We remember Irene Sendler (1910-2008)

We live in a crazy world.   

It's nice to remember those who did something unusual, especially someone who saved the lives of others.

Irena Sendler died in Poland in 2008. She was 96. Her story is amazing:

"When Germany invaded Poland in the fall of 1939, Sendler was just shy of her 30th birthday.

"The whole of Poland was drowning in blood, but the Jewish nation was suffering the most, with the Jewish children the most vulnerable," she recalled. Sendler and a group of friends in the Warsaw municipality's social welfare department started producing false documents to provide Jews in the ghetto with monetary assistance that the Germans had cut off."

Like so many others, Mrs. Sendler stood up to evil. She risked her life so that others could live.

Mrs. Sendler leaves a great legacy of heroism and dedication to mankind. 

1932: Radio Music Hall opened in New York City

Have you ever been to Radio Music Hall in New York City?  

It opened on this day in 1932.   

Since then, over 300 million people have watched shows, movies, concerts and other events.   

One of the great landmarks of New York City.    

It was the brainchild of John D Rockfeller, Jr.   

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

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We remember Marion Pritchard (1920-2016)

We remember  Marion Pritchard who died this week in 2016.  

She was one of those people who left her mark in the 20th century:

In the spring of 1942, Ms. Pritchard was a social work student who had been imbued by her father, a judge, with a strong sense of outrage about the injustices perpetrated against the Jews during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. 
One day, she recalled, as she was riding her bicycle to class, she saw Nazis at the children’s home “picking up the kids by an arm or a leg or by the hair” and throwing them into a truck.
“Well, I stopped my bike and looked,” she said in an oral history recorded in 1984 by the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. 
“Two other women coming down on the street got so furious, they attacked the German soldiers, and they just picked the women up and threw them in the truck after the kids.   “I just stood there,” she added. “I’m one of those people who sat there and watched it happen.”
To save and shelter Jews, Ms. Pritchard registered Jewish infants as her own children and found safe, non-Jewish homes for them. She helped feed Jews and get them ration cards. 
She secured false identification papers to help them avoid capture by the Nazis, and found medical care for children through a friendly pediatrician.
Sometimes her role was simply to be one in a line of rescuers who handed Jewish children to someone else, who would then lead them out of danger. 
By her estimate, she helped rescue 150 Jews.

We call people like Marion heroes, some of the real heroes of the 20th century.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

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1995: Remember when the Bush tollway opened up?

Around 1995, the North Texas area started construction of the Pres. George Bush Tollway.   (Of course, we are talking about the first Bush, or Bush 41!)

It was a great idea and connected the northern segment of what we call the "Metroplex".

We are so used to taking Bush today that many not remember when it was Trinity Mills Road connecting the Dallas Tollway with I-35 to the west.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

Was that really Sammy Davis on "The Rifleman"?

"The Rifleman" is one of my all time favorite shows.    I catch a lot of shows on Saturdays on AMC and MeTV.    Today, I was surprised to see Sammy Davis 

After a little research, I learned that Sammy Davis played the role of Wade Randall.    

I won't tell you how it ended!   It was really interesting to see him in a Western role.

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2008: The Clarence and Mayme Vail story

In 2008, we read this awesome story from Minnesota:

"Clarence, 101, and Mayme Vail, 99, celebrated their 83rd anniversary Sunday, possibly making them the longest married couple alive in the United States." 

Shortly after that, we learned that Clarence passed away.    A few years later, Mayme died at age 102.

They referred to themselves as a couple of "teenagers who fell in love". 

Here is one for Clarence & Mayme:




   

2010: Remember when it was patriotic to march and call Pres Bush names?

This is a post from 2010.

We continue to watch the other side go into commotion over placards or criticisms of Pres BO.

A few years ago, Professor VD Hanson posted: Five Lies We Live With

"I fear “civility” does not mean one should not write novels or produce movies contemplating murdering George Bush — that’s sort of an understandable agitprop art 

“Civility” does not mean the New York Times should not give discounts to run ads in wartime like “General Betray Us.”

That’s needed dissidence.

Civility does not suggest that a Sen. Durbin, or Sen. Kerry, or Sen. Kennedy not use inflammatory language that compares our own troops or personnel to terrorists, Nazis, Pol Pot, Stalinists, or Saddam Hussein’s torturers; that most certainly in not uncivil.

And it was certainly not impolite for Rep. Stark to call President Bush a “liar.” 

That’s needed dissidence. 

Civility does not suggest that a Sen. Durbin, or Sen. Kerry, or Sen. Kennedy not use inflammatory language that compares our own troops or personnel to terrorists, Nazis, Pol Pot, Stalinists, or Saddam Hussein’s torturers; that most certainly in not uncivil.

And it was certainly not impolite for Rep. Stark to call President Bush a “liar.”

2005: Mark Felt or "Deep throat" followed the money!

We learned in 2005 that Mark Felt was the famous "Deep throat" of Watergate.   He was well known for saying follow the money!

After the disclosure of his identity, Felt tried to "follow the money" and make a few bucks by writing a book.

Did many buy the book? I don't think so.

What are we going to learn from reading another book about Watergate?  Not much!

P.S. Woodward & Bernstein got back together and wrote a book about "Deep throat":

We remember Jack Hamilton (1938-2018)

Remember reading that Jack Hamilton passed away.   He was born on this day in 1938.

Hamilton bounced around with several major league teams:   32-40 with a 4.53 ERA & 20 saves for Mets, Angels, Pirates, Indians, Tigers and White Sox.

We remember Hamilton for one pitch:   

In 1967, while playing for the Angels, an errant inside pitch struck and damaged the eye of Boston Red Sox star Conigliaro.
"It was a high fastball," Hamilton told The Associated Press in 1987. "He didn't move at all. He didn't even flinch, jerk his head or anything. It was hard to sit there and take a pitch like that."

Tony C was never the same after that pitch.   His brilliant, and I would argue Hall of Fame career, was over at 23.   Terrible moment.

After baseball, Hamilton became a very successful businessman and owned several restaurants.

The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda

The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda 12/22 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics:

Guest: Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda.......The impeachment vote but what happens to the articles now?........the politics of impeachment......the 2020 Democrats debate again......and other stories.......click to listen:

We remember Rep. Jim Wright (1922-2015)

(My new American Thinker post)

Once upon a time, there were men like Jim Wright representing Texas and the Democratic Party.  It really wasn't that long ago, although it feels like centuries when you listen to the class warfare peddled by people with a "D" next to their names.

Jim Wright died this week, and we remember him fondly around here.  The Dallas Morning News's obituary tells the story:

"Former U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright, who died Wednesday at age 92, was an old-school politician, a consummate Democrat who could extend a hand in bipartisanship, but also would pull no punches for his beloved Texas and Fort Worth.He would spare no energy, for example, if it meant winning a defense contract for a Fort Worth company, helping out a constituent in need or corralling federal money to redevelop the Stockyards. He did everything with a workmanlike determination that made him a formidable opponent.With political muscle and grit, he pushed through his namesake Wright Amendment, which for decades restricted flights from Love Field to land only at airports in Texas or four adjoining states. While in 1980 it protected a then fledgling Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport from competition, over the decades it became contentious — until it was lifted last year. But that was Jim Wright." 

His career ended poorly in 1989 when he had to resign over ethics violations.  However, I remember a man who was all about helping and bringing money to Texas.   

There is not a single Democrat representing Texas in Washington with Wright's standing or stature.  It speaks well of the late Mr. Wright and very poorly of his party today.

P.S. You can hear my show (CantoTalk) or follow me on Twitter.

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Merry Christmas and happy new year

One liberal columnist has a message for Dems

We’ve been reporting that impeachment is a losing proposition for Democrats.

Add Chris Cillizza to the list calling on Democrats to cut their losses and change the subject. He cites recent public opinion polls:

But what the trend line in recent weeks suggests is that the intense focus on impeachment has marginally helped, not hurt Trump. The change in public opinion is slight, yes. And it may well be temporary. But for the moment, it’s the sort of thing that has to make Democrats a little (and maybe more than a little) nervous about the path they have chosen.

Yes, the trend line is not good for Democrats.  President Trump may have been re-elected when the speaker wore a black dress and read the Pledge of Alliance.

Speaker Pelosi made several mistakes here:

1. She bought the nonsense that the Ukraine phone call would crack Republican support.  She would have enjoyed more success with a censure resolution condemning the phone call.

2. The hearings were so one-sided that they did not change the needle.

3. She missed an opportunity to pull the plug on impeachment this week.  She could have pulled it off the schedule until further notice.

Speaker Pelosi is now living the partisan nightmare she warned us about a few months ago.  In other members, no Republicans joined Democrats in voting for impeachment.

I wonder if Speaker Pelosi wishes she’d done this very differently!  My guess is yes.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

Impeachment and the other stories of the day with Leslie Eastman

Impeachment and the other stories of the day with Leslie Eastman 12/19 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics:

Guest: Leslie Eastman, contributor to Legal Insurrection....... We will be covering the news of today from impeachment to Merry Christmas.... and other stories............click to listen:

Thursday’s video: What’s next for impeachment?

Thursday’s video:

What’s next for impeachment?

Click to watch:

The money is on Trump

There are polls and then there are people who put their money where their mouth is.

According to a report, the money shows President Trump reelected:    

In the latest evidence that weeks of impeachment hearings did little to hurt him, the betting odds that President Trump will win reelection next year are nearly his best ever.

After two House committees held hearings, prompting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to schedule an impeachment vote this week, Trump stands at an even 1-1 chance of keeping his office in 2020.

Only Joe Biden, at 5-1, is challenging him, according to gambling site Betonline.ag.

“Trump continues to inspire bettors to take action despite the impeachment process and Greta Thunberg feud,” Dave Mason of BetOnline said in sharing the odds with Secrets.

We will see.  Nevertheless, the people putting up their money must be betting that the U.S. economy and a Democrat Party in disarray will pave the way for a Trump victory.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

1921: Judge Landis makes it "best of 7 not 9"

On this day in 1921, Judge Landin, the Baseball Commissioner, cast the tie-breaking vote to make The World Series "a best of 7 not a best of 9 series".    It happened because some owners wanted to bring back the "best of 9" format.

It raises some interesting questions:

1) How many 5-game sweeps would we have had?   My guess is none.   It's very difficult for a team to lose 4 but imagine 5?

2) How many more games would Yogi Berra or Mickey Mantle have played in?

3) How many HRs would Mantle have hit?   He hit 18 but my guess is that he would have hit 25 in "a best of 9" format.

Anyway, I am happy that it is "a best of 7" series.    However, "a best of 9" would have probably allowed a few teams to come back from a 3-1 deficit, such as the 1969 Orioles.

Speaking of Judge Landis, he was quite a Commissioner:

Impeachment Day with George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative

Impeachment Day with George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative 12/18 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics:

Guest: George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative......We will discuss impeachment and the US House............and other stories.............click to listen:

Wednesday’s video: The money bets favor Trump...

Wednesday’s video:

The money bets favor Trump....

click to watch:

Maybe Warren read about the UK elections

Some are warning Democrats about the UK elections or going too far to the left.  

Then we hear this from Senator Warren:   

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been using new, notable language at her town halls to describe the transition into “Medicare for All” — saying, under her plan, it would be a voter’s “choice” to opt in.While the language is already a part of her transition proposal, it’s a notable rhetorical shift on Warren’s part after her moderate Democratic rivals — namely South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg — have criticized her plan that would eventually eliminate private health insurance.For the last two weeks, Warren has described the transition into her Medicare For All plan as a “choice” for Americans to try it. A new Fox News Poll released Sunday showed that support for government-run healthcare has dropped by double-digits among Democrats since October.At her town halls, Warren frequently fields questions from voters who tell her they’ve heard worries from friends or family about giving up their current private insurance.

Well, the lady is talking “choice” and it’s not about abortion.

Time will tell whether talking choice will persuade voters.

As for the “Corbyn” effect on Democrats, my guess is that it’s too late for that.  The party has gone too far to the left to get back on the middle lane.

It may take an electoral wipeout, like that which occurred in the UK, for the Democrats to clean house and get back to reality.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

Tuesday’s video: Impeachment is helping President Trump...

Tuesday’s video:

Impeachment is helping President Trump....

click to watch:

Shame on Hallmark for caving to LGBTQ pressure

In the interest of full disclosure, my wife is a huge Hallmark Channel fan.  Based on what I hear when we go out with other couples, most of her friends are big fans too.

Why does she love Hallmark?  It’s super romantic, she tells me.  She loves the stories and the beautiful people who play the characters.    

As any married guy knows, don’t mess with your wife watching those Christmas love stories.  

Bowl games?  Go to the other room with your sons or friends.

Over the last few days, Hallmark has been in the news.  It appears that the LGBTQ squad is going after the network for rejecting a commercial showing a same sex couple getting married and kissing.

The network is pretty modern in many ways.  As I learned watching the movies, the stories usually involve women who are business owners, successful professionals and even a bank president.

But Hallmark has announced it is reversing and showing the commercial, even though it does violate the network’s policy against public display of affection.

After facing massive backlash on social media, the Hallmark Channel has reversed course, and will allow LGBT-themed ads to air on its platform despite resistance from conservative and family groups.On Sunday, Mike Perry, the CEO of Hallmark Cards, Inc., apologized for having caused “hurt and disappointment” for pulling the Zola ad featuring a lesbian wedding kiss, and promising to build a more inclusive atmosphere in the company’s programming.“The Crown Media team has been agonizing over this decision as we’ve seen the hurt it has unintentionally caused,” Perry said

So why did the network crack under LGBTQ pressure?  I don’t get it.  My guess is that they got spooked by tweets or phone calls.

So another business cracks to please the LGBTQ community and alienates its loyal base?

I hope that Hallmark will reconsider and remember that “wokes” are never satisfied.  They will come back demanding more and more and more.

So Hallmark should issue a simple statement.   This is our business.  If you don’t like what we do, then start your own channel and satisfy the demand for such material.

And, last but not least, Stephen Kruiser is right:   Hallmark Caves to Wokescolds Who Will Never Watch the Channel!

Again, start your own channel and leave my wife alone.  I hope that the advertisers understand that there are more people like my wife who don’t tweet than the LGBT who live in social media.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

PM Johnson plus impeachment and other stories of the day

PM Johnson plus impeachment and other stories of the day 12/16 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics:

PM Johnson and the UK election....plus impeachment this week..........Battle of the Bulge 1944........Glenn Miller 1944........and other stories......click to listen:

Monday’s video: Nothing but a hyper partisan impeachment!

Monday’s video:

Nothing but a hyper partisan impeachment!

Click to watch:

Andrew Malcolm: the latest to get out

Last week, I was talking to a fellow who moved here from California.  I asked why he left — better job”  Better lifestyle?   

His answer was something of what we just heard from Andrew Malcolm.  Andrew is out and out for good, as he wrote:    

We’ll miss the restaurant variety and some of the cultural events of urban California. 

But not the traffic trying to get there, the traffic trying to enter an affordable garage, not the lines of 5,000 others who wanted to be entertained, not the same people trying to leave later, nor the wait to exit the garage and the even longer wait while parked on the freeway. And we only spent $400 for the single evening’s experience.

California is indeed a special place. I’ve lived here by choice twice, nearly a quarter-century in total. The longest I’ve lived anywhere in 16 moves. 

I have no regrets about living here. And I don’t regret leaving here. As the neighbor said, “California’s not the same anymore.”

Malcolm won’t miss local taxes either:   61 cents in gas taxes compared to 20 cents for Texas.

Will we see any changes in California’s politics?   Not in the short run.  However, California will eventually run out of taxpayers and that may be what breaks the camel’s back.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

World War II after Pearl Harbor with Barry Jacobsen.

World War II after Pearl Harbor with Barry Jacobsen.....Listen in now at https://t.co/LC6uVOoroX. #BlogTalkRadio

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) January 12, 2017

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The week in review with Bill Katz the Editor of Urgent Agenda

The week in review with Bill Katz the Editor of Urgent Agenda 12/15 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics:

Guest: Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda.......we will look at upcoming impeachment in the US House.....the UK election and what it mean to us..........Glenn Miller 1944..... and other stories.......

Click to listen:

Are you ready for Boris Derangement Syndrome?

It did not take long for the left in London to get in line, as we see in this report from over there:

Several hundred noisy protesters marched through central London on Friday to protest against Britain’s election result, chanting “Boris Johnson: Not My Prime Minister” and “Boris, Boris, Boris: Out, Out, Out”.

The protesters, brandishing signs that read “Defy Tory (Conservative) Rule” and “Refugees Welcome”, walked at speed from outside Johnson’s Downing Street residence to Trafalgar Square and on to the theatre district, blocking traffic and drawing a heavy police presence.

As President Reagan would say, “there you go again.”.

The anti-Johnson protests confirm two things about the left.

First, they believe in democracy but only when their guy wins the election.

Second, they will keep on protesting because that’s all they know to do.

The left is bankrupt.  No ideas or programs.  Only protesting and more protesting!

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

Can we finally say goodbye to Colin Kaepernick?

The much-anticipated return of Kaepernick will not happen, as Commissioner Roger Goodell put it:  

During a news conference in Irving, Texas, Goodell responded to a reporter’s question about the November workout with Kaepernick and how it ultimately fell apart.

“This was about creating an opportunity,” Goodell said. “We created that opportunity. It was a unique opportunity, an incredible opportunity and he chose not to take it. I understand that.  And we’ve moved on here.”

Thank you, Commissioner.  I can hear lots of cheering people from coast to coast.

The left will probably explain this as another example of white supremacy.  Of course, that won’t work with a highly successful African American quarterback like Lamar Johnson of the 12-2 Ravens getting lots of exposure and publicity.

So let’s pray that this is the end of the Kaepernick Era in the NFL.  He was a pretty good quarterback at one point but turned into an obnoxious peddler of PC ideas that hurt the league, insulted the police, and upset many fans.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

The UK election and the US with Barry Casselman, The Prairie Editor

The UK election and the US with Barry Casselman, The Prairie Editor 12/13 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics:

Guest: Barry Casselman, The Prairie Editor......we will discuss the UK elections and what it means for the US..........Impeachment vote next week and the upcoming US Senate trial.......... ...and other stories........click to listen:

Friday’s video: A word about the UK election....

Friday’s video: 

 A word about the UK election.....

click to watch:

The Man of the Year is marching in Hong Kong

We just learned who Time has chosen as person of the year and it’s a teenager talking about climate change.   I’m not going to take shots at a young girl, but she is the wrong person for such a recognition.

Over in Hong Kong, people are literally standing up for freedom.  I agree with Ben Domenech: 

In defiance of the most powerful authoritarian regime in the modern world, the protester in Hong Kong has stood against the authority of Red China with courage and dedication.

They have not bowed to the brutality of the police, who have murdered, raped, and abused them. They have not run from the tear gas or the hoses. They have refused to back down. And because of that, their message has been heard.

It is a protest that cuts across the lines of age and class. While the protesters are younger, they are supported by their parents’ generation, which feels guilt over not asserting themselves earlier. So their mantra is: Be water.

Hong Kong has enjoyed freedoms never present in mainland China. They see those freedoms slipping away. And rather than bow to that inexorable betrayal, the thuggish assertion of the murderous state, they stood, and they fight.

There is no bigger fight. And so, the Hong Kong protester is the Person of the Year.  

It takes a lot of courage to march against a totalitarian government. Cheers for the people doing so in Hong Kong.

I would also mention the people of Bolivia who rose against a corrupt leftist thug who tried to steal an election and Mexican journalists killed covering the news south of the border.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.