The Day Lincoln Was Shot
PG has read The Day Lincoln Was Shot. It is written so that the casual reader can enjoy it. There is a powerful history lesson here, and worth the twenty five cents PG paid at Book Nook. The pictures for this book report are from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.
This book contradicts another book PG read. Genius and Heroin reports that Mary Todd Lincoln had a bad headache on April 14, 1864. Some opium was found for her, and she was able to go to Ford’s Theater that evening. TDLWS does not mention this.
The story begins in the weeks leading up to “Good Friday”. John Wilkes Booth was in the crowd at Mr. Lincoln’s second inauguration. Vice President Andrew Johnson was also there, and made a drunken fool of himself. Mr. Johnson did not meet with Mr. Lincoln until the afternoon of April 14.
John Wilkes Booth was a famous actor, He made $20,000 a year as a performer. Mr. Booth was also a fan of the Confederacy, and launched a plan to kidnap Mr. Lincoln. There was an attempt to kidnap the President, but Mr. Lincoln did not show up as planned. The conspiracy of Mr. Booth almost broke up, and was reduced to four men.
The four men…John Wilkes Booth, Lewis Paine, David Herrold, and George Atzerodt … met at a boarding house owned by Mary Sarratt. Ultimately, Booth went to Ford’s Theater to kill the President. Lewis Paine and David Herrold tried to kill Secretary of State William Seward. George Atzerodt took a room at Kirkland’s boarding house, and was supposed to take out Vice President Andrew Johnson. Mary Sarratt was not involved in the plot, but was executed by hanging anyway.
In the weeks before Good Friday, a few things happened. On March 7, the door to box seven at Ford’s Theater was broken down, and the lock broken. On April 5, Secretary of State William Seward was badly injured in a carriage accident. On April 9, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses Grant, ending the War Between the States.
Part of the celebration was a theater party on Friday, April 14. Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln were to join Gen. and Mrs. Grant at Ford’s Theater. The show was “Our American Cousin”, starring Laura Keene. The Grants did not really want to go, and decided to catch a train to New Jersey. They wanted to see their children. Mrs. Grant had also witnessed a temper tantrum by Mrs. Lincoln, and was possibly avoiding the hot headed first lady.
Mr. Booth decided that this was the night for action. He went by the Kirkwood house, and left a note for Andrew Johnson. The idea was for the police to see the note, and think that Mr. Johnson was part of the conspiracy. This was foiled when Mr. Johnson’s secretary stopped by Kirkwood house, and picked up the Vice President’s mail and messages.
Ford’s Theater was prepared for the visit by the President. A barrier was taken out from between two boxes. Flags were hung around the building. At 9:00 pm, the President’s bodyguard, a Washington policeman named John F. Parker, got bored with the play. Mr. Parker went to Taltavul’s saloon, along with with Francis Burns, the president’s driver and Forbes, the valet. They were in the saloon during the action at the theater.
John Wilkes Booth was an experienced actor, and he knew how to follow a cue. At 10:15 pm, the player onstage said “Wal I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, you sockdologizing old mantrap”. Booth placed a derringer between Mr. Lincoln’s left ear and spine, and pulled the trigger. He said “Sic Semper Tyrannis”, and cut Major Henry Rathbone. Booth leaned over the edge of the theater box, and lowered himself to the stage. The spur of his right foot catches on the Treasury regiment flag. This causes him to land on his left leg at an odd angle. The leg broke.
While this is going on, Lewis Paine and David Herrold went to visit Secretary of State William Seward. He is laying in bed, covered in bandages, recovering from the carriage accident. The bandages get in the way of the knife that cuts him, and save his life.
The wounds to Mr. Lincoln are considered mortal. The President was moved to Peterson’s boarding house nearby. At 7:22 am on April 15, he died. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who served as acting President during the night, said “Now he belongs to the ages.”
The Funeral Of Franklin D. Roosevelt
On February 29,1945, a train left a secret platform beneath the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, DC. The most important car in the train was the Ferdinand Magellan, the private ride of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The train took “the Boss” to Warm Springs, GA.
On April 12, 1945 (the day before Friday 13), the President was posing for a painting. The artist, Elizabeth Shoumatoff, was a friend of Lucy Mercer Rutherford, who was also in “The Little White House” that afternoon. Mrs. Rutherford was the long time mistress of the President. At roughly 1:00 pm, The President rubbed his brow, and said ” I have a terrific pain in the back of my head”. His head slumped onto his chest, and he died.
What happened in the next few days is the subject of FDR’s Funeral Train. PG found this book at the Chamblee library, and found it enjoyable, and thought provoking. For a story with a well known outcome, there were a lot of subplots, and food for speculation. Pictures for this book report repost are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
When it became obvious what was happening, the first chore was to get Lucy Rutherford off the premises. She left quickly, along with Ms. Shoumatoff, and an assistant. Somehow, Eleanor Roosevelt learned the Mrs. Rutherford had been with her husband, and was not pleased.
Fred Patterson was called at this Atlanta funeral home, and told to come to Warm Springs to prepare the body for burial. Unfortunately, the cerebral hemorrage had clouded the President’s face beyond repair. This, and the President’s expressed dislike of open coffin funerals, led to a closed coffin at the ceremonies. The closed coffin led to speculation that the President had been dead for some time, and that an impostor had been playing the role of President.
Mr. Patterson brought a copper lined coffin with him, weighing over 600 pounds. The setup of the Ferdinand Magellan made it impossible to bring the coffin onto that car. Another car, the Conneaut, was found to carry the remains to the funeral. A passenger window was removed, and the coffin was passed in through the window. A wooden bier was built for the coffin, and covered with a Marine Corps blanket. The bier was built high enough to enable the coffin to be visable through the window.
When the coffin was about to be placed on the train, it was learned that no one had brought a flag. A flag was borrowed from a flagpole in Warm Springs to put over the coffin.
The Ferdinand Magellan was armor plated, and had bulletproof glass. It weighed 142 tons. An engine powerful enough to carry this car had to be found. When the train was leaving Washington, en route to burial in Hyde Park, NY, three couplings broke, from the strain of this car. Finally, a coupling was made to work, and the train proceeded to Hyde Park.
The part of the journey from Washington to Hyde Park had two trains, with every important official in Washington on board. Among them was the new President, Harry Truman. Truman had been a compromise choice as Vice President, and was not told very much. He was quickly educated, and produced a speech to give to Congress the following Monday.
On this Friday the thirteenth, no one foresaw an early end to the War. While Germany was in bad shape, no one knew how much longer they would hold out. As for Japan, it was assumed that a gruesome land invasion would be needed to end the conflict. Only a select few knew about the atomic bomb, which had still not been tested. Some felt it would not work.
One of the lesser known passengers on the Washington-Hyde Park train was an economics advisor to the President named Laughlin Currie. In addition to his duties for the American government. Mr. Currie was widely believed to be on the payroll of the Soviet Union. He gave regular reports to the KGB. Which leads to one of the questions …did the Soviet Union know about the atom bomb?
The answer may not be knowable. What is known is this. On August 6, the US dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima. On August 8, the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan, invading Manchuria. On August 9, the US dropped the atom bomb on Nagasaki. This may be a coincidence.
Another point to ponder involves Dr. Howard G. Bruenn, a cardiologist at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Dr. Bruenn had been treating the President, and is given credit for adding a year to the President’s life. The question today is, what if the President had died in 1944? Henry Wallace would have become President, and probably would have been elected to a term of office in the fall elections. (Or maybe not. Mr. Wallace had offended enough people to cause him to be kicked off the ticket.) How this would have played out, especially with regard to the war effort and the Yalta conference, is anybody’s guess. That extra year of life for Mr. Roosevelt may have been a very good thing for the United States.
Dangerous Driving
What follows is a repost from a few years ago. The thoughts are current. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
This is written as the Sunday morning worship hour winds down. In church facilities across America, preachers scream about sin. Very few will consider the sin of dangerous driving. And yet, this is the sin that can change, or end, your life in an instant.
There is a lot of label mongering in public spaces. Liberal, conservative, and racist are three of the most popular. None of these labels deals with driving courtesy. The SJW and the KKK are united in their lack of concern about safe driving. With that in mind, here is the top nine.
1- Find another way to show how bad you are. This is mostly a masculinity thing, but it just might apply to a few ladies. Driving hard and fast is the easy way to prove your toughness. All you do is push the gas pedal. You don’t have to go to the gym, have lots of sex, or go into battle. Just drive fast, and with no concern for your neighbor.
2- Slow down. There is no need to go so fast. When you go somewhere, allow yourself enough time to get there. The faster you drive, the less reaction time you have in an emergency.
3- Stay far enough behind the car ahead of you to stop in an emergency. This will be less stressful for the person in front of you.
4- Pay attention to the road. This is where cell phones, and texting, becomes a problem. You should be focused on the road ahead of you, and not what your phone mate is telling you. Your minutes will be just as good when you get to your destination. Are people really brainless enough to text and drive?
5- The three rules of the workplace apply here…. show up, stay awake, and don’t kill anyone.
6- Keep your car in good condition. The tires and brakes are key items, but also keep the engine running smoothly. Sometimes you need to accelerate.
7- Keep your temper. Driving while angry is a cause of many accidents, especially when combined with alcohol or religion.
8- Use your turn signals.
9- Show concern for the well being of your neighbor. Use common sense.
Yeah I’m A Redneck
A facebook friend recommended an Upworthy video, Racism explained by a good ol’ Southern boy. PG had to click on the link. He did not like what he saw and heard.
About nine seconds in, PG sensed that something was amiss. “I’m coming to you hear in my track. Today I got Ford F150 and I like it. Yeah I’m a redneck. I always have been…” Years of living in Georgia has given PG a taste of rednecks. This man seemed a bit off.
It turns out the speaker was “a filmmaker, actor, and anti-racism writer.” His name is Jorge Moran. Mr. Moran studied at Savannah College of Art and Design, and has directed several films. His bio mentions bouts with depression, as well as living in Los Angeles. He returned to Tennessee in 1992, after the Rodney King riots.
There are a lot of comments in the text about what “white” has done. As a little experiment, PG decided to substitute “christian” for “white.” “This country was built for christian people. I mean it’s time as Americans, as christian Americans came to terms from that and realized, “We are benefiting from that. We created slavery. We created a culture and system of christian supremacy that has benefited us for 400 years.” You think maybe it’s about time we stop being lazy as christian people and take some fucking responsibility.”
So you say christians should not be blamed for creating slavery. What about the white americans whose ancestors came to this county after the abolition of slavery? What about the majority of white americans, north and south, who did not own slaves? Is the color of your skin the only variable available for blaming something that happened hundreds of years ago?
Lets break down another bit of text. “White people are racists. Not all of them but white culture is. White country is. Our Nation is. Our American culture is full of white supremacy and we live in a white supremacist culture that caters to white people. Everything from the media to education, to art, to culture, to politics are white washed. What is not white washed. As far as the status quo, as far as the dominant culture, everything’s white washed.”
One of the things about American culture is the mixing of white and black. Rock and roll was invented by black people. Christianity, at least the Catholic church and its offshoots, was invented by white people. There is a lot of mixing. Whenever PG goes anywhere, he sees black people. To say american life is whitewashed is ridiculous. When you make statements like that, you make me want to doubt the next thing that you say.
This is not to say that there is no racism. Economic inequality is real. The toxic after effects of jim crow have not faded away. However, rhetoric of the type this video spouts off does not help. Maybe the calling out demanded by this video needs to be directed at Jorge Moran.
The speech has little that you have not heard before. It also does not have any practical way to make a change. “And let’s do something about it. Let’s speak up. Let’s vote. Let’s create legislation and policies that fight against this shit. Let’s make things fair and equal.” Actually, the Civil Rights act was passed in 1964. The Federal Government has been in the business of monitoring Civil Rights violations ever since. Exactly what laws do you want to pass?
When a video like this comes out, many people see it as their duty to praise it. If you do not praise the speech, or if you do not automatically believe every claim made, then you are labeled a racist. After a while, the term racism means less and less. Fire breathing entertainment for SJW is not going to create change. All this one is doing is collecting page views for UpWorthy. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Mike Pence And Lester Maddox
Salon posted a festive piece the other day. The headline: “Indiana’s Mike Pence is starting to look like Lester Maddox — without the spine.” What about the Governor’s breast, thigh, and wing?
Mr. Pence is the media punching bag of the moment. In a few days, someone else will screw up, and the nabbering classes can pick on someone else. The riffraff law will be lawyered out in the courts.
The question here is the connection to the former Georgia Governor. It turns out to be a rhetorical gimmick. In the first paragraph, author Joan Walsh essentially repeats the headline. “… even before Pence began to look like a 21st century Lester Maddox — without the spine.” This is the last time Lester is mentioned. He is used as a bald headed Honey Boo Boo.
We have gotten to the place where prejudice against perceived racists is enthusiastically accepted. It is the new McCarthyism, with guilt by association, and shadowy accusers. In an ironic touch, this new crusade is connected with homophobia. Here is a thought about that from a previous post.
Homophobia is compared to anti-racism. In both cases, the accuser has a set of standards. If the accused does not meet those standards, then the accused is considered fair game for abuse. The accused and the accuser may not agree on these standards. That does not matter. If someone wants to make the accusation, then they will, and will feel righteous about doing so.
It is frequently speculated that the homophobe is secretly gay. The need to be heard badmouthing gays stems from a perceived need to prove heterosexuality. Could this be the case with the anti racist? Maybe the anti-racist is secretly afraid that he/she might be a racist. The “calling out” of others, for perceived racism, is an effort to overcompensate for his/her own shortcomings.
Getting back to Lester, it is ironic that he is this famous forty four years after his term in office ended. There is no shortage of bad things to say about Mr. Maddox. However, Georgia survived having both him, and smiling Jimmy, as Governor. It is highly unlikely that anyone will know who this Pence person is in forty four years.
The second part of this feature is a previously published piece about Lester Maddox. PG was twelve when Lester was elected, and has many memories of the four years that followed. The post goes into some of the mixed feelings, and tells a couple of stories. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
There has never been a politician like Lester Garfield Maddox. He was elected Governor of Georgia (with help of a quirk in the state constitution) in 1966. PG was 12 at the time, and saw the spectacle of the next four years with amazement.
Before we get started on this, we should remember a couple of things. Lester Maddox became notorious when he shut down his restaurant, The Pickrick, rather than serve a black customer. He was a segregationist, which means he did not want black people to have the same rights as white people. Looking back for 2010, it seems incredible that civil rights legislation was needed 46 years ago, so that 30% of Georgia could eat in a restaurant. PG does not condone the actions and attitudes of Lester Maddox, or the people who supported him.
There is style, and there is substance. While the substance of Lester may have been horrible, the style was a sight to behold. He could ride a bicycle backwards, and did so whenever a crowd was there to watch. (PG saw this at halftime of the Peach Bowl.) He was on The Joe Pyne Show and The Dick Cavett Show, and walked off of both.
This section from a previous post tells a bit of the story.The Governor was speaking to a group of reporters. He was announcing the appointment of a Black man to a Selective Service Board.. The reporter said it was the first Black man to serve on a draft board since reconstruction. What did the Governor think about this?The Governor said “Gee”
The screen returned to the Channel Five newsroom. The men at the desks were all laughing. The weatherman looked up at the camera and said “That’s a tough act to follow”
Whatever you might say about Lester Maddox…and there is no shortage of bad things to say…there has never been a public official that entertaining. As for being a tough act to follow, the next Governor was Jimmy Carter. As for the weatherman, PG saw him in a parking lot once. It was raining heavily. The “Gray Ghost” looked at PG with an ironic smile, as if to say “I am sorry”. The weatherman, Guy Sharpe, is on the right in the picture below this post. He is signing a book.
In 1970, the Governor of Georgia could not succeed himself. Lester ran for Lt. Governor, and spent the next four years feuding with Governor Jimmy Carter. Lester ran for a second term in 1974, and was trounced by George Busbee. (The slogan : “Elect a work horse, not a show horse.”) When Jimmy ran for President in 1976, Lester made a point of badmouthing Jimmy. In his own way, Lester Maddox helped Jimmy Carter get elected President.
There is a youtube video of the appearance of Lester on the Joe Pyne show. (Another guest that night was Culius Jeezer, who claimed to be 2000 years old). A video of the time Lester was on the Dick Cavett show has not emerged. Another guest that night was Truman Capote. After Lester walked off the show, Mr. Capote said, in his own inimitable way, ” I ate at his restaurant one time, and all I have to say is, it was not finger licking good”.
@HillaryClinton
Presumed POTUS candidate Hitlery Hillary Clinton has a twitter account. The address is @HillaryClinton. She has 3.04M followers for her 141 tweets. She is only following 9 accounts, including @billclinton, and @ChelseaClinton.
Miss Hillary does not follow @MonicaLewinsky. Miss Lewinsky recently extended her 15 minutes with an invigorating TED talk. (“Tyler’s tragic, senseless death was a turning point for me. It served to recontextualize my experiences…”) The twitter profile for Miss Monica reads “social activist. public speaker. contributor to vanity fair. knitter of things without sleeves. #clickwithcompassion.”
@HillaryClinton has a festive profile. “Wife, mom, lawyer, women & kids advocate, FLOAR, FLOTUS, US Senator, SecState, author, dog owner, hair icon, pantsuit aficionado, glass ceiling cracker, TBD…” PG wonders if this “glass ceiling cracker” business qualifies as cultural appropriation.
The concept of putting FLO (first lady of) in front of state abbreviations can create some fun acronyms. Some of the best are FLOCO, FLOGA, FLOHI, FLOID, FLOKY, FLOLA, FLOMI, FLOMO, FLONE, FLONY, FLOOR, FLOPA, FLOWI, FLOWA, FLOGU, and FLOVI.
The picture for this twitter account is lively. The black and white image shows Miss Hillary looking at a smart phone. It is not known what account she is accessing. She is wearing sunglasses, and a wedding ring. The crop line is at mid torso, so we don’t know if Miss Hillary is wearing a dress, or one of her famous pantsuits. The lighting conditions in this picture make a similar judgment difficult.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Shock And Awe Day 2015
Twelve years ago, Iraq teetered on the edge of regime change. It was obvious what was going to happen, at least at first. Amerika was going to storm in, kill a bunch of people, and take over.
In post 911 Amerika, the military industrial complex saw an opportunity for plunder, unrivaled since the fall of the Soviet Union. The stories of WMD would infect the body politic with fear of a mesopotamian madman. Saddam Hussein wanted Iran to think he has wonder weapons, and did not think Amerika was serious about regime change. We all make mistakes.
In the twelve years since the time of shock and awe, trillions of dollars have gone down the drain, dragging the mighty Amerikan economy along into the sewers of bankruptcy. One of the oldest civilizations of mankind was reduced to hiding, from neighbors, behind concrete barricades. They fought the conquerors with bombs triggered by garage door openers. Thousands of women and children have been murdered. The WMD were never found. This is a repost.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
White Privilege Is
As with so many blogging misadventures, it started with a tweet. Blue Gal/Fran retweeted Bougie Black Girl @BougieBlackGurl Mar 11 Memphis, TN ~ “White privilege is when White people like Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski & Bill Kristol blame Black people for Whites being racist.”
Let us break this down. Since PG does not watch tv, and has little awareness about Joe Scarborough, this is going to be tough. This has something to do with a handful of OU fratbois. They had the bad judgement to be video recorded singing the n-word, among other delicacies, on a train. Some “White people” went on a tv show, and made a connection between rap music and the fratboi video. When BBG gets her hands on it, we have “…blame Black people for Whites being racist.”
Since when do three talking air heads, one of whom is Jewish, speak for the race of white people? Ok, so someone with pale skin said something dumb on tv. Now, you have the latest definition of “White privilege.” At what point do the concepts of privilege and racism cease to mean anything?
The seminal tweet was sent out two days ago. By now, it is probably obsolete. In those two days, the national debt increased by an estimated $2,646,575,342.46. An estimated 13,561,643 metric tons of Global Carbon Emissions joined the atmosphere. There are many other issues more important than the singing of idiot fratbois, but not as much fun to talk about.
The figure on the national debt is based on an article at Forbes magazine. The title: Stop And Smell The Roses: Final 2014 Federal Deficit Fell…Big Time. The figure quoted above is based on the lower of the two numbers in this quote. “As the report shows, the actual 2014 deficit was $483 billion, $3 billion less than what the Congressional Budget Office estimated a week ago. For the record, $483 billion is $197 billion below the almost $680 billion deficit recorded in 2013. It’s also $930 billion, that is, close to $1 trillion, less than the largely recession-caused $1.4 trillion deficit in 2009.” As Malcolm X said “”If you stick a knife nine inches into my back and pull it out three inches, that is not progress.” Malcolm X will make another appearance in this post.
Bougie Black Girl does not promote herself as a statistician or scientist. “I’m a African American woman who loves to empower Black women” Her twitter product today is mostly concerned with Creflo Dollar, who is certainly a worthy target.
The fun starts at her website. Get Your Malcolm X with a cameo appearance from Martin Luther King Jr. prepaid Mastercard/Visa cards Or consider 30 Light skin Privileges Light Skin Blacks have that Dark Skin Blacks Don’t. You don’t say! UPDATE!!! Two White QVC hosts mock a Black Woman’s natural hair and humiliate her on TV. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Kelly Gissendaner And The German Soldier
Question four of How Many IQ Questions Can You Answer Correctly? is tricky. “The word, “slackers,” is spelled by using the first letters of the words in the following sentence: “Silent large anteaters calmly kiss each roasted snack.” True or False?
The fun lies in the advertising. The ad on top says “Penelope is taking charge of her overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms.” The answer is a product called Myrbetriq.
The *bottom* ad promotes the cause of former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran. “I hope you agree with me that it is completely unacceptable for Mayor Reed to censor Christianity. And it is even worse that he is putting his liberal ideology before the lives of Atlanta residents. The mayor cannot make safety decision — such as who is qualified to fight fires — based on radical, personal beliefs.”
Opinons about Jesus have long been used as to influence current events. Today sees a renewed offensive by the “faith community” to spare the life of Kelly Gissendaner. Apparently she has found G-d in prison. Some seem to think Mrs. Gissendaner is entitled to special privileges as a result.
@awhiskypalian Finished up at the Gov’s office. The office is hanging up on some callers. Some lines are shut down. SO KEEP CALLING. #kellyonmymind
@chamblee54 @awhiskypalian ga. gov. does not have ability to grant clemency
@awhiskypalian @chamblee54 I know. Doesn’t mean we don’t need to make him feel it. Ours is the power of conviction and persuasion.
There are many reasons to call off this execution. Mrs. Glissendaner is being poisoned as much for her refusal to snitch on her boyfriend, as for the actual murder. Mrs. Glissendaner did not commit the murder, and the states case was based largely on the snitch testimony of her boyfriend. The state will be using mystery drugs, from a secret source, to poison Mrs. Glissendaner. The entire affair makes a mockery of justice.
Mrs. Glissendaner’s opinions about Jesus should not be a factor. This is the same religion that defends a former fire chief who likes to preach hatred on the clock. This is the same religion that verbally abuses those who disagree with their beliefs. This is the same religion which worships a victim of capital punishment. As @awhiskypalian notes, this religion likes to stir up a fuss, even when there is no hope of having a positive impact.
The New York Times published a piece over the weekend, A Death Row Inmate Finds Common Ground With Theologians. It seems as though Mrs. Glissendaner has been taking theology classes in prison. As a result, she has had a correspondence with “a theologian, Jürgen Moltmann, whose books on hope, suffering and liberation have helped define postwar Protestant thought.” Mr. Moltmann fought for Germany in World War II, and was a POW after the war.
“They (Mr. Moltmann and Mrs. Glissendaner) discuss “theological and faith questions. And I have found her very sensitive, and not a monster, as the newspapers depicted her. And very intelligent.” She has been rehabilitated, he said. “She has changed her mind, and her life.”
“Professor Moltmann, who has written of his own remorse at having fought in the German Army, offered his own idea of what awaits his friend. “If the State of Georgia has no mercy,” he said, “she has received already the mercy of Heaven.”
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
No Clemency For Kelly Gissendaner
Reports are coming in that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has rejected a plea for clemency by Kelly Gissendaner. The plan is to inject the mystery drugs at 7:00pm tonight. There is usually some last minute legal wrangling, and the actual execution will probably be much later tonight. Georgia is in snowjam anticipation, and the procedure may be postponed.
Mrs. Gissendaner has requested her last meal. “two Burger King Whoppers with cheese, two large orders of fries, popcorn, cornbread, a side of buttermilk and a salad with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, carrots, cheese, boiled eggs and Paul Newman buttermilk dressing.”
The Gwinnett Daily Post tells the story of Kelly Renee Brookshire Gissendaner. Starting at ten years old, she was molested by a stepfather, neighbor’s stepfather, and uncle. Her first son was born two weeks after high school graduation. The first marriage, at nineteen, lasted six months.
Marriages two and three were to Doug Gissendaner. They had a baby, and divorced. After a divorce, Mrs. Gissendaner had another son. That babydaddy died of cancer.
There are indications that Mrs. Gissendaner is being executed because she did not snitch. “Owens received a sentence of life in prison and is eligible for parole. And while Gissendaner’s attorneys argued about the disparity, the man who prosecuted Gissendaner doesn’t buy it. “The offer was made to both of them,” says Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter. “The offer was made and Kelly Gissendaner decided to take her chances and go to trial. It’s kind of hard to argue how unfair it is, when you’ve kind of thumped your nose at the offer that would have gotten you the same sentence.” … Porter, who argued against clemency, says the sentence was fair and she got what she deserves.”
At the clemency hearing, a statement from Mrs. Gissendaner was read. “”There are no excuses for what I did, I will never understand how I let myself fall into such evil.”
“In the 53-page clemency application, daughter Kayla (the daughter of Doug Glissendaner) wrote: “The impact of losing my mother would be devastating. I can’t fathom losing another parent.” … Her supporters said she’s found God. “In the study of theology, [Kelly] has found a venue for reflecting on her own experiences, mistakes, relationships, dreams and faith, ” wrote Rev. Cathy Zappa.”
Picutures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. A detailed story, Kelly And Doug Gissendaner, is available at Chamblee 54. UPDATE: The execution has been postponed until Monday, March 2, at 7:00 pm.
Positive Fascism
PG had a few minutes to spare this morning. He dived into the innertubes, and found Staying committed sucks…REALLY??? The post made him think. He decided to leave a fast comment. If you want your comment to be noticed, be one of the first ones to go up.
The post is about the downside of positive thinking. It starts with a woman, who says her husband has discovered, a bit too late, that he really does not enjoy practicing law. The hypothesis here is that Hollywood glamorizes the legal profession, and does not tell anyone about the boring aspects.
Chamblee54 I would say more, and perhaps will later. Now, I have to get on the road to my job.The problem of what I call “positive fascism” is not exclusive to Hollywood. Many people like to glorify the positive, and deny that anything non wonderful exists. Jesus worshipers are some of the worst. The trouble is, when the going gets dull, many people think it is a sign of weakness. If their role model does this without boredom, it must be something wrong with me. This is a problem.
Biochicklet Snarky man under the bag. I was raised without a religion and I know legions of atheists. Singling out a religious group is really unfair. The topic is commitment and hard work to have something of great value. If you want to pick a fight, please come see me. I am a positive fascist.
The Culture Monk Ellen, LOVE the comment. I think its my favorite of week.
There are a couple of obvious points. The gravatar image of PG has a paper bag over his head. There is no indication whether the blogger is male or female. How did Biochicklet correctly guess the gender?
Second, Culture Monk talks about his Christianity in almost every post. A frequent theme is Christians who make Jesus look bad. It was highly fair to include that observation in this comment.
PG is writing this after a hard day in the real world. A couple of things happened today to cloud any cheerfulness he might feel … those who know PG IRL will know what these are. A lengthy discussion of positive fascism, and the belief paradigm that spawned it, will have to wait. (Or is it positive fascism that facilitated the belief paradigm? Maybe they are one and the same.)
There is a story, though, which illustrates the point, and will not take too long to tell. A friend of PG became acquainted with some people in a Christian group once. We will call this group “The Light.” They were faith healers, with a nifty catch 22. If you were cured of your illness, hallelujah. (Thank you spell check.) If you were not cured, it was because you did not believe enough.
This is a repost. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. The video is from “The Way,” which worships the same G-d as “The Light,” and participates in the same economy. Biochicklet, Chamblee54, and Culture Monk are still producing.
leave a comment