Saturday, December 8, 1900. James Roosevelt dies.

James Roosevelt, the father of Franklin Roosevelt, died.  Franklin was in Harvard.  Franklin was 18 years old.

This oddly recalled what had happened to Theodore Roosevelt, whose father had died while he was a student at Harvard.  He was 19 at the time.  His father was 46.  James Roosevelt, in contrast, was 72.

James and Franklin in 1895.

James was a graduate of Harvard Law School. We'll abstain from noting recently lumaries in depth, such as Cotton and Cruz, who apparently skipped a lot of law classes and still managed to obtain a degree.  He married his second cousin Rebecca Howland in 1853, with her dying in 1876.  In 1880 he married another cousin (sixth cousin) Sara Ann Delano, whom he met at a party celebrating Theodore Roosevelt's graduation from Harvard.  She was 26 years his junior, and was 26 years old.  His health decline markedly in later years and this was worsened when his yacht exploded and sank in 1900.

He is buried next to the graves of his two wives.

A lot of what's discussed in this story would be regarded as a little shocking today, but was quite common at the time.  It shouldn't be surprising that the Roosevelts commonly married their cousins.  Franklin did as well.  It's who they knew and were familiar with.  And it shouldn't be surprising either than there were sometimes age gaps we'd consider shocking now.  Living in a married state was the norm for most adults, and in close circles such as this the availability of individuals caused large age gaps.  Additionally, while the average age of marriage really hasn't changed over the years, widowers marrying again was very common and they commonly married women younger then them for a variety of natural reasons.

Pope Leo XIII issued Conditae a Christo recognizing Congregations of simple vows as belonging to the religious state. In the same document he made a distinction between Diocesan and Pontifical Institutes.

The US called off plans to send a warship to Morocco over the issue of unpaid debts in recognition of Ramadan because of the religious difficulties it would have caused to the Sultan of Morocco.

Last edition:

Friday, December 7, 1900. Surrender, bids and disappearances. Mars calls, but doesn't.

An East Wing Post Mortem.

 

Comparative air photos posted by CBS News. Put up under commentary and fair use exception.

I've never seen the East Wing of the White House, and of course, now, I never will.  I have very little, as in no, interest in touring Washington D.C. and  have even less interest than that now that the illegitimate Trump gang of insurrectionist is occupying the nation's capital.  

This has been a very revealing series of events however, and we can take some things away from it.

The first thing we have learned is how utterly desperate Donald Trump is to amount to something.  He started too late in life and his character is too fixed in order to achieve that, absent late in life inspiration of an existential type which would require him to make a profound change in his behavior.  Born into wealth and a playboy by character, he's desperately trying to buy and build himself into seriousness and relevance.  In the back of his mind, or frankly maybe in the forefront, he knows that he's a fart in a windstorm.  After he's out of office, and no amount of far right fantasizing is going to keep him there, his successor, right or left, will begin the process of trying to repair the damage Trump has done.  If its a right wing leader, like wannabe NatCon J. D. Vance, it'll be National Conservative far right, but less insane than Trump.  It probably won't be Vance however, but somebody from the political center, particularly if the Democrats get their act together and dump their own wackadoodle far left, which there are signs they will, or from the actual libertarian populist right.

My prediction, early though it is, is that the next President will be Tammy Duckworth, maybe on a Duckworth Klobuchar ticket.  I can see, however, Thomas Massie and Rand Paul taking a run at Vance's dreams and keeping them from happening.

Vance would keep the Trump monument to himself up and pretend to like it, as he only is where he is now due to Trump, but as soon as somebody who wasn't a Trump sycophant is in the Oval Office, it's coming down.  That will be symbolic of the entire Trump legacy, destruction that will ultimately come down, and have to be rebuilt.

Trump want to see himself as a great man, a sort of Napoleon being crowned, but knows that he's more like Napoleon on Elba.  He's not going to get there.  He's really extremely pathetic.

Also sad is the degree to which it has been demonstrated that a life of extreme wealth is corrosive.  Trump's entire life of largess already showed this, but he really does believe that the White House needs a huge overblown rushed ballroom as he's seen those of failed monarchies in Europe.  The republics, or in one case dictatorship, that inherited that stuff still uses it as it's a human instinct not to rip things down.  That's why the Brandenburg Gate, which should have been blown to rubble in 1945, is still standing.  Yes, it's a monument to German militarism, but it's big and already there so we keep it around.  That's the reason the Eiffel Tower is there, even though its a giant ugly radio tower, or why the "egg beater" thing in Casper Wyoming is still there.  We just can't bring ourselves to rip things down, no matter hideos they are, or how symbolically problematic.

The egg beater in Casper Wyoming.  It's ugly.

This will come down.

It'll come down in part as it just won't work with an 18th Century large house built on a budget.  It wasn't constructed to be a palace, but just a big house.

Which brings me to my next point.

Perhaps the West Wing, after actually going through the proper process, ought to be taken out as well.

No attachments to the structure are really consistent with its original concept.  It isn't supposed to have a lot of offices and the entire concept of the First Lady needing room for anything is absurd.  The First Lady is simply the President's wife, or Trump's case in regard to the monarchical role to which he aspires, the current concubine, or in the American Civil Religion context, his current wife. 

Maybe it ought to be just scaled back to its original footprint.

Some would object that that would mean that it wouldn't have enough room for its purpose Well, No. 10 Downing Street has less room than the White House.  And if more space is really needed, they can find it somewhere else in Washington D.C.  Nixon actually did that with the nearby Eisenhower Building.

The White House in 1846, when it was first photographed.

Restoring the White House back to scale would also be symbolic.  The entire office of the Presidency needs to be restored to scale.  Right now, Trump is in fact ruling as a dictator, with the complicitly of the Dixiecrat Party that has taken over the GOP.  That needs to end, and end to an enormous degree.

The drift towards an imperial presidency started with Theodore Roosevelt, who is a person I admire, but whom I admire more than I once did.  TR, like Trump, tended to act unilaterally, the difference being that Roosevelt was a profoundly intelligent and moral man, where as the opposite is true of Trump.  The East Wing started off in his administration as the fairly modest East Terrace, which looked nice and wasn't an overblown Sun King structure like the proposed ballroom will be, but it nonetheless got the modification trend rolling.

It would be TR's cousin Franklin that really got the modern Presidency established, however, and that due to the emergency of the Great Depression and World War Two.  Franklin Roosevelt did not rule as a dictator, although people liked to accuse him of that at the time.  Ironically, a President that the Republicans hate to this very day is the one, in some ways, that Trump has tried to emulate, even to the extent of wishing for a third term, which he cannot legally occupy.  Franklin, of course, redid the East Wing, which was done in part due to the bomb shelter that was constructed underneath  it.

The West Wing also dates back to TR's time in the White House with the construction of what was supposed to be a temporary structure.  That structure was expanded in 1909 and ultimately came to be the White House office space.  I don't doubt that they need office space, but as noted, maybe it can just be somewhere else.

And in fact, for the most part, it should be.

Taft family milk cow Pauline Wayne, one of two milk cows the Tafts kept and allowed to freely roam the White House grounds. What is now known as the Eisenhower building is in the background.  This is as things should be.

Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist, 89th Edition. Sidewalks and flags. Label Appendix.

Eating Like Teddy Roosevelt for an Entire Day

Same story here, as below.

Eating Like Theodore Roosevelt.

 Eating Like Theodore Roosevelt

Fat Rascals

Wednesday, September 24, 1924. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum arrived in South Dakota

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum arrived in South Dakota at the invitation of historian Doane Robinson to carry out plans to carve an epic statue of four Presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt in the state's Black Hills.

Last edition:

Thursday, September 18, 1924. Leaving the Dominican Republic.

Labels: 1910s, 1916, 1920s, 1924, Dominican Republic, United States, United States Marine Corps

The 2024 Election, Part XXVI. Touching Down

If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble….It is both foolish and undignified to indulge in undue self-glorification, and above all, in loose-tongued denunciation of other peoples.

Theodore Roosevelt, 1901.

August 20, 2024, 7:00 p.m.

And the primary results are in!  We're off and running for the general election.

Of course, the biggest race of the year, pitting a meandering, lying, babbling Donald Trump and his National Conservative running mate J. D. Vance against a fairly committed left wing but cogent ticket made up of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz wasn't on the ballot.  At one time, in Wyoming primaries, you actually did get to voice your opinion on who should run in the Republican or Democratic Party for President, but it was just that, an opinion vote.  The ticket was still chosen at conventions, with the Democratic one being open, and the Republican one being closed.

I guess that was confusing or pointless, so that isn't done anymore.

By way of a full confession, I started typing this out before August 20, and I'm posting right as the polls close, so the first part are predications, but probably fairly safe ones.

John Barrasso, twice endorsed by Trump, will have handily defeated Reid Rasner, who is a genuine Trumpist.  At one time it looked like Rasner had a chance, but Barrasso out Trumped him and easily won.

Barrasso will face Democrat Scott Morrow.

At least that's what I think occurred.

Harriet Hageman I'm sure won race against the Quixotic effort of Steve Helling.  Hopefully Helling quits these races at this point as this is embarrassing.

Hageman will face Kyle Cameron.

cont:

Senator Barrasso's  victory was a total blowout.

So was Harriet Hageman's.

Locally, Senator Anderson beat Bryce Reece, but only barely.

Given the campaign Reece ran, that's disappointing.  Reece was backed by what frankly were lies.

The longest serving legislator in the U.S. currently, Sen. Charlie Scott, beat out challenger Rob Hendry handily.

Elissa Campbell took retiring House member Jerry Obermueller's seat, keeping the seat in the rational Republican category.

Julie Jarvis handily defeated incumbent far right controversial populist Jeanette Ward for her House seat.  It'll be interesting to see if this trend crosses the state, and it'll also be interesting to see if Ward moves on.

For County Commissioner in Natrona County incumbent Dave North came out on top followed by new candidate Casey Coates.

For Casper City Council veteran former legislator Pat Sweeney came out on top with incumbent Amber Pollock second for Ward I, which makes for an interesting reentry into politics for Sweeney.

The Natrona County Senior District passed, but only barely.

August 21, 2024

The big new of the night is that the Freedom Caucus, while Ward went down in Casper, gained in the House overall and there will now be a populist House of Representatives, a very bad development for Wyoming.

Wyoming Freedom Caucus Has Huge Republican Primary, Could Gain 11 Seats

To clarify Ward I for Casper, Pat Sweeney, Amber Pollock, Ken Dockweiler and Julie Collins-Thiel, made it through the primary.

The senior district passed by only 110 votes.

cont:

Freedom Caucus Firebrand Jeanette Ward Upset For House District 57

Rod Miller: The Wyoming Freedom Caucus Wins Some Big Pots

Of note from Miller's article;

There are already about a hundred and fifty thousand voting-eligible Wyoming citizens who don’t even register. If voter ennui and negative politics drive more of our neighbors away from the polls, then decisions affecting the Big Empty will be made by fewer and fewer people. 

The effective head of the Democratic Party issued an immediate statement:

cont:

Mike Schmid Beats Cat Urbigkit In Highly-Watched Sublette County House Race

August 22, 2024

Mary Peltola finished first in Alaska's primary, one of the view in the country which actually makes sense in the modern era.  She got over 50% of the primary vote.

Republican Nick Begich III,  son of a prominent liberal political family in Alaska, who turned right wing and who has been endorsed by the  House Freedom Caucus, came in second with 27 percent and will face Peltola in the general election.

As if having the world's most boring musician artist, James Taylor slated to sing at the DNC, the Democrats had Opera Winfrey speak yesterday.  Winfrey is an example of pop baloney that plagues American culture, on both the left and the right, with her particular bland thick cut left of center baloney.

Bill Clinton, who noted that he's younger than Donald Trump, spoke as well, demonstrating a remarkable political recovery.  Republicans immediately took to social media to attempt to criticize him for his affair with Monica Lewinsky, which of course just serves to point out Donald Trump's behavior with women.  Clinton's flights on Epstein's plan, which did occur, were noted as well, but then Trump flew on it nearly as much.  So the point of the criticism was . . . ."

On Trump, Tammy Duckworth was on one of the weekend shows and outright called Trump a "five time" "draft dodger",  and called him a "draft dodging coward" in a speech at, I believe, the DNC.  Four out of the five deferments Trump had during the war were student deferments.  

It's interesting who the ghosts of the Vietnam War is returning to haunt once again.  I haven't heard somebody use student deferments to equate with draft dodging for years, although I have heard it.

August 23, 2024

Names for the Natrona County Senior District election, just approved, must be submitted by August 30.

And more proof that the National Conservatives may have shot their bolt:

Trump running away from Project 2025 and its authors.

Trump apparently spent a fair amount of the Democratic Convention basically live tweeting it, which is weird.

This showed up on Twitter, where somebody made this comment, so I'm not the only one who has had this reaction:

Am I the only one kinda floored that the GOP candidate for the United States President, is trolling social media like a disgruntled teenage boy who's girlfriend just dumped him? 🙄😬

cont:

Robert Kennedy has dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump.

Frankly, I doubt that makes any difference in the race whatsoever.

August 24, 2024

The third place finisher in the Alaska House race dropped out in hopes of throwing the race to the GOP.

And here, a real rambling string of Trump weirdisms:  Babble.

August 25, 2024

Relic of the 1970s Cornel West is not eligible to appear on Pennsylvanian's Presidential election ballot.

August 26, 2024

Trump's now mad at the network hosting the upcoming debate and threatening to back out.

August 27, 2024

The Harris campaign wants to unmute the mikes in the upcoming debate, should it occur.

That was a rule that the Biden team imposed for the last debate, but now its the Trump team that wants to keep it, fearful that Trump's inability to mute himself will sabotage him.

And frankly, Trump has grown increasingly incoherent on occasion, prone to going off on long wondering weird babbling.

On Twitter this morning is a clip of an extremely tired looking Donald Trump (he looks absolutely fatigued) rambling about climate change.

Okay, having lived through the dementia of one of my parents, this is frightening.  He sounds, frankly, like somebody in the early stages of it.

August 28, 2024

Chuck Gray Skeptical Independent Candidate Got 68 Signatures In 10 Minutes

How a progressive slate dominated the Laramie City Council primaries

‘I’m afraid of the place the state is going’: Wyoming’s House minority leader reacts to primary election results

Reid Rasner Said His Polls Showed He Was In A Dead Heat With Barrasso, But He Lost Huge

There's some sort of lesson in that last one.

One of those is believing your own propaganda.  It had been obvious for months that he was gong to lose.

August 29, 2024

J. D. Vance at a rally stated:

Kamala Harris is disgraceful. We’re going to talk about a story out of those 13 brave, innocent Americans who lost their lives, it’s that Kamala Harris is so asleep at the wheel that she won’t even do an investigation into what happened, and she wants to yell at Donald Trump because he showed up. She can…she can go to hell.

Vance is a co-religious of mine and this statement is sinful.  First of all, telling somebody they can "go to hell" is sinful.  Secondly, this is a lie.  Harris would have had nothing to do with the American withdrawal from Afghanistan as Vice President, which is what this statement is about.  He well knowns that.  Moreover, while the withdrawal was done badly, any withdrawal following Donald Trump's surrendered to the Taliban would have been difficult.

Afghanistan, it might be noted, has been in the news, now that the Taliban is back in control.  Taliban control can be attributed to Donald Trump.  He surrendered.

August 30, 2024

J.D. Vance, who is cutting a pretty wide swath, has been speaking a lot.  I suspect that's because Trump isn't really up to it.

Anyhow, Vance was booed by a firefighters union in Boston and then went on to try to mock Kamala Harris with a video of Miss North Carolina giving a poor answer to a pageant question.  Given Vance's prior cat lady comments, that's drawn the comments that his misogynistic, which were already out there, and ironically the figure he lampooned in that fashion, a Miss North Carolina, is a big Republican supporter. 

And, from another recent Trump address:

Some people don't eat bacon anymore. This was caused by their horrible energy. Wind. They want wind all over the place. When it doesn't blow, we have a problem.

cont:

I do the weave. Do you know what the weave is? I’ll talk about 9 different things, and they all come back brilliantly together. And friends of mine that are like English professors say, ‘It’s the most brilliant thing I’ve ever seen, but the fake news say, ‘He rambled.

English professors?

Horse shit.

Well, let's see. First the earth cooled. And then the dinosaurs came, but they got too big and fat, so they all died and they turned into oil. And then the Arabs came and they bought Mercedes Benzes. And Prince Charles started wearing all of Lady Di's clothes. I couldn't believe it. He took her best summer dress, put it on and went to town.

Jacobs, Airplane II.

August 31, 2024

Seemingly feeling the heat, Trump is now against the Florida abortion measure.

Matt Malcom, who lost in the primary, is now suing to get on the ballot as an independent, in his Cheyenne district.  A Wyoming law prohibits a primary loser from doing this.

September 2, 2024

Casper sent out a mailer with its Sixth Cent  proposals:

“Proposition 1: $7,300,000 and interest earned thereon to the City of Casper to reconstruct the aging, failing, and undersized Metro Animal Shelter to better provide for animal health and safety.” (The current shelter is located at 2392 Metro Road.)

“Proposition 2: $5,000,000 and interest earned thereon to the City of Casper to fund a portion of the total construction costs of a second sheet of ice adjacent to the existing Casper Ice Arena.” (The arena is located at 1801 E. 4th St.)

“Proposition 3: $4,200,000 and interest earned thereon to the City of Casper to install a new quad capacity chair lift to replace the aging and outdated lift and add lighting at Hogadon Ski Area.”

“Proposition 4: $4,000,000 and interest earned thereon to the City of Casper to construct two fastpitch softball fields for league competition and high school use.”

“Proposition 5: $4,400,000 and interest earned thereon to the City of Casper to partially fund costs associated with the replacement of the City Casper’s outdated Fire Station #1.”

“Proposition 6: $5,000,000 and interest earned thereon to the City of Casper to fully replace the outdated and obsolete equipment for the 911 Dispatch Center.”

“Proposition 7: $3,600,000 and interest earned thereon to the City of Casper to build a new auxiliary gym to provide much needed space for programming at the Casper Recreation Center.” (The Center is located at 1801 E. 4th St.)

“Proposition 8: $1,500,000 and interested earned thereon to the City of Casper to design, reconstruct, and preserve the historic Washington Park Bandshell.”

September 5, 2024

Liz  Cheney endorsed Kamala Harris for President.

September 6, 2024

Donald Trump proposed giving Elon Musk a government role as an efficiency expert.

He also proposed to cut the corporate tax rate to 15%. The corporate tax rate should be hiked, not cut.

Ugh.

I am promising low taxes, low regulations, low energy costs, low interest rates, secure borders, low, low, low crime.

Americans seem incapable of grasping the fact that they are grossly undertaxed, which is a big part of the reason the US deficit is out of control. Rates in the past have been much, much higher than they currently are, particularly on the upper income tax bracket Trump and Musk are part of.

Also, energy costs, interest rates and crime is all low when judged by almost any historical standard.

In a meeting of businessmen Trump was asked a question about health care costs and then went into tariffs.

?

Some good political news:

Perennial Candidate Rex Rammell Says He’s Done With Politics, America Doomed

Gadfly candidate Rammell says he's giving up on politics and his interview with the Cowboy State Daily is his last.

cont:

Former Vice President Dick Cheney has endorsed Kamala Harris.

September 8, 2024

George and Laura Bush will not be endorsing anyone this election cycle.

In doing so, a spokesman noted that President Bush had retired from politics "years ago".

He's one month younger than Donald Trump. . .

cont:

Donald Trump has indicated that in Florida he intends to vote yes on a ballot measure to legalize marijuana.

September 10, 2024

The White Stripes have sued the Trump campaign over its use of the song Seven Nation Army.

cont:

I would have asked the states to submit alternative slates of electors and let the country have the debate about what actually matters and what kind of an election that we had,

J. D. Vance.

Absolutely shameful.

Related threads:

Something for Wyoming populists to consider.

Carpetbagging Carpetbaggers criticize carpetbagging.

What on Earth does the Republican Party stand for?

Odds

Second and Third mortgages.

Last editions:

The 2024 Election, Part XXV. Primary Election Day, Wyoming's real election.

And:

The 2024 Election, Part XXIV. Brat Girl Summer*

Labels: 2020s, 2024 Election, Blog Mirror, Commentary, Coronavirus Pandemic, Donald Trump, Education, inflation, J. D. Vance, Kamala Harris, National Conservatism, Populism, religion, Tim Walz, Wyoming

Friday, July 14, 1944. Bastille Day.

Mortar crew in action near St. Lo, July 14, 1944.

President Roosevelt addressed the French people on it being Bastille Day:

July 14, 1944

Once again I salute, on Bastille Day, the heroic people of France.

July 14 this year is different, for we hope that it is the last fourteenth of July that France will suffer under German occupation. With full confidence, I look forward that the French people on July 14, 1945, will celebrate their great national fete on French soil, liberated alike from the invader and from the puppets of Vichy.

For the great battle of liberation is now engaged. It is a battle resolutely waged by the American, British, and Canadian forces, together with the valiant fighters of the home French, who have already contributed so greatly to the success of the operations. At the same time gallant French fighting forces are carrying on the victorious struggle in Italy, joined in traditional unity with their comrades of the American Fifth Army and the British Eighth Army.

Here, on this side o.[ the Atlantic, the fourteenth of July, 1944, offers an equally great spectacle of the indissoluble unity and the deep friendship of the American and French peoples.

Together, the French and American peoples stand today, united as they have always been when the cause of freedom was endangered.

Together, we shall win, and France shall be free!

U.S. Navy frogman began to recon Guam.

The Red Army captured Pinsk.  Vilnius was fully occupied, and Operation Ostra Brama by the Polish Home Army concluded.  Internment of the Polish partisans would start on July 15.

Sarah Sundin's blog has some interesting entries today, including that Japan started conscripting women and girls down to age 12 for war work.

Today in World War II History—July 14, 1944

The funeral of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. occured in France.

The funeral of General Ted Roosevelt, July 14, 1944

The commander of the 10th Armored Division, Maj. Gen. Paul Newgarded was killed when the airplane in which he was a passenger in the US went down in a violent storm.

The 10th was still training in the US at the time.

Druze actress and singer Amal al-Atrash (آمال الأطرش) known by her stage name Asmahan (أسمهان) died in a tragic car wreck when the car in which she was a passenger crashed into the Suez Canal.  Her professional life had been spent in Egypt.

Last edition:

Thursday, July 13, 1944. Stuck in the Bocage.

Labels: 1940s, 1944, Armor, Army, Blog Mirror, Clothing, German Wehrmacht, Lithuania, New Guinea, Normandy, Operation Bagration, Operation Overlord, Polish Home Army, Red Army, The Holocaust, World War Two

Wednesday, July 12, 1944. The death of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., age 56, veteran of World War One and Two, politician, notable businessman, and son of the President by the same name, the only U.S. general to land with the first wave of U.S. troops during Operation Overlord, died of a heart attack.

Roosevelt in Normandy.  He was severely arthritic by this point in the war.

His actions  on D-Day were critical, for which he would win a Congressional Medal of Honor.

For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, in France. After two verbal requests to accompany the leading assault elements in the Normandy invasion had been denied, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt's written request for this mission was approved and he landed with the first wave of the forces assaulting the enemy-held beaches. He repeatedly led groups from the beach, over the seawall and established them inland. His valor, courage, and presence in the very front of the attack and his complete unconcern at being under heavy fire inspired the troops to heights of enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. Although the enemy had the beach under constant direct fire, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt moved from one locality to another, rallying men around him, directed and personally led them against the enemy. Under his seasoned, precise, calm, and unfaltering leadership, assault troops reduced beach strong points and rapidly moved inland with minimum casualties. He thus contributed substantially to the successful establishment of the beachhead in France.

The U.S. 88th Division took Lajatico, Italy

Japanese-American soldier of 522nd Field Artillery, US 442nd Regimental Combat Team with a soldier of the Italian 11th Pack Mule Company, Castellina Sector, 12 July 1944.

The Red Army took Idritsa.

Japanese POW broadcasting in an effort to bring Japanese troops in caves out to surrender, July 12, 1944.

Rosie, captured Japanese army dog, Saipan.  July 12, 1944.

Last edition:

Tuesday, July 11, 1944. Von Stauffenberg's first attempt, Tiger II's first use.

Labels: 1940s, 1944, Adolf Hitler, Caen France, Charles de Gaulle, Claus von Stauffenberg, Franklin Roosevelt, German Resistance Movements, Heroes, July 20 Plot, New Guinea, Operation Overlord, World War Two

The Day Of Rest

Experience shows that the day of rest is essential to mankind; that it is demanded by civilization as well as by Christianity.

President Roosevelt in a note to Jacob Riis,

Theodore Roosevelt at Arlington.

On this day…we call to mind the deaths of those who died that the nation might live, who wagered all that life holds dear for the great prize of death in battle.

President Roosevelt at Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Day, 1902.

I have to say, I wouldn't have referred to death as a "prize" in this context.

Tuesday, March 18, 1924. The high water mark of the Irish Mutiny.

Forty armed Irish soldiers assembled at a hotel in Dublin to plan the next move in the Irish Army Mutiny.  A possible coup d'état against the Irish government was on the table.  

Loyal Irish troops surrounded the hotel and there was a standoff.  The result was that the young Irish government responded by securing the resignation of Irish Army Council members, along with that of Defense Minister Richard Mulcahy.

The mutiny was of the oldest type, an army rebelling for itself.  Mulcahy would go on to a long career in Irish government, including as Minister of Education.

A soldier bonus bill was passed in the US.

St. Mark's is a major downtown church in Casper today.

St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Casper Wyoming

This traditionally styled Episcopal Church includes the office buildings for the church a meeting room, kitchen and a day school, so the interior space used for services is smaller than the large exterior might suggest.

The view featured on the bottom photograph could not be seen until recently, as a large house once stood in what is now an open area. The church is across the street from the former St. Anthony's Catholic School, which has moved to a new location across town. The church was built in 1924.

It's stunning to think it was built for $120,000.

The Douglas Fairbanks film, The Thief of Baghdad, was released.

Alice Longworth, the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, was caught by the paparazzi on the streets of Washington D.C.

Envy and the Easy Life.

I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life; I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.

Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

Well. . . having lived a relatively difficult life, but perhaps not well, I don't know that I can endorse this one.

Going Feral: Subsistrnce hunter/fisherman of the week. Theodore Roosevelt

Going Feral: Subsistence hunter/fisherman of the week. Theodore...: 

Subsistance hunter/fisherman of the week. Theodore Roosevelt

Perhaps no American, and indeed perhaps no human, has done more for the cause of wildlife conservation than was done by President Theodore Roosevelt.

A great naturalist, a great man, and a great President, he was also an avid hunter and fisherman.