November 11
Veterans day was originally Armistice Day. On November 11, 1918, at 11 am (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month) a cease fire went into effect for “The great war”. Officials of the major armies agreed to the ceasefire at 5 am (European time). There were an estimated 11,000 casualties in the last six hours of the war.
At 11:59 am, U.S. army private Henry Gunther became the last soldier to die in World War I. “According to the Globe and Mail this is the story of the last soldier killed in WW1: On Nov.11, 1918, U.S. army private Henry Gunther stood up during a lull in the machine gun fire and charged the enemy. “The Germans stared in disbelief,” says the Daily Express. “They had been told that morning that the fighting was about to stop; in a few minutes they would stop firing and go home. So why was this American charging at them with his bayonet drawn? They shouted at him to stop and frantically tried to wave him back but… he hadn’t heard anything of the ceasefire.” A German gunner released a five-round burst and the soldier lay dead, at 10:59 a.m. In his recently published Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour, U.S. Military Historian Joseph Persico notes that Private Gunther had previously been a sergeant but was demoted after an Army censor read his letter to a friend back home, urging him to steer clear of the war at all costs. Gunther, who was in no-man’s land when the ceasefire news arrived, had been trying to prove himself worthy of his original rank.”
This is a repost. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Veteran’s Day is a bad day for a cynic. On the one hand, I do appreciate living in The United States. With all its flaws, I have had a good life here. The role that Veterans have played is to be honored. On the other hand, those who profit from wars often exploit Veterans for political mojo. Many of these people did not serve.
Veterans are often not treated well after they are through with their service. It is estimated that a quarter of the homeless are veterans. The services offered to wounded veterans returning from War are often lacking. These wounds are both physical and mental.
When I typed the second sentence, I thought of my great grandfather. He served with the Georgia State Troops in the War Between the States. I do prefer the USA to the CSA (or whatever would have happened). Yet, the Union army had to prevail over the various Confederate Armies for this to happen. Do I dishonor my great grandfather by saying I am happy the other side won?
Veterans Day was originally Armistice Day. This was the day, 100 years ago, when the War to End All Wars ended. World War I was a ghastly bloodbath, in which millions died. It created many of the problems that plague us today. And I would be willing to bet that not one person in ten thousand today knows what it was about. And yet, the men who fought in that conflict (I don’t think they had women soldiers then) deserve the same gratitude as those who fought in any other conflict.
The soldier…many of whom were drafted…doesn’t get to choose which war to fight in. The sacrifice of the World War II soldier was just as great as the Vietnam fighter, but the appreciation given was much greater. I grew up during Vietnam, and saw the national mood go from patriotic fight to dismayed resistance. By the time I was old enough to get drafted, the Paris accords had been signed. For better or worse, there went my chance.
Are My Attitudes About Race Any Of Your Business?
PG was living his life when see saw something on facebook: “And another thing: if you are going to claim NOT to be racist, I feel like you should familiarize yourself with some contemporary writings and definitions of racism, not just what Mirriam Webster says.” The first reaction was to ignore this. If you reply to a comment about racism on facebook, you are asking for trouble. Life is too short to be wasting time on such unpleasantness.
But the thought engine had been kickstarted, and continued to idle in the background. When PG pulled into the Kroger parking lot, the idea hit full force. Maybe whether you are, or are not, a racist, is no one else’s business.
Some people say that a PWOC is not affected by racism. If this is the case, then why should the racial attitudes of a PWOC affect another PWOC? If a person treats you fairly, do you really need to know this person’s attitudes about race?
The fbf ex-fbf does not say what the context of this claim is. Did anyone ask you whether or not you were a racist? If not, are you assuming that they are interested? Maybe someone assumed the listener was interested. Maybe the proper response to look bored, and say TMI.
PG was filling out a profile once, and was using some questioned borrowed from another blog profile. One of the questions was, are you a racist? “It depends on who is doing the judging”.
The comment mentioned “contemporary writings and definitions of racism”. Who are the people who set themselves up as arbiters about what we should think about race? What are the qualifications? Who asked them what they thought? How do we know that these people are dependable?.
Maybe the answer is to show compassion and kindness to your neighbor, and don’t worry about their racial attitudes. If you are proud of your racial attitudes, please refrain from boasting. Not everyone is interested. This is a repost. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
We Were Lied To
One of the tropes in the Georgia gubernatorial election is voter suppression. The story goes that the Secretary of State’s office is making it more difficult for certain people to vote. Since the Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, is the Republican candidate, this issue is getting a lot of play. Voter suppression has been the number one issue for the Democrats, and their candidate Stacey Abrams.
Sec. Kemp Submits Resignation to Gov. Deal. This was the news today, two days after the election. If only for the sake of appearances, this should have happened a long time ago. The election is close. Is it a good idea to have one of the candidates counting the votes?
The comments are where things get interesting. “If he did this last week, many a problem would have been resolved or not even created.” “Nothing would have changed. Each county is responsible for it’s own elections and tabulation and certification of those elections. They process absentee and provisional ballots for their own county. The data is uploaded to the Secretary of State’s office for compiling. I wish more people would go observe how the process actually works in their county.” “But, the damage was mostly done during the registration processing anyway.” “Well, guess who processes registrations – the counties. Also, compiles the data submitted by the county – They don’t create the data, they just compile and report it. The counties certify.”
We have been lied to. If Brian Kemp had the political sense to resign several months ago, he would have removed the appearance of impropriety. The Democrats would not have had an issue to run on, except their proposals for education and health care. Every candidate is going to improve education and health care. Spending tax money is what politicians do.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Dorothy Parker and Thomas Jefferson
BigO is a site with mp3 downloads. Most of them are concerts. PG found one exception. It was a 1960 interview, STUDS TERKEL WITH DOROTHY PARKER/BOB NEWHART – CHICAGO 1959/1960. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.
Dorothy Parker is somewhat of a legend. There were the funny sayings, a few poems and stories, and her life. Mrs. Parker was well known as a witty person during the twenties. She drank, a lot, and talked often of suicide. It was surprising to find a 1960 interview.
In fact, Dorothy Parker died in 1967, at the age of 73. By 1960, she was in decline, living at the Manhattan’s Volney Hotel. “Edmund Wilson … paid occasional painful visits to her at the Volney. (“She lives with a small and nervous bad-smelling poodle bitch, drinks a lot, and does not care to go out.”) … She was still revered, a legend, but she had also become a pathetic relic. Yes, “you might as well live,” but for what? And on what? Not only was she running out of old friends, she was running out of money, though uncashed checks, some quite large, were strewn around her apartment (along with the empty bottles), not helping with unpaid bills.”
There were some zesty quotes in the interview with Mr. Terkel. “I can’t call myself a critic. Honestly. I can only put down what I think and pray there isn’t a libel suit.” “I’m not a poet, you know, I just write verse” “The beat boys aren’t saying anything except look at us aren’t we great … I don’t think the beat generation is much worth worrying about. Very soon, in the very near future, they will be as forgotten as mah jongg.”
Towards the end of the interview, Mr. Terkel said “i know some people would want me to ask, did she really say all those things that she was quoted as saying” “… no, no, and it was a curse on me, it was simply awful the things that were attributed to me. I wouldn’t have minded if they had been good. I was, in effect, the shaggy dog of my time.”
Another quote magnet for the meme generation is Thomas Jefferson. PG saw yet another inspiring quote on facebook today. Mr. Google was consulted. It turns out the quote is real.
Thomas Jefferson to William Hamilton, 22 April 1800 is the source. Vice President Jefferson was going to be elected President later that year. It is not known what effect that had on the quote in the meme. “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” It is not known whether a twenty first century Jefferson would unfriends anyone who says anything unappealing.
What Drunk Author Are You
This is a repost from 2010, with pictures from The Library of Congress. Most of the links in this post no longer work. The link for a Gawker story works, even while Gawker has become a Gizmo-dodo.
The Facebook friend took a test to see “What drunk author are you?” His answer was Edgar Allan Poe. (The FB man spelled it Allen. There seems to be a consensus for two Ls.) While Mr. Poe was a talented writer, he did not have a healthy lifestyle. Getting back to WDAAA (writers don’t attend alcoholics anonymous), PG decided to consult the firm of Google Associates.
The first choice was indeed a quiz. AOL answers has one self evaluating question, what drunk author are you quiz? PG is short of imagination, so he is going to borrow an anonymous writer from the early 20th century. He reported that Shoeless Joe Jackson was leaving a courtroom, and some kid looked at him and said “say it ain’t so, Joe”. In the days before video cameras, reporters took a bit more license. For this bit of creativity, PG claims the legacy of this anonymous drunk.
The next answer is from the scandal mongering Gawker. Their story is What Drunk Boulder, Colorado Author Tried Stealing His Own Book? Suspects include Jon Krakauer and Jello Biafra.
The Gawker story was inspired by a story in the New York Times called Steal These Books. No, this is not about Hollywood plots, or creative bookkeeping on royalty statements. It is about five finger discounts at your local bookseller. This quote grabs your attention: “Although there’s no hard statistical evidence on most-stolen titles, The Telegraph of London reported last year that Jeffrey Eugenides’s novel “The Virgin Suicides” was said to be “the most shoplifted book of modern times.” Eugenides had heard this for many years. “I just assumed that the book appealed to the young and sticky-fingered to a certain extent,” he told me, with some amusement. Years ago, Eugenides was at a literary conference with Paul Auster, another top choice among literary thieves. “Paul and I argued about whose book was stolen more,” Eugenides said. “He claimed he was stolen a lot, I claimed I was stolen a lot. Back and forth. It was one of those deep intellectual conversations.”
These days, every body and every subject has a blog. DrunkWriterTalk tries to fill this need for the 86 proof Hemingway. The most recent post is “We all need a little honesty“. Oscar Wilde had something to say about a little honesty, and it was correct.
This post is going downhill in a hurry, and you are still reading it. The next stop on this downward spiral is Things to do in Chicago When you are Drunk! This feature sinks to giving advice, like “don’t try to save your marriage with orgies!” and “don’t get drunk and buy drugs by yourself in the hood when you are white!.”
A facility called Wikinut chimes in with Writing While Inebriated (or, How to Be a Drunk-Writer.) This feature has a coupon for a product called Nylabone, a chewable merchandise that is designed for dogs. The headlines include “Keep alcohol on hand, Pour yourself a drink and minimize distractions, Allow inspiration to kick in ” and “Ignore the naysayers“.
The bottom of page one on google is the seminal FB quiz. In the best Zuckerman tradition, it asks you to agree to access information and post it on your wall. PG does not like to do this. He also drinking 30 years ago, and would make a lousy drunk author.
#RejectedStripClubNames Part Three
Here’s what we know so far about Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect ~ Issue #48: Oct 21-Oct 27, 2018 ~ the gulch ~ Trump’s Caravan Hysteria Led to This ~ shared against better judgment ~ @teedubya101 No, no, no, Jesus drives a Honda but doesn’t brag about it. “For I did not speak of my own accord” John 12:49 ~ @geofflangdale It was surprisingly spacious, too: later, Acts tells us all the apostles were in one Accord. When God is in a party mood, though, he drives a Plymouth. Isiah 63:6 “I will make them drunk in my Fury” ~ The Library of Congress Lets You Stream Hundreds of Free Films ~ 2nd largest minority ~ national screening room ~ Footage of one of the earliest Gay Pride demonstration marches, the first Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade, held in New York City, New York, on June 28, 1970, to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots ~ The Personality Trait That Is Ripping America (and the World) Apart ~ The Lessons for Western Democracies from the Stunning Victory of Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro ~ nikki gray fundraiser ~ Racist ‘hot’ white woman loses job after harassing two black women in parking lot ~ Netanyahu Congratulates Bolsonaro for Brazil Election Win, Invites Him to Israel ~ The domain BettyBowers.com is for sale. betty spaghetti Suggested uses: America’s Best Christian, Christian Gifts, Betty Boop Sitcker, Betty Spaghetti, Christian News, Christian Advice, Betty Hill ~ 12 Young People on Why They Probably Won’t Vote ~ on the road ~ georgia cities ranked ~ lit and bruised halloween ~ Jerry Seinfeld on Louis C.K., Roseanne and Tense Times in Comedy ~ Recovering the (Lost) Art of Civility ~ morticia dances ~ Security threw 1st punch in brawl outside popular restaurant, family says ~ ten scary episodes of criminal ~ DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAREER? ~ I Went to a Sex Party I Found on the Internet and It Was Hilariously Awkward ~ haunted by halloween ~ After Kemp pulls out of original debate, candidates unable to agree on alternative ~ “After repeated efforts to schedule a debate on the issues that matter most to Georgia voters, radical Stacey Abrams decided she would rather hide behind television ads paid for by San Francisco socialists than face the voters and defend her extreme agenda that will raise taxes by $13,000 a person, give welfare and voting rights to illegal immigrants, and usher in the government takeover of healthcare. While Abrams has decided to duck the electorate, Brian Kemp will continue to travel the state on his Putting Georgians First Bus Tour. He’s proud of his record and confident that his plans for our state will keep Georgia working!” ~ Brian Kemp thinks we are stupid. Even if the Governor had the ability to do so, they are not going to raise taxes $13k per person. The Governor does not have the ability to give voting rights to people who are not citizens of the United States. As for the government takeover of healthcare, that is a federal matter. Barack Obama, with a Democratic majority in both houses of congress, could only pass the flawed and limited ACA. To say that a Governor of Georgia could do more is insane ~ Voters, You’re Being Manipulated Always accuse *the other* of doing what you are also doing. This is something that *both sides* do, and fall for. ~ Stacey Abrams Wants Gun Ban, Dodges Confiscation Question ~ Christian Woman Disrupts Drag Queen Story Time At Private Book Store To Stop “Perverse Lifestyles” ~ How to Punish Voters ~ Willie Horton Revisited ~ From patriarchy to snowflake: five keywords you need to know ~ CNN’s Don Lemon doubles down after saying white men are ‘the biggest terror threat in this country’ ~ Quote Investigator: QI has located no persuasive evidence that Phineas Taylor Barnum who died in 1891 spoke or wrote this saying. Researcher Ralph Keyes presented a skeptical stance with his assertion in “The Quote Verifier” that “No modern historian takes seriously the routine attribution of this slogan to P. T. Barnum.” ~ orwell quote ~ orwell’s theory of language ~ @bitchywaiter This is dedicated to those customers who won’t leave the restaurant even when it is closed. #GTFO ~ lyin’ lucy ~ Atlanta Storytellers Podcast ~ Joe Rogan Experience #1191 – Peter Boghossian & James Lindsay ~ The controversy around hoax studies in critical theory, explained ~ Ilana Glazer ~ this ain’t hollywood ~ fat studies ~ Trump video accused as racist also lacks factual basis ~ Stacey Abrams, Oprah targeted by racist robocall funded by white supremacist group ~ abrams robocall ~ armistice ~ Wait, Have We Really Wiped Out 60 Percent of Animals? ~ What’s so blasphemous about free speech? ~ It might be a shorter list if they ask for people who have heard anything that was true. ~ @nihilist_arbys What do arbys and hardcore alcoholics have in common? We both have serious shakes. ~ pictures today are from The Library of Congress. ~ this is the poem from last night at java monkey:
#rejectedstripclubnames hallelujah ~ sarah suckabee panders golden squirt
harry twotter sorry charlie tuna ~ mount gushmore vagina diner dessert
thots & prayers ho depot sugar bowl ~ low expectation lorena bobbitt
little dick chicken choker glory hole ~ peel & squeal snatch & grab lickety split
george w’s bush taint misbehaving ~ nacho mama furry biscuit craving
loaded & bloated drug money bedspread ~ slobbering goober beaver & butthead
the three splooges phillip mccavity ~ itty bitty titty depravity ~ selah
Chamblee54 Voters Guide
The Governors race is not the only thing on the ballot tuesday. You can go to My Voter Page and get a sample ballot for your district … assuming you have not been deleted. This voters guide will focus on three races: U.S. Congress District 6, Georgia Senate District 40, and Georgia House District 81. A handful of constitutional amendments will be considered.
Democrat Lucy McBath is trying to replace registered poopyhead Karen Handel in #GA06. Mrs. McBath has some good ideas, and should be a clear choice over Rep.Handel. Unfortunately, Lady McBath uses a telemarketing company to promote her campaign. PG has recieved three phone calls from this company. The voice pretends to be taking a survey. Soon, she asks you to react to statements about the candidates. Most of the statements are complimentary to Mrs. McBath, and derogatory to Rep. Handel. It is obvious who is paying for the message.
Carlton Heston is a fresh young voice in the GA06 race. Mr.Heston is running as a write-in candidate, and deserves your vote. Breaking away from the Democrat/Republican duopoly is important.
Robocalls, posing as surveys, were used by Democrats in both Senate District 40 and House District 81. The Senate Demo is Sally Harrell, seeking to replace Republican Fran Millar. Mr. Millar (pronounced Miller, like the beer) is a well connected gold dome veteran. Despite his troubling views on health care funding, Mr. Millar should be re-elected. It makes sense to have one Republican representative, and one Democrat.
The Georgia House race is more troubling. PG met the Republican challenger, Ellen Diehl, before the primary. She seems like a fairly smart lady, and might do a good job as our representative.
One troubling moment in the conversation came when PG asked about the Atlanta water supply. Atlanta depends on an overgrown trout stream for its water, and is one drought away from disaster. PG asked Ms. Diehl what she would do about securing a dependable source of water. Ms. Diehl made a snide remark about sending water to the reptiles in Florida. (Georgia is required to share water, from the Chattahoochee River, with Florida and Alabama.) The comment by Ms. Diehl might amuse some Republicans, but is not a responsible solution. PG reminded Ms. Diehl that Atlanta does not own the Chattahoochee, but must share the water. The conversation moved onto another subject.
This race should be a no-brainer. The Democratic incumbent, Scott Holcomb, is a fine man. He has represented the district well. Unfortunately, Rep. Holcomb sponsored a robocall survey from 20/20 Insight. What made the call such a trust buster was the negative statements about @iDiehl4Georgia. 20/20 Insight said that Ms. Diehl was a fanatic supporter of Donald Trump, who “… lives w/ life-size cutout of Trump & talking Trump doll.” The text is from the twitter feed of @RepScottHolcomb. Seeing that insulting … both to Ms Diehl, and the intelligence of the voters … comment, on twitter, is evidence that Rep. Holcomb sponsored the robocall survey.
The ballot has nine other races, for a variety of statewide positions. Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General are up for grabs, along with a handful of others. In a curious move, the Republican is always listed on top of the Democrat, regardless of alphabetical order, or incumbent status. There are two Dekalb County races. Jeff Rader is running unopposed for the County Commission. Voters will choose two people for DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. H. Anthony Gobert, and Carol Hayes, are the only candidates in this race.
A collection of constitutional amendments are on the ballot. If you are not afraid of legalese, here is the long version. Amendments two and four are getting the most negative attention. Why I’m Voting NO on Georgia’s Amendment 4 – Marsy’s Law deals with number four. Marsy’s Law deals with the issue of victims rights. Many of the provisions it calls for are already on the books.
Parks Bond Referendum is on the ballot, as Brookhaven enters the capital improvement game. Some are opposed to the measure. There is also a proposal to allow alcohol sales at 11 am on Sunday, instead of waiting until 12:30.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. The photographer was Lewis Wickes Hine, working on June 5, 1916. “Miss Mackay’s Pageant Children of Sunshine and Shadow as presented at Washington Irving High School. New York, NY.”
Brian And Stacey
Georgia will vote on a new Governor Tuesday. The candidates are, in alphabetical first name order, Republican Brian Kemp, Democrat Stacey Abrams, and Libertarian Ted Metz. Mr. Kemp and Mr. Metz are white men, while Miss Abrams is a black woman. The winner will be either Mr. Kemp or Miss Abrams. Mr. Metz represents are the possibility of a runoff.
Miss Abrams won the Democratic primary. Her tactics included having admirers shout down her opponent. Miss Abrams was criticized for this, and the incident was mostly forgotten. There have no similar incidents during the general election campaign.
Mr. Kemp is the Secretary of State. This office will be counting the votes. It is not know exactly how involved the SOS is in day to day operations. The optics are bad for the SOS to be both running for Governor, and counting the votes.
Voter suppression is a big issue for the Democrats. There are numerous charges of voter registrations being thrown out, absentee ballots not being counted, and voters purged from the rolls. Some say that voter suppression is a code word for racism. The corporate media loves to denouce racism in Georgia, and has gone crazy over this story. It is tough to tell what is real, and what is campaign noise. If Mr. Kemp wins, there is a possibility of the election being challenged in court.
Miss Abrams has an assortment of promises about health care and education. She probably will not get much help from the Republican dominated legislature. Her other two issues are (1) Stacey Abrams is a black woman, and (2) Brian Kemp is suppressing the vote.
Mr. Kemp is not performing well. A recent TV debate was cancelled after Donald Trump announced a visit to Georgia, at the same time as the debate. When taken to task about this, the Kemp campaign issued a bizarre statement. “After repeated efforts to schedule a debate on the issues that matter most to Georgia voters, radical Stacey Abrams decided she would rather hide behind television ads paid for by San Francisco socialists than face the voters and defend her extreme agenda that will raise taxes by $13,000 a person, give welfare and voting rights to illegal immigrants, and usher in the government takeover of healthcare. While Abrams has decided to duck the electorate, Brian Kemp will continue to travel the state on his Putting Georgians First Bus Tour. He’s proud of his record and confident that his plans for our state will keep Georgia working!”
Lets take a look at the 66 word sentence. “radical Stacey Abrams … television ads paid for by San Francisco socialists” Good grief. Focus group conservatives have been flogging that donkey for years. Maybe it will work one more time. “extreme agenda that will raise taxes by $13,000 a person” As one observer notes, “They don’t believe in science and can’t do math. $13,000 a person x ten million is $130 billion. The state’s current budget (excluding federal contribution) is what, $25 billion? It’s why even listening is a waste of time” “give welfare and voting rights to illegal immigrants, and usher in the government takeover of healthcare.” The Governor does not control these issues. This statement forgot to mention this: Stacey Abrams: Send GBI to Seize and Destroy Weapons, Magazines, Bullets
The good news is the election is tuesday. Unless there is a runoff, or a court challenge, we will know who the next Governor is on wednesday. PG will vote a secret ballot, and do his best to deal with the winner. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Chamblee54 
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