Christmas Stories
The day after thanksgiving is the official start of the christmas season. The last few years, PG has been weary of the turf fighting of the Jesus worshipers The jws like to think that they are the only ones entitled to a holiday celebration. It gets nasty.
The truth is, as long as PG remembers, Christmas has been a secular holiday with a religious element. The parties and gift giving are a great way to wind up the year. The so called birth of Jesus really has very little to do with it.
In the early days of christianism, the pagan romans had a major celebration around the winter solstice. This is the longest night, and the end of the annual cycle of birth, death, and revival. The early Jesus worshipers decided to have a comparable celebration. It is uncertain when Jesus was technically born, and many scholars today believe that it was sometime in the spring.
For a long time, PG was able to ignore the religious hoopla, and focus on the joy of the season. In recent years, the Jesus Worshipers have made more of an issue out of the “War on Christmas”. Bill O’Reilly, with his instinct for a divisive issue, has been a ringleader. Where once the secular and religious people could celebrate a happy season together…and, truth be told, many still do… there is a now a conflict. The Jesus worshipers make an exclusive claim to the festivities, and those who don’t agree with them are out of luck. It has become a fighting issue whether to say happy holidays or merry christmas. PG would like to get back to peace on earth, and good will towards men.
CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS BEFORE LEAVING THE CASHIER’S STATION! With all the Christmas shopping soon this is something we MUST do! I bought a bunch of stuff, over $150, & I glanced at my receipt as the cashier was handing me the bags. I saw a cash-back of $40. I told her I didn’t request a cash back and to delete it. She said I’d have to take the $40 because she couldn’t delete it. I told her to call a supervisor. Supervisor came and said I’d have to take it. I said NO! I didn’t want $40 cash advance! If they couldn’t delete it then they would have to delete the whole order. So the supervisor had the cashier delete the whole order and re-scan everything! When I looked at the electronic pad before I signed again, a cash-back of $20 popped up. At that point I told the cashier and she deleted it. The total then came out right. The cashier commented that the Electronic Pad must be defective. Obviously the cashier knew the electronic pad was defective because she NEVER offered me the $40 at the beginning. Can you imagine how many people went through before me and at the end of her shift how much money she pocketed?
Alert everyone. My co-worker went to Walmart last week. She had her items rung up by the cashier. The cashier hurried her along and didn’t give her a receipt. She asked the cashier for a receipt and the cashier was annoyed and gave it to her. My co-worker didn’t look at her receipt until later that night. The receipt had a $20 cash back entry . SHE HAD NOT ASKED FOR CASH BACK!
My co-worker subsequently called Wal-Mart who investigated but could not see the cashier pocket the money. She then called her niece who works for the bank, and her niece told her this: This is new scam going on. The cashier will key in that you asked for cash back and then hand it to her friend who is the next person in line.
CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS RIGHT AWAY WHEN USING CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS! This is NOT limited to Wal-Mart, although they are the largest retailer so they have the most incidents. Here’s a personal experience: My husband and I were in Wal-Mart North Salisbury and paying with credit card when my husband went to sign the credit card signer he just happen to notice there was a $20 cash back added. He told the cashier that he did not ask nor want cash back and she said that the machine had been messing up and she canceled it. We really didn’t think anything of it until we read this email. I wonder how many “seniors” or busy Moms/Dads have been or will be “stung” by this one? To make matters worse, this scam can be done anywhere, at any retail or wholesale location! Check your receipt BEFORE leaving the cashier’s station!
This is a repost. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Forty Nine Years Ago In Dallas
PG stumbled onto a video sunday about the murder of President John Kennedy. The new take this video brings to the discussion is the idea that the gunman in front of the President was not on the grassy knoll. Instead, this person was in a storm sewer, below street level.
Thanksgiving was the forty ninth anniversary of the shooting. The conspiracy speculation seems to have gotten quieter. Maybe it is a generation thing, but people don’t seem as interested in the Kennedy killing as they once were. People of a certain age seem to be full of speculation about what happened that Friday afternoon. When PG decided to do this post, he made a list of points to bring up. Almost immediately, three pages of notes appeared.
In 1980, PG was on a Greyhound Bus for British Columbia. It had a layover in Dallas. PG went for a walk, and soon recognized the triple underpass, the grassy knoll, and the School Book Depository. This was sixteen years after coming home from church, and seeing Lee Oswald killed on television.
The top video embedded today proposes a collaboration between the CIA and the Mafia. Both organizations would have motives for wanting to see JFK killed. It must have been a rude shock to any conspirators to learn that Abraham Zapruder had made a film of the shooting. Mr. Zapruder is in the second video. This is a broadcast on local Dallas TV, the afternoon of the shooting.
The Zapruder film was not played for many years. The film was purchased by Time-Life publications. Still shots of the film were published, and the various investigations allowed to view it, but the film itself was not played, as a moving picture, for the public for many years. PG first saw it moving in 1982, as part of an HBO film about Nostradamus. When seen as a moving picture, it is more supporting of a second gunman than if it is seen as still pictures.
After the killing, the Warren Commission, headed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, investigated the shooting. The Warren Commission reported that Lee Oswald, acting alone, killed the President. One member of the Warren Commission was Gerald Ford, who later became President without being elected. It should be noted that some people agree with the Warren Commission. One of the videos embedded here makes a semi-plausible case for the “Single Bullet Theory”. This video does not explain why the President was shot in front, by a gunman behind him.
Lee Oswald started work at the school book depository on October 16, 1963. The parade route went in front of the building. PG does not know if this is the normal route for parades in Dallas.
The FBI was probably keeping an eye on Mr. Oswald. He had a Soviet wife, and had tried to defect to the Soviet Union. It is possible that J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, knew what was going on, could have stopped it, but decided to let the killing go ahead and happen. The Hoover option is tough to prove, or disprove, and would explain a lot of other mysterious events. like Pearl Harbor and Nine Eleven. The government sees something about to happen, realizes there are benefits for certain players in that action taking place, and allows it to happen.
In addition to the CIA and organized crime, many other players had motives for wanting bad things to happent to John Kennedy. They include the FBI, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Hoffa, Fidel Castro, former Vietnamese dictators, jealous husbands, and enemies of Joe Kennedy, the President’s father. Since Jackie Kennedy was sitting next to him, and got her pink outfit dirty, she can probably be excused from suspicion. She had her own way of getting even with a skirt chasing husband.
In September of 1963, John Kennedy was scheduled to speak at Georgia Tech. For some reason, there was controversy. On August 16, 1963, the speech at Georgia Tech was cancelled.
In earcly November of 1963, the government of South Vietnam was deposed in a CIA assisted coup. There was talk of withdrawing the American advisors, and staying out of that war. It may be a coincidence, but the war was escalated under Lyndon Johnson. Millions of American soldiers saw duty in Vietnam, and fifty nine thousand died.
While trying to find out more about the Georgia Tech non appearance, this item was found. This incident was the week before the ill fated trip to Dallas. This was published in Time magazine, which later purchased the Zapruder film. “Near week’s end, Kennedy flew into Manhattan, aged his Secret Service detail ten years by forgoing the usual motorcycle escort into the city. At one of ten midtown traffic lights that stopped the presidential limousine, an ambitious female camera bug rushed up and fired a flashbulb at Kennedy’s side of the car. Moaned a New York police official: “She might well have been an assassin.” (italics mine) As for the purpose of the President’s stop-and-go entrance into New York, the official explanation was that he wanted no “fuss and feathers.”
This is written like H. P. Lovecraft.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
Two Stories
Today’s production is two stories from 2008. PG walked down New Peachtree Road. This is Atlanta, where there are a couple of hundred roads named Peachtree. No one seems to mind that most of the peach farms are south of Macon. The peaches grow a lot better there. They fuzz comes in heavier, and the pits are pittier. One time Dagwood Bumstead asked why peaches have fuzz. His wife Blondie said, if they has arms they could shave. PG was walking down the road in the rain, with a freight train going down the tracks in a southern direction. This is forty percent of the ingredients for the perfect country and western song.
When PG was younger and drunker, there was a place on Clairmont Road called the watering hole. He would go there, drink beer, play pool, and have a good old time. As was the custom in such facilities, there was a jukebox. The patrons put money in the box and played the songs that they wanted to hear. A favorite was “you never even called me by my name” There is a little spoken part, where David Allan Coe talks about the perfect country and western song. This song must talk about rain, Momma, trains, trucks, prison, and gettin’ drunk.
New Peachtree Road has this gravel yard where the eighteen wheelers come and go. There was a big rig backing into place when PG walked by, and he may have heard the truck bump into a trailer. PG walked in the rain, between the train, and a big rig going bump against the trailer. The problem was, Momma’s gone, PG doesn’t get drunk, and prison is too much work. So much for the perfect country western song.
The songwriter is Steve Goodman. He gave a show at the Last Resort in Athens GA, that a friend of PG attended. Mr. Goodman tells a story about performing on a train, during a series of concerts supporting Hubert Humphrey. It seems like Mr. Goodman had to use the restroom on the train. Now, in those days, the trains did not use holding tanks, but just ejected the matter by the tracks as they rode by. Mr. Goodman was told, do not flush the commode while the train is in the station. Mr. Goodman forgot the instructions. Mr. Humphrey said ” I am going to give the people of this country what they deserve”, Mr. Goodman flushed the commode, and sprayed the crowd. PG is not sure if he believes this.
PG told the Steve Goodman story another time. A few weeks later, this comment was in the spam folder.
Great to see your blog post that invokes Arlo Guthrie’s version of Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans.” Goodman often doesn’t get his due. You might be interested in my 800-page biography, “Steve Goodman: Facing the Music.” The book delves deeply into the genesis and effects of “City of New Orleans,” and Arlo Guthrie is a key source among my 1,080 interviewees.
The book also delves deeply into “You Never Even Call Me by My Name.” John Prine and David Allan Coe were key interviewees, and the book debunks the notion, promulgated by Coe, that Coe had anything to do with triggering the famous last verse of the song.
Finally, the Humphrey story actually stems from Goodman campaigning for Sen. Edmund Muskie in Florida in early 1972.
You can find out more at my Internet site (below). Amazingly, the book’s first printing sold out in just eight months, all 5,000 copies, and a second printing of 5,000 is available now. It won a 2008 IPPY (Independent Publishers Association) silver medal for biography. If you’re not already familiar with the book, I hope you find it of interest. ‘Nuff said! http://www.clayeals.com
Back to empathy for a minute. The word always takes PG back to an auditorium in Clarkston GA in 1971. PG was in his first quarter at Dekalb College. Today,the institution is known as Georgia Perimeter College. One of the selling points of college has always been the outside speakers that were brought to campus. This day, the subject was abortion.
A note on set and setting is appropriate. In 1971, New York state had legalized the abortion procedure. Roe vs. Wade was in the pipeline that would lead to the Supreme Court. That ruling would not be issued for another fifteen months. In the meantime, abortion was illegal in 49 states, including Georgia. The debate about abortions was not as politicized as today. The nomenclature of choice and life had not entered the vocabulary.
The Vietnam war was still being fought, although with fewer Americans in combat. The withdrawal of US forces took most of the steam out of the anti war movement. The modern spectacle of a person supporting a war, while claiming to be pro life, did not happen.
PG walked into the auditorium and found a seat. The lady began her presentation. After a few minutes of talk…she said something about a woman who was artificially inseminated with masturbated semen… the house lights were dimmed. A black and white film of an abortion was shown. It was noted when the fetus went into the vacuum cleaner attachment. The house lights were brought back up. They should have remained dim, as the woman was not kind on the eyes.
The closing part of her presentation was a song she wrote. She sang acapella. The song was written out of empathy with the not to be born baby. The song was titled ” My mother My grave”. PG left the auditorium, and went to world history class.
Shut Up Franklin Graham
PG was researching the previous post, and decided to check up on little Ralphie Reed. His group’s website has a headline video, Franklin Graham: America Has Turned Its Back on God. It does not mention why anyone should care.
Franklin Graham’s claim to fame is his father. Billy Graham is a TV preacher superstar. The elder Graham is still alive, so it is fair to make negative comments. PG walked through the living room countless nights, and saw parents glued to the tube. The Billy Graham crusade was a staple of television. The blow dried superpreacher stood in front of a football stadium full of admirers, telling people how not to go to hell. Sin, salvation, send money. Is that all there is?
If Franklin Graham did not have a superstar father, he would be nobody. Life is not fair, and the opinions of Franklin Graham, and his sister, Anne Graham Lotz, are treated with the reverence Catholics give to the thoughts of the Pope. Franklin Graham has gotten a lot of attention with some rude comments about Muslims. Islam and Christianity use the same G-d.
It was some comments about G-d in the video that annoyed PG. “We’ve turned out back on G-d. We’ve taken G-d out of our schools. We’ve taken G-d out of our government.” Apparently, Franklin Graham and PG have different thoughts about G-d.
G-d is in everything and everybody. If you turn your back on G-d, she will still be looking you in the eye. If you have a room full of children, then G-d is present in that room. This idea of a puny G-d, that you can turn your back on, may be the most offensive thing ever said by the Graham family, Inc.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress. @Franklin_Graham has 0 tweets and 21,213 followers.
Arlo Guthrie And Ralph Reed
PG is a slack writer. This does not mean that he writes about slack (a contradiction), but that he often has an idea for a post, and then never follows through. His desktop is cluttered with files, each containing the start of a post. The concept today is to take a few of these, write a bit about each, through some pictures in, and call it a day.The pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”
The first snipoid is about Ralph Reed . Mr. Reed is a professional Christian, the youthful looking head of publicity groups. At one time he was the big dog at something called the Christian Coalition. He left that to start his own consulting company.
This was the first time Mr. Reed and PG became connected. There is an office space on Presidential Drive, just down the road from the round hotel. PG ran bluelines in this space, until circumstances moved him into a midtown workplace. After the blueprint company moved out, a company called Century Strategies moved into this space. Century Strategies was the consulting firm that Mr. Reed started after leaving the Christian Coalition. While PG does not know whether Mr. Reed actually used this office, it gives him a warm feeling to think that he has shared a commode with this celebrity.
Later, Ralph Reed caused another problem for PG. In 2006, Mr. Reed ran for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. He lost to Casey Cagle, whose shoelaces become untied. When the Republican Primary was held that year, PG felt obliged to help put an early stop to Mr. Reed’s elected ambitions.
The problem lies in the primary system. In Georgia, you must choose either Democrat or Republican, and in the inevitable runoff vote in the same party. To help Mr. Reed spend more time with his family, PG needed to vote Republican. There was a race on the Democratic side which was important.
Hank Johnson was running against Cynthia McKinney. While PG used to like Miss McKinney, after a while the joke grew old. She needed to retire. While Mr. Johnson won the runoff, PG would have liked to help. The bottom line is, Ralph Reed cost PG his last chance to vote against Cynthia McKinney.
This is a recycled post from two years ago. In the 2012 election, Mr. Reed tried to be a player. After it was over, there were harsh words for WMR. “At the National Press Club the day after the election, Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, criticized the Romney campaign and the Republican Party for “underperforming.” “We did our job,” said Reed. “But we can’t do the Republican Party’s job for them, and we can’t do the candidate’s job for him or her.”
The second part of this entertainment is about Arlo Guthrie . Last week was thanksgiving, which is connected to Mr. Guthrie. Unlike the turkey, or tofurkey, Mr. Guthrie has gone on to have a flourishing career. It seems probable that he will not come down with Huntington’s Disease, which claimed his father Woody Guthrie.
The video that goes with this text was the first time PG saw Arlo Guthrie. This was broadcast January 21, 1970. PG was an unhip fifteen year old, who had not heard Alice’s Restaurant, seen the movie, or been to Woodstock. He did see the Johnny Cash show this night, or at least the part where Arlo Guthrie did the motorcycle song.
To quote the digital facility PG is borrowing from: ” Born Arlo Davy Guthrie on July 10, 1947, in New York, NY; son of Woody (a folksinger) and Marjorie Mazia (a dancer; maiden name, Greenblatt) Guthrie; married Jacklyn Hyde, October 9, 1969; children: Abraham, Cathyalicia, Annie Hays, Sarah Lee.” Abraham and Sarah Lee play in Arlo’s touring band.
The Alice’s Restaurant Masacree is a part of Americana now. There are two bits of knowledge, that are as true as anything told to a Persian king. When trying to dispose of some garbage, and finding the city dump closed, Arlo found some litter by the roadside, and made a value judgment…One big pile of garbage is better than two little piles.
The second is about the draft, and the business of choosing people to fight our wars. There is a regulation today that says that Gays and Lesbians are not supposed to be soldiers and sailors. In the tale of the thanksgiving dinner, it was litterbugs. (There was also a draft, and a a different war. Lots of Americans were coming home in boxes.) The bottom line is, Mr. Guthrie is confused about not being considered moral enough to kill people, because he was a litterbug.
A few years into his career, Arlo Guthrie had a hit record called “City of New Orleans”. It was about a train, and said “Good Morning America”. “City of New Orleans” was written by Steve Goodman, who is no longer with us. Mr. Goodman also wrote the perfect country and western song .
PG heard a story about Steve Goodman. “The songwriter is Steve Goodman. He gave a show at the Last Resort in Athens GA, that a friend of PG attended. Mr. Goodman tells a story about performing on a train, during a series of concerts supporting Hubert Humphrey. It seems like Mr. Goodman had to use the restroom on the train. Now, in those days, the trains did not use holding tanks, but just ejected the matter by the tracks as they rode by. Mr. Goodman was told, do not flush the commode while the train is in the station. Mr. Goodman forgot the instructions. Mr. Humphrey said ” I am going to give the people of this country what they deserve”, Mr. Goodman flushed the commode, and sprayed the crowd. PG is not sure if he believes this, but it is a good story.” (A biographer of Mr. Goodman said that it was Edmund Muskie. He also says that David Allen Coe had nothing to do with the last verse of the perfect country and western song.)
As previously noted, this is a repost from two years ago. In that time, the policy against gay people serving in the military has been dismantled. The Ralph Reeds of the world are more upset about the concept of gay marriage, than by gay people killing Muslims. Vietnam is a peaceful country, and is enjoying economic good times. The draft is something old fogies remember. The current fashion is to support war by demanding a tax cut.
Arlo Guthrie continues to make music. His wife of 43 years, Jackie Guthrie, died Oct. 14, 2012. The Lenox Square theater was torn down to make way for a food court many years ago.
Happy Urban Legend
A facebook friend posted a commentary at three am. The entire piece would spoil the rythym of this post, so you can read it here. Authorship was credited to a man named Ben Stein. At some point in the affair, Mr. Stein says “Next confession: I am a Jew”.
Evidently, Mr. Stein was not happy about the “war on Christmas”. Every year, about this time, people huff and puff about the way people greet each other between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The “Merry Christmas” sayers are offended that everyone does not same the same words.
It used to be the holiday season was a time of celebration. If you wanted to go crazy about the christian legends, you could. If you wanted to shop until you drop, you were encouraged. If you wanted to eat, drink, and be merry, that was fine too. In fact, the original meaning of merry was drunk.
PG doesn’t mind people saying Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or Super Solstice. It depends on what kind of soup you are offering. It should be meant as a friendly greeting, an expression of peace on earth, and good will to men. If saying Merry Christmas means that your way of celebrating is better than mine, that leaves out the good will.
Mr. Stein, whoever he is, is entitled to his opinions. What is fun to watch here is the way people embellish the original commentary. Before long, “Billy Graham’s daughter” is running her PK mouth about what G-d was telling us after Hurricane Katrina. It was very similar to what she said about nine eleven. It has been viralized before, and probably will be again. (spell check suggestions: vitalized, liberalized, visualized, trivialized, federalized) These viral things never seem to go away.
PG made a comment about the FB post, and went out. Soon, there was another comment. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter when something was originally written or who modified it afterward, after all this is not court room testimony. This is especially true if the message has meaning. I guess if you can re-release a statement based on current events, and the statement remains applicable, then the statement is relevant. Wouldn’t we all like to say or write timeless dialog. Thanks for sharing it.”
Pictures are from The Library of Congress. This is written like H. P. Lovecraft.
Turkey Talk
Ben Franklin thought the turkey should be america’s national bird. It is identified with Thanksgiving, the holiday in November before Christmas. Mr. Franklin would not recognize the old bird today.
Turkeys have a tough life these days. Raised in factories where the lights are on 24/7, their beaks and claws are routinely broken off early on. For more details, read this piece in the New York Times, or a tasteful blog, What Would Jesus Eat.
PETA sometimes goes too far, and sometimes violates good taste. The commercial here was rejected by NBC. It uses the cliche of the little girl praying to call attention to the sorry state of the turkey. While annoying and easy to dismiss, the commercial does tell a tale.
PG should fess up at this point, and admit that he is a party to these horrors. A full blown carnivore (except for vienna sausages, which are gross), PG has no room to talk about the horrors of industrial meat production. It is Babylon…the government borrows trillions of dollars from the Chinese to pay for a war in Iraq, a book assembled by a Catholic Committee is called “The word of G-d”, and meat producing animals are raised in squalor.
A person, who is sometimes called a turkey, gave a press conference last year. The photo op was in front of a device that mutilates turkeys, and the meat processing continued while she talked. “At least this is fun”. This is a repost.
Eight More Years
BHO is the third POTUS in a row to be reelected. He is also the fourth out of the last five. If BHO serves his full second term, he will do something that has only been done once before in American history.
Between 1801 and 1825, America had three Presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe. All three were elected twice, and served a full eight years. However, two of these three had different Vice Presidents during their tenure. Thomas Jefferson had Aaron Burr and George Clinton. (The decision to replace Mr. Burr came before his dispute with Alexander Hamilton had fatal results.) James Madison had George Clinton and Elbridge Gerry. (Gerrymandering is enthusiastically practiced to this day.) Only James Monroe was a one VP man, with Daniel D. Thompkins.
If the Obama-Biden team can hold on until October 28, 2014, then another milestone will have been reached. April 4,1841, William Henry Harrison was the first POTUS to die in office. This was 51 years, and 339 days, after the inauguration of George Washington. If the cigarettes don’t kill him, BHO should break this record.
Starting in 1840 with Mr. Harrison, the zero factor saw the death, in office, of every President elected in a year ending in zero. This would affect both of the records mentioned in this post. The zero factor was beaten by Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. Mr. Reagan’s Vice President, George H.W. Bush, is the first Vice President elected to office, without becoming President, since Martin Van Buren, in 1836. Daddy Bush lost his effort to be reelected in 1992. HT to Andrew Sullivan.
Why WMR Lost
Former POTUS wannabe Willard Mitt Romney had a conference call with some of the people who gave megabucks to his campaign. “Mitt Romney … and attributed his rival’s victory to “the gifts” the administration had given to blacks, Hispanics and young voters during Obama’s first term. Obama, Romney argued, had been “very generous” to blacks, Hispanics and young voters. He cited as motivating factors to young voters the administration’s plan for partial forgiveness of college loan interest and the extension of health coverage for students on their parents’ insurance plans well into their 20s. Free contraception coverage under Obama’s healthcare plan, he added, gave an extra incentive to college-age women to back the president.”
This is wrong on a number of levels. To begin with, why is he having this call to the people who tried to buy the election for him? This was the problem with the meeting where he made the infamous 47 percent comment. The influence of big money donors is way too great in our elections. Campaign finance reform is long overdue. BHO probably had a similar chat with his backers, but made sure not to say anything quote worthy.
The comment about free contraception is weird. If he is opposed to abortion, then this is one way to cut down on unwanted pregnancies. When it comes to women, the repubs seem to have terminal clumsiness. Of course, having more sexually active women is going to appeal to straight male voters. This can compliment the gifts BHO gave the LGBT population.
PG lives in a red state. His electoral votes were surrendered to WMR early on. Any vote PG made, in the Presidential election, was a protest. In recent years, the only time PG gets to vote on POTUS is the Georgia primary. This year, that meant making a strategic vote for a rival of WMR. It was disgusting, and ultimately WMR won the nomination.
Moving into the November race, PG felt a strong sense that WMR is a jerk. The video at the top of the text is an early indication. After a while, it seems like every time WMR opened his mouth, PG felt anger and disgust.
This has nothing to do with any opinions about BHO. The President has done a few things right, and a few things wrong. He could have done more things right if the repubs in congress had worked with him. BHO is arguably a war criminal. BHO is going to upset people in the next four years. Still, BHO is much more likable than WMR.
A lot of the so called conservative base is going to loudly agree with WMR. There is going to be badmouthing of BHO, and whining about the media. This is the crowd that WMR pandered to during the primaries. They helped him to lose.
November 11
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 is often lacking.
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, 90 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. This is a repost.
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 stp 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.”
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Paula Broadwell Tweets
The Petraeus Affair (pun intended) is a gold mine for conspiracy fans. He reportedly was caught because his gf, Paula Broadwell, and a gmail account. Her twitter profile reads “@paulabroadwell Author (All In: The Education of Gen David Petraeus); National Security Analyst; Army Vet; Women’s Rights Activist; Runner/Skier/Surfer; Wife; Mom!” There is a New York Times article about her high octane ways. The twitter account, @paulabroadwell, is downright fascinating. This list has been edited. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
5 Nov @paulabroadwell My take: Petraeus ldrshp maxims in Newsweek http://tinyurl.com/byeqtsx Take performance personally/if u r ok 2 b average, so 2 will be your team.
16 Oct Paula @paulabroadwell Thanks for the follow, @AlexTelman! Pls do eliminate negative energies! POSITIVITY, and a good attitude, are the keys!
14 Sep @paulabroadwell An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. – Gandhi
13 Sep @paulabroadwell “The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.” Norman Vincent Peale
7 Aug @lancearmstrong Challenging everyone to a run AND a ride in Philly Aug 18-19. Who’s with me? http://bit.ly/O0jPnl #LSCPhilly Retweeted by Paula Broadwell
7 Aug @paulabroadwell @DRUDGE_REPORT Your speculation about @petraeus as a Romney VP pic is full of non-truths (but I guess you figured that out)! @rajivwashpost
7 Aug @WomenOfHistory To be old & wise, you must first have to be young & stupid.
Retweeted by Paula Broadwell
2 Aug @paulabroadwell Mentors are critical to our development. Here are some great tips on finding and keeping them! http://tinyurl.com/c5upwzn Have any tips 2 share?
2 Aug @paulabroadwell Honored and humbled to be included in @claudiachan’s profiles of global “remarkable women!” http://tinyurl.com/bqj6yqo Thanks, Claudia!
2 Aug @paulabroadwell Networking tip for today: Pay it forward!
29 Jul @paulabroadwell Thanks for the follow, @QuoteBuddy! “A philosophy of life: I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure.” Paulo Coelho (author). You?
28 Jul @paulabroadwell Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. -Jim Rohn
28 Jul @paulabroadwell Txs for supporting wounded warriors and @teamrwb, @lancearmstrong! Txs for not killing me on the Aspen altitude run! All In/Keep striving!
28 Jul @lancearmstrong Back 2 @AspenCO. Just ran w/ @paulabroadwell – Author of All In: The Education of Gen David Petraeus. Talkin Petraeus, @teamrwb, and @wwpinc
Retweeted by Paula Broadwell
25 Jul @paulabroadwell “In the realm of ideas, evrythng depends on enthsiasm; in the real world, all rests on perseverance.” Fired up 2 get smkd, @lancearmstrong!
18 Jul @paulabroadwell Txs 4 hilighting female Marine perspective last week, @CNNAshleigh. Wish u’d interview women w/positive views on serving in the infantry!
30 Jun Paula Broadwell Paula Broadwell @paulabroadwell Thrilled to be heading to the #aspenideasfestival this weekend! (Now I just need some fresh ideas!)
13 Jun @paulabroadwell Txs 4 the follow, @snowlaw! A leader is a man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don’t want to do and like it.” Truman
13 Jun @paulabroadwell “Reason and calm judgment, the qualities specially belonging to a leader.”
14 May @paulabroadwell The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change her future by merely changing her attitude. ~ Oprah Winfrey
10 May Paula Broadwell Paula Broadwell @paulabroadwell “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” – Winston Churchill
7 May @paulabroadwell Thanks for the follow, @duncanbrodie! Here’s a Petraeus quote for you: “My style of leadership depends on whom is being lead.” Thoughts?
The Fall Of P4
PG always suspected David Petraeus of being a media creation. He did have a talent for dealing with the press. With at least one “embedded” reporter, this caused him problems.
The news of his resignation is a gold mine for conspiracy fans. Usually, the press announcement of an affair comes before the resignation. The feeling here is that few would have cared about the Golden General going “All In”. Lets take a look at a few things.
Kessler: FBI Investigation Led to Petraeus Resignation. It seems as though Paula Broadwell, the gf, was improperly accessing some emails intended for Gen. Petraeus. Why was the FBI investigating the CIA? Is there some intergovernmental conflict here? Was the FBI trying to make BHO look bad? Is there so little crime in America that the FBI has time to investigate the CIA?
As for the President, he is starting his second term. Presidents who win reelection to an eight year tenure ALWAYS have problems in the second term. This goes back to Abraham Lincoln, whose second term problems were fatal.
Lets get back to the CIA. It is well known that the agency was heavily involved in the Benghazi unpleasantness. “The Wall Street Journal cites several anonymous officials who go after Petraeus hard. The CIA, operating out of an “annex” near the 13-acre consular compound, dwarfed the regular diplomatic presence in Benghazi, with the mission of hunting down ex-dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s unsecured rockets and missiles. That apparently led to an expectation at the State Department that the CIA would secure the compound in the event of a disaster, which never congealed into a formal arrangement. … And while the Journal piece doesn’t mention it, there’s a possible policy element to the discrepancy between the State Department and CIA. The CIA had 10 people to protect its annex in Benghazi, but the State Department relied on a previously obscure British firm, Blue Mountain, to guard the entire compound. Blue Mountain paid its Libyan guards $4 an hour. It’s speculative, but the State Department’s expectation that the CIA would be “the cavalry” in an assault … might have contributed to State’s relatively lax security posture at the consulate. “
The wired feature has more on the inflated reputation of David Petraeus. “Petraeus is not used to being under the bus. His record commanding the surge in Iraq has given him a tremendous reputation, within official Washington and beyond. Politicians and the press tend to downplay his missteps, such as his less-than-impressive record training Iraqi security forces and the stalemate that persists in Afghanistan despite Petraeus’ year in command.”
The Iraq “surge” was a key element in the legend of David Petraeus. Part of the surge strategy was happy talk in the US media about how we were now winning the war. It was like the old Vietnam joke … lets declare victory and go home. Only in Iraq, it was semi-official strategy. While talking about this miraculous victory, the credit went to the media saavy David Petraeus. Eventually, it fed on itself.
One of the reporters “embedded” with Gen. Petraeus overseas was Paula Broadwell. She went on to write a Glowing Book, All In: The Education of General David Petraeus. “Afforded extensive access by General Petraeus, his mentors, his subordinates, and his longtime friends, Broadwell embedded with the general, his headquarters staff, and his soldiers on the front lines of fighting and at the strategic command in Afghanistan to chronicle the experiences of this American general as they were brought to bear in the terrible crucible of war.” At some point, she became his gf. You can’t make this stuff up.
One question is why the attack on Benghazi took place? It is well known that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hates BHO, and wanted WMR to win. Could Bibi have connections in the terror underground? Was the attack on Benghazi intended to make BHO look bad? For that matter, what about the attack on an American drone by Iran? Could Bibi have influenced a rogue officer in Iran to fire on that aircraft, trying to create an October surprise? It is not Israel’s fault that the repubs were too inept to make use of such election time dynamite. Or that the people had heard so much nonsense from Fox news that they assumed the Benghazi talk was more of the same.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress. Spell check suggestion for Petraeus:Perpetrates.
Chamblee54 
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