Friday, September 20, 2024
You are not my type, Kam
You are not my type, Kam - American Thinker https://t.co/FTDpHPwA71
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) September 20, 2024
For years I've wondered about union leadership and union members. Are they on the same page? My own conversations with the membership led me to think that these guys were conservative and very patriotic. They certainly don’t get open borders or chaotic immigration.
Well, enter 2024 and another election is here. And the Teamsters step up by not endorsing a candidate but letting their members do the talking. Here is the story:
The General Executive Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Wednesday elected not to endorse any candidate for U.S. President.
After reviewing six months of nationwide member polling and wrapping up nearly a year of rank-and-file roundtable interviews with all major candidates for the presidency, the union was left with few commitments on top Teamsters issues from either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris -- and found no definitive support among members for either party’s nominee.
In data publicly released earlier in the day, President Joe Biden won the support of Teamsters voting in straw polls at local unions between April-July prior to his exit from the race. But in independent electronic and phone polling from July-September, a majority of voting members twice selected Trump for a possible Teamsters endorsement over Harris.
Talk about another surprise in 2024.
The real story here is that the modern Democrat party has nothing in common with the guys who are teamsters, as Jeremiah Poff wrote:
For Harris and the Democrats, the nonendorsement is a huge blow. But even more so is the fact that Teamsters members were willing to back Biden but not her, a sign that her candidacy may accelerate the class realignment within the Democratic Party, complicating her path to victory and more visibly turning the party away from its historic working-class roots and into the party of corporations and the wealthy.
The party of electric car mandates and an obsession with LGBT issues is not connecting with regular guys who get up every day to work and raise their families. Wonder how many guys in the Teamsters think that a Joe identifying as Jane should play on his daughter’s swimming team? Not any!
In other words, they have nothing in common with a California liberal who wants to defund police, stop fracking and support open borders.
Biden could get away with the Scranton Joe bit but San Francisco Kamala can't. She is not their type.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
September 20, 1998: The Ripken streak ended after 2,632 games
September 20, 1968: Mantle hit # 536, his last HR
Happy # 90 Sophia Loren
Let me say Happy birthday to Sophia Loren. She was born in Rome on this day in 1934 and looks great in her later years. Her movies with Marcello Mastrionni were absolute classics. They had great chemistry on screen! Overall, one of the most beautiful women of the 20th century!
WORLD WAR I, part 4, WITH BARRY JACOBSEN, military historian
THURSDAY: WORLD WAR I, part 4, WITH BARRY JACOBSEN, military historian....Listen in now at http://t.co/siIUDLTn6m. #BlogTalkRadio
— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) August 29, 2014P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Orange man fact checks David
Orange man fact checks David - American Thinker https://t.co/05t2IG6Ja9
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) September 19, 2024
As you may remember. David Muir of "The Ambush," a new ABC TV series about presidential debates, confronted Pres. Trump over crime statistics. It was one of the "fact checks" during the hour.
A few days later, it's Muir who is getting fact checked. Let's see:
Muir interrupted Trump, something he never did to Vice President Kamala Harris, retorting, “President Trump, as you know, the FBI says overall violent crime is coming down in this country.”
To which Trump responded, “The FBI -- they were defrauding statements. They didn’t include the worst cities. They didn’t include the cities with the worst crime. It was a fraud. Just like their number of 818,000 jobs that they said they created turned out to be a fraud.”
Muir is right that FBI data show violent crime is down. However, Trump is also right that there are major problems with the FBI’s data. The comparison with problematic jobs data from the Department of Labor is a good one. The agency was forced to lower the number of jobs created during the Biden administration by almost a million, which showed that its previous figures were consistently misleading.
Trump said he would target migrants who committed crimes, noting that “crime here is up and through the roof.”
So the fact checker got fact checked! I like that.
Common sense confirms that crime is up. I don't need a manicured report. All I need to do is talk to someone who lives in Washington, D.C. or Chicago. Or watch the local newscast and see for yourself. The killings have not stopped. It's the reporting that is misrepresenting the crime numbers.
So a double win in this post. Down goes the dishonest fact checker. Up goes the truth, a reality that anybody living in the world can confirm without reading any statistics.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Happy # 84 Paul Williams, great songwriter
We remember Paul Williams who was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on this day in 1940.
Paul Williams won "the lottery" when Richard Carpenter heard one of his songs. Richard played it for Karen and we know the rest of the story.
"We've only just begun" was The Carpenters' 2nd big song and included in their "Close to You" album. It become The Carpenters' signature song and a very popular tune for newlyweds.
The Carpenters also recorded "Rainy Days and Mondays", a truly magnificent vocal performance by Karen Carpenter.
Three Dog Night kept the streak going with "An old fashioned love song", my favorite song by that group.
Last, but not least, Kermit the Frog also recorded one of Williams' songs. It was "Rainbow connection".
Enjoy them because they are wonderful songs from a great songwriter.
We remember David McCallum. (1933-2023)
We say happy birthday to David McCallum who was born in the UK on this day in 1933. He died September 2023.
Many of us remember him as Illya Kuryakin in "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."
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.
Happy # 84 Sylvia Tyson
We say happy birthday to Sylvia Tyson who was born in Ontario on this day in 1940.
She was the other half of the wonderful Canadian duo "Ian & Sylvia".
We remember Joe Morgan (1943-2020)
Morgan broke with the expansion Houston Colt-45 in 1961 now the Astros. He was traded to the Reds before the 1972 season and enjoyed incredible success: MVP 1975 & 1976. In 1990, Morgan was selected for The Hall of Fame: 2,517 hits, 1,650 runs scored, 268 home runs, 689 stolen bases and 1,865 walks!
Without question, one of the best second basemen in the game's history. After baseball, he turned into a fabulous baseball TV analyst. We will always his leadership role with The Big Red Machine.
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 Mama Cass (1941-1974)
How about this little fact? She and Jim Morrison attended George Washington High School in Virginia. Wonder if they knew each other?
Happy # 75 Twiggy
We say happy birthday to Twiggy, a face from the 1960's. She was born Dana Lesley Hornby in England on this day in 1949.
As I recall, she was a famous model and became more than that.
Does anyone remember that 1971 movie "Boy Friend"? What about those TV appearances?
September 19, 1985: The Mexico City earthquake
Where did the years go? It seems that it was only yesterday that we heard about the Mexico City earthquake of 1985.
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Governor Abbott looking to derail "el tren"
Governor Abbott looking to derail "el tren" - American Thinker https://t.co/ViOpGyCcRx
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) September 18, 2024
They call it "El tren de Aragua" or literally the train of Aragua, a region of Venezuela. And they've turned into a multinational crime organization. You may have heard about them in the stories of apartments in Aurora or New York City. There are also allegations of killing people and fentanyl distribution. In other words, they’ve gotten around.
Enter Texas. On Monday, Governor Greg Abbott made an announcement in Texas:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced the state is going to target a Venezuelan gang that he said was notorious for brutal violence and murder and posed a threat to Texans’ safety.
Well done, Governor. Good to see that someone is taking the matter of crime seriously in the country.
I'm curious if the Biden DoJ will challenge Texas' authority to jump into international crime. My guess is that Texas would win in the Supreme Court, but who knows when that happens.
The larger point is that this organization has literally walked into the country thanks to open border. "Tren" has also benefitted from operating in Democrat jurisdictions where they have not met anything like what Governor Abbott will unleash in Texas.
Last, but not least, we are watching Governor Abbott lead, a rare talent these days in the political class.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Happy # 84 Frankie Avalon
1960: A visitor to the UN became an issue in the presidential election
A post from 2016......
“In September 1960, Castro led a delegation to New York City to address the United Nations General Assembly. He and his entourage caused an immediate sensation by deciding to stay at the Theresa Hotel in Harlem. While there, Castro met with a number of African-American leaders, including Malcolm X from the Nation of Islam and the poet Langston Hughes.On September 26, Castro delivered a blistering attack on what he termed American “aggression” and “imperialism.”For over four hours, Castro lambasted U.S. policy toward Cuba and other nations in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The United States, he declared, had “decreed the destruction” of his revolutionary government.Castro’s visit and lengthy public denunciation marked the final breaking point in relations between the U.S. and Cuba.In January 1961, the Eisenhower administration severed all diplomatic relations with Cuba.”
Castro arrived in New York in the middle of the 1960 presidential election
Castro delivered a long speech at the UN focusing on US "aggression" and "imperialism."
A few months later, or January 1961, the Eisenhower administration broke diplomatic relations with Cuba.
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.
1960: A visitor to the UN became an issue in the presidential election
Happy # 65 Ryne Sandberg
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We say happy birthday to Ryne Sandberg, one of the very best players of the last 50 years. He was born in Spokane, Washington, on this day in 1959.
Ryan broke with the Phillies in 1981 but was traded to the Cubs in the off season. He spent the next 16 years in Chicago: .285, 2,306 hits, 282 HR & 1,061 RBI over 2,164 games.
In 1984, Sandberg was the NL MVP leading to the Cubs to the post season. He was elected to The Hall of Fame in 2005.
Happy Chile Independence day
September 1967 and the last 'old school' pennant race
By September 1967, our family was settling in Wisconsin and figuring out that it got very cold in November. As my late mother used to joke, the snow and the freezing temperatures didn't feel so cold on the movie screens of her little town in Cuba. She and her sister were paying more attention to Ginger Rogers's hairstyles and wardrobe than the snow in the scenes. Honestly, leaving the tropical climate of Cuba and moving to the U.S. was probably the last thought in her head.
We fell in love with the Minnesota Twins for three reasons. First, they four had Cuban players. Second, we could pick up the games from a central Wisconsin FM station that came in really clear on my father's Telefunken radio. And third, the Braves had left Wisconsin, so we had to look out of state for a team to follow. The Twins became our team with perennial All Star and now Hall-of-Famer Tony Oliva, ex-MVP Zoilo Versalles, outfielder Sandy Valdespino, and back-up catcher Hank Izquierdo.
It was 1967, and there were two leagues. So the A.L. and the N.L. champs met in the World Series. No LCS or wild cards. Just two teams playing in October. Fair or unfair, but a lot of great teams didn't get to play in the post-season.
As the season was counting down, there were four teams in contention for the A.L. pennant after 158 games or the last weekend of the season. They were Boston, Minnesota, Detroit, and Chicago.
What an amazing pennant race, as you can read in this article by Tim Wendel:
With two weeks left in the 1967 season, the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Minnesota Twins were tied for first place in the American League, with the Chicago White Sox a half-game back.
Through the years, baseball has enjoyed plenty of memorable pennant chases and epic finishes. Back in August of 1948, four teams—the Yankees, Indians, Red Sox, and Athletics—were in a virtual tie for the lead.
Eleven years later, the Dodgers, Giants, and Braves battled to the end, with Los Angeles winning a best-of-three playoff.
All great moments, but they cannot surpass 1967, which baseball historian Rob Neyer calls the "best four-team race in major-league history."
As Mr. Wendel explains, most experts had picked the Orioles to repeat as A.L. champs. Unfortunately, the O's had injuries and never got going.
Chicago was eliminated Friday night. Detroit was eliminated on Sunday.
It came down to game #162 between Boston and Minnesota. The Red Sox won, and they went on to the World Series.
It was very exciting, and I remember watching the last two games between Boston and Minnesota on TV. Our hearts were with the Twins, who lost to Boston. Carl Yastrzemski had one of the most unbelievable Septembers in history:
In the final fifteen games of the season, Yaz batted an incredible .491 (27-for-55) with five homers and 18 RBIs, not only locking up his Triple Crown and MVP, but also guaranteeing the Red Sox would play in the postseason. It seemed that the more clutch the situation, the better Yaz played, as he performed even more spectacularly in the final ten games of the season, hitting .541 (20-for-37) with four home runs and 14 RBIs. And in the final six games, he hit .619 (13-for-21).
With two games left in the season, the Red Sox were a game behind the Twins with two to play against them. In those games, Yaz played the greatest games of his life, going 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in the first game, helping the Sox win, 6-4, and 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in the final game of the season, helping the Sox win, 5-3. In all, he hit .875 (7-for-8) and knocked in six runs in the final two games of the season.
Again, my brother and I saw it on TV. I hated Yaz with the kind of youthful hate that only a baseball fan can understand. The season was over, and it was time to watch Bart Starr lead the Packers to a Super Bowl win. I felt a lot better with that result.
Let me leave you with this note: Boston beat the Twins, and the game lasted 2 hours and 25 minutes. Who thinks that MLB needs a pitch clock? Just play baseball as we used know it.
September 1964: Memories of The Beatles in Dallas
On September 18, 1964, The Beatles played in Dallas, as Robert Willonski reports in The Dallas Morning News:
"Jan Howes, who was 10 at the time but already deeply in love with The Beatles, did not see the band when it played Dallas on Sept. 18, 1964, but her father did.It was, after all, his job: John Mazziotta was chief photographer at the Dallas Times Herald, assigned to cover John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr from Love Field arrival to Memorial Auditorium blastoff."Mr Mazziotta's photos will go on auction soon and the world will get to see them! It's a cool Dallas memory of the one and only visit by The Beatles to Dallas.
In 2014, we spoke with Dave Michaels about The Beatles in Dallas and their influence on US radio.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Somebody up there likes Trump
Somebody up there likes Trump - American Thinker https://t.co/hhhqtRmzY0
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) September 17, 2024
Many years ago, I watched a movie about Rocky Graziano, a man who beat the odds and ended up as a boxing champ. The movie was titled Somebody up There Likes Me, a reference to how lucky he was. Rocky literally dodged a few bullets growing up and hanging around some of the people that he did.
Well, “somebody up there likes me” was my reaction to the second attempt on President Trump’s life. The first time, the bullet missed him by a hair and now a Secret Service agent saw a piece of metal in some bushes and took action. Honestly, most people don’t get chances like that unless someone up there likes you.
On another level, the accused walked into the courtroom and was laughing at the whole thing, or so we read in reports. Maybe that’s how a person feels when they tried and failed to eliminate the man who is “a threat to democracy” or a “21st-century version of Hitler.”
We now need a conversation about protecting ex-presidents, especially one who is running for president again. We know about former presidents around here with President George W. Bush living in Dallas and showing up at baseball games. I can understand giving him the lighter security treatment, but not Trump.
I’m sure that we will hear a lot now about political rhetoric. It may be time for an adult in the Democrat Party to give a speech on the U.S. Senate floor (like the late Senator Joe Lieberman did in ’98) and remind his party and media that they need to lower the volume. Maybe I’m too optimistic.
In the meantime, Trump survives again and that tells me that someone wants him to make it to election day.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
We remember Hank Williams (1923-1953)
We remember Hiram King “Hank” Williams, the great country legend. He was born on this day in Alabama on this day in 1923.
Williams was born in Alabama and died in West Virginia at age 29. He was one of the most influential country singers of the 20th century.
1955: Brooks Robinson got his first 2 hits
We remember Orlando Cepeda. 1937-2024)
Cepeda was inducted to The Hall of Fame in 1999.