School choice looking pretty good in this state

School choice looking pretty good in this state: Based on the last primary and upcoming election, Governor Abbott of Texas has done it.  He defeated the GOP representatives who voted against vouchers and replaced them just in time for November. As they say, he has the votes to make the...

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School choice looking pretty good in this state - American Thinker https://t.co/5gfM45GmTG

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) June 23, 2024

Happy # 84 Justice Clarence Thomas

We say happy birthday to Clarence Thomas who was born on this day in Georgia in 1940.

Thomas was nominated by the first President Bush to replace the retiring Justice Marshall.  I remember the news conference when President Bush introduced him to the nation.  Thomas' story was wonderful and seemed like a great choice.    

Eventually Clarence Thomas was confirmed in October 1991:  52-48.   His nomination turned into a circus when Anita Hill accused him of sexual suggestions.

Over time, Thomas developed quite a reputation for conservative opinions.   Great Justice!

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We remember Stuart Sutcliffe (1940-62)

Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on this day in 1940.    He died in 1962 when the group was in Germany.

We remember him as one of the early Beatles.    

Stu, as he was known, was more of an artist than a musician.   Nevertheless, he was a part of the band until his unfortunate death in 1962.  

We believe that it was Stu, with a little help from John, who came up with the name “Beatles”, a reference to Buddy Holly & The Crickets.   I’ve also heard that Stu’s death inspired “In my life”, one of the band’s greatest songs.    

Stu’s girlfriend, Astrid Kirchherr who died in 2020, was a photographer and responsible for many of the group’s earliest photos, circa Germany 1961-62.

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We remember June Carter Cash (1929-2003)

We remember June Carter Cash, who was born on this day in 1929.   She died in 2003.

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June 23, 1971: What a day for Rick Wise of the Phillies

On this day in 1971, Rick Wise had one spectacular day:  He pitched a no-hitter and hit 2 HR.     No other pitcher had done before or since!  

Rick's amazing day made him one of the most popular Phillies of all time.

Rick Wise broke with the Phillies at 18 in 1964.    Overall, he pitched until 1982.  

His career numbers were pretty good:   188-181 with a very respectable 3.69 ERA.     His numbers have to be put in the context that he pitched for bad teams in Philadelphia.

In 1975, Rick Wise was traded to Boston and won 19 games for the 1975 Boston Red Sox who lost to the Reds in seven games.   

Rick was a workhorse completing 138 games.

 

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.

You gotta love the story of the candy bomber

The battle between communism and freedom has many chapters, from people jumping The Berlin Wall to Mariel, Cuba in 1980.  I saw the ugly face of communism as a boy, when my father's cousin was thrown in jail for publicly denouncing Castro.  He was arrested in 1961 and released in 1975.  Never had a trial, and forget about anybody reading him his Miranda rights.  They don't do that in communist countries.

We remember a great moment from the 20th century, or the day that U.S. and U.K. planes began dropping supplies to the people of West Berlin isolated by the USSR blockade.  The Soviets were trying to break the back of the residents of West Berlin.  Instead, they met a resolute President Truman, who would not allow the Soviets to get away with it.

Eventually, the planes started to drop more than food and heating oil.  At some point, the pilots saw kids and returned with something for them.  Those men came to be known as "the candy bombers."  They dropped candy for the children in their supply bags

One of the pilots was Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen (1920–2021).  This is his story:

After the United States entered World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Halvorsen trained as a fighter pilot and served as a transport pilot in the south Atlantic during World War II before flying food and other supplies to West Berlin as part of the airlift. According to his account on the foundation's website, Halvorsen had mixed feelings about the mission to help the United States' former enemy after losing friends during the war. But his attitude changed, and his new mission was launched, after meeting a group of children behind a fence at Templehof airport.

He offered them the two pieces of gum that he had, broken in half, and was touched to see those who got the gum sharing pieces of the wrapper with the other children, who smelled the paper. He promised to drop enough for all of them the following day as he flew, wiggling the wings of his plane as he flew over the airport, Halvorsen recalled.

He started doing so regularly, using his own candy ration, with handkerchiefs as parachutes to carry them to the ground. Soon other pilots and crews joined in what would be dubbed "Operation Little Vittles."  After an Associated Press story appeared under the headline "Lollipop Bomber Flies Over Berlin," a wave of candy and handkerchief donations, followed.

The airlift began on June 26, 1948, in an ambitious plan to feed and supply West Berlin after the Soviets — one of the four occupying powers of a divided Berlin after World War II — blockaded the city in an attempt to squeeze the U.S., Britain and France out of the enclave within Soviet-occupied eastern Germany.

Allied pilots flew 278,000 flights to Berlin, carrying about 2.3 million tons of food, coal, medicine and other supplies.   Finally, on May 12, 1949, the Soviets realized the blockade was futile and lifted their barricades. The airlift continued for several more months, however, as a precaution in case the Soviets changed their minds.

The Berlin Airlift, and the work of the candy bombers, was a beautiful chapter of an otherwise ugly war that killed millions.  It's a nice story to share with your kids about the character of the men who fought that war.

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