Remembering what my late great-uncle used to say about George Washington

(My new American Thinker post)

George Washington was born on February 22 in 1732.  

No one is indispensable but Washington came pretty close, as Scott Johnson reminds us very year.  With all due respect to Scott Johnson, a real favorite of mine, but that post reminds me of my late great uncle every time that I read it. I feel that he could have written it!

My late great-uncle, or Tio Joaquin as we called him, was one of those men who got to live a lot of the history that we've read.

He was born in the 1890s or when Cuban was still a Spanish colony. The US and Spain got into a war in 1898 and Cuba finally achieved its independence in 1902. Unlike most of Latin America that became independent in the first 30 years of the 19th century, Cuba remained the last Spanish outpost in the New World until the end of the century. 

He remembers the day that Cuba became an independent country.  He lived through the Great Depression or when the price of sugar collapsed in the 1930s.  He saw the Machado dictatorship that followed the economic turmoil, the Batista uprising, the establishment of a republic in 1940 and communist takeover of 1959.

He saw it all and died in Cuba in the 1980s.  He chose not to leave because he didn't want to be a burden to his nephews (my father and two uncles) starting a new life in the US.  He used to say that the communist were not going to convert old folks like him and Aunt Clara.

He was a huge fan of US history, specially Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

He told me something that I will never forget. Let me paraphrase it for you:

"The US was very lucky to have a man of Washington's character at every turn of the young nation's history.  He earned the respect of the rebels with his integrity.  He was the man trusted by those colonists embarking on a constitutional experiment.    And he knew when to leave when his two terms were up.  Did you ever hear of a man walk away from a position of power?  He could have been president for life but he left."

It was a history lesson that I did not quite understand as a kid in Cuba.

I understand it today as we celebrate the man's life on his birthday. 

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1980 Winter Games & the most enjoyable hockey game ever!

We celebrate today another anniversary of George Washington’s birthday in 1732.  

Back in 1980, many of us spent President Washington’s birthday watching an Olympic hockey game.  It passed into the history pages as the “Miracle on Ice”.

As you may remember, we were in the middle of various crises, abroad and at home.  

First, the USSR had just invaded Afghanistan and was pushing its weight around in Nicaragua and paying for Cuban troops in Africa.

Second, Iran had kidnapped U.S. diplomats and mocking President Carter every day.

It seemed like no one feared the U.S. and the bad buys certainly didn’t.  

Third, the U.S. economy was struggling, from long gas lines to inflation.

In the middle of all of this, a bunch of young Americans gave us the time of our lives. 

It was the first hockey game that I ever paid attention to!

The U.S. beat the old USSR in the Olympic semifinals to move on to the gold game.  It was a great game.  In fact, listening to Al Michaels of ABC call the last minute of that game was unbelievable.  

Here is the story of that day:

“In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of college players, defeats the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. The Soviet squad, previously regarded as the finest in the world, fell to the youthful American team 4-3 before a frenzied crowd of 10,000 spectators. Two days later, the Americans defeated Finland 4-2 to clinch the hockey gold.”

It gave us the uplift that we all needed back then!   

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We remember President George Washington (1732-99)

We remember another of George Washington's birthdays.

He was so vital to the success of the new American nation.   Our friends at Power Line call him the indispensable man and they are right.  

Washington led an army of colonists and then held together the new constitution by serving as the first president.  He could have been "president for life" or reelected to a 3rd term.  However, he respected the constitution and set the example by walking away from power.

Washington was indeed the indispensable man to the new nation.  Where would we be today without the example of George Washington?

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

 

A word about Sparky Anderson (1934-2010)

The great Sparky Anderson died in 2010.   He was born on this day in 1934 and inducted to The Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Sparky managed the Big Red Machine in the 1970's and then Detroit until the mid-90's.

Anderson led Cincinnati to 4 NL pennants and World Series victories in 1975 & 1976.   Later, he led the Tigers to a series win in 1984 & AL East title in 1987.  Overall, Anderson was one of the most successful managers ever: .545 winning pct!

After baseball, he became a wonderful baseball analyst in post season baseball working radio and TV.    I specifically remember his radio work in the 1983 World Series.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

We remember Senator Kennedy (1932-2009)

We remember that Senator Edward M. Kennedy was born on this day in 1932 and died in August 2009.

Politically speaking, I was always on the other side of Ted Kennedy. Nevertheless, we recognize his long work in the US Senate.

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1968: We won the Tet offensive on the ground but lost it on the front pages

During February 1968, thousands of North Vietname and Viet Cong troops crossed into South Vietnam.  It came to be known as "The Tet Offensive".  

Overall, US soldiers successfully beat back troops in the Vietnam War.

By any measurement, the offensive was a crushing military defeat for the communist invaders.   

Unfortunately, the media reported a smashing communist victory and lied about what happened on the ground.

Shame on the news media.

Indeed, we were caught by surprise but US troops fought back and stopped the offensive.

Sadly, President Johnson was so weak that he could not go over the news media and talk to the American voters.  He allowed the news media to tell us that Tet was a defeat when it really wasn’t.

In my opinion, the best book about Vietnam was written by President Nixon after he left office.

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Happy George Washington Day

We remember today George Washington's birthday.  

He was born on this day in Virginia in 1732.  His father was a colonial plantation owner,

No one is indispensable but George Washington is the closest thing to it.   The US was so lucky to have a man like Washington at every important turn in the early days of the nation.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

1968: The Tet Offensive and the Vietnam War

Back in January 1968, the presidential candidates lined up for the primaries and upcoming election.  Everyone was talking about the Vietnam War and then we heard about something called The Tet Offensive.    

Within days, The Viet Cong attacked South Vietnamese forces and US military installations.     In fact, the effort was a huge Viet Cong defeat.  The US forces fought back and defeated the incoming forces.  

On the ground, US troops won but the media coverage was totally negative and useless.   On the political front, the biggest loser was President Johnson who chose not to run for reelection in 1968.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.