the riot act and called the meeting illegal and unmilitary. He then pulled out a letter that Congress had sent him about the meeting. With his hands slightly shaking he reached in his coat pocket and retrieved a pair of spectacles and before he put them on he said “I am shaking because I have grown old in the service of my country, and now it appears that I will go blind.” After this there was not a dry eye in the house because they realized what a tremendous contribution this great man had made for his country. They felt very small for what they were contemplating. The officers withdrew any threat to Congress and rededicated themselves to the service of their country. We all need to contemplate this.

44BC On this date, the Ides of March, Julius Caesar is murdered in the Roman Senate by 60 Senators. Leading the attack was Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, better known as Brutus and Cassius. After Caesar was struck in the neck with a sword, the rest of the Senators fell upon him and made a contribution with a stab of their own. Because of the contribution that Caesar had made to Rome with his organizational skills and military expertise, he was named dictator for life. The Roman senate realized that this much power is too much for one man and they all agreed that they had to cap Caesar. It is legend that his last words were “et tu Brute” meaning “You to Brutus?” Brutus and Caesar had been life long friends and Caesar could not believe that Brutus would be part of this conspiracy. We never know who our friends and enemies are.

1831 On this date Edward R. Perry is born in Richmond, Massachusetts and is educated at Lee Academy and at Yale. In 1852 he moved to Georgia to teach school and study law. After a trip to Alabama he decided to settle in Pensacola, Florida to practice law. At the outbreak of the Civil War he offered his services to the Confederacy and became a member of the Pensacola Rifle Rangers. This unit was absorbed into the 2^nd Florida Regiment which played and important role in several battles later on. His unit was involved in the Peninsular Campaign and especially the Battle of the Seven Days. The commander of his unit was killed at the Battle of Williamsburg and Perry assumed command and was promoted to Brigadier General and was given command of two other regiments. A few months later his unit was involved in the Battle of Antietam and suffered heavy losses. He came down with typhoid fever and missed Gettysburg where his unit suffered heavy losses once again. He was able to rejoin his unit just in time for the Battle of the Wilderness where he was seriously wounded. This wound forced him to surrender command of his unit and he spent the rest of the war recruiting in Alabama. He served as Governor of Florida from 1884 to 1888. With his health failing he moved to a drier climate in Kerrville, Texas in 1889 where he died from a stroke in October of that year. He is buried in the cemetery of Saint John’s Church in Pensacola. The city of Perry, Florida is named in his honor.

1767 On this date Andrew Jackson is born in the Waxhaw villages on the North Carolina/South Carolina border. Andy was hell on wheels, y'all.

1849 English actress Dame Margaret Kendal. When speaking of Sarah Bernhardt she said “She is a great actress from the waist down.” I wonder what she meant by that.

1935 US televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. He said “The media is run by Satan, I wonder how many Christians are aware of that”. When it comes to being a sincere preacher, Jimmy is a good singer/piano player.

1892 English writer Dame Rebecca West. She said “The hatred of doing housework is the natural progression of civilization.” Methinks the good Dame Becky and I are related.

               Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Tuesday

                         Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“When Frank Sinatra dies they are going to give his pants zipper to the Smithsonian.”

                                                   Dean Martin

I read an item on Facebook by a paranoid woman saying that she never touches the magazines in doctor's offices. She was concerned about all those people sneezing and coughing and touching them. She did not mention the door handles at Wal-Mart, Publix, Costco, Bi-Lo, etc. that have a hell of a lot more traffic than her doctor. Not everyone going to the doctor has the flu. She did not mention the handles on the carts in those places mentioned above. She did not mention the chairs or stools in restaurants that you handle to sit down. She did not mention the table tops, silverware, plates, cups and saucers and the hands of the servers in those same places, there is no guarantee that they are bacteria free. Life is too short to worry about stuff like that.

Here is the second installment about successful pirates and privateers.

                         Sir Francis Drake

This is a tale about one the greatest heroes in English history. He essentially was a pirate preying on the enemies of England, mostly Spain making him a privateer.

It was known that Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro had invaded the land of the Inca in Bolivia and Peru and found fortunes in gold, silver and precious gems generated by the Inca. The problem was how to get it back to Spain. Bolivia and Peru are on the Pacific coast of South America meaning their choices were to bring the treasure overland by mule train through Colombia to Panama then across the isthmus to the Caribbean where Spanish treasure ships could carry back to Spain. This was not feasible because of the nearly impenetrable jungle, oppressive heat and humidity and being way too much.

The other alternatives was to load ships on the Pacific coast and sail south, east through the Straits of Magellan into the south Atlantic and then northeast to Spain. This was not feasible because the prevailing winds and currents would be against them the entire route. Sailing west essentially taking them around the world was not feasible also. The only other answer was to load the treasure ships on the Pacific coast and sail north to the isthmus of Panama and transport the treasure by mule train the 60 miles to the Caribbean where Spanish cargo ships waited. After a spy trip Sir Francis Drake took all of this into consideration and decided that the most vulnerable points were ports in Panama on the Caribbean and/or the mule trains. Drake brought three war ships near a known Spanish treasure port on the Caribbean side of Panama and attacked. There was no treasure stored anywhere. He found out that a Spanish treasure fleet had departed just a few weeks before and it would months before another mule train was scheduled. Drake was patient. He attacked and looted several other Spanish ports before returning to Panama. After he arrived he met a French treasure hunter in Panama who told him that his troops had detected a mule train headed their way. Drake and his troops along with the Frenchman and his troops waylaid the mule train in the jungle. It was beyond their wildest dreams. There was 180 mules each carrying 300 pounds of gold, silver and precious gems. The treasure was split with the French and Drake sailed home loaded to the scuppers with treasure.

Drake persuaded the Queen to finance another expedition to attack the Spanish treasure ships leaving the Pacific coast. He departed Plymouth with four ships. His flag ship was originally the Pelican but he renamed it the Golden Hind . A hind is a European deer. On the prow of his ship was a carved deer head, antlers included, painted gold.

He and his fleet sailed southwest to a point near the Plate river delta in Uruguay and turned south. By the time they reached the Straits of Magellan, two of the ships had run aground and were abandoned. The other ship lost contact with Drake and turned back to England. Drake, now alone, transited the Straits of Magellan into the Pacific and turned north. Somehow Drake knew that one of the largest Spanish treasure ships ever built was scheduled to depart somewhere on the Pacific coast headed to Panama full of treasure. He had many lookouts and promised a gold chain to the first person to sight the Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion'. Off the coast of Chile' the Concepcion was sighted. Drake put out all of his sails but was dragging mattresses, pots and pans, etc. to slow him down. Once the Concepcion got within hailing distance and asked Drake what ship it was and from what port, Drake answered “Strike your sails or go to the bottom”. He then cut the ropes carrying the mattresses, etc. and his hidden troops rose up and launched a hailstorm of arrows and lead. The Concepcion surrendered and Drake retrieved about 9,000 pound of gold, silver and precious gems worth about $60 million today. It took six days for the treasure to be transferred to the Golden Hind.

From there Drake continued sailing north and visited North America somewhere on the Oregon Coast. He turned south and stopped somewhere in northern California before continuing south, catching the trade winds just north of the equator and headed across the wide Pacific. He sailed across the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian sea and around the southern tip of Africa then sailed into Plymouth harbor in September of 1580. He had been gone a little over two years. He was not the first to circumnavigate the Earth, that was a Magellan expedition. But Magellan was killed in the Philippines by a poison dart and did not finish the trip. Drake was there the entire trip. It was after this that he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. He continued to torment the Spanish navy and there was a bounty on his head of what would be $2 million today. They never caught him and at the age of 48 he and his 2^nd cousin John Hawkins commanded sections of the British navy in the utter rout of the Spanish Armada in 1588. At the age of 56 he died of dysentery near present day Colon, Panama...still tormenting the Spanish.

Born today:

1945 British comic Jasper Carrott. He said “I am amazed at radio DJ’s today. I am convinced that AM stands for “Absolute Moron”. I am not going to being to tell you what FM stands for.”

                  Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Monday

Quote of the day:

“After 25 years hookers are back on the streets of Baghdad. Do you really want a hooker that was working 25 years ago?”

                                                                 David Letterman

The Dems out there on the left have to be embarrassed about that jackass named Preet Bharara up in New York that refused to quit or resign saying the "Trump will have to fire me" for no other reason than to get his name in the papers.  The last person you want to challenge to fire you isThe Donald.  It is standard protocal for those that were given a job in the department of Justice by the previous President to offer a resignation.  There were 46 jobs given by Obama and now Trump is going to replace them with those theat he prefers just like Obama did.  That jackass is just wanting to get his name on everyone's lips so they will remember him when he runs for mayor of the Big Apple.  It is disgusting and I hope y'all out there in the East Village realize this.  By the way, Bill Clinton replaced all 93 of the judges positions. 

March 7, 1945 was the anniversary of the Allies capturing the railroad bridge across the Rhine river near the town of Remagen, Germany. The German army had destroyed every other bridge in Germany across this river trying to delay the Allied onslaught. They had detonated explosives under this bridge also but it refused to fall. An American army patrol had found this bridge in tact and reported to their superiors who came running. The German army had snipers and artillery pieces firing at the bridge until American tanks arrived and put a stop to it. The bridge defied reason and stayed erect. Not only that, the bridge was strong enough to support tanks, artillery pieces, trucks and thousands of infantrymen for several days. After enough men and the tools of war had crossed to assure the Allies had enough that there could be an end to the Nazi nightmare, the bridge collapsed on it own. Tell me there is no God.

                  This Date in History  March 13

1733 Future Unitarian preacher Joseph Priestly is born in Birstall, Yorkshire, England. Priestly became acquainted with Benjamin Franklin while he was in London trying to do something to avoid a war with England and Ben became a Unitarian as a result even though he did not join Priestley’s Church. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson also were followers of Priestley and were indeed members of Unitarian Churches. John Adams frequently attended services in Priestley’s Church in Philadelphia. A Unitarian is one that believes in God but does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ. They believe that Jesus was a great speaker of God but was not supernatural. Priestley had a church in London and somehow preached in favor of the American and French Revolutions and got away with it for a while anyway. On the 2^nd anniversary of Bastille Day, a crowd in London attacked and burned Priestley’s house, a well equipped laboratory and his Unitarian Church. After this, Priestley had not choice but to get the hell out of Dodge and he immigrated to the United States in 1794. He settled in Northumberland, Pennsylvania and established the 1^st Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. He lived in Northumberland until his passing in 1804. Even though Priestly taught an unpopular religion, he was sincere in his belief and was a dedicated lover of freedom.

1865 On this date the Confederate States of America began recruiting black soldiers into their ranks. There were two sides to this issued. One side, Robert E. Lee included, wanted to recruit blacks into the Confederate Army and freedom as the incentive. The other side felt like that they should be allowed into the Confederate army with no incentive at all. The side that wanted no incentives prevailed and they did indeed succeed in recruiting a few black soldiers but not near as many as the over 200,000 recruited by the Union. It was a moot issue anyway because Lee surrendered in April of this year and the war was over. But the most horrible of all times began and that being the so-called Reconstruction which succeeded in instilling more hatred on both sides than four years of combat could have ever done.

1989 On this date one of the most evil men in North America is brought to justice. It is a Mexican named Adolpho de Jesus Constanzo. This jackass owned a ranch named Rancho Santa Elena. He believed in black magic and tortured his victims to the point of death and were mostly prostitutes which made their discovery most unlikely. If his intended victims did not beg for their life, he would kill them immediately and send his henchmen out to find some that would. His mistake was capturing an American named Mark Kilroy after he staggered out a bar in Matamoras. He ended up killing Kilroy and soon the American law enforcement officials were combing the countryside looking for Kilroy. Constanzo convinced one of his henchmen that if he uttered the right words he would be invisible to the police. This dumb-ass left town and drove straight to the ranch knowing that the police in hot pursuit could not see him. Anyway when the police arrive Constanzo is not home but the police “convince” those that are there to tell them where he is. He is in Mexico City and the police surround the apartment he is in. Constanzo wants to fight and opens fire with several Uzis. The police respond in kind and Constanzo knows the jig is up and convinces his henchman named El Duby to kill him rather than be captured. El Duby obliges and Constanzo dies in a hailstorm of Uzi gunfire from good old El Duby. It is estimated that Constanzo was responsible for the torture and death of over 20 but the number could have been as many as 100. With monsters like this, the world needs to re-think the “cruel and unusual punishment” clause in the Constitution. We of English, Irish and Scottish ancestry can be very inventive when it comes to that, our history is full of it.

1996 On this date a man walked into a kindergarten in Dunblane, Scotland an opened fire killing 16 toddlers, one of their teachers and wounding 12 others before turning the gun on him. This animal was at one time a leader of Boy Scouts but was kicked out for misconduct with the boys. So he decided to take it out on the littlest of children. Can anyone imagine how terrified those little kids were? It is too bad that he committed suicide, again my thought wander to the basement of the Tower Of London with the Iron maiden, the rack, the pear, thumb screws, a variety of iron rods in various shapes heated to a fiery red, disemboweling tools, a 1000 pound shire horse tied to each limb with someone beating the hell out of all four, etc. I believe if we still had these instruments the incidence of crime would plummet precipitously. But we would not be civilized, now would we?

1836 Just eleven days after the disaster at the Alamo Sam Houston hear that the Mexicans are on their way to Gonzalez, Texas and Sam doesn’t have anything to stop him. The troops that he does have are barely trained if at all. So Sam keeps just out of Mexican chief Santa Anna’s reach while he trains his troops to a fine edge. The troops know that the men at the Alamo were annihilated and want their revenge but Sam knows they re not ready so he stays out of Santa Anna’s way. Finally, Sam feels that his men are ready and turns to face Santa Anna. Sam has 756 troops to more than 2000 Mexicans. They trapped the Mexicans between Buffalo Creek and San Jacinto Creek southwest of present day Houston and launched a surprise attack. The befuddled Mexicans ran away in every direction but the most of them got caught in the waist deep water of San Jacinto Creek and are massacred by the Texans and other Patriots screaming “Remember the Alamo”. Revenge is sweet, y'all.

Born today:

1950 US actor William Macy. He said “You don’t become an actor because you had a good childhood.” One of my favorite actors said the same thing...Gene Hackman

Died today:

1938 US attorney Clarence Darrow. He said “I am an agnostic. I do not pretend to know what many ignorant men are sure of.” Darrow was a spooky guy, y'all.

2006 US actress Maureen Stapleton. When asked how it felt to win and an Oscar for best supporting actress in the movie “Reds” she said “Not nearly as exciting as it would be declared one of the greatest lays in the world”. Pretty crusty old girl, huh?

         Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Friday

                       Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“If you get hot flashes at a cattle auction, you just might be a redneck.”

                                      Jeff Foxworthy

A while back I woke up at 7:20a with no power. The clock on the stove said the power went out at 7:12a. My neighbor said that a power pole had been knocked down a few blocks west and that means it will include no TV and internet for quite a spell. I must have had a premonition because I did not have anything perishable in the freezer and all my flashlights (3) were freshly charged.

I did go to my favorite breakfast restaurant that morning and had two eggs soft scrambled with cheese, two sausage patties (damned good), fried “American” potatoes (potatoes chopped rather than shredded like hash browns), an English muffin (with a lot of real butter and grape jelly aboard), and 5 cups of coffee. Why so much coffee? I am guilty of not drinking enough liquids and becoming dehydrated so when I get a chance I load up, not to mention they get $2.85 for their coffee (all you can drink) so I figure I would get my money's worth.

Here is the story of another American hero.

                                  Medal of Honor

                                BORDELON, WILLIAM JAMES

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 25 December 1920, San Antonio, Texas.

Citation:

For valorous and gallant conduct above and beyond the call of duty as a member of an assault engineer platoon of the 1st Battalion, 18th Marines, tactically attached to the 2d Marine Division, in action against the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands on 20 November 1943. Landing in the assault waves under withering enemy fire which killed all but 4 of the men in his tractor, S/Sgt. Bordelon hurriedly made demolition charges and personally put 2 pillboxes out of action. Hit by enemy machine gun fire just as a charge exploded in his hand while assaulting a third position, he courageously remained in action and, although out of demolitions, provided himself with a rifle and furnished fire coverage for a group of men scaling the seawall. Disregarding his own serious condition, he unhesitatingly went to the aid of one of his demolition men, wounded and calling for help in the water, rescuing this man and another who had been hit by enemy fire while attempting to make the rescue. Still refusing first aid for himself, he again made up demolition charges and single handed assaulted a fourth Japanese machine gun position but was instantly killed when caught in a final burst of fire from the enemy. S/Sgt. Bordelon's great personal valor during a critical phase of securing the limited beachhead was a contributing factor in the ultimate occupation of the island, and his heroic determination throughout 3 days of violent battle reflects the highest credit upon the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country. 

To quote USMC General Holland Smith after this battle “Where do we find such men?”

Down in Columbia, SC chiropractor Ronnie Shows had been arrested for sexual misbehavior. It seems that a 23 and 35 year old women filed a complaint against the good doctor and their reports are identical. They came in for an “adjustment” and Dr. Shows told them to take off all their clothes except for their underwear and put on a surgical gown. He then told them to lie down on the treatment table face up. Then he provided an “adjustment” at a point on their bodies that was considered inappropriate in the field of chiropractics. One of them had a pain in her hip. If you look at an x-ray of your lower torso you will see how close everything is in that area. But the other woman had a pain in her neck…

                This Date in History   March 10

1993 Early on this morning Doctor David Gunn had arrived at the Pensacola Women’s Medical Services (abortion clinic). While still getting out of his car, a brave bastard named Michael Griffin yelled out “Don’t kill anymore babies” and opened fire and shot Gunn in the back three times. Gunn died instantly and Griffin immediately surrendered to the nearby police. The anti-abortion group known as Rescue America called the killing a “necessary evil” in the battle against abortion. While Griffin was in prison he began communicating with a woman named Rachelle Shannon who later stated that Griffin was the bravest and most important man in America. Shannon showed up at an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and opened fire on a doctor but only succeeded in wounding him. Just a short time later a fervent anti-abortionist named Paul Hill showed up on the TV talk show The Phil Donahue Show. This jackass said that both Griffin and Shannon should be acknowledged as heroes. About a year after this, Paul Hill showed up at another abortion clinic in Pensacola and gunned down two more abortion doctors. I don’t understand how the anti-abortionists can justify murder as a “necessary evil”. It is clear to me that they are trying to protect those inside the womb but once you are outside you are fair game.

1970 On this date US Army Captain Ernest Medina and four other soldiers were charged with war crimes in the massacre of between 300 and 500 unarmed Vietnamese civilians in the village of My Lai in March of 1968. They were also charged with using torture during interrogation of these civilians. Apparently the US army unit led by Lieutenant William Calley had been taking casualties from mines and booby traps and when they got to the village and found no soldiers they took out their frustrations on the villagers. They began the wholesale slaughter of any and every villager in sight, men, women and children. The villagers fled with the soldiers in hot pursuit and the killing would have continued if not for the brave act of a scout helicopter pilot named Warrant officer Hugh Thompson who landed his helicopter between the soldiers and the fleeing villagers and put a stop to it. There was testimony that Lieutenant Calley had ordered the killing and he was tried and convicted of killing 22 civilians. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and was paroled after serving three years. War is hell.

Born today:

1946 North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano. He said “I asked the referee if I could get a technical foul for what I was thinking. He said no. So I said “I think you stink” and he gave me a technical. You can’t trust them.”

Died today:

1919 US writer Amelia Barr. She said “Regardless of the scientists if you take the supernatural out of life, all you have left is the unnatural.”

1948 Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. She said “No one has ever measured, not even the poets, how much the heart can hold.” Zelda was the last of the true romantics.

                 Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow      

Thursday

                       Musings and History

Quote of the day:

In the movie "Band of Brothers" the most ruthless US warrior was a Captain Spiers.  He encountered a corporal cowering in a foxhole rather than fighting and asked him what was wrong.  The corporal said "I am just so scared, sir."  Spiers said:

"We are all scared.  When you make up your mind that you are already dead you will be able to kill without mercy, without remorse...and without fear.  All wars depend on it."

Here is a biography of one of the heroes of the American Revolution.

                             Francis Marion

                                    The Swamp Fox

Francis Marion was the last of six children born to Gabriel and Esther Marion in 1757 on the Winyah plantation which is near near present day Georgetown, South Carolina. He was a puny and sickly child and his parents worried greatly for his health. His cousin Peter Horry (pronounced Ow-ree) once wrote the “He was so small as an infant that he could have been mistaken for a New England lobster and would have fit into a pot used for cooking one.” The irony of this statement is the Peter Horry ended up as a member of Marion’s staff while engaged in combat against the British. While living in Georgetown, Francis Marion became enamored with ships and decided that a sailor’s life is where it was at. He approached his parents with this idea and they readily agreed assuming that life at sea would enhance his health. He signed on as the seventh member of a crew headed for the Bahamas aboard a trading sloop. He made several trips but on one return trip an angry sperm whale rammed the boat knocking loose a board. The boat flooded and sank so fast that the crew was not able to get any food or water to take aboard the life boat. Three days hence two of the crew died of thirst and starvation but two days later the little life boat beached itself and the remainder of the crew was saved. Francis made his way back to the house and strangely enough he was in much better health with “his pale face was being a hale and hearty olive” as stated by the ever-present Peter Horry. By this time Marion’s family had moved to another plantation near Eutaw Springs (present day Eutawville, South Carolina). Most of this plantation was covered by Lake Marion on the famous Santee-Cooper lake complex. Marion joined Colonel William Moultrie in the French and Indian War and they ended up slaughtering the Creeks and Cherokees in western South Carolina. This part of the war wore heavily on Francis. He grieved over burning entire villages of the most shabby of huts and cutting large fields of near ripe corn knowing what the resulting misery it would cause the old and very young. Peter Horry wrote again of the misgivings of Francis about this venture. In June of 1775 he was a member of the South Carolina Provincial Congress and was named Captain in the 2^nd South Carolina Regiment, General Thomas Moultrie commanding, to try to kick the redcoats out of South Carolina. Marion was present at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island and the Battle of Fort Moultrie but they were unsuccessful in preventing the British from capturing the port of Charleston, South Carolina. Marion joined with Continental General Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina. Gates had no faith in Marion and assigned him the task of heading south toward Charleston and cutting off the retreat of the British after Gates had kicked the crap out of the British at the Battle of Camden. The only problem here was that the British kicked the crap out Gates and his army and they retreated north which left Marion hanging in the wind by himself out in the Great Pee Dee swamp. Marion was not to be outdone. He gathered together about 70 men that supplied their own clothing, horses and most of their food while waging a guerrilla war against British General Charles Cornwallis. Cornwallis had never even heard of such ungentlemanly warfare as attack, do as much damage as you can and then retreat into a nearly impenetrable swamp. So Cornwallis sent the most vicious of his commanders in Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton to bring this man and his men to bay. Tarleton had the same results in getting attacked from ambush and his attackers running back into the swamp. Tarleton despaired and called Marion “the old swamp fox”. Marion honed his techniques and he and his men are considered America’s first “Ranger” unit. Marion was so successful against the British because of his intelligence gathering was far and above that of the hated Redcoats. After the arrival of Continental Army, General Nathaneal Greene had been tasked by General George Washington with kicking the Redcoats out of the Carolinas, Georgia and the South in general, Marion was teamed up with the famous if not infamous Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee (father of Robert E. Lee) into a single unit of cavalry. Marion and Lee were successful in cutting the communications between nearly all of the British encampments. After this, the Continental army and the British knew it was just a matter of time before the Continentals would destroy each encampment one at a time. The end was in sight. Marion was in command of the Continental right wing under the command of General Nathaneal Greene at the Battle of Eutaw Springs, an important victory for the Continentals. In June of 1782 he returned to be a member of the South Carolina Provincial Congress and his men became discouraged, that is until he returned to annihilate a Loyalist uprising on the banks of the Pee Dee River. Marion knew the war was over after Cornwallis left the South and surrendered 8,000 Redcoats to George Washington after being trapped at Yorktown. He returned home and married his cousin Mary Esther Videau. Mary used to listen entranced by the adventures of her cousin “The Swamp Fox”. Marion was like most of the political and military leaders in the Continental Army, George Washington included, he was a slave owner. When he was in the field he was accompanied by a slave named Oscar Marion. The greatest majority of slaves always took the name of their owners. The following is on his Marion’s gravestone:

Sacred to the Memory

Of
BRIG. GEN. FRANCIS MARION
Who departed his life, on the 27th of February, 1795,
IN THE SIXTY-THIRD YEAR OF HIS AGE
Deeply regretted by all his fellow citizens
HISTORY
will record his worth, and rising generations embalm
his memory, as one of the most distinguished
Patriots and Heroes of the American Revolution:
which elevated his native Country
TO HONOR AND INDEPENDENCE,
AND
Secured to her the blessings of
LIBERTY AND PEACE
This tribute of veneration and gratitude is erected
in commemoration of
the noble and disinterested virtues of the
CITIZEN;
and the gallant exploits of the
SOLDIER;

Who lived without fear, and died without reproach

He is buried in the Belle Isle plantation cemetery in Berkeley County, South Carolina. The places, towns and monuments named in his honor are too numerous to mention. As I have said in the past. There are those that were present at the right place at the right time to make this great nation come to fruition, he was one of them. It is my belief that he and others were not here by accident and the United States thrived for reasons yet determined.

                Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow