The Goodman Years
On April 25, 2023, ABC Channel 13 ran a story about the Goodman family and their wonderful accomplishments over their years in Las Vegas.
As an 18 year resident of Henderson, NV, I've had the pleasure of living in a community that has grown to levels beyond anyone's expectations during that time frame.
This interview, conducted by ABC's Tricia Kean is a MUST SEE.
This is REAL VEGAS history and every day when I wake up in the morning and look out at that spectacular view of the Las Vegas valley and realize that I was privileged to witness so much progress during those years, met some of the most talented entertainers through my affiliation with The Vegas Voice, and even had the opportunity of meeting Oscar Goodman at his restaurant when he published his book entitled "Being Oscar: From Mob Lawyer to Mayor of Las Vegas" where we had a 15 minute discussion of his time as a lawyer back in Chicago during the "Tony Spilotro" mob trial at the time I lived in that city myself, I couldn't have picked a more special place to spend my retirement years.
As an 18 year resident of Henderson, NV, I've had the pleasure of living in a community that has grown to levels beyond anyone's expectations during that time frame.
This interview, conducted by ABC's Tricia Kean is a MUST SEE.
This is REAL VEGAS history and every day when I wake up in the morning and look out at that spectacular view of the Las Vegas valley and realize that I was privileged to witness so much progress during those years, met some of the most talented entertainers through my affiliation with The Vegas Voice, and even had the opportunity of meeting Oscar Goodman at his restaurant when he published his book entitled "Being Oscar: From Mob Lawyer to Mayor of Las Vegas" where we had a 15 minute discussion of his time as a lawyer back in Chicago during the "Tony Spilotro" mob trial at the time I lived in that city myself, I couldn't have picked a more special place to spend my retirement years.
Oscar and Carolyn Goodman have been the Las Vegas mayors for the past 24 years and when Carolyn's term ends in 2024, if you watch this tribute to them and what they have accomplished in that time, history will look back at them and say:
"Well done, and thanks for making Las Vegas the great city it has become since they arrived."
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Remembering Those We Lost
October thru December 2022
October
Sacheen LIttlefeather
October 2nd...Age 75
(Native Amreican actress and civil right leader...best known for her appearance on behalf of Marlon Brando in rejecting the 1973 Best Actor Oscar for his performance in "The Godfather")
Judy Tenuta
October 6th...Age 72
(American comedienne..."the Love Goddess")
Michael Callan
October 10th...Age 86
(American actor....best known for numerous film and TV appearances)
Angela Lansbury
October 11th...Age 96
(British-American actress...one the last surviving actresses of the Golden Age of Cinema...winner of 6 Toni Awards, 6 Golden Globe Awards, 2 nominations for an Oscar Academy Award...18 Prime Time Emmy Awards, and 1 Grammy Award.....she will always be remembered for her TV role as "Jessica Fletcher" in the 12 year series "Murder She Wrote")
Bruce Sutter
October 13th...Age 69
(Baseball pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Atlanta Braves...best known for his split-finger fastball...winner of The Cy Young Award in 1979...winner of the Rolaids Relief Man Award four times...named to the National League All-Star team 6 times...had 300 saves during his 12 year career...St. Louis Cardinals retired his number 42...elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006)
Leslie Jordan
October 24th...Age 67
(American actor...best known for his role as "Beverly Leslie" on the TV sitcom "Will & Grace" 2001-2006 and 2017-2020)
Jerry Lee Lewis
October 28th...Age 87
(American pioneer of rock n roll...known as "The Killer" for his amazing piano abilities...a member fo the famious "Million Dollar Quartet" along with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins....cousin of Evangelist Jimmy Swaggert...elected to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1986...there will always only be one "Jerry Lee")
November
Ray Guy
November 3rd...Age 72
(NFL & College Football Hall of Fame elected in 2014...first pure punter to be a #1 draft pick in the NFL....Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders 1973-1986...played for 2 Super Bowl Champion Raiders teams in Super Bowls XI, XV, XVIII...named to the 1970s All-Decade Team, NFL 75 Year Anniversary All-Time Team, and NFL 100 Year Anniversary All-Time Team...longest punt of 74 yards)
Gallagher
November 11...Age 76
(American comedian...best known for his stand-up comedy specials that included his signature "Sledge-O-Matic" where he would break watermelons, spraying the audience)
Robert Clary
November 16th...Age 96
(French-American actor...best known for his role as "Corporal Louis LeBeau" in the TV series "Hogan's Heros" from 1965-1971...a Holocaust survivor)
Irene Cara
November 25th...Age 63
(American singer...best known for her writing and recording the 1984 Academy Award winning song "Flashdance: What a Feeling" and recording the 1990 hit "Fame")
Hiroshi H, Miyanura
November 29th...Age 97
(Japanese/American recipient of the Medal of Honor for valor, due to his actions during the Korean War...one of the last two surviving Medal of Honor recipients of the Korean War....During a night attack by the Chinese, he saw that his squad could not hold much longer, so he ordered his men to retreat. He remained behind to cover their withdrawal, killing an estimated minimum of fifty invading Chinese forces, being captured immediately after the attack and after marching 300 miles with other prisoners, he was held as a prisoner of war for 28 months. While he was held as a prisoner of war,
the award was classified as top secret by the Pentagon due to the fear that he and others would be killed)
Christine McVie
November 30th...Age 79
(British singer and keyboard player for the rock group "Fleetwood Mac"...wrote Fleetwood Mac hits "Little Lies", "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow", and "Everywhere", "You Make Lovin' Fun"...was elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 as a member of Fleetwood Mac)
December
Gaylord Perry
December 1st---Age 84
(Major league baseball pitcher from 1962-1983 for 8 different teams...the first major league pitcher to win the Cy Young award in both the American and National Leagues...had 314 wins and 3,534 strikeouts...had the reputation of throwing the "spitball" though only caught once in his 21 year career...elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991)
Kirstie Alley
December 5th...Age 71
(American actress...best known for her role as "Rebecca Howe" in the TV sitcom "Cheers" from 1987-1993...won Prime Time Emmy Award in 1991 for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series" and Golden Globe Award and for "Best Actress in a Comedy Series" in 1992)
Mills Lane
December 6th...Age 85
(Name a member of the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013...refereed numerous Title Fights in the '70s, '80s and '90s....was also a Washoe County, Nevada circuit court judge and TV personality in the "Judge Mills Lanes Show" from 1998-2001...his famous saying was "Let's Get It On")
Charlie Gracie
December 17th---Age 86
(Early Rock n Roll Singer....best known for his hits "Butterfly" and "Fabulous" (1957)
Franco Harris
December 21st...Age 72
(American NFL football player...best known for his 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers....1972 NFL Rookie of the Year...chosen for 9 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1972-1980...MVP of Super Bowl IX...member of the 4 time Super Bowl Champion Steelers...Steelers retired his #32...elected to the National League Football Hall of Fame in 1990...will always be known in NFL history as his play referred to as "The Immaculate Reception)
Kathy Whitworth
December 24th...Age 83
(American professional golfer...winner of 88 LPGA tournaments in her career...first woman to earn $1 million on LPGA Tour....named to the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1975...named to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1982)
Pele
December 29th...Age 82
(Brazilian soccer player...perhaps the greatest soccer player of all time...named athlete of the century in 1999 by the International Olympic Committee ...1,279 goals in 1,363 games is recognized as the Guinness World Record)
Barbara Walters
December 30th...Age 93
(American broadcast journalist from 1950-2015...best known for her appearances on "The Today Show", "ABC Evening News", "20/20", and "The View"...inducted into the "TV Hall of Fame" in 1989)
Pope Benedict XVI
December 31st...Age 95
(The 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church...elected in 2005 and retired in 2013, the first pope in 600 years to resign prior to death...the first German pope since Adrian VI in 1522...named Pope Emeritus thereafter )
Anita Pointer
December 31st...Age 74
(A Founding member of the rock group "The Pointer Sisters"...best known for hits "Jump", "I'm So Excited", "Slow Hand", and "He's So Shy")
_______________________
Remembering Those We Lost
July thru September 2022
July
James Caan
July 6th...Age 82
(American actor....best known as "Sonny Corleone" in the movie "The Godfather, his portrayal of "Billy Rose" in the firm "Funny Lady", and his role as "Brian Piccolo" in the film "Brian's Song")
Larry Storch
July 8th...Age 99
(American comedic actor and impressionist...best known for his role as Corporal Randolph Agarn in the TV show sitcom "F Troop" from 1965-1967 and numerous film roles with his real life Navy shipmate, Tony Curtis)
Tony Sirico
July 8th...Age 79
(American actor....best known for his gangster roles that included "Paulie Walnuts" on the TV series "The Sopranos")
John Froines
July 13th...Age 83
(Chemist and VietNam was activist...a member of the famous "Chicago 7 Trial" in 1969 following the rioting in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic Convention along with co-defendants Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, and Jerry Rubin, and Lee Weiner—charged by the United States federal government with conspiracy, crossing state lines with intent to incite a riot and other charges related to anti-Vietnam 60s counterculture protests as members of the SDS, the Students for a Democratic Society.... found not guilty along with Lee Weiner)
Ivana Trump
July 15th...Age 73
(First wife of President Donald Trump and mother of daughters Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump...designer of fashion clothing, jewelry, and jewelry....active in the Trump organization for years until their divorce in 1992))
Rebecca Balding
July 18th...Age 73
(American actress...best known for her roles in the TV shows "Soap" and "Charmed"
Paul Sorvino
July 25th...Age 83
(American actor....best known for his role as "Paulie Cicero" in the film "Goodfellows" and as "Sgt. Phil Cerreta" in the TV series "Law & Order")
Tony Dow
July 27th...Age 77
(American actor...best known in his role as "Wally Cleaver" from 1957-63 in the TV sitcom "Leave it to Beaver"....reprised his "Wally Cleaver" role from 1983-89 in the TV movie and TV series "The New Leave it to Beaver")
Pat Carroll
July 30th...Age 95
(American actress...comedic actress on numerous TV sitcoms primarily "Make Room for Daddy" from 1961-64...did voiceover for Disney's "Little Mermaid" as Ursula)
Bill Russell
July 31st...Age 88
(American NBA Hall of Famer...played center all 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics...4 NBA Championship Teams...5 time NBA All-Star...his #6 was permanently retired by the Boston Celtics in 1972... 2 time NBA Champion coach...received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011...received the NBA All-Star Achievement Award in 2019)
August
Vin Scully
August 2nd...Age 94
(Hall of Fame Baseball Sportscaster for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1950-2016)
Judith Durham
August 5th...Age 79
(Australian singer....original lead singer of "The Seekers"...best known for hits, "I'll Never Find Another You", "Georgy Girl", and "A World of Our Own")
Roger E. Mosley
August 7th...Age 83
(American actor...best known for his role as "TC Calvin" from 1980-1988 in the TV series "Magnum PI)
Olivia Newton John
August 8th...Age 73
(British/Australian actress and singer....best known for her role as "Sandy" in the 1978 film "Grease...a 4 time Grammy Award winner with 5 #1 hits and another 10 on the Top 10 list that included "Hopelessly Devoted to You", "You're the One that I Want", "Physical", "Heart Attack", "I Honestly Love You", "If Not for You", and "If You Love Me Let Me Know" just to name a few)
Anne Heche
August 12th...Age 53
(American actress...best known for her role as "Maggie" in the film "Donnie Brasco", as "Robin Monroe" in the firm "Six Days & Seven Nights", and as "Marion Crane" in the 1998 remake of "Psycho"...winner of a Daytime Emmy Award in her dual role on the Soap Opera "Another World")
Jerry Allison
August 22nd...Age 82
(American drummer---best known as the drummer for "The Crickets" with Buddy Holly...co-writer of "That'll be the Day" and "Peggy Sue)
Len Dawson
August 24th...Age 87
(Professional football player and elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1987...played for the PIttsburgh Steelers 1957-1959, Cleveland Browns 1960-1961, Dallas Texans who became the Kansas City Chiefs 1962-1975...AFL MVP in 1962...NFL Man of the Year 1973...Super Bowl VI Champion in 1962...Kansas City Chiefs retired #16)
Mikhail Gorbachev
August 30th...Age 91
(The last leader of the former Soviet Union from 1988-1991...considered one of the greatest leaders in the 20th century moving great reforms in the Soviet Union...worked with President Ronald Reagan in limiting nuclear weapons and ending the Cold War...became a close friend of President Ronald Reagan in years following the dissolution of the Soviet bloc...winner of The Nobel Peace Prize in 1990)
September
Queen Elizabeth II
September 8th...Age 96
(Longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom 1952-2022...became Queen at the death of her father King George VI...mother of King Charles III)
Irene Papas
September 14th...Age 96
(Greek actress...best known for her roles as "Helen" in "The Trojan Women", as "Maria" in "The Guns of Navarone", and "the widow" in "Zorba the Greek")
Henry Silva
September 14th...Age 95
(American character actor normally playing criminals and gangsters in films and many TV shows...best known for his role as "Roger Corneal" in the original film "Ocean's Eleven", "Chungin" in "The Manchurian Candidate" and the role of "Johnny Cool" in the film of the same name)
Maury Wills
September 19th---Age 89
(Major league baseball player....played with the L.A. Dodgers (1959-1966), Pittsburgh Pirates (1967-1968), Montreal Expos (1969), LA Dodger (1969-1972)...stole 164 bases in 1962, breaking Ty Cobb's record....record stood until 1974 and broken by Lou Brock...National Leaague MVP in 1962)
Louise Fletcher
September 23rd...Age 88
(American actress...best known for her Academy Award Best Actress Award for her role as "Nurse Ratched" in the 1975 Oscar Best Picture "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
________________
Remembering Those We Lost
April thru June 2022
April
C.W. McCall
April 1st...Age 93
(American singer who wrote truck-themed country outlaw songs...best known for his 1975 hit "Convoy")
Estelle Harris
April 2nd...Age 93
(American actress....best known for her role as "Estelle Coztanza", the mother of George Coztanza on the TV sitcom "Seinfeld"...also played the voice over as
"Mrs. Potato Head" in the "Toy Story" Disney films)
Bobby Rydell
April 5th...Age 79
(American 50s and early 60s singer and actor....had 34 "Top 40 HIts"...best known for his many hits that included "Wild One", "Kissin Time", "Volare", "Wildwood Days", "Goodtime Baby" and "The Cha Cha Cha", "Swingin School")
Gilbert Godfried
April 12th...Age 67
(American comedian with a unique voice...on my TV shows and firms...was the voice of the Aflac Duck" and the sidekick macaw parrot in the Disney film "Aladdin")
Liz Sheridan
April 15th...Age 93
(American actress...best known for her role as "Hellen Seinfeld" the mother of Jerry Seinfeld on the TV sitcom "Seinfeld" from 1990-1998 and the role of "Raquel Ochmonek" on the TV sitcom "ALF" from 1986-1990)
Daryle Lamonica
April 21st...Age 80
(American professional football player....known as "The Mad Bomber" for the long passes he made while quarterback of the Oakland Raiders...lead the Raiders to 4 consecutive division titles 1967-1970...twice named AFL Most Valuable Player... holds a .900 winning percentage in the AFL, the highest in league history)
Naomi Judd
April 30th...Age 76
(Country & Western singer and actress, who along with her daughter, Wynona, formed the group "The Judds"...had 20 Top 10 hits...sold over 20 million albums...
named to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2022...daughter Ashey, became a successful Hollywood actress)
May
Mickey Gilley
May 7th...Age 86
(American country & western signer....cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart...career was resurrected in the film "Urban Cowboy" with his
recording of "Stand By Me" and other songs that were hits on the music charts)
Maggie Peterson (Mancuso)
May 15th...Age 81
(American actress...best known for her role as "Charlene Darling" on "The Andy Griffith Show")
John Alyward
May 15th...Age 75
(American actor....best known for his role as "DNC Chairman Barry Goodwin" in the TV series "The West Wing" and "Chief Donald Anspaugh" on the TV series "ER")
Ray Liotta
May 25th...Age 67
(American actor....best known for his roles as "Henry Hill" in the film "Goodfellas" and "Shoeless Joe Jackson" in the firm "Field of Dreams"
Bo Hopkins
May 28th...Age 80
(American actor...appeared in more than 100 films over a 40 year career...best known for his roles as "Little Jo Young" in the 1973 film "American Graffiti", "Clarence Crazy Lee" in the 1969 film "The Wild Bunch", and many appearances on TV shows in the 1970s)
June
Ann Turner Cook
June 3rd...Age 95
(The original model for the Gerber baby for the Gerber Baby Products Company in 1928)
Isabel "Lefty" Alvarez
June 6th...Age 88
(An original member of the "Chicago Colleens" of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1949....played for four other teams...the youngest Cuban play in the league pitching and playing the outfield...part of the display at the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit)
Maxine Kline
June 9th...Age 92
(An original member of the "Fort Wayne Daisies" of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1948-1954....a five time All-Star...made seven Playoff appearances...pitched 2 no-hitters...averaged 17 wins per season...ranks 3rd on the All-Time winning list with a .678 winning record with 116 wins...2.05 Lifetime ERA)
Maureen Arthur
June 15th...Age 88
(American actress...best known for her Broadway and Movie role as "Hedy LaRue" in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"...as well as numerous appearances in TV shows)
Mary Mara
June 26th...Age 61
(American actress...best known her role as "Loretta Sweet" on the TV drama "ER" and "Inspector Lynn Carson" from 1995-1996 on the TV drama "Nash Bridges"
from 1996-1997)
Joe Turkel
June 27th...Age 94
(American actor...best known for his role as "Jake 'Greasy Thumb' Guzik" in the film "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" and "Bronson" in the movie, "The Sand Pebbles", and the ghostly bartender in "The Shining)
_________________
Remembering Those We Lost
January thru March 2022
January
Dan Reeves
January 1st...Age 77
(Professional NFL Head Coach...participated in 9 Super Bowls, unfortunately never winning any one of them...one of only 10 head coaches in the NFL to win 200 career games...is tied with Marv Levey with 11 playoff wins...became the youngest head coach in NFL history in 1981 with the Denver Broncos...named the NFL Coach of the Year in 1998 as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons...in his career he was the Head Coach of the Denver Broncos (1981-1992), New York Giants (1993-1995, and Atlanta Falcons (1997-2003)...as a player he played for the Dallas Cowboys for 8 years)
Peter Bogdanovich
January 6th...Age 82
(American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian...nominated for an Oscar in 1971 for "Best Director" in the film "The Last Picture Show"...nomination for "Best Director" Golden Globe Award in 1973 for the film "Paper Moon")
Sidney Portier
January 6th...Age 94
(American/Bahamian actor...the first black actor and best known for his winning an Oscar in 1964 for "Best Actor" for his role of "Homer Smith" in the film "Lilies of the Field"... "Virgil Tibbs" in the film "In the Heat of the Night"..."Mark Thackeray" in "To Sir With Love"..."Dr. John Prentice" in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner")
Bob Saget
January 9th...Age 65
(American actor and comedian...best known for his role as "Danny Tanner" in the TV sitcom "Full House" from 1987-1985....became the host of "America's Funniest Videos from 1989-1997...to his voice was used as the future "Ted Mosby" in the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" from 2005-2014)
Dwayne Hickman
January 9th...Age 87
(American actor best known for his role as "Dobie Gillis" in the TV show "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" from 1959-1963....also played the role of "Chuck MacDonald" on "The Bob Cummings Show" from 1955 to 1959)
Don Maynard
January 10th...Age 86
(Professional football player from 1958-1974...a four time AFL All-Star...played for the Super Bowl III Champions New York Jets.......Maynard to Namath...Jets retired his #13...named to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1987)
Rosa Lee Hawkins
January 11th...Age 77
(American singer....a member of "The Dixie Cups" singing group....best known for #1 hit "Chapel of Love" in 1964)
Ronnie Spector
January 12th...Age 78
(American singer who, along with her sister, Estelle Bennett, and cousin, Nedra Talley, formed the singing group "The Ronettes...was married to the infamous Phil Spector from 1968-1974...best known for hits that included "Be My Baby" in 1963, "Baby I Love You" in 1963, and "Walkin' In the Rain" in 1964)
Sonny Turner
January 13th...Age 82
(American singer....a member of "The Platters" from 1959...chosen out of 100 singers to replace Tony Williams, the original lead singer of the group...rerecorded many of The Platters original hits...appeared on many Dennis Bono Shows over the years)
Louie Anderson
January 13th...Age 68
(American comedian....host of the third revival of "Family Feud" from 1999-2002....received 3 consecutive Prime Time Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor for his role as "Christine Baskets" in the TV show "Baskets", winning the award in 2016...a frequent guest on The Dennis Bono Show)
Meat Loaf
January 20th...Age 74
(American rock singer....best known for his song "Bat Out of Hell", "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", and "I'd Do Anything for Love"...also remembered for his role in the cult film "The Rocky Horror Picture Show")
Donald May
January 28th...Age 94
(American actor...best known for his 2840 episodes as "Adam Drake" over a period of ten years, in the daytime soap, "The Edge of Night" ....also had recurring roles in "Falcon Crest" in 1981)
Howard Hesseman
January 29th...Age 81
(American actor....best known for his role rold as DJ "Dr. Johnny Fever" on the TV sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" from 1978-1982 and "The New WKRP in Cincinnati"
from 1991-1993)
February
Sandy Nelson
February 14th...Age 83
(American session drummer...best known for his hit in 1961 "Let There Be Drums"...played drums in other notable hits that included "Alley-Oop"(The Hollywood Argyles in 1960), and "A Thousand Starts" (Kathy Young in 1960)...fun fact...went to high school with "Jan & Dean")
Charlie Taylor
February 19th...Age 80
(American NFL player....played his entire career as a wide receiver with the Washington Redskins from 1964-1977,retiring in 1977 as the NFL all-time receiver until his record was surpassed in 1984...named the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1964...member of the Super Bowl inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1984...in 1999 was ranked #85 in the top 100 NFL players or all time)
Sally Kellerman
February 24th...Age 84
(American actress....best known for her portrayal of "Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan" in the film "MASH" (1970) receiving both a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for "Best Supporting Actress"...also appeared in numerous TV series hit included "The Outer Limits", "Bonanza", & "Star Trek")
March
Conrad Janus
March 1st...Age 94
(American actor...best known as "Fred McConnell", the father of Mndy on the TV sitcom "Mork & Mindy from 1978-1982)
Alan Ladd, Jr.
March 2nd...Age 84
(Song of actor Alan Ladd...president of 20th Century Fox 1976-1979 during which he approved the film "Star Wars"...won an Academy Award in 1996 as the producer of the film "Braveheart")
Johnny Brown
March 2nd...Age 84
(American actor best known in the role as "Nathan Bookman" the building superintendent on the TV series sitcom "Good Times" from 1970-1979)
Tim Considine
March 3rd...Age 81
(Americna actor...many roles in his younger years including the role of "Spin Evans" in the Disney Series "Spin & Marty" and "Frank Hardy" in "The Hardy Boys" from 1955-1957...played the role of "Buzz Miller" in the film "The Shaggy Dog"...played the role of "Mike Douglas" on the TV series "My Three Sons"...named a "Disney Legend in 2006)
Mitchell Ryan
March 4th...Age 88
(American actor...best known for his role as "Bruce Devlin" in the TV Soap Opera "Dark Shadows" and the role of "General Peter McAllister" in the film "Lethal Weapon )
William Hurt
March 13th...Age 71
(American actor....best known for many film roles...winner of Oscar Best Actor in 1985 for his role as "Luis Alberta Molina" in the film "Kiss of the Spider Woman"...nominated for Best Actor Award by Golden Globe and Oscar in 1986 for his role as "James Leeds" in "Children of a Lesser God"....nominated for Best Actor Award by Golden Globe and Oscar in 1987 for his role as "Tom Grunick" in the film "Broadcast News...nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as "Richie Cusak" in the 2005 film "A History of Violence")
Scott Hall / Razor Ramon
March 14th...Age 63
(American Hall of Fame Professional Wrestler...fought under his own name as well as "Razor Ramon"...winner of the WWF Championship 4 times...WCW Championship 2 times)
Madleline Albright
March 23rd...Age 84
(Chekhovian born American...Ambassador to the United Nations from 1993-2001...the first female to be an American Secretary of State from 1997-2001 under President Bill Clinton...awarded the American Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barrack Obama in 2012)
The Lesson to Be Learned from The First Thanksgiving
When you sit down at your Thanksgiving dinner and thank your lucky stars for the turkey and all the trimmings, there's a story behind the first time the pilgrims enjoyed their feast...
...a story that has a lesson all too many Americans seem to have forgotten over the past 400+ years.
And...since I love history, perhaps we should all remember what things were like when the pilgrims journeyed aboard the Mayflower, landing at Plymouth Rock to begin a new life of freedom.
Did you know that the pilgrims were the first socialists?
And....they almost starved until William Bradford taught them the value of capitalism, the system that 400 years later, we still live by, and has allowed our nation to be the envy of the world.
So how did the system evolve?
It revolved around the words "private property" and the value of self-reliance.
In Plymouth Colony, food and supplies were initially shared and allocated among colonists in a communal system of farming and food distribution.
The result? A lack of incentive to work and less overall productivity.
With the colony on the verge of starvation, Governor William Bradford let the Pilgrims farm their own land, for their own families, in an individualized, family-oriented system.
This system led to increased farming.
(A similar system had been applied successfully in Jamestown, Virginia.)
This shift to an individualized, family-focused economic system increased productivity and benefited the colony.
Bradford described the transformation in a journal, writing that shifting from communal living to self-reliance (socialism to capitalism), led to higher morale, better social relations, self-sufficiency, and a prosperous colony.
So prosperous, that they voluntarily shared their crops with native Americans that we now refer to as Thanksgiving...
...becoming the precursor to the American free enterprise system.
An interesting article written in November, 2020, by a Mr. Andrew Cline tells a great story that will make you appreciate how it all happened.
How private property saved the Pilgrims from socialist misery
What to bring this story into the 21st century? Reporter John Stossel did it best in this video !
Next time you hear someone say socialism is "the way to go", send them this video.
...it's that effective !
So next time you hear a person criticizing the capitalistic system, you might send them this article with a brief note saying:
________________
Those We Lost
October thru December 2021
October
Alan Kalter
October 4th...Age 78
(Announcer on the David Letterman Show from 1995-2015...known for his many comedy skits on the Letterman show in addition to being the announcer)
Tony DeMarco
October 11th...Age 89
(World Welterweight Boxing Champion in 1955 beating Johnny Saxton for the title....subsequently lost the title to Carmen Basilio as well as a rematch with Basilio by a TKO in the 12th round of both fights....inducted into the National Italian Hall of Fame)
Ray Fosse
October 13th...Age 74
(American professional baseball player 1967-1979...best known for his collision with Pete Rose in the 1970 All-Star game...a member of the World Champion Oakland A's in 1973 and 1974...from 1986-2021, was a TV announcer for the Oakland A's)
Betty Lynn
October 16th...Age 95
(American actress...best known for playing the role of "Thelma Lou", the girlfriend of Barney Fife on the "Andy Griffith Show" from 1961-1966)
Colin Powell
October 18th...Age 95
(American Secretary of State from 2001-2005...Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989-1993...a 4 Star General serving in Viet Name, Panama and Gulf War...served under Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George Bush and Bill Clinton...two recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom)
Peter Scolari
October 22nd...Age 66
(American actor....best known for his roles as "Henry Desmond" on the TV show "Bossom Buddies" from 1980-1982 and "Michael Harris" on the TV show "Newhart" from 1984-1990)
Jay Black
October 22nd...Age 82
(American singer...the 2nd "Jay" of the group "Jay & the Americans"...was the lead voice in the hits "Cara Mia", "Come a Little Bit Closer", and "This Magic Moment"...known as "The Voice")
James Michael Tyler
October 24th..Age 59
(American actor....best known for playing the role of "Gunther"...the secret admirer of "Rachel" in the TV show "Friends" from 1994-2004)
November
Dean Stockwell
November 7th...Age 85
(American Actor...best known for his role as role as "Judd Steiner" in the film "Compulsion", the story of the Leopold and Loeb murder of child, Bobby Frank....received an Oscar nomination for his role in the film "Married to the Mob"...also known for his role as "Al Calavici" in the hit TV series "Quantum Leap")
Gavan O'Herihy
November 9th...Age 70
(Irish born actor best known for his role as older brother "Chuck Cunningham" in the TV series "Happy Days")
Death Announced on 11/9/21: Actual Death on 9/15/21
Sam Huff
November 13th...Age 87
(Professional Football player with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins 1956-1959...the first NFL player to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine on November 30, 1959....named to 4 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1959-1963...named to both the New York Giants and Washington Red Skins Ring of Fame....elected to the College Football Hall of Fame...elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982)
Billy Hinsche
November 20th...Age 70
(American musician part of the group "Dino Desi & Billy"...also a touring musician with "The Beach Boys)
Stephen Sondheim
November 26th...Age 91
(American Composer & lyricist ....among his best works included "West Side Story", "Gypsy", "Sweeney Todd", "Into the Woods"....winner of an Academy Award , 8 Grammys, 8 Tony Awards, & the Pulitzer Prize for Drama....awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015)
Mark Roth
November 26th...Age 70
(American Professional Bowler....won 34 PBA titles....elected to the PBA Hall of Fame in 1987 and USBC Hall of Fame in 2009...was the first professional bowler to convert a 7-10 split on national television)
Eddie Mekka
November 27th...Age 69
(American actor and singer...best known for his role as "Carmine Ragusa"..."The Big Ragu"... on the TV series "Laverne & Shirley")...also little known fact....he was the dance partner with Madonna in the bar scene in the film "A League of Their Own")
Arlene Dahl
November 29th...Age 96
(American Film and TV Actress...one of the last of the "Golden Age of Hollywood"....starred with many of that era in films that included Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Dennis Morgan, Robert Taylor, Joel MaCrae, Fred Astaire, John Payne, Fernando Lamas, Jose Ferrer, Alan Ladd, James Mason, Pat Boone in such memorable films as "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "Three Little Words", & "Kisses for My President")
December
Stonewall Jackson
December 4th...Age 89
(American Country & Western Singer who was one of the original honky-tonk singers during the 1950s and 1960s... best known for his 1958 hit "Waterloo")
Bob Dole
December 5th...Age 98
(American politician...A Republican from Kansas who served in the US House of Representatives 1961-69...US Senator from Kansas 1969-96...Republican Vice-Presidential nominee in 1976 under President Gerald Ford....Republican Presidential nominee in 1996, defeated by President Bill Clinton...presented the Pesidential Medal of Freedom in 1997 by President Clinton...received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star after being severely injured during World War II)
Al Unser Sr.
December 9th...Age 82
(American Sportscar Driver...1970, 1971, 1978, 1987 Indianapolis 500 winner...the youngest of 4 brothers and whose father were race car drivers...the oldest driver to ever win the Indianapolis 500 at age 47...inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1986...inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1998...inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1991)
Michael Nesmith
December 10th...Age 78
(American singer, musician, & composer....the third member of The Monkees to die leaving Mickey Dolenz the surviving member....wrote "Different Drum" for The Stone Poneys and Linda Ronstadt....wrote the Monkees hit "Mary Mary"...had a hit single after he left "The Monkees" entitled "Joanne"....his mother was the creator of "White Out"....created the first music video)
Wanda Young
December 15th...Age 78
(American singer....best known for her co-leading the 60s group The Marvelettes...favorite songs "Please Mr. Postman", Motown's first #1 song, and "Don't Mess with Bill")
Nicholas Georgiade
December 15th...Age 78
(American actor...best known for his role as "Rico Rossi" in the TV show "The Untouchables" from 1959-63)
Desmond Tutu
December 26th...Age 90
(South African Anglican Archbishop deeply involved in the anti-apartheid movement along with Nelson Mandela...winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994)
John Madden
December 28th...Age 85
(American NFL Coach and TV broadcaster...won Super Bowl XI in 1977 as the Oakland Raiders Head Coach...inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame
in 2006...created the "All Madden" NFL team in 1984)
Harry Reid
December 28th...Age 82
(American politician....US Senate Majority Leader 2007-20015....US Senate Minority Leader 2005-2007 and 2015-2017...US Senate
from Nevada 1987-2017...Lt. Governor of Nevada 1971-1975....On November 21, 2013, under Reid's tenure as Majority Leader, the Democratic majority Senate voted 52–48 to eliminate the 60-vote requirement to end a filibuster against all executive branch nominees and judicial nominees other than to the Supreme Court)
Betty White
December 31st...Age 99
(American actress...best known for role as "Sue Ann Nivens" on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" from 1973-77...her role as "Rose Nylund" on the TV show "The Golden Girls" from 1985-1992...her role as "Elka Ostrovsky" on the TV show "Hot in Cleveland" from 2010-15...worked longer then any other entertainer in television history...received 8 Emmys...3 American Comedy Awards...3 Screen Actors Guild Awards...1 Grammy....was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1985....was a panelist on numerous TV game shows...she was a true American TV icon...she was just 17 days shy of her 100th birthday)
_________________
Those We Lost
July thru September 2021
July
Matiss Kivlenieks
July 4th...Age 24
(Professional NHL hockey player...goalie for the Columbus Blue Jackets...a tragic fireworks accident)
Charlie Robinson
July 12th...Age 75
(American actor...best known for his role as "Mac" the Clerk of the TV show "Night Court" from 1984-1992)
Jackie Mason
July 24th...Age 93
(American stand-up comedian & actor....will always be known for "the middle finger incident on the 1964 "Ed Sullivan Show" which infuriated Sullivan and blackballed Mason for years...ranked #63 on Comedy Central's All-Time Greatest Comedians)
August
Allen R. Glick
August 1st...Age 79
(As Vegas casino owner and front-man for various organized crime families in the Las Vegas "Skim operation". Owned "Argent Corporation", company in Las Vegas that at one time controlled the Hacienda (resort) Hotel/Casino, the Stardust Resort & Casino, the Fremont Hotel and Casino and the casino in the Marina Hotel. He became a cooperating witness, immunized from prosecution in a criminal case in 1983 against 15 individuals charged in the skimming operation. The 15 individuals indicted included many people in the top echelon of organized crime: Joseph Aiuppa, Jackie Cerone, Joesph Lombardo, and Tony Spilatro from the Chicago Outfit, Frank Ballistreri, and his his sons John of the Milwaukee crime family and Carl, from the Kansas City crime family)
J. R. Richard
August 4th...Age 71
(Former major league star pitcher for the Houston Astros from 1976-1980 leading the National League twice in strike outs and once in earned run average when he suffered a stroke warming up on August 30, 1980 prior to an Astros game essentially ending his major league career at the age of 30)
Markie Post
August 7th...Age 70
(American actress best known for her role as "Christine Sullivan" the public defender on the hit TV show "Night Court" from 1985-1992...played "Georgie Anne Lahti Hartman" in the TV show "Hearts Afire" from 1992-1995...appeared in a recurring role as "Bunny Fletcher" in seasons 1-4 in the TV series "Chicago PD)
Tony Esposito
August 7th...Age 78
(Canadian-American NHL player for the Montreal Canadians and Chicago Black Hawks 1968-1984...was named to one of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players of all Time in 1987...his #35 was retired by the Chicago Black Hawks in 1988 and was elected to the National Hockey League Hall of Fame in 1988)
Don Everly
August 2st...Age 84
(American Rock n Roll singer....known for performing with his brother Phil as "The Everly Brothers"...had 35 Billboard Top 100 singles, second only to "Hall & Oates" as the top 40 singles as a duo...elected to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1986...awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997...inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001...inducted in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004...in 2004 Rolling Stone Magazine listed them as #33 in the top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time)
Michael Nader
August 23rd...Age 76
(American actor...best known for his role as "Dex Dexter"---the 3rd husband of Joan Collins in the TV series "Dynasty" from 1983-89 and "Dimitri Marick" in the Daytime Soap, "All My Children" from 1991-2001 and again in 2013)
Charlie Watts
August 24th...Age 80
(English drummer....one of the longest surviving members of the Rolling Stones from 1963-2021...elected to the "Modern Drummer Hall of Fame" in 2006)
Ed Asner
August 29th...Age 91
(American actor known for his role as "Lou Grant" on both the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" from 1970-1977 and "Lou Grant" from 1977-1992...past President of the Screen Actors Guild...won seven Emmys in a Supporting Role on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and two as the "Lead Actor in a Dramatic Role" for the TV show "Lou Grant"...won two other Emmy Awards for his roles in "Rich Man Poor Man" and "Roots")
September
Willard Scott
September 4th...Age 87
(Actor, writer, clown....best known for his weather reports on The Today Show 1980-1996....was also the original "Ronald MacDonald" clown)
Don Collier
September 13th...Age 92
(American actor...best known for his role as "Sam Butler" on the TV show "High Chaparral" and "Deputy Will Foreman" in the show "Outlaws" and "William Thompkins" in the TV show "The Young Riders"...appeared in numerous other TV shows and films including "Tombstone", "The Undefeated", and "The War Wagon")
Norm Macdonald
September 14th...Age 61
(American comedian...best known for being a part of "Saturday Nite Live" as the "Weekend Update" reporter...was a deadpan comic and often did imitations of celebrities that included Burt Reynolds, Larry King, David Letterman, and presidential candidate Bob Dole)
Jane Powell
September 16th...Age 92
(American actress...best known for her portrayal of "Milly" in the film "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and "Ellen Bowen" in the film "Royal Wedding"...
spent many years in both stage and screen)
Sue Thompson
September 23rd...Age 96
(American Pop & Country Music Singer...best known for her songs of the 1960s "Sad Movies", "Norman" and "Paper Tiger")
Tommy Kirk
September 28th...Age 79
(American actor....known for his many Disney roles in "Old Yeller", "Swiss Family Robinson", "The Shaggy Dog", "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones", "The Absent-Minded Professor", "Son of Flubber"...was inducted as a "Disney Legend" in 2006)
Those We Lost
April thru June 2021
![Best Quotes About Remembering Someone Who Died [2021] - PBC](https://pennbookcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Those-who-touch-our-lives-stay-in-our-hearts-forever.jpg)
April
Prince Philip
Duke of Edinburgh
April 9th...Age 99
(Husband of Queen Elizabeth of Britain, father of Prince Charles and Grandfather of Prince William and Harry...the longest living consort of a reigning British monarch and longest living member of a British royal family)
Bernard Madoff
April 14th...Age 82
(Perpetrator of one of the largest Ponzi schemes in American history by defrauding individuals of $64.8 billion...sentenced to 150 years in a federal prison...died in a federal prison)
Walter Mondale
April 19th...Age 93
(42nd Vice President of the United States from 1977-1981 under the Carter administration...US Senator from Minnesota from 1964-1976...US Ambassador to Japan from 1993-1996...Democratic Candidate for President in 1984, losing to President Ronald Reagan...the first Presidential candidate to name a woman...Geraldine Ferraro...as his Vice Presidential candidate)
Tempest Storm
April 20th...Age 93
("The Queen of Exotic Dancers"...one of the best known burlesque dancers of the '50s, '60s, and 70s...performed at many clubs across the United States including
Las Vegas...40D-22-24...inducted in the Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2004)
Michael Collins
April 28th...Age 90
(American astronaut command module pilot of Apollo 11, who along with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, made the first crew landing on the moon in 1969...retired from the Air Force in 1970 with the rank of Major General...received Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, Presidential Medal of Freedom, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal....Assistant Secretary of State for Private Affairs 1971-1972 under President Nixon)
Johnny Crawford
April 29th...Age 75
(American actor and singer...best known for his role as "Mark McCain", son of Lucas McCain on the TV show "The Rifleman" from 1958-1963...an original Disney Mousketeer in 1955...recorded a number of hit songs in the early 60s)
May
Olympia Dukakis
May 1st...Age 89
(American actress on stage & screen...winner of Golden Globe and Academy Award in 1987 for Best Supporting Actress for her role as "Rose Castorini" in the film "Moonstruck"...nominated in 1992 for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in her role as "Dolly Sinatra" in the TV mini-series "Sinatra"...cousin of Michael Dukakis, governor of Massachusetts and Democratic Presidential nominee in 1988)
Bobby Unser
May 2nd...Age 87
(Hall of Fame Race Car driver....winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1968, 1975, and 1981...inducted in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990...selected #4 in the "Greatest 33 List of Indianapolis 500 Drivers in 2011)
Lloyd Price
May 6th..Age 88
(Elected to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1998....and early 50s icon with his 1959 recording of his hit "Personality")
Charles Grodin
May 18th..Age 88
(American actor...best known for his role of "Lenny Cantrow" in the 1972 film "The Heartbreak Kid", the role of "Tony Abbot" in the 1978 film "Heaven Can Wait", and the role of "George Newton" in the 1992 film "Beethoven"... a frequent guest on Late Nite's "The Tonight Show" and "Letterman")
Mark York
May 19th..Age 55
(American actor....best known for his role as "Billy Merchant" in the NBC TV show "The Office")
Gavin Mcleod
May 29th..Age 90
(American actor...best known his roles as "Murray Slaugher" on TV's "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" from 1970-1977 and "Captain Merrill Stubing" on the TV show "The Love Boat" 1977-1986)
B.J. Thomas
May 29th..Age 78
(American singer most noted for the songs "Raindrops Keep Falling Off My Head" from the film "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid" in 1969 and "Hey, Won't You Play Another Done Somebody Wrong Song" in 1975 and "Hooked on a Feeling" in 1968)
Arlene Golonka
May 31st..Age 85
(American actress best known for her role as "Millie Hutchins" on both "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Mayberry RFD" along with numerous appearances on other TV shows in the 1960s)
June
F. Lee Bailey
June 3rd...Age 87
(American defense attorney....best known for his defense of O.J. Simpson and Sam Shephard in defending them in the murder trials of their wives...was the supervisory attorney in the defense of Capt. Ernest Medina for the My Lai Massacre trial...perhaps one of the most renown attorneys in American history)
Ned Beatty
June 13th...Age 83
(American actor...best known for his role as "Bobby Tripp" in the 1972 film "Deliverance"...nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar in his role as "Arthur Jensen" in the 1976 movie "Network", nominated in 1971 for Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor for is role as "Josef Locke" in the film "Hear My Song")
Frank Bonner
June 16th...Age 79
(American actor....best known for his role as "Herb Tarlek" on the TV show "WKRP in Cinncinnati")
John McAfee
June 23rd...Age 75
(Wrote the first commercial anti-virus computer software in in 1987)
Donald Rumsfeld
June 28th...Age 88
(American politician...US House of Representative from Illinois from 1963-1969...Director of The Office of Equal Opportunity from 1969-1970...US Representative to NATO from 1969-1970...White House Chief of Staff under President Ford from 1974-75...2 time Secretary of Defense from 1975-1976 under President Ford and again from 2001-2006 under President George W. Bush)
_______________
Those We Lost
January thru March 2021
January
Paul Westphal
January 2nd...Age 70
(American NBA basketball player from 1972-1984....elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 2019...an NBA coach...a TV commentator)
Tanya Roberts
January 4th...Age 65
(American actress...played the role of Julie Robert in the final season of "Charlie's Angels"....was a Bond girl in "A View to a Kill"...played the role of Midge Pinciotti in the TV series "The 70s Show" from 1998 to 2004)
Tommy LaSorda
January 7th...Age 93
(American Baseball Hall of Famer....manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers (1976-1996)...named to to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997...managed two World Championship Dodger teams in 1981 and 1988....Dodgers retired his #2 in 1998...one of the most exciting and colorful managers of all time)
Ed Bruce
January 8th...Age 81
(American actor, songwriter, and singer....wrote "The Man Who Turned My Mamma On" which became a major hit for Tanya Tucker in 1974 and "Mamma Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys" in 1976 recorded by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings)
Sheldon Adelson
January 11th...Age 87
(American self-made billionaire and a part of Las Vegas history....the founder of Las Vegas Sands and builder of the Venetian Hotel...owner of The Las Vegas Review Journal...a true Las Vegas pioneer)
Siedfried Fischbacker
January 13th...Age 81
(Las Vegas entertainer part of the famous "Siedfried & Roy" show at the Mirage)
Phil Spector
January 16th...Age 81
(American record producer, musician, & songwriter...in the 60s wrote and produced records for The Crystals, The Ronettes, and Tina Turner...in 1970 co-produced The Beatles "Let It Be" album...co-wrote the Righteous Brothers "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" in 1964...inducted in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 1989....in 1997 inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame...2009 convicted of murder.....died in prison)
Jimmie Rodgers
January 18th...Age 87
(American singer in the 50s and 60s with hit records "Honeycomb", "Kisses Sweeter than Wine", and "Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again", "Secretly", and "The World I Used to Know")
Don Sutton
January 19th...Age 75
(American Baseball player...spent 23 years in the Major Leagues, 16 with the Los Angeles Dodgers...won 324 games in his career...struck out 3,574 in his career...became the first retired major league baseball player to become a professional announcer...Dodgers retired #20 in his honor...elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998)
Hank Aaron
January 22nd...Age 86
(One of the greatest Major League Baseball players of all time....known as "Hammerin' Hank"...played 24 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves, and Milwaukee Brewers from 1954-1976...broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run total in 1974, finishing his career with 755...elected to the All-Star team each year from 1955-1975...had 3,771 hits in his career...had a career batting average of .305...elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his 1st year of eligibility 1982...his #44 was retired by both the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers...named to the All-Century Major League Baseball team...named by The Sporting News in 1999 as the 5th greatest baseball player of all time)
Larry King
January 23rd...Age 87
(Radio and talk show host for "Larry King Live" for 25 years...was known as one of the most successful interviewers of all time)
Hal Holbrook
January 23rd...Age 95
(American actor...won Tony Award in 1966 for Best Actor in a Play" in the role as "Mark Twain"...played the role of "Deep Throat" in the firm "All the President's Men" in 1976...played the role of Abraham Lincoln in the 2 TV series "Lincoln" in 1976 and "North & South" in 1985)
Cloris Leachman
January 26th...Age 94
(American actress for 70 years...best known for her role as "Phyllis Lindstsrom" in the TV show "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" from 1970-1975 and the TV sitcom spinoff "Phyllis" from 1975-1977...received the Primetime Emmy Award in 1974 & 1975 for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and in a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 1975, 1976 and 1977 as Best Actress in a Comedy Series...winner of Oscar Best Supporting Actress Award in 1971 for her role in "The Last Picture Show"...was also known to work with Mel Brooks in "Young Frankenstein" in the role of "Frau Biucher" in 1971 and the role of "Madame Degrange" in the 1981 film "History of the World Part II")
Cicely Tyson
January 28th...Age 96
(American actress...winner of 3 Primetime Emmys "Best Lead Actress" and "Actress of the Year Special" for her performance in "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" in 1974, "Outstanding Supporting Actress" in 1994 in "The Oldest Living Confederate Widow"...and 14 other Emmy Nominations for various roles Including "Roots"...won the Tony Award in 2013 for "Best Actress in a Play" in "A Trip to Bountiful"...in 2020 received the Presidential Medal of Freedom...2020 inducted in the Television Hall of Fame)
February
Dustin Diamond
February 1st...Age 44
(American actor...best known for his role as "Screech" in the TV series "Saved by the Bell" 1989-1994)
Christopher Plummer
February 5th...Age 91
(Canadian Actor of stage and screen...winner of an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award in 1982 for Best Supporting Actor in "Beginners"...winner of 2 Tony Awards...Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical in "Cyrano" in 1974 and for Best Actor in a play in "Barrymore" in 1997...will forever be known his in his role as Captain Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" in 1965)
Leon Spinks
February 5th...Age 67
(American professional heavyweight fighter....won a gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games...won the WBC Heavyweight Championship of the World in 1978 by winning a split decision over Muhammed Ali, a fight considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history...elected to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 1977 along with his brother, Michael)
George P. Schultz
February 6th...Age 100
(Former Secretary of State 1982-1989 under President Ronald Reagan...Secretary of the Treasury 1972-1974, Director of the Office of Management & Budget 1970-1972, Secretary of Labor 1969-1970 under President Richard Nixon)
Mary Wilson
February 9th...Age 76
(American singer...one of the original members of "The Supremes"...remained with the group following the departure of Florence Ballard in 1967 and Diana Ross in 1970...went on to an individual career and did a number of concerts in Las Vegas...inducted in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 1988...authored 3 books on The Supremes...was a resident of Sun City Anthem)
Larry Flynt
February 10th...Age 78
(President of Larry Flynt Publications which produced pornography in particular, Hustler Magazine)
Rush Limbaugh
February 17th...Age 70
(American TV & Radio conservative journalist and Hall of Fame Broadcaster...awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump in 2020)
March
Carmel Quinn
March 6th...Age 95
(Irish-American singer and actress who appeared as a regular on the Arthur Godfrey Shows of the mid-1950s thru the early 1970s...best known for her hit song "The Whistling Gypsy Rover")
Roger Mudd
March 9th...Age 93
(American TV anchor for CBS and NBC evening news 1963-1982...best known for his 1979 interview with Senator Ted Kennedy while Kennedy was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination causing Kennedy to decline in polls and subsequently lose the nomination to Jimmy Carter)
Marvelous Marvin Hagler
March 13th...Age 66
(Undisputed Middleweight Boxing Champion of the World from 1980-1986 with 12 title defenses....most memorable defenses included fights with Alan Minter winning the championship in 1980 and defense titles against Roberto Duran in 1983 and Thomas "Hit Man"Hearns in 1985...lost his title in 1986 to Sugar Ray Leonard with both he and Leonard retiring following the fight....career record of 62 wins and 3 losses (52 knock-outs)...inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993
Henry Darrow
March 14th...Age 87
(American stage & TV actor best known for his role as "Mano" in the TV show "High Chaparral" from 1967-1971...co-founded the Actors Screen Actors Guild in 1972 with fellow actors Ricardo Mantalban, Edith Diaz, and Carmen Zapata)
Elgin Baylor
March 22nd...Age 86
(American basketball player for 22 seasons 1958-1971 with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers...regarded as one of the greatest NBA stars of all time...NBA Rookie of the Year in 1959...11 time NBA All-Star...scored 61 points in the NBA Championship game against the Boston Celtics, a record that still stands today...his number 22 was retired by the Los Angeles Lakers...elected to the College Hall of Fame in 2006...elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 1977...in 2006 was named NBA Executive of the Year with the Los Angeles Clippers)
George Siegel
March 23rd...Age 87
(American actor best known for his role as "Pops" in the TV series "The Goldbergs" and "Jack Gallo" in the TV series "Just Shoot Me"...winner of 2 Golden Globe Awards...for "Most Promising Newcomer" in 1965 for his role as "Tony Shiv Parelli" in the film "The New Interns" and for "Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Comedy" in the film "A Touch of Class" in 1973 for his role as "Steve Blackburn"...an accomplished banjo player)
Jessica Walter
March 24th...Age 80
(American actress...best known for her role as "Evelyn Draper" in the film "Play Misty for Me" and "Lucille Bluth" in the TV series "Arrested Development" and numerous guest appearances on TV shows)
Bobby Brown
March 26th...Age 96
(The last surviving member of the 1947 World Series Champion New York Yankees...a member of 4 World Championship Yankee teams...became a cardiologist...the 6th president of the baseball American League 1984-1994)
G. Gordon Liddy
March 30th...Age 90
(FBI agent and key figure in the Nixon Watergate scandal..."Operation Gemstone", along with W. Howard Hunt, directed the burglary of the Democratic National Committee known as "The White House Plumbers"...convicted of burglary, conspiracy and wiretapping spending 52 months in prison)
The Stories Behind
some
Christmas Songs
Tis the season for singing Christmas favorites by the fire, karaoking in your car on the way to holiday shop or caroling through your neighborhood. Here's a look at the history behind some of the songs that help define Christmas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxxTHzERTsk
Originally written for the Judy Garland musical Meet Me in St. Louis, the song was originally much darker than the tune we sing today.
The song was designed to be a somber moment shared between Garland and her on-screen little sister, Margaret O’Brien, both sad because they are going to have to leave their home of St. Louis and move to New York.
Garland was charged with singing lyrics like...
“Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last, next year we may all be living in the past. Have yourself a merry little Christmas, pop that champagne cork, Next year we may all be living in New York.”
Garland protested, insisting she would “Look like a monster” for singing such morbid lyrics to a child.
At her insistence, the song got a rewrite and has since become one of the most popular songs of the Christmas season.
In the early 1930s, James “Haven” Gillespie was a newspaper reporter with a penchant for songwriting.
As it turns out, around that time, a performer named Eddie Cantor was looking for a Christmas song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM_eWxvLGiM
Cantor called a publisher, who said he had something for him.
Scrambling to cover up a lie, the publisher contacted Gillespie, hoping he would write something quickly.
At the time, Gillespie was not in a mood to pen cheerful holiday lyrics. His brother had just died and Gillespie was consumed with grief.
The publisher begged, and Gillespie, needing to make ends meet, channeled his childhood memories into the song "Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town".
He envisioned his late brother’s reaction as his mother pointed her finger at him and said...
‘You better watch out, you better be good, because Santa Claus is soon coming to town.’”
The song was later introduced to the country at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvK3jEXJFdg
Sung by everyone from Tony Bennett to Toni Braxton, "Christmas Time is Here" is a jazz masterpiece made most famous by a ragtag baseball player, a bossy beauty queen, a blanket-toting philosopher and their friends – better known as Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts.
Written as an instrumental by Vince Guaraldi for "A Charlie Brown Christmas", producer Lee Mendelson felt the piece needed lyrics.
Unable to find lyric writers, he scribbled down some in less than 10 minutes and a classic was born.
Little did we know for 40 years, it would become a standard at Christmas time.
The piece not only introduced jazz to a generation, but a "Charlie Brown Christmas" and the soundtrack behind it have become a symbol of the holidays and a tradition not to be missed at Christmas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brmRUlKbF7g
William Chatterton Dix was an insurance salesman in Glasgow, Scotland, in the 1800s when he became deathly ill.
The illness turned into a season of personal and spiritual reflection for Dix. He began studying the Bible during this time and wrote a poem called...
"The Manger Throne"
Like silver lamps in a distant shrine,
The stars are sparkling bright
The bells of the city of God ring out,
For the Son of Mary is born to-night.
The gloom is past and the morn at last
Is coming with orient light.
Never fell melodies half so sweet
As those which are filling the skies,
And never a palace shone half so fair
As the manger bed where our Saviour lies;
No night in the year is half so dear
As this which has ended our sighs.
Now a new Power has come on the earth,
A match for the armies of Hell:
A Child is born who shall conquer the foe,
And all the spirits of wickedness quell:
For Mary’s Son is the Mighty One
Whom the prophets of God fortell.
The stars of heaven still shine as at first
They gleamed on this wonderful night;
The bells of the city of God peal out
And the angels’ song still rings in the height;
And love still turns where the Godhead burns
Hid in flesh from fleshly sight.
Faith sees no longer the stable floor,
The pavement of sapphire is there
The clear light of heaven streams out to the world
And the angels of God are crowding the air,
And heaven and earth, through the spotless birth
Are at peace on this night so fair.
Three verses from that poem were later set to the tune of ...
" Greensleeves" and "What Child is This ?" was born.
Beloved by kids and adults alike, "Jingle Bells" is one song you likely won’t make it through the holiday without hearing or singing.
Written by James Pierpont in the 1850s, two cities claim ownership of one of Christmas’ most popular songs.
A plaque in Medford, MA, says the song “tells of the sleigh races held on Salem Street in the early 1800s,” where Pierpont lived.
“On this site stood the Simpson Tavern where in 1850 James Pierpont wrote the song ‘Jingle Bells’ in the presence of Mrs. Otis Waterman, who later verified the song was written here,” the plaque reads.
But Pierpont eventually moved south, complicating the song’s history and legacy.
The City of Savannah, Georgia claims...
“Many local historians believe that Pierpont penned Jingle Bells while in Savannah experiencing his first snow less winter as an ode to his Massachusetts snowy upbringing.”
While its origins aren’t entirely clear, many seem to think it wasn’t originally meant to be a Christmas song at all, but a Thanksgiving song.
While winter imagery like snow is referenced, Christmas is never specifically mentioned in the lyrics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7s2VjwQSMw
From all of us at Anthem Opinions...to all of you, our readers...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXERRcpXRiA
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Chester Nimitz
His Reflection on Pearl Harbor
From a book entitled, "Reflections on Pearl Harbor"...
Sunday, December 7th, 1941--Admiral Chester Nimitz was attending a concert in Washington D.C.
He was paged and told there was a phone call for him. When he answered the phone, it was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the phone. He told Admiral Nimitz that he (Nimitz) would now be the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.
Admiral Nimitz flew to Hawaii to assume command of the Pacific Fleet. He landed at Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve, 1941.
There was such a spirit of despair, dejection and defeat--you would have thought the Japanese had already won the war.
On Christmas Day, 1941, Adm. Nimitz was given a boat tour of the destruction wrought on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Big sunken battleships and navy vessels cluttered the waters everywhere you looked.
As the tour boat returned to dock, the young helmsman of the boat asked, "Well Admiral, what do you think after seeing all this destruction?"
Admiral Nimitz's reply shocked everyone within the sound of his voice.
Admiral Chester Nimitz
Commander of the Pacific Fleet during World War II
Admiral Nimitz said, "The Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could ever make, or God was taking care of America . Which do you think it was?"
Shocked and surprised, the young helmsman asked, "What do mean by saying the Japanese made the three biggest mistakes an attack force ever made?" Nimitz explained:
Mistake number one:
The Japanese attacked on Sunday morning. Nine out of every ten crewmen of those ships were ashore on leave.
If those same ships had been lured to sea and been sunk--we would have lost 38,000 men instead of 3,800.
Mistake number two:
When the Japanese saw all those battleships lined in a row, they got so carried away sinking those battleships, they never once bombed our dry docks opposite those ships.
If they had destroyed our dry docks, we would have had to tow every one of those ships to America to be repaired.
As it is now, the ships are in shallow water and can be raised. One tug can pull them over to the dry docks, and we can have them repaired and at sea by the time we could have towed them to America . And I already have crews ashore anxious to man those ships.
Mistake number three:
Every drop of fuel in the Pacific theater of war is in top of the ground storage tanks five miles away over that hill.
One attack plane could have strafed those tanks and destroyed our fuel supply.
"That's why I say the Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could make or God was taking care of America."
Admiral Nimitz was able to see a silver lining in a situation and circumstance where everyone else saw only despair and defeatism.
President Roosevelt had chosen the right man for the right job. We desperately needed a leader that could see silver linings in the midst of the clouds of dejection, despair and defeat.
There is a reason that our national motto is...
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The Oil Patch Warriors of World War II
Almost 80 years ago, a Band of Roughnecks went abroad on a top secret mission into Robin Hood's stomping grounds to punch oil wells to help fuel England's war machines.
It's a story that should make any American proud.
The year was 1943 and England was mired in World War II. U-boats attacked supply vessels, choking off badly needed supplies to the island nation. But oil was the commodity they needed the most as they warred with Germany.
A book "The Secret of Sherwood Forest: Oil Production in England During World War II" written by Guy Woodward and Grace Steele Woodward was published in 1973, and tells the obscure story of the American oil men who went to England to bore wells in a top secret mission in March 1943.
England had but one oil field, in Sherwood Forest of all places. Its meager output of 300 barrels a day was literally a drop in the bucket of their requirement of 150,000 barrels a day to fuel their war machines.
Then a top secret plan was devised: to send some Americans and their expertise to assist in developing the field. Oklahoma based Noble Drilling Company, along with Fain-Porter signed a one year contract to drill 100 wells for England, merely for costs and expenses.
42 drillers and roughnecks from Texas and Oklahoma, most in their teens and early twenties volunteered for the mission to go abroad. The hands embarked for England in March 1943 aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Four National 50 drilling rigs were loaded onto ships but only three of them made landfall; the Nazi U-boats sank one of the rigs enroute to the UK.
The Brits' jaws dropped as the Yanks began punching the wells in a week, compared to five to eight weeks for their British counterparts. They worked 12 hour tours, 7 days a week and within a year, the Americans had drilled 106 wells and England oil production shot up from 300 barrels a day to over 300,000.
The contract fulfilled, the American oil men departed England in late March 1944. But only 41 hands were on board the return voyage.
Herman Douthit, a Texan derrick-hand was killed during the operation.
He was laid to rest with full military honors, and remains the only civilian to be buried at The American Military Cemetery in Cambridge.
"The Oil Patch Warrior," a seven foot bronze statue of a roughneck holding a four foot pipe wrench stands near Nottingham England to honor the American oil men's assistance and sacrifice in the war.
A replica was placed in Ardmore, Oklahoma in 2001.
It is by no means a stretch to state that without the American mission, we might all be speaking German today.
Special thanks to the American Oil and Gas Historical Society.
Anther thanks to The "Greatest American Generation"
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Understanding the Jewish High Holy Days
Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur
Sun City Anthem has a very diverse population, a large percentage of which are of the Jewish faith.
This article is not for those individuals of the Jewish faith who are already very well informed as to the religious significance of this period of the year, but I've found over the years, many others not of that faith, know little of it. That's the purpose of this article...
...for the "non-Jews".
Many of us in the community have heard the word "tradition", but in my lifetime, I never experienced a more unified group of people who practice it with such passion and dedication to the beliefs their ancestors passed down through the generations for thousands of years.
Instead, this is to educate the many others in our community who, in the spirit of understanding, might wish to know something as to why those of the Jewish faith refer to these two dates as "The Jewish High Holy Days".
For many years, I, unlike so many in our world, have had the privilege of becoming familiar and understanding these holy days from a unique standpoint.
Why, unique?
I'm a Catholic who attended Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school, and furthered my education at the University of Illinois in Chicago where I became the "token gentile" in a Jewish fraternity named Sigma Alpha Mu, known to those more familiar with fraternity life as "Sammies".
And...that experience changed my life.
Why? It was the first time I learned to more fully understand the Jewish faith and the dedication of those who practiced it.
And that was furthered with 35 years of loving the woman who agreed to be my wife, a woman of the Jewish faith, who, over the years, further educated me to the beauty of this religion, though I maintain my belief in Christianity.
Enough with me, now let's try to allow others not of that faith, just what is meant by the "High Holy Days".
They begin with "Rosh Hashanah", the first day of the Jewish New Year in the month of "Elul".
Elul is the 12th and final month in the Jewish calendar (the sixth month counting from Nisan). It is a month that connects the past year with the coming year—a time when Jews reflect on where they stand and where they should be going.
Each day in Elul, the "shofar" is sounded while specified psalms are recited in anticipation of the high holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
In 2021, those high holidays began on Monday, September 6th at sundown, and ended at nightfall on Wednesday, September 8th. That began the first day of the New Year, 5782.
Yom Kippur for the year 2021 is celebrated at sundown on Wednesday, September 15th ending at sundown on Thursday, September 16th.
It is on the tenth day of the month of "Tishri" in the Jewish calendar.
Known as the Day of Atonement, the Jewish holiday is spent in prayer and fasting among many people of the Jewish faith.
Why do Jewish holidays start at sundown?
According to the Torah, the story of creation in Genesis says “And it was evening, and it was morning day one”, “And it was evening, and it was morning; the second day”, thus night comes before day. So for the Jewish calendar all days begin at nightfall and end the next day at nightfall including holidays.
Just what is the significance of Yom Kippur?
It is the holiest day of the Jewish year, the day on which Jews believe they are closest to God and the closest to one's soul.
According to the Book of Leviticus (16:30), "for on this day, He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before God.".
Practicing Jews will spend nearly 26 hours from sunset on September 15th to Sunset on September 16th in 2021 abstaining from food and drink, and will "break the fast" at sundown on September 16th.
What's the history of this Day of Atonement?
If you ever saw the epic film "The Ten Commandments" its history was portrayed.
Just months after the people of Israel left Egypt in the year 2448 led by Moses, they sinned by worshiping a golden calf. Moses, ascended Mount Sinai and prayed to God to forgive them, and after two, 40 day stints of climbing the mountain, God forgave the Jews for their sin, giving Moses the Ten Commandments, on which they were to live their lives.
The day Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets from God was from that day, known as the Day of Atonement...Yom Kippur.
As we of other faiths go about our lives on this day as any other, I hope that you will more fully understand that thousand year old tradition.
It is their day, a day of peace, love, and hopefully, understanding and respect of those by other faiths.
From Elizabeth Breier...to...Anthem Opinions
Great article.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is very special, not just because we are atoning for our sins, but we are asking G-d to forgive us.
We are taught that G-d cannot forgive us until our fellow man has done so.
The Avenu Malkenu (our father our king, forgive us for....) enumerates our misdeeds to our friends, family, neighbors.
I have seen folks who are angry with each other go over and shake hands on this holiday and forgive each other for harsh words or lapses in trust and it is a beautiful thing to see folks "make up" at this time of the year.
We atone for all our sins and ask to be written in the book for a good year as the holiday comes to a close.
The purpose of the fast is so there are no distractions from prayer. A truly religious person will not be distracted by electronics or food or anything other than prayer on this day.
I have often explained to gentile friends that while they go to confessions and ask forgiveness for their sins on a regular basis, we Jews "save it up" and do it all in one 24 hour period.
I say it with tongue in cheek, but there is some truth to the comparison - we all ask for forgiveness and atone for our sins before G-d and before man.
From Michelle Murlin...to...Anthem Opinions
What a beautiful article.
Thank you for explaining that. I always wondered myself... It was nice to get a little personal info on you and your background, too!
From Jill from Chicago...to...Anthem Opinions
As always , beautifully written.
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Kate Smith...Irving Berlin
The Story of "God Bless America"
Frank Sinatra considered Kate Smith the best singer of her time, and said that when he and a million other guys first heard her sing "God Bless America" on the radio, they all pretended to have dust in their eyes as they wiped away a tear or two.
Here are the facts:
The link at the bottom will take you to a video showing the very first public singing of "God Bless America. "
Before you watch it you should know the story behind the first public showing of the song.
The time was 1940.
The time was 1940.
America was still in a terrible economic depression.
Hitler was taking over Europe and Americans were afraid we'd have to go to war.
It was a time of hardship and worry for most Americans.
This was the era just before TV when radio shows were HUGE and American families sat around their radios in the evenings, listening to their favorite entertainers and no entertainer of that era was bigger than Kate Smith.
This was the era just before TV when radio shows were HUGE and American families sat around their radios in the evenings, listening to their favorite entertainers and no entertainer of that era was bigger than Kate Smith.
Kate was also large; plus size as we now say and the popular phrase still used today is in deference to her ...
"It ain't over till the fat lady sings"
Kate Smith might not have made it big in the age of TV, but with her voice coming over the radio, she was the brightest star of her time.
Kate was also patriotic. It hurt her to see Americans so depressed and afraid of what the next day would bring.
She had hope for America , and faith in her fellow Americans.
She wanted to do something to cheer them up, so she went to the famous American song-writer Irving Berlin (who also wrote White Christmas) and asked him to write a song that would make Americans feel good again about their country.
When she described what she was looking for, he said he had just the song for her.
He went to his files and found a song that he had written but never published, 22 years before - in 1917.
He gave it to her and she worked on it with her studio orchestra.
She and Irving Berlin were not sure how the song would be received by the public, but both agreed they would not take any profits from "God Bless America".
Any profits would go to the...
Over the years, the Boy Scouts have received millions of dollars in royalties from this song.
This video starts out with Kate Smith coming into the radio studio with the orchestra and an audience. She introduces the new song for the very first time and starts singing.
This video starts out with Kate Smith coming into the radio studio with the orchestra and an audience. She introduces the new song for the very first time and starts singing.
After the first couple verses, with her voice in the background, scenes are shown from the 1940 movie, "You're In The Army Now".
At the 4:20 mark of the video you see a young actor in the movie, sitting in an office, reading a paper; it's Ronald Reagan.
You will recognize other old stars but have forgotten their names.
You may remember George Murphy near the end, though....later...Senator George Murphy.
To this day, God Bless America stirs our patriotic feelings and pride in our country.
Back in 1940, when Kate Smith went looking for a song to raise the spirits of her fellow Americans, I doubt whether she realized just how successful the results would be for her fellow Americans during those years of hardship and worry... and for many generations of Americans to follow.
Now that you know the story of the song, I hope you'll enjoy it.
Now that you know the story of the song, I hope you'll enjoy it.
Many people don't know there's a lead in to the song since it usually starts with God Bless America ...
So here's the entire song as originally sung. Enjoy it!
And on this July 4th...when our American traditions appear to be attacked at every opportunity, please remember...
This Is America...the land each and every person who graces its shores, is the real America...the one we love.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Special thanks to a valued reader, Renee Rosenberg, for sending us this wonderful remembrance of what would become a special moment in American history.
From John Schmidt...to...Anthem Opinions
Sorry for my rant, but I fear we are loosing our Country, and I just had to get this off my chest.
Here's my take on what's going on.
The Democrats are utilizing the tactic wherein you create a criss (Crime running rampant, shortage of police, with the remaining officers demoralized, over worked and exhausted.
Create conflict hate & mistrust).
Immigration crisis, alleged insurrection.
They Villainize the opposition and lay the blame on them for all the problems they themselves created in the nick of time come to the rescue with help ($$$) and solutions, claim to be the party of Law & Order and the Defenders of the american way.
Claim to be there to protect, defend and provide for the people.
Working with social and mainstream media (which has become a arm of the left and is in their pocket).
They may able to pull it off. This is all aimed at the 2022 mid-term elections!
They bank on the short memories of the American voting (sheep) Public and intend to use this to maintain and possibly increase control over the House & Senate.
We have to take a page from their book, openly express our views, stand up for ourselves and be heard, boycott companies and products that promote the left's agenda, file law suits when they violate our rights.
Most importantly we Have to get out the vote!
We have to inspire every american who believes in freedom and our way of life to get up off their butts and vote (even if that means attempting to reason with our liberal (left) acquaintances).
I honestly believe the Mid-Term 2022 election is the fight for our country's future and our way of life!
From George Jacobs of Cleveland, Ohio...to...Anthem Opinions
The story behind the story...thanks for a good start to the 4th of July celebration!
From J.David Nall...to...Anthem Opinions
An absolutely WONDERFUL article, Dick!
From Michelle Murlin...go...Anthem Opinions
Truly LOVE this! thank you for sharing !
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Knowing the Easter Bunny
As the Easter Bunny comes hopping your way this Sunday, we thought we might give you some information as to this cuddly creature's history.
Easter is a moving Christian holiday based on the lunar cycle.
Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the Pascal full moon, which is the first full moon on or after the Spring Equinox.
The Easter Bunny “hopped into the United States in the 1700s.
Though the exact origins of the fluffy, long-eared mammal are unknown, History.com reports that Americans started making nests and leaving colored eggs for a mythical rabbit in the 1700s.
The tradition started when German immigrants settled in the United States, bringing with them their tradition of an egg-laying hare called "Osterhase."
Easter Eggs were thought to have symbolized fertility.
In Medieval Europe, Christian missionaries hoped to convert Anglo-Saxons to Christianity by aligning the days of their festivals and adopting similar traditions, according to TIME. Eggs were eaten and buried as part of the Anglo-Saxon celebration of Easter in hopes of encouraging fertility, so some scholars believe this to be a reason why eggs are associated with the Christian holiday of Easter today.
Another theory is that strict Christian fasting practices during Lent prohibited them from consuming a lot of food groups, so Christians hard-boiled eggs to eat post-Lent.
Eggs were used as gifts and offerings as far back to the 13th century.
Residents in 13th century England brought Easter egg gifts to their lords and churches every holiday as special offerings.
By the 16th and 17th centuries, evidence suggests the egg gifts...
...were dyed colors to signify special meanings.
Americans spend approximately $2.6 billion in Easter candy each year.
According to the National Retail Federation's Annual Easter Spending Survey, record breaking holiday spending occurred in both 2017 and 2018.
During those years, consumers spent over $2 billion buying chocolate bunnies, Cadbury eggs, Jelly Beans, and those beloved Peeps.
Peeps are the most popular Easter candy.
Peeps has every other candy beat when it comes to the preferred holiday sweet. Mental Floss reports that people have preferred Peeps ...
over all other Easter candy for nearly 20 years. More than 1.5 billion of them are consumed each Spring.
Most Americans prefer milk chocolate over dark chocolate.
The majority of Americans would choose a milk chocolate sweet over a dark chocolate option any day.
Results from a survey found that 85% of adults like milk chocolate, whereas only 15% of those aged 18-44 crave dark.
Most people go for the ears first.
55% of Americans go for the ears first when enjoying the treat, while 7% start with the end.
As for the other 37%, they have no preference, as long as they get to eat a chocolate bunny on Easter Sunday!
Happy Easter and enjoy the goodies.
_________________
Those we lost
January thru March, 2020
January
David Stern
January 1st...Age 77
(4th Commissioner of the National Basketball Association from 1984 to 2014...during his reign as NBA Commissioner, he assisted in the relocation of 6 NBA franchise and establishing new NBA franchies that included the Minnesota Timberwolves, MIami Heat, Orlando Magic, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, and Charlotte Hornets...elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014)
Don Larsen
January 1st...Age 90
(Major League Baseball pitcher from 1953 to 1967 for seven different major league teams....was the first pitcher in Major League history to pitch a perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series while on the Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, being named the Series Most Valuable Player...he was the last surviving member of the 1956 Championship New York Yankees)
Sam Wyche
January 2nd...Age 74
(Former National Football League Quarterback and Head Coach....Cincinnati Bengals from 1984 to 1991 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1992 to 1995...went to Super Bowl XXIII as Bengals Head Coach)
Buck Henry
January 8th..Age 89
(American actor, screenwriter, director, comedian and producer....nominated for two Academy Awards...Best Adapted Screenplay for "The Graduate" in 1968 and in 1979 for Best Director in "Heaven Can Wait"....created the TV show "Get Smart" with Mel Brooks in 1965...appeared as a Guest Host on Saturday Night Live ten times from 1976 to 1980)
Edd "Kookie"Byrnes
January 8th..Age 87
(American actor best known for playing the charcter "Kookie" on the TV show "77 Sunset Strip" from 1958 to 1964 playing a parking valet and detective...recorded the song "Kookie Kookie Lend Me Your Comb" with Connie Stevens...also played the role of DJ "Vince Fontaine" in the film "Grease")
Steve Martin Caro
January 14th..Age 71
(American singer....lead singer of the 60s group "The Left Banke"...best known for their songs "Pretty Ballerina" and "Don't Walk Away Renee")
Robert Parker
January 19th..Age 89
(American saxophonist and singer...best known for his 1965 hit "Bare Footin"...elected to the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007)
Jim Lehrer
January 23rd..Age 85
(Executive Editor and News Anchor of the "PBS News Hour"...interviewed may Presidential and Vice Presidential debates, moderating 12 Presidential debates between 1988 and 2012...received a number of Emmys and the George Peabody Broadcast Award)
Kobe Bryant
January 26th..Age 41
(American professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers from 199-2006....with Shaquille O'Neal brought 5 NBA Basketball Championships to the Lakers...named to 18 NBA All-Star Teams...NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008...in his final NBA game, scored 60 points...considered one the best to ever play the game...tragically killed in a helicopter crash)
Bob Shane
(left)
January 26th..Age 85
(An American singer, who, along with Nick Reynolds and Dave Guard, was one of the three original members of "The Kingston Trio" in 1958...the last surviving original member of the group)
Jack Burns
January 27th..Age 86
(American actor best known for his role as "Deputy Warren Ferguson" on the "Andy Griffith Show" when Don Knotts left the show in 1965 and in the role of "Candy Butcher" in the firm, "The Night They Raided Minsky's")
Chris Dolman
January 28th..Age 58
(National Football League defensive player...named to the NFL Pro Bowl eight times in his career from 1985-1999...Elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2012...played 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, 2 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, and 2 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons)
Fred Silverman
January 30th..Age 82
(American television executive and producer.... he worked as an executive at all of the Big Three television networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, and was responsible for bringing to television such programs as the series "All in the Family" (1971–1979), "The Waltons" (1972–1981), and "Charlie's Angels" (1976–1981), as well as the miniseries " Rich Man, Poor Man" (1976), "Roots" (1977) and "Shogun" in 1980).
February
Gene Reynolds
February 3rd...Age 96
(American actor but primarily known as one of the producers of the TV series "M.A.S.H."...made many appearances in firms of the 1930s and 1940s that included "In Old Chicago", "Captain's Courageous", "Boy's Town", "Santa Fe Trail" and "The Country Girl")
Kirk Douglas
February 5th...Age 103
(American Icon Actor...nominated 3 times for Academy Awards in the films "Champion" in 1949, "Bad & Beautiful" in 1952, "Lust for Life" in 1956, winner of a Golden Globe fo Best Actor in "Lust for Life"...was awarded the "Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981...received the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999...though never receiving an Oscar nominations, is best known for his starring role in the film "Spartacus")
Orson Bean
February 7th...Age 91
(American comedian and actor....a long time panalist on the TV game show "To Tell the Truth" ...appeared on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" over 200 times...was a a regular on the TV show "Mary Hartman...Mary Hartman"...played the role of "Loren Bray" on the TV show "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" for 6 years)
Robert Conrad
February 8th...Age 84
(American actor...best known for his role as "James West" in show "The Wild Wild West" from 1965-1969...and "Pappy Boyington" in the TV series "Baa Baa Black Sheep"...later retitled "Black sheep Squadron" from 1976-1978)
Mickey Wright
February 17th...Age 85
(American LPGA Golfer...won 13 major championships...named by the Associated Press as "The Female Athlete of the Year" in 1963 and 1964...Named by Golf Magazine as "The Ninth Greatest Golfer of All Time" in 2000... elected to the Wold Golf Hall of Fame in 2017)
Ja'net DuBois
February 17th...Age 74
(American actress & songwriter...best known for her role as "Willona Woods" the neighborhood gossip in the TV show "Good Times"...wrote the song "Movin On Up" which became the theme song for the TV show "The Jeffersons")
Ben Cooper
February 24th...Age 86
(American actor who played numerous roles in both film and television that included "Wagon Train", "Bonanza", and "Rawhide" along with "villain roles" in the TV series "Perry Mason")
Johnny Antonelli
February 28th...Age 89
(Professional Baseball player who was primarily known for his starring years with the New York/San Fransiciso Giants from 1954-1960...lead the National League in 1954 with a 21-7 record and an E.R.A. of 2.30 as a member of the Giants World Series Championship in sweeping the Cleveland Indians 4-0)
Joe Coulonbe
February 28th...Age 89
(Founder and CEO of the grocery chain, "Trader Joe's")
March
James Lipton
March 2nd...Age 93
(American actor best known being the moderator for the Bravo network's "Inside the Actor's Studio" from 1994-2018)
Barbara Martin
March 4th...Age 76
(One of the original members of The Supremes from 1960 to 1962...leaving the original group to being a trio that consisted of Diana Ross, Mary Wilson & Florence Ballard)
Clark Weber
March 7th...Age 89
(If you were a teenager growing up in Chicago in the early 60s, you always listened to AM Radio WLS "890 on your dial"...and...Clark Weber....was a mainstay at that station for years joining other "top jocks Dick Biondi, Art Roberts, and Larry Lujack...always closing his radio broadcasts with the saying "Mother Weber's Oldest Son"...notably introduced The Beatles in 1964 at Chicago's Comiskey Park...inducted into the Chicago Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2015)
Max von Sydow
March 9th...Age 90
(Swedish actor who appeared in over 100 films...nominated for Best Actor Oscar in 1989 in "Pelle the Conqueror" and Best Supporting Oscar in 2012 in "Extremely Loud and Inevitably Close", two Golden Globe Nominations in 1967 for Best Actor in "Hawaii" and Best Supporting Actor in "The Exorcist" in 1974 and two Prime Time Emmy Nominations for Best Supporting Actor in " Red KIng, White Knight in 1990 and Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2016 in "The Game of Thrones"...played the role of Jesus Christ in 1965 in "The Greatest Story Every Told")
Lyle Waggoner
March 17th...Age 84
(American actor...best known for he recurring role on "The Carol Burnett Show" from 1967-1974, and in the role of "Steve Trevor" in the TV show "Wonder Woman" from 1975-1979)
Kenny Rogers
March 20th...Age 81
(American Country Singer and actor....winner of numerous Country Music Awards...Grammy winner of Best Male Country Performance in 1977 for "Lucille" and for "The Gambler" in 1979...inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013)
Curly Neal
March 26th...Age 77
(Member of the Harlem Globetrotters from 1963-1985...was best known for being the Trotters premier ball handler during the team's exhibition act...played in over 6,000 games in 97 countries...his #22 was retired by the Globetrotters in 2008)
David Schramm
March 28th...Age 73
(American actor....best known for his role as "Roy Biggins" in the TV series "Wings")
Joe Diffie
March 29th...Age 61
(American Country & Western singer...Grammy Award nominee in 1993 for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" with Mary Chapin Carpenter for the song "Not To Much to Ask"...Grammy Award winner in 1998 for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" with Marty Stuart for the song "Same Old Train"..1993 winner of Academy of Country Music award for "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" with George Jones...a victim of the coronavirus)
Bill Withers
March 30th...Age 81
(American singer best known for his 1971 Grammy Winning "Best Rhythm & Blues" hit song "Ain't No Sunshine" and 1981 Grammy Award Winning "Best Rhythm &
Blues" hit song "Just the Two of Us"...and the 1987 Grammy Award winning "Best Rhythm & Blues" hit song "Lean of Me")
Those we lost
April thru June. 2020
April
Adam Schlesinger
April 1st...Age 52
(American singer, songwriter, composer and producer....winner of three Emmy Awards and one Grammy...wrote, produced, the song for the film and play "That Thing You Do!"....composed "Master of the Seas" for the film "Ice Age: Continental Drift" performed by Jennifer Lopez...composed numerous tunes for TV shows...a victim of the coronavirus)
Bobby Mitchell
April 5th...Age 84
(American NFL football player with the Cleveland Browns 1958-1961 and Washington Redskins 1962-1968...became the first African-American to join the Washington Red Skins...named to four Pro-Bowls...a member of front office management for he Redskins from 1969-2003elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1983)
Honor Blackman
April 5th...Age 95
(English actress...best known for her role as "Cathy Gale" in the TV series "The Avengers" 1962-64 and Bond girl "Pussy Galore" in the James Bond film "Goldfinger")
Al Kaline
April 6th...Age 85
(American American League Baseball player known as "Mr. Tiger" for his 22 years with the Detroit Tigers 1953-74...named to the American League All-Star team 18 times....10 Golden Glove Awards...American League Batting Champion in 1955...had 3.007 hits during his career...elected the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980...his #6 was retired by the Detroit Tigers)
James Drury
April 6th...Age 85
(American actor...best known for his role as "The Virginian"...real name never disclosed in the hit TV series "The Virginian) 1962-1971)
John Prine
April 7th...Age 73
(American singer/songwriter...won two Grammy Awards for "Best Contemporary Folk Album" in 1972 and 2005....received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020...a victim of Covid-19)
Linda Tripp
April 8th...Age 70
(the Whistleblower & confidant of Monica Lewinsky in the 1998 Lewinsky/Clinton scandal)
Malcolm Dixon
April 9th...Age 66
(British actor...4ft 1in tall.... best known for his role as "Strutter" in film "The Time Bandits" and playing an "oompa loompa" in the 1971 film "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory")
Faith Dane
April 10th...Age 96
(American actress....best known for playing the role of stripper, "Mezapeppa", in the 1962 film "Gypsy")
Glenn Beckert
April 12th...Age 79
(If you're a Chicago Cubs fan, you'll always remember this 2nd baseman who played for The Cubs 1965-1973...received a Golden Glove Award in 1968...named to four All-Star Teams...elected to the "Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame")
Jim Frey
April 12th...Age 88
(Baseball Major League Manager of both the Kansas City Royals 1980-81 and Chicago Cubs 1984-86...best remembered as the manager of the Cubs first Divisional Championship in 1984 since 1945...General Manager of the Cubs in 1989 when they again won the Divisional Championship)
Doug Sanders
April 12th...Age 86
(Professional golfer....winner of 20 events on the PGA tour...also four runner-ups at major golf championships...a member of both the Florida and Geogia "Sports Hall of Fame"...known for his flamboyant attire with the nickname "The Peacock of the Fairways")
Willie Davis
April 15th...Age 85
(American Pro Football player spending 12 seasons in the NFL..Cleveland Browns from 1958-1959 and Green Bay Packers from 1960-1969...5 NFL Championships...5 Pro-Bowls...named to the 1960s All-Decade Team...elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1981)
Brian Dennehy
April 15th...Age 81
(American actor...best known for his role as "Willy Loman" in the play and TV mini-series "Death of a Salesman...winner of 1 Golden Globe Award, 2 Tony Awards, and nominated for 6 Prime Time Emmys...also known for his role in the film "Tommy Boy")
Tom Lester
April 20th...Age 81
(American actor...best known in his role as "Ed Dawson" on the TV series "Green Acres")
Shirley Knight
April 22nd...Age 83
(American actress...nominated for an Oscar for "Best Supporting Actress" in the role of "Reenie Flood" in "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" in 1960 and the role of "Heavenly Finley" in "Sweet Bird of Youth" in 1962...winner of a Tony Award in 1976 in the role of "Carla" in "Kennedy's Children"...appeared on numerous TV shows being nominated 8 times for a "Prime Time Emmy")
Grandma Lee
April 24th..Age 85
(American comedienne who, as a contestant, made it to the finals in the fourth season of "Ameica's Got Talent"
May
Don Shula
May 4th...Age 90
(American NFL coach....had more wins than any other NFL coach in history...lead the Miami Dolphins to two Super Bowl wins in 1972 and 1973...Super Bowls VII and VIIII....the only head coach in NFL history to have a perfect 14-0 regular season record in 1972...have only 2 losing seasons in his 33 year coaching career...elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1997)
Millie Small
May 4th...Age 73
(Jamaican singer...best known for her 1963 hit song "My Boy Lolipop" and her 1967 hit song "Killer Joe)
Mary Pratt
May 6th...Age 101
(American baseball player ...member of the Rockford Peaches from 1943-44 and 1946-47 and Kenosha Comets 1944-45 in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League made popular in the 1992 film "A League of Their Own"...pitched a No-Hitter in 1944)
Roy Horn
May 8th...Age 75
(A part of the legendary Las Vegas act "Siegfried & Roy"...attacked by tiger on stage in 2003...a victim of the Covid-19 virus)
"Little Richard" Penniman
May 9th...Age 87
(A pioneer in Rock n Roll....an initial inductee in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1986...elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003...elected to the Blues Hall of Fame and Rythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2015...one of the greatest of all time with hits "Tutti Frutti", "Good Golly Miss Molly", and "Long Tall Sally")
Jerry Stiller
May 11th...Age 92
(American actor...best known for his role as "Frank Costanza" on the TV series '"Seinfeld" 1993-1998 and in the role of "Arthur Spooner" on the TV series "The King of Queens" from 1998-2007...the father of Ben Stiller...husband of the late Anne Meara)
Phyllis George
May 14th...Age 70
(Former Miss America in 1971...former First Lady of Kentucky from 1979-1983...former CBS news and "NFL Today" sportscaster)
Fred Willard
May 15th...Age 86
(American actor and comedian in films and TV from the 1960s to 2020...best known for his most recent roles as "Hank MacDougall" from 2003-2005 on the TV show "Everbody Loves Raymond" and "Frank Dunphy", father of Phil Dunphy from 2009 to 2020 on the TV show "Modern Family")
Ken Osmond
May 18th...Age 86
(American actor...best known in his role as "Eddie Haskell" in the late 50s and early 60s TV series "Leave it to Beaver"...after leaving acting became a Los Angeles Traffic Cop from 1970-1988...was wounded in a gun battle and forced into a disability retirement)
Jerry Sloan
May 22nd...Age 78
(American professional basketball play with the Chicago Bulls from 1966-1976...Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1979-1982 and Head Coach of the Utah Jazz from 1988-2011...is #3 on list of wins for NBA Head Coaches...His #4 was retired by the Chicago Bulls...elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 2009)
Richard Herd
May 26th...Age 87
(American actor...best known for his role as "John, the Visitor's Supreme Commander in the 1983 mini-series "V" and the 1984 sequel "V-The Final Battle...also known for playing the role of "Mr. Wilhelm", George Costanza's boss with the NY Yankees in the TV series "Seinfeld")
June
Wes Unseld
June 2nd...Age 74
(American NBA Basketball player...played his entire career from 1968 thru 1981 with the Baltimore/Washington Bullets...named the NBA's Rookie of the Year & league MVP in 1969, his first year in the league...elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 1988...elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006....number 41 retired by the Washington Wizards....member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Star Team....coach of the Washington from 1988-1994)
Kurt Thomas
June 5th...Age 64
(American trailblazing gymnast who was known for "The Thomas Flair" on the pummel horse and "The Thomas Salto"in the floor excercize....won a gold medal in France in 1978 for a floor excercize and five individual championship medals in 1979...was a heavy favorite in the 1980 Olympic Games until the United States withdrew from all competition...inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2003)
Dick Johnson
June 9th...Age 66
(Chicago Newscaster for 42 years for both WMAQ-TV and WLS-TV)
Jean Kennedy Smith
June 17th...Age 92
(The youngest and last surviving child Joseph & Rose Kennedy....sister of President John Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy....US Ambassador to Ireland 1993-1998...awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011)
Vera Lynn
June 18th...Age 103
(British Singer, songwriter, and entertainer....known for her presence during World War II....was referred to as "The Forces Sweetheart"...best known for her World War song "We'll Meet Again")
Ian Holm
June 19th...Age 88
(British actor...best known for his role as "Bilbo Biggins" in the "Lord of the Rings films...winner of the 1967 Tony Award for "Best Featured Actor" for his role as "Lenny" in "The Homecoming"...winner of the 1998 "Lawrence Olivier Award for Best Actor" for his title role in "King Lear"...nominated for the 1981 "Best Supporting Actdor" Oscar for his role as "Sam Mussabini" in the Academy Award winning "Best Picture of the Year" firm, "Chariots of Fire")
Margaret Jurgensmeier
June 26th...Age 85
(A pitcher on the Rockford Peaches in 1951 of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League...her photo is included in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in the league's display)
Carl Reiner
June 29th...Age 98
(An American entertainment icon...actor, director, writer...whose career spanned 7 decades...winner of 11 Emmys and 1 Grammy...winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American humor...inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999...best known for being the writer, director, and actor on The Dick Van.Dyke Show...acted in numerous films that included "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" in 1963, "The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming" in 1966, and the "Ocean's" film series 2001-2007...his most famous sketch was on the Sid Cesar's "Show of Show" when he and fellow writer and actor, Mel Brooks, wrote and performed "The 2,000 Year Old Man")
_______
Those we lost
July thru September 2020
July
Hugh Downs
July 1st...Age 99
(American broadcaster, television host, and news Anchor....best known as the "side-kick of Jack Parr on the Tonight Show from 1957-1962...Co-Host of NBC news from 1962 to 1971...host of the TV games show "Concentration" from 1958 to 1969...Anchor of ABC News Magazine 20/20 from 1978 to 1999...inducted in the Television Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007)
Charlie Daniels
July 6th...Age 83
(American Country & Western singer....inducted into the Grand Old Opry Hall of Fame in 2008...inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in 2009...inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016...best known for his #1 country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" in 1979...was the back-up band for Hank William Jr.'s "Are You Ready for Some Football" on NFL games)
Kelly Preston
July 12th...Age 57
(American actress...best known for her roles in films "Mischief" in 1985, "Twins" in 1988, "Jerry McGuire" in 1996, and "Gotti" in 2018...married to actor, John Travolta, at the time of her death)
Tony Taylor
July 16th...Age 84
(Major League baseball player who played for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Detroit Tigers for 18 years...best known for an incident on July 23, 1962, when at Wrigley Field in Chicago, was a member of the Phillies, he was the first person in Major League history to on a Telstar broadcast to Europe)
Jerry Taft
July 23rd...Age 77
(Long time Chicago weatherman for ABC Channel 7 for 33 years)
Regis Philbin
July 24th...Age 88
(American media personality...best known for his show "Regis & Kathy Lee" and "Regis & Kelly" the host of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire"...in 2006 was inducted in both the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame and Television Hall of Fame)
John Saxon
July 25th...Age 84
(American actor...often playing in films and TV westerns and roles police officers and detectives...career ranged from 1954 to 2009)
Olivia de Havilland
July 25th...Age 104
(French-British- American actress...a career spanning 53 years from 1935 to 1988...the last surviving cast member "Melanie Hamilton" from the epic film "Gone With the Wind"...co-starred in numerous films with Errol Flynn that included "Captain Blood" in 1935, "The Charge of the Light Brigade" in 1936, "The Adventures of Robin Hood" in 1938, "Dodge City" and "The Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex" in 1939, "Santa Fe Trail" in 1940, "The Died with Their Boots On" in 1941...winner of 3 Golden Globe Awards and 2 Academy Awards for "Best Actress" in "To Each His Own" in 1946 and "The Heiress" in 1949...sister of actress Joan Fontaine)
Herman Cain
July 30th...Age 74
(American presidential Republican candidate in 2012...former head of Godfather's Pizza after successfully managing over 400 Burger King operations in the Philadelphia area...succumbed to Covid-19)
August
Wilford Brimley
August 1st...Age 85
(American actor...best known for his role as "Horace Brimley" on the TV series "The Waltons"...and...in the role of "Ted Spindler" in the firm "The China Syndrome"...and...in the role as "Ben Luckett" in the firm "Cocoon"...and the TV commercial for "Quaker Oats" for 10 years)
Wayne Fontana
August 6th...Age 77
(British singer...best known for his band "Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders"...and...their 1965 hit "The Game of Love")
Trini Lopez
August 11th...Age 83
(American singer, guitarist, and actor...designing 2 guitars for Gibson Guitar Corporation that are now considered collector items...all wonderful performer in Las Vegas....best known for his 1963 hit "If I Had a Hammer" and 1964 "Lemon Tree")
Ben Cross
August 18th...Age 72
(British actor...best known for his role as British athlete "Harold Abrahams" in the 1981 Oscar Best Picture "Chariots of Fire" and as Sarek" in the 2009 film "Star Trek")
Frank Cullotta
August 20th...Age 81
(American mobster....a member of the Las Vegas "Hole in the Wall Gang" with Tony Spilotro robbing a number of stores by going through the roofs...hence the name of the gang....did a number of TV shows regarding "The Mob"...a consultant for the movie "Casino")
Chadwick Boseman
August 28th...Age 43
(American actor....best know for his role as "Jackie Robinson" in the 2013 film "42"....his role as "Thurgood Marhall" in the 2017 film "Marshall"...and his role as a superhero in the 2018 film" Black Panther")
John Thompson
August 30th...Age 78
(First African American Collegiate coach to win an NCAA national championship in 1984...coached the Georgetown Hoyas from 1972-1999...Head Coach of the 1988 American men's Olympic basketball team in Seoul, South Korea...inducted in the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006)
Tom Seaver
August 31st...Age 75
(American Baseball Pitcher...known as "Tom Terrific" ....career Major League Pitcher from 1967-1986...1967 National League Rookie of the Year...
winner of 3 Cy Young Awards...12 time All-Star...holds the records of total number of wins on the New York Mets ...a member of the 1969 World Series Champs "The Miracle Mets"...played for the Mets from 1967-1977 and again in 1983....Mets retired #41 in his honor..played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1977-1982...pitched a no-hitter in 1978...total career wins 311...elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992)
September
Lou Brock
September 6th...Age 81
(American Baseball player...career lasted 18 years...2 with the Chicago Cubs, and 16 with the St. Louis Cardinals...a six time All-Star...National League Stolen Base leader 1966-69 and again from 1971-74...a member of Baseball's elite 3,000 hit club (3,023)...played for 2 Cardinal World Series championships in 1964 and 1967...Cardinals retired his #20 in 1979...elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985...on his first year of eligibility)
Kevin Dobson
September 6th...Age 77
(American actor best known for his role as "Detective Bobby Crocker" in the TV series "Kojak" from 1973-1978...and in the role of "Mac McKenzie" in the TV series "Knots Landing" from 1982-1993)
Diana Rigg
September 10th...Age 82
(British actress best known for her role as "Emma Peel" in the TV series "The Avengers" from 1965-1968...alway played "Bond Girl "Teresa di Vincenzo" the wfie of James Bond in the film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" in 1969)
 |
September 18th...Age 87
(Justice of the US Supreme Court appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993...known as a liberal member of the Court, she was widely known for the advancement of gender equality and women's rights)
Roy Head
September 21st...Age 79
American singer....member of the group "Roy Head & The Traits"...best known for the 1965 hit "Treat Her Right")
Tommy DeVito
September 21st...Age 92
(Founding member of "The Four Seasons"...inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 1990...inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999...the story of the Four Seasons was immortalized in the Broadway hit "Jersey Boys")
Gale Sayers
September 22nd...Age 77
(Professional football player...the youngest man to ever be elected to the NFL Hall of Fame...known as "The Kansas Comet"....Chicago Bears retired his #40...one of the greatest professional football players of all time)
Jay Johnstone
September 26th...Age 74
(Major League baseball player with numerous teams...known as one of the game's best pranksters and loved by his teammates....examples included his placing a soggy brownie inside Steve Garvey's first base mitt, setting teammates' cleats on fire (known as "hot-footing"), cutting out the crotch area of Rick Sutcliffe's underwear, locking Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda in his office during spring training, once dressing up along with teammate, Jerry Reuss, as groundskeepers to drag the Dodger Stadium infield in the fifth inning and then hitting a pinch-hit home run when Dodger manager, Tommy Lasorda, tried to show him up while imposing a fine to both players for being out of uniform, nailing teammates' cleats to the floor, and replacing the celebrity photos in manager Lasorda's office with pictures of himself. One time, during pre-game warm ups, he climbed atop the Dodger dugout and, in full game uniform, walked through the field boxes at Dodger Stadium to the concession stand and got a hot dog. He also once dressed up in Lasorda's uniform (with padding underneath) and ran out to the mound to talk to the pitcher while carrying Lasorda's book and a can of Slim Fast. As a baseball announcer, he once covered a microphone with a scent of stale eggs. While faking a pause for commercials during a TV interview with Yankee players Deion Sanders and Mel Hall, Johnstone tricked them into uncovering a restaurant bread basket containing a snake; both players jumped from their seats, provoking laughter all around. Many of the pranks, along with other aspects of his career, are described in the books he co-authored with sports columnist RickTalley – “Temporary Insanity”, “Over the Edge”, and “Some of My Best Friends Are Crazy”. His kind will me sorely missed...he was unique.)
Helen Reddy
September 29th...Age 78
(Australian-American 1970s singer...best known for her 1972 Number One song "I Am Woman"...other hits included "I Don't Know How to Love Him", "Delta Dawn',
& "You & Me Against the World", "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady", "Angie Baby", and "Candle in the Water"...received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1974)
Mac Davis
September 29th...Age 78
(American singer, songwriter, and actor...had a #1 Country Charted hit "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me" in 1972...starred in his TV show "The Mac Davis Show" from 1976 to 1979...starred as "Will Rogers" in the national production of "The Will Rogers Follies"...inducted in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000)
______________________
Those We Lost
October thru December 2020
October
Bob Gibson
October 2nd...Age 84
(American Major League Pitcher playing 17 years with the St. Louis Cardinals (1959-1975)...Pitched a No-Hitter in 1971...9 Time All-Star...2 Time World Series Champion...pitched 3 complete games in the 1967 World Series...ended his career with a lifetime Earned Run Average of 2.91...in 1968 his ERA was 1.12...winner of the Cy Young Award in 1968 and 1970...World Series MVP in 1964 and 1967...received 9 Golden Globe Awards...Career of 3,117 Strikeouts...elected to the Major League Hall of Fame on the First Ballot in 1981 with 84% of the ballots...St. Louis Cardinals Retired his #45 in 1975....Named the Major League All-Century Team in 1999...was perhaps one of the most dominant and feared Major League pitchers of all time)
Eddie Van Halen
October 6th...Age 65
(Dutch-American musician, songwriter, producer and inventor owning three patents regarding guitars...in 2012 he was voted by Guitar World as the #1 in the liste of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time"...founder of the group "Van Halen" along with brother, Alex Van Halen, Mark Stone, and David Lee Roth in 1974...invented the guitar technique "tapping")
Johnny Nash
October 6th...Age 80
(American singer who had his greatest hits with a "Jamaican reggae sound" including "Hold Me Tight" in 1968 and "I Can See Clearly Now" in 1972)
Tom Kennedy
October 7th...Age 93
(American talk show host...primarily known as the host of the TV show "Name That Tune" from 1974-1981...brother of fellow game show host Jack Narz))
Whitey Ford
October 8th...Age 91
(American League pitcher with the New York Yankees from 1950 and 1953-1967...won Cy Young Award and World Series MVP in 1961...pitched in 10 World Series for the Yankees...career record of 206 wins and 136 losses, the highest winning percentage in baseball....Yankees retired #16 in 1974...elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 along with his friend Mickey Mantle...known as "Slick" by his drinking pals Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin)
Joe Morgan
October 11th...Age 77
(Major League Baseball player...2nd baseman for the "Big Red Machine" with the Cincinnati Reds World Series Champions in 1975 and 1976...National League MVP in 1975 and 1976...major league career lasted 21 years, spending 10 of them with the Houston Astros and 8 years with the Cincinnati Reds....made All-Star Team in 10 years...5 Golden Glove Awards...elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1987 and Houston Astros Hall of Fame in 2019...elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame on first ballot with 81.8% of the vote in 1990...named to the Major League All-Century Team in 1999)
Conchata Ferrell
October 12th...Age 77
(American actress...best known for her role as "Berta" in the 12 year TV series "Two & a Half Men"...received 2 Prime Time Emmys" nominations for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in Comedy Series in 2005 and 2007)
Marge Champion
October 21st...Age 101
(American Dancer known for her numerous dance numbers with former husband, Gower Champion....was the model for Snow White in the original 1937 film "Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs")
Joel Daley
October 22nd...Age 86
(Long time WLS-TV Chicago Newscaster from 1967-2005)
Sean Connery
October 31st...Age 90
(Scottish actor...best known as the original James Bonds in seven Bond films...and...father of Indiana Jones in the film "Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade"...winner of an Academy Award in 1987 as "Best Supporting Actor" in his role as tough cop in "The Untouchables"...a man's man...shaken not stirred)
November
Len Barry
November 5th...Age 78
(American singer originally with the Dovells in their 1961 hit "Bristol Stomp" and 1963 hit "You Can't Sit Down"...1965 single hit "1-2-3)
Norm Crosby
November 7th...Age 93
(American stand-up comedian...."The Master of Malaprop)
Alex Trebek
November 8th...Age 80
(Canadian who was the host of Jeopardy since 1984...winner of 7 Emmy Awards)
Lynn Kelllogg
November 12th...Age 77
American singer & actress...played the role of "Sheila" in the original Broadway production of "Hair"....was a supporting actress in the Elvis Presley film "Charro"...winner of Peabody award for children's daytime TV on animals)
Paul Hornung
November 13th...Age 84
(American football player...Heisman Trophy winner in 1956...running back for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-1966...4 NFL championship seasons...including the winner of Super Bowl I...NFL MVP in 1961...member of the 1960s NFL "All Decade Team"...elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985...elected to the NFL Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1986...Green Bay Packers retired #5....referred to as "The Golden Boy")
Abby Dalton
November 23rd...Age 88
(American actress...best known for her role as nurse "Martha Hale" in the TV series "Hennesey from 1958-1962 and "Julia Cumson" in the TV series "Falcon Crest" from 1981-1986)
Tony Hsieh
November 27th...Age 46
(Founder and CEO of Zappo's)
December
Rafer Johnson
December 2nd...age 86
(Winner of the 1960 Olympic Decathlon...won Silver Medal in 1956...was the 1960 American flag bearer at the Rome Olympics in 1960...lit the Olympic caldron in Las Angeles in 1984...a notable aspect of his life was that he, George Pimpton, and Rosey Grier tackled Sirhan Sirhan following the assassination of Robert Kennedy in June, 1968)
David Lander
December 4th...age 73
(American actor best known for his role as "Squiggy" in the TV series "Lavergne & Shirley")
Chuck Yeager
December 7th...age 97
(The first man to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947...enlisted as a private Army Air Corps in 1941 and retired as a Brigadier General in 1975...inducted in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973)
Charlie Pride
December 12th...age 86
(American Country & Western star....had 52 Top 10 hits on the Country charts between 1966-1987...named Country Music Entertainer of the Year in 1971...inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000)
Chad Stuart
December 20th...age 79
(Part of the 60s British duo "Chad & Jeremy"...with hit songs that included "Yesterday's Gone" and "A Summer Song" and "Willow Weep for Me")
Phil Niekro
December 26th...age 81
(American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher for 24 seasons, retiring at the age of 48 with 318 career wins...known for his amazing knuckle ball that accounted for 3,342 strikeouts over his career...pitched one no-hitter...Atlanta Braves retired his number 35...named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 with over 80% of the vote)
Joe Clark
December 29th...age 82
(The Principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey....the subject of the 1989 file "Lean on Me" starring Morgan Freeman...gained public attention in the 1980s for his unconventional and controversial disciplinary measures as the principal of Eastside High)
Phyllis McGuire
December 29th...age 89
(The Last Remaining member of The McGuire Sisters...best known for the songs "Sugartime" and "Sincerely")
Dawn Wells
December 30th...age 82
(American actress who will forever be known as "Mary Ann Summers" on the CBS hit sitcom "Gilligan's Island" from 1964-1967...the former Miss Nevada in 1959 representing Nevada in the 1960 "Miss America" pageant)
Just Where Did the Song
"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"
Originate ???
This is the most popular version as to how "Rudolph" got his Red Nose...
...involving a man named Robert Lewis May.
Robert L. May
(July 27, 1905--August 10, 1976)
Bob May worked as a catalog advertising copywriter for Montgomery Ward & Company when the company, recognizing his skills in poetry, asked him for ideas on a booklet of illustrated poems as a promotional give away.
His wife, Evelyn, had been seriously ill since 1937 before her death in July, 1939, leaving him to raise their 4 year old daughter, Barbara.
Ironically, May's wife, Evelyn, was Jewish.
It was in 1939, during his wife's illness, that he began writing a book about his painfully shy childhood...
...choosing a deer as its central character.
Why a deer?
The family resided in Chicago, and little Barbara loved the deer at the Chicago zoo.
When his wife Evelyn passed away, the Montgomery Ward bosses decided to take May off the book assignment to allow him to grieve; but he refused the offer, completing a poem in 1939.
According to a Paul Harvey "Rest of the Story" article, little Barbara was then recruited to help in development of the story to make sure Rudolph would appeal to children.
May would read to her his verses and if she inquired about the meaning of any words, he would simplify the vocabulary.
May pitched his story to Montgomery Ward executives about the ugly duckling reindeer with three possible names...
Rollo...Reginald...and... Rudolph.
At first the company turned down the idea and asked May to return with a second draft.
When May came back with his improved story that included sketches by an illustrator, the company executive accepted it, naming the red nosed reindeer, Rudolph !
...and the rest is history.
The "Rudolph" poem was then distributed to shoppers during the 1939 holiday season....because it was less expensive than giving them coloring books as they had been doing for years....
...and the shoppers LOVED IT....
...so much so that Montgomery Ward distributed 2.4 million copies during their 1939 and 1946 holiday promotion period.
World War II had restrictions that did not allow distribution between 1940 through 1945.
The year 1946 proved to be such a financial success for the company that the executives awarded May with the copyrights of his popular Christmas story.
Once he received the copyrights, he approached a man named Harry Ebaum the head of Maxton Publishers, a small publishing company, in 1947, to print an updated edition.
Other publishers had passed on the book, believing that the previous millions of copies given away free, had ruined any possibility of future sales.
Harry Ebaum was RIGHT...those who passed...were WRONG.
The book became an immediate best seller.
Since then the story of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer has been released world wide in twenty-five languages.
In 1949 Johnny Marks, May’s brother-in-law, adapted the story to music..
...and "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" was immortalized by singing cowboy star, Gene Autry.
Over two million copies of the recording sold, second only to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas".
In 1958, Johnny Marks wrote another tune about his Christmas reindeer. It was recorded by the legendary Chuck Berry, and titled "Run Run Rudolph". It became even more popular as the title song in the hit film, "Home Alone".
Robert May lived to see millions of children read his poem, and there hasn't been a Christmas since 1949 when "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" hasn't been heard or seen guiding a sleigh with a man and "eight tiny reindeers" in the moonlight each Christmas Eve bringing kids their treasures year after year.
On Behalf of My Friends...
Santa & Rudolph
Dick Arendt
_______________________________
50 Years Have Passed
Many of Them Have Passed
but
The Message Remains the Same
______________________
Slavery History Bares Many Unknown Facts
Slavery was wrong, a terrible wrong, but it existed well beyond American history.
It has existed in the world for thousands of years, the making one specific group responsible for it, needs to be clarified...
...that holding those responsible in our nation for an institution that ended with the 13th amendment to the US Constitution that was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865 and ratified on December 6, 1865...
...is both irresponsible and WRONG.
Some basic facts:
Whites enslaved whites in Europe for centuries before the first black was brought to the Western hemisphere. The Romans enslaved Christians.
Asians enslaved Europeans.
Asians enslaved other Asians.
Africans enslaved other Africans and even today, in North Africa blacks continue to enslave other blacks.
Slavery has existed since the Old Testament Biblical times. Egypt enslaved Jews.
A bit of history that is conveniently ignored:
Between 1500 and the 1860s at least 12 million Africans were brought to the ‘New World’ of the Americas.
Of these 12 million forced into slavery, less than 500,000 were brought to North America. The remaining 2,500,000 Africans went to South America and the Caribbean.
By the mid-1600s Europeans were outnumbered by Africans in cities such as Mexico City, Havana and Lima.
A few more historical facts:
1.The first legal slave owner in American history was a black tobacco farmer named Anthony Johnson.
2. North Carolina’s largest slave holder in 1860 was a black plantation owner named William Ellison.
3. American Indians owned thousands of black slaves.
4. In 1830 there were 3,775 free black people who owned 12,740 black slaves.
5. Many black slaves were allowed to hold jobs, own businesses and own real estate.
6. Brutal black on black slavery was common in Africa for thousands of years.
7. Most slaves brought from Africa to America were purchased from black slave owners.
8. Irish slaves were also brought to the south.
And turning to the present:
1. Former President Barack Obama is the direct paternal descendant of slave owners.
2. CNN's Anderson Cooper, is the son of heiress Gloria Vanderbilt; his family were slave owners.
3. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, removing Lee and Jackson statues from the Empire State, seems to have forgotten New York is named for one of the most notorious slave traders in history, the Duke of York.
4. Before defacing and tearing down statues became the latest fad, Virginia's Gov. Terry McAuliffe, characterized the Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson statues on Richmond's Monument Avenue as "parts of our heritage."
After Charlottesville, McAuliffe re-characterized them as "flash points for hatred, division and violence."
5. Blacks who were never slaves, and Whites, primarily associated with a liberal Democratic party are fighting ...over Confederate statues erected by southern Democrats.
6. Recently the brilliant Democrat leaders all took an eight minute knee to honor George Floyd wearing an African scarf.
The scarfs that they had draped around their necks were the colors and design of the African Ashanti tribe, one of the largest marketers of slavery ever.
As you can see, there is always more to a story.
From Hal Sacks...to...Anthem Opinions
There is an old adage that says....One shouldn’t speak about someone or something you have not experienced.
That being said....Thanks for leading your charge of opinions and views at Anthem Opinions.
All the best in your future endeavors.
Hal, there's another thought.
Don't rewrite history.
All this was taken from qualified information and research.
That being said...
Thanks for your kind words.
______________________
The April 3,1969 Presentation of G. Edward Griffin
Discussing a 1958 Book
by
Manning Johnson
Who was Manning Johnson?
From 1930 to 1939, Manning Johnson was a member of the Communist Party USA; he left shortly after the announcement of the Hitler-Stalin Pact.
He served as a national organizer for the Trade Union Unity League.
From 1931 to 1932, he served as a District agitation propaganda director for Buffalo, New York
From 1932 to 1934, he was district organizer for Buffalo.
In 1935, Manning Johnson ran as a Communist Party candidate for New York's 22nd Congressional District for the United States House of Representatives.
From 1936 to 1939, he served on the Party's National Committee, National Trade Union Commission, and Negro Commission.
Johnson claimed later to have left the Communist Party because of his original religiosity, his disagreement with the Party's promotion of Soviet Negro Republic in the "Black Belt" of the USA, and the insincerity of the Party in saving the Scottsboro Boys.
The Scottsboro Boys were nine African American teenagers, ages 13 to 19, accused in Alabama of raping two white women on a train in 1931.
The landmark set of legal cases from this incident dealt with racism and the right to a fair trial.
The cases included a lynch mob before the suspects had been indicted, all-white juries, rushed trials, and disruptive mobs.
Charges were finally dropped for four of the nine defendants. Sentences for the rest ranged from 75 years to death.
All but two served prison sentences; all were released or escaped by 1946.
One was shot while being escorted to prison by a Sheriff's Deputy and permanently disabled.
Two escaped, were later charged with other crimes, convicted, and sent back to prison.
Clarence Norris, the oldest defendant and the only one sentenced to death in the final trial, "jumped parole" in 1946 and went into hiding. He was found in 1976 and pardoned by Governor George Wallace, by which time the case had been thoroughly analyzed and shown to be an injustice.
It is commonly cited as an example of a miscarriage of justice in the United States legal system.
Johnson stated in his book:
And now...Mr. Griffin's 1968 commentary:
Mr. Johnson died on June 16, 1959, the result of an automobile accident; however, before that fateful day, he recorded a farewell address: It's a bit long, but you decide...
Was he right ? Did he envision 2020?
You decide.
____________________
Do Khrushchev's Words Ring Loud in 2020?
Looking at the Effects of a Socialistic Society in America
The date was September 29, 1959...61 years ago on this date.
This was his entire quote:
"Your children's children will live under communism. You Americans are so gullible.
No, you won't accept communism outright; but we will keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you will finally wake up and find you already have Communism.
We will not have to fight you; We will so weaken your economy, until you will fall like overripe fruit into our hands.
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
Just how does a socialistic society work?
1. Socialism benefits the few at the expense of the many:
Socialism is superior to capitalism in one primary way: It offers more security.
It's almost like an extremely expensive insurance policy that dramatically cuts into your quality of life, but insures that if worse comes to worse, you won't drop below a very minimal lifestyle.
For the vast majority of people, this would be a terrible deal.
On the other hand, if you're lazy, completely incompetent or alternately, just have a streak of very bad luck, the meager benefits provided by socialism may be very appealing.
So a socialist society forces the many to suffer in order to make it easier for the few. It's just as Winston Churchill once stated:
"The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries."
A government in a capitalist economy can quite easily give everyone equality of opportunity with a few basic laws and regulations, but socialism strives to create equality of results.
You can see this happening in America as our efforts to reduce "inequality" have led to an ever expanding government and a vast regulatory tangle that is almost unexplainable despite the fact that it is certainly enforceable.
Capitalism encourages people to start a business and build a better life for themselves while socialism lays in wait with IRS agents, nooses made of red tape and meddling bureaucrats looking for businesses to control and loot.
3. Capitalism leads to innovation:
Coming up with new products is often time consuming, expensive and hit or miss. Nine ideas may fail before that tenth one takes off.
The less the creative people behind these ideas are allowed to benefit, the less time, money and effort they'll put into developing new concepts and inventions.
Put another way, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward has to be to convince people to take it.
Capitalism offers big rewards for productive people while socialism offers makers only a parade of bureaucratic leeches who want to take advantage of their "good fortune."
4. Capitalism produces more economic growth:
Capitalism produces considerably more economic growth than socialism.
A fast growing economy produces more jobs, more wealth and helps everyone.
Many people assume that capitalism isn't working if there are still poor people, but that misses the point.
In many parts of the world, poverty means living in a hut with a dirt floor while in America, most poor Americans have TVs, refrigerators and cell phones.
The rich may take home a larger share of the pie in capitalism, but the poor also benefit tremendously from living in a growing, thriving economy.
Capitalism is extremely good at allocating capital to where it's most valued. It has to be.
Either you give people what they are willing to pay for or someone else will.
On the other hand, socialism is slow and stupid for a variety of reasons.
Because the government is spending someone else's money, it doesn’t get particularly concerned about losing money.
Political concerns about appearances often trump the effectiveness of a program. Moreover, even if politicians and bureaucrats are intelligent and competent, which are big "ifs," they're simply not going to have the specific knowledge needed to make decisions that may impact thousands of different industries.
This is why capitalism may have its share of troubles, but when there are really colossal economic screw-ups, you'll always find the government neck deep in the whole mess.
This is very true and it means that the more capital that is taken out of the economy and distributed, the more of it that will be wasted.
The market does a considerably better job of allocating resources than the government because there are harsh penalties for failure.
A company that makes products no one wants will go out of business.
A poorly performing government program that wastes a hundred times more money will probably receive a bigger budget the next year.
7. Capitalism works in concert with human nature while socialism works against it:
A man will work much harder to take care of himself, his family and his friends than he will to make money for the state, which will then waste most of it before redistributing it to people.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Got a comment?
Send it to us at:
From David Palmer...to...Anthem Opinions
Great article discussing the superiority of capitalism. Thanks !
Failure to learn from History means you're doomed to make the same mistakes over and over
To paraphrase Margaret Thatcher: socialism is great until you run out of other people's money
And let's not forget the words of Josef Goebbels:Tell a lie long enough, and eventually people believe it.
From Robert Latchford...to...Anthem Opinions
Thanks, Dick, for the great article comparing Khrushchev’s predictions of several decades ago.
I trust I am not the only one still above the grass to recall his rants while using his shoe as a gavel to emphasize and foretell how his Marxist system will gradually make serious inroads into our government and nation.
The seven comparisons pointing out the differences between socialism and our free enterprise system illustrates how excessive government controls can never replace personal ingenuity; however, if unchecked, it could result in serious if not irreparable damage to our economy and more importantly, the lifestyle free market capitalism provides.
As he predicted, the former Soviet make it clear that their system would seep its way into virtually every aspect of our every day lives and as the influence grows, will receive support from the government through higher taxes and additional heavily staffed agencies.
Most leftist anarchist groups use versions of a playbook designed to promote class warfare, instill regimented healthcare, control public education by using unions to set the curriculum, and by all means, discourage or eliminate the importance of religion and traditional family structure.
They employ professional agitators to initiate disruption, and even manage to finance funding to get "their” candidates put in office .
They hold weak business executives hostage for mega contributions, and use high profile entertainers and athletes as spokespersons.
Does this sound familiar?
To their thinking, elimination of the middle class through taxation and legislation, more revenue would be available to promote their agenda.
Possibly the worst feature of Marxism is the ability of the individual to determine one’s own course.
Under the pseudo security blanket, one loses all incentive to improve his or her lives or one’s family, so mediocrity becomes the norm and innovation is lost.
I don't think we want to wind up like Venezuela or many European nations who sacrificed their sovereignty to internationalism, but that is another story.
Let’s get our house in order by choosing candidates based on ability, not longevity.
_______________________
The Holiest Day of the Jewish Faith
Many of you might be aware that I am a Catholic married to a lovely woman of the Jewish faith.
Over the many years, we have respected our individual religions, and for those of you in inter-faith marriages, so many of us know little of the faith of others.
This article is not for our Jewish friends. My knowledge and respect of Jewish traditions knows full well, they are more than familiar with the meanings of their traditions.
Instead it's for those of other faiths who might wish to know something about this holiest of Jewish holidays.
Yom Kippur, also known as The Day of Atonement, is the most solemn of Jewish religious holidays, observed on the 10th day of the lunar month of Tishri (in the course of September and October), when Jews seek to atone for their sins and achieve reconciliation with God.
Yom Kippur concludes the “10 days of repentance” that began with Rosh Hashana (New Year’s Day) on the first day of Tishri.
The purpose of Yom Kippur is to effect individual and collective purification by the practice of forgiveness of the sins of others and by sincere repentance for one’s own sins against God.
In 2020, Yom Kippur is observed from sunset on September 27th through sunset on September 28th.
Yom Kippur is marked by abstention from food, drink, work, and sex.
Jewish congregations spend the eve of Yom Kippur and the entire day in prayer and meditation.
On the eve of Yom Kippur the Kol Nidre is recited.
Famous for its beautiful melody, the Kol Nidre is a declaration annulling all vows made during the course of the year insofar as they concern oneself (obligations toward others are excluded).
Friends also ask and accept forgiveness from one another for past offenses on the evening of Yom Kippur, since obtaining forgiveness from one’s fellows signifies God’s forgiveness.
God is believed to forgive the sins of those who sincerely repent and show their repentance by improved behavior and performance of good deeds.
If you saw the 1980 movie, "The Jazz Singer", Neil Diamond performed this hymn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkV-NxneJT0
The services on Yom Kippur itself last continuously from morning to evening and include readings from the Torah and the reciting of penitential prayers.
Torah, in Judaism, in the broadest sense, is the substance of divine revelation to Israel, the Jewish people:
God’s revealed teaching or guidance for humankind.
The meaning of “Torah” is often restricted to signify the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), also called the Law (or the Pentateuch, in Christianity), also known as the "Five Books of Moses".
Jewish, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant canons all agree on their order: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Yizkor, which are memorial prayers for the recently deceased, may also be recited by members of the congregation.
The services end with closing prayers and the blowing of the ritual horn known as the shofar.
The Shofar is a ritual musical instrument, made from the horn of a ram or other animal, used on important Jewish public and religious occasions.
In biblical times the shofar sounded the Sabbath, announced the New Moon, and proclaimed the anointing of a new king.
The shofar is also sounded on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in addition to Rosh Hashanah, as a call for repentance and sacrifice and for love of the Torah.
Before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the high priest performed an elaborate sacrificial ceremony in the Temple, successively confessing his own sins, the sins of priests, and the sins of all Israel.
Clothed in white linen, he then entered the "Holy of Holies"..
...the innermost and most sacred area of the Temple of Jerusalem, which was only assessable to the Israelite high priest.
Once a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, he was permitted to enter the square, windowless enclosure to burn incense and sprinkle sacrificial animal blood. By this act, the most solemn of the religious year, the high priest atoned for his own sins and those of the priesthood.
At the end of the day, it is customary for one to greet the other with the wish...
"A Happy New Year & a Good Sealing" (the sealing of the divine decree concerning each life, for the following year.
To all our friends of the Jewish faith, Anthem Opinions wish you:
From Rana Goodman..to...Anthem Opinions
BEAUTIFULLY DONE, thank you for sending it, I will be lighting the candles at sundown.
Yiskor, by the way, can be said for all that passed no matter how long ago..
My candles are lit for the many in my family that have passed, friends too and especially for my parents and son.
Hugs, and blessings to Marla for a healthy and happy New Year.
From Jill from Chicago...to...Anthem Opinions
Thanks so much Dick.
Thanks for this. It’s beautifully written, and so comprehensive.
Today is a somber day, with much to think about.
From Renee Rosenberg...to...Anthem Opinions
Dick-if you want to post this, it's up to you.
Thank you for writing such a beautiful piece about the holiest of holidays-.really appreciate it.
As you know I am a Jew.
Yesterday during our holiest of holy holidays I decided to find on youtube a Kol Neidre service to observe my Jewish faith for Yom Kippur.
I found a video--great music with our normal prayers from a temple in Boynton Beach, Florida.
The music was terrific-the scenery of Israel was just breathtaking.
I was really getting into enjoying my holiday from my TV on youtube.
In the middle of the service the Rabbi started a sermon.
He praised Ruth Bader Ginsberg for what an outstanding justice she was, which I agree with that she was a trail blazer, but did not agree with most of her decisions.
Now as you have stated, these 10 days of the Jewish faith are a time of reflection and forgiveness.
So you can imagine that when Rabbi Barry Silver of congregation L'Dor Vador started bashing our president, I was outraged.
This is how the country is supposed to heal when a man of God during this very holy day bashes our president on zoom and congregants there and gives his opinion of what should happen for this country?
I am appalled and I will be writing a letter to the congregation.
Thank You
Renee, this is a Day of Atonement, yet there are those who, despite a tribute to a holy day, seem to ignore that and instead concentrate on continuing politics at its worst.
Sadly, that hatred continues all over the country. One can only hope that somehow our country can heal.
Our existence as a lawful and peaceful society depends on it.
________________________
Some History Can't Be Rewritten
The results of a nationwide survey that shows many Americans don’t know the true facts surrounding the Holocaust, is rather astonishing, and in my opinion proved how ignorant the youth of our nation is about one of the worst offenses against humanity....
Adolph Hitler's Final Solution
America, this latest study should make you ashamed of a number of historical aspects of our educational system; and here in Nevada, these latest statistics more then prove my point.
Read them and weep, Nevada.
This Nevada survey sadly reflects most individuals between ages 18-39 across the United States.
15% percent of Nevada respondents and 11% nationally believed that “Jews caused the Holocaust.”
63% of respondents nationally and 54% of respondents in Nevada didn’t know that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust; however, with 46% who did, Nevada ranked fourth nationwide in a comparison of states in which respondents did know that fact.
A total of 24% in Nevada and 23% nationally believe that the Holocaust happened but the number of Jews who died in it has been greatly exaggerated, is a myth and did not happen, or they weren’t sure.
The survey said 48% of respondents nationally and 43% in Nevada could not name any of the 40,000 concentration camps, death camps or ghettos in Europe during the Holocaust.
49% nationally and 56% in Nevada said they’ve seen Holocaust denial or distortion on social media or online, while, 56% nationally and 70% in Nevada say they’ve seen Nazi symbols in their communities or on social media platforms within the past five years.
Most respondents however, recognized the value of Holocaust education.
64% nationally and 62% in Nevada believe Holocaust education should be compulsory in school, and 80% nationally and 78% in Nevada said it’s important to continue teaching about the Holocaust, in part so that it never takes place again.
The findings “demonstrate the importance and urgency of implementing the recently enacted Never Again Education Act, bipartisan legislation I introduced to provide educators with the tools to teach our students the important lessons of the Holocaust,” according to Senator Jackie Rosen.
From Marilyn Horween...to...Anthem Opinions
Great blog today. Thank you.
From Pual & Ellen Chrstiansen...to...Anthem Opinions
Excellent articles on Holocaust and NFL.
Too many of our young people have not been taught history.
They have been taught to hate America and all we stand for as a nation.
They have no concept of the suffering of the Jewish people, the people of Europe, and the sacrifices made by our troops.
We agree with everything Col. Jeffery Powers wrote in his letter to Goodall. The NFL is a disgrace.
My husband has been a football fan for 60 years and will never watch another NFL game.
It is time for people to stand up and say no more disrespecting our flag and our National Anthem.
__________________
Watching the NFL Insult America
on the Day Our National Anthem Was Written
While getting comfy in my lounge chair to watch the NFL games on Sunday, September 13th, I, like many of us in America, witnessed various members of the NFL teams "take a knee" or refuse to enter the field while the OFFICIAL National Anthem was being played...
...and I was reminded that September 13th also happened to be the 206th anniversary of the writing of the poem by Francis Scott Key that eventually became our National Anthem...
Francis Scott Key
..and...
...I was sad !
I was sad because a group of individuals who were enjoying the fruits of those who preceded them in death while defending their nation, were being insulted...
...on the day many at Ft. McHenry...American patriots...likely many not owning or even remotely able to financially own slaves, were dying...for a nation they believed must survive any and all attacks.
As a result, I thought I would pen this article to look at what those individuals desecrated on Sunday...and...likely will continue to do so, as long as American dollars are used to support such despicable actions toward our nation.
Why was Key in the harbor witnessing the attack on Ft. McHenry?
One of the causes of the War of 1812 was the British tendency to capture American seamen and enslave them into service aboard British vessels.
...and Key, an attorney, was trying to secure the release of American prisoners who were being held aboard a British flagship.
Key’s efforts were successful, but the British officers refused to let the Americans return to shore right away.
Why?
They worried that the British plan to attack Baltimore would be revealed.
As a result, the men were detained aboard an American "truce ship" until the bombardment of Ft. McHenry was over.
You have to wonder how Key felt, helplessly behind the British fleet, knowing his fellow countrymen were about to be attacked...
...but the next morning as the sun began to rise, he was stunned at what he witnessed while gazing at the ruins of Ft. McHenry.
The flag of his country was still flying !
The flag that Key saw was a huge, oversized flag specifically requested by the fort’s commander, Major George Armistead.
Major George Armistead
Each star measured 24 inches from point to point.
Today, it is on display in Washington DC's Smithsonian Institute.
Today, it is on display in Washington DC's Smithsonian Institute.
The Major wanted a big flag to ensure that the “British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance.”
Key had no difficulty, either! Years later he spoke of his experience:
“Through the clouds of war, the stars of that banner still shone in his view, and he saw the discomfited host of its assailants driven back in ignominy to their ships. Then, in that hour of deliverance, and joyful triumph, the heart spoke; and Does not such a country and such defenders of their country, deserve a song? was its question. With it came an inspiration not to be resisted . . . .”
Key quickly jotted down the words to a poem, refined it, and showed it to a judge.
Soon, a local newspaper obtained it. The poem was printed, along with instructions that it should be sung to the tune of “Anacreon in Heaven.”
Here's the song he referenced:
As the decades passed, it was increasingly used as an unofficial national anthem. It gained that title officially in 1931.
That's what I choose to remember on September 13th, not day long football games beginning with insulting the American flag many have died for over the years.
Did any of you notice that no History Channel tributes were aired to honor our flag on that day?
Let's conclude this look at American history by looking at those individuals who insulted it by doing what they did on Sunday, September 13th....
...and act accordingly toward them.
Yes, they are entitled to free speech under our Constitution, but like them, we, the Americans who love and treasure those of the past who gave us what we have today, have that right as well.
And...
I am exercising that right now...by telling them, their team owners, and those who use advertising dollars to support them for what they do...
...to do so without the help of those who do love their country.
Good-Bye NFL...may you rest in the mayhem you have allowed to create.
THIS VIDEO, sent to me by a friend, expresses the feeling of the real Americans...and...I thank him for sending it to me.
I hope you will take a few moments and view it.
Got a comment?
Send it to us at:
From Linda Dawson...to...Anthem Opinions
Fabulous piece!
Fabulous piece!
From John Schmidt...to...Anthem Opinions
My feelings exactly.
My feelings exactly.
From Cary Chubin of Ft. Lauderdale, FL...to...Anthem Opinions
I did notice a recent Gallup poll which indicates pro sports are the second least popular industry (behind pharmaceutical).
Unfortunately, the popularity falls along political lines.
Democrats continue to support sports, while Republicans and Independents have become more negative:
I did notice a recent Gallup poll which indicates pro sports are the second least popular industry (behind pharmaceutical).
Unfortunately, the popularity falls along political lines.
Democrats continue to support sports, while Republicans and Independents have become more negative:
-
From Marcia Kosterka...to...Anthem Opinions
This is an excellent article, but is the "tip of the iceberg".
These athletes are making millions of dollars, living in the lap of luxury, in the best country in the world.
Peaceful protests are one thing, but spitting on the flag of the very country that has afforded them their lifestyle is unacceptable.
If they hate our country so much, perhaps they should move to some other country to see how well their lifestyle lasts.
NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, caved in and is a disgrace! He should resign! -
From Peter Hudson...to...Anthem Opinions
Thank you for giving me this information to read, watch and a moment to reflect of what my Flag, National Anthem represents, and means to me. Thank you..
From Lorraine Hunt Bono...former Nevada Lt. Governor...to...Anthem Opinions
Great job! I will pass it on!
Thank you, Lorraine
Great job! I will pass it on!
Thank you, Lorraine
From Lou Gazzara...former American Idol Finalist & Star of Vegas: The Show...to...Anthem Opinions
Nicely said.
Nicely said.
From Jo Ellen Christensen...to...Anthem Opinions
Marcia Kosterka said it well.
Enough of this.
Turn off the sports, read a good book, take a walk, call a friend who is shut in with health issues, or offer to shop for someone who needs help.
Marcia Kosterka said it well.
Enough of this.
Turn off the sports, read a good book, take a walk, call a friend who is shut in with health issues, or offer to shop for someone who needs help.
From Christine Howard...to...Anthem Opinions
Excellent article!
Thank you for writing-much appreciated!
Excellent article!
Thank you for writing-much appreciated!
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From Charlie Wong...to...Anthem Opinions
Good Afternoon Dick.
Excellent article about the NFL, I already decided not to watch any of the games for this season.
Especially the the different treatment of Tim Tebow for taking a kneel to honor God and they crucified him for doing that.
Also the piece you wrote about National Anthem, the history the struggle, and the true patriots who defended our flag.
Thanks again Dick for your wonderful article about the history of our Flag.
______________________
Fraud in Nevada Mail-In Ballots?
The Nevada secretary of state’s office is warning residents about inaccurate voting information being distributed by the U.S. Postal Service.
The Postal Service mailed voters a postcard with information on how to vote by mail, including how soon to request an absentee ballot, and Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske said in a statement Saturday that the postcard contains false information.
“Pursuant to Assembly Bill 4 recently passed by the Nevada Legislature and signed by Governor Sisolak, all active registered voters in Nevada will automatically receive mail-in ballot for the 2020 general election,” the statement read. “
Voters who wish to vote by mail do not need to request a mail in or absentee ballot this year. Additionally, all ballot return envelopes are postage prepaid, meaning voters do not need to add any postage to their ballot return envelope in order to vote by mail.”
The office said it was not told about the postcards before they were mailed or consulted for input.
It was learned that postcards were mailed to every mailing address in the county, and some households already might have received them and just discovered on Friday, September 11, 2020, and is expected to be received by EVERY ADDRESS within the next week.
The governor’s office could not be reached for comment.
______________________
Labor Day
It all Began in 1882
Labor Day is a celebration that is thought to have begun on May 14, 1882 when a proposal was made in New York by the Central Labor Union for a festival in early September to celebrate the emerging American Labor movement that had become quite powerful during that period of American history.
As to who gets the actual credit for its creation, is still a matter for discussion...and...Irish argument !
Was it a man named Matthew Maguire, a machinist, who first proposed a Labor Day holiday while serving as Secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York...
Matthew Maguire
...or was it Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter and member of the American Federation of Labor who put forward the actual proposal after witnessing a festival for labor in Toronto, Canada?
Peter J. McGuire
No matter who gets the actual credit, it became the beginning of the Labor movement in the 1870s as we know it today.
Sweatshops, child labor, and low wages were the norm in America, and the "pot boiled over" in 1877 when a group of Pennsylvania miners formed a secret association called the "Molly Maguires" who violently protested the conditions by burning buildings and murdering bosses and county officials. Eventually 10 members of that organization would be apprehended and hanged for the crimes they instigated and committed.
In that same year a group of unorganized railroad workers would also strike due to a 10% wage cut, the second they had suffered since the "Panic of 1873", the worst depression the United States and Europe would suffer until the "Great Depression" of the 1930s, lasting from 1873 to 1879.
President Rutherford B. Hayes...
... would eventually call in troops to settle the unauthorized strike that paralyzed the railroad industry, and by 1878 the unemployment rate in the US would reach a catastrophic 8.25%.
Building construction was halted, wages were further cut, real estate prices fell, and corporate profits vanished.
While the economy continued to weaken, another element would strike the American economy !
Due to the depression also having a drastic affect in Europe, the wave of European immigration would swell in the United States...an expansion that would continue until the 1920s.
As life in America would become difficult for many, this in turn would attract many in the labor force to organize in order to better the conditions they had been forced to endure.
The American political climate began to change, and "labor" would begin to turn to the Democratic party.
In the summer of 1882, Democratic New York gubernatorial candidate, Grover Cleveland, would state in his acceptance speech:
"The laboring classes constitute the main part of our population. They should be protected in their efforts peaceably to assert their rights when endangered by aggregated capital, and all statutes on this subject should recognize the care of the State for honest toil, and be framed with a view of improving the condition of the working man."
During 1882 the Labor Movement began to grow stronger and on May 14, 1882 a number of Labor Unions came together into one organization, The Central Labor Union, and came up with an idea to schedule a time to celebrate the emergence of their success.
They chose "Wendel's Elm Park" at 92nd Street and 9th Avenue, the largest park in New York at the time, for their event.
Within a month, they had sold over 20,000 tickets with the proceeds going to each local union that sold them.
And with those advance ticket sales, in August the Central Labor Union passed a resolution that...
"the 5th of September be proclaimed a general holiday for the workingmen in this city'"
Cleveland would subsequently be elected both our 22nd & 24th President in 1884 and again in 1892, and as the Labor movement in the country grew, another violent act in 1886 in Chicago, known as the Haymarket Riots...
...where seven police officers and one civilian were killed by labor anarchists....four of which were subsequently hanged for the murders...
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...when the call for a national day honoring the labor force would grow year by year.
For years many commuters traveled each day in Chicago as they passed by this statue located at the site of this sad event...
...until in 1969 the "Weathermen" faction placed a bomb between the legs of the policeman destroying it, until it was rebuilt by Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1970. It now rests in the courtyard of the Chicago Police Academy.
Prior to that In 1894, more civil unrest would take place, the most famous being the Pullman Strike...
...again in Chicago, a movement that would eventually cause railroads across the United States to literally come to a halt as hundreds of thousands of organized workers from various unions supported the Pullman strikers.
Labor had been victorious; it had won the hearts of the people; and six days after the conclusion of the nationwide strike, President Cleveland, in support of the Pullman strikers, signed legislation creating Labor Day as a national holiday.
126 years have passed since that historic day when President Cleveland made Labor Day "official" (149 years since Maguire or McGuire conceived the idea)....
...and because of their efforts and dedication to a righteous cause, our nation now takes one day each year to salute those who have made our country strong through the blood, sweat, and tears millions of Americans have sacrificed in their labor efforts, allowing us to enjoy the greatest lifestyle in the world.
Anthem Opinions salutes you.
So....
...enjoy a tasty BBQ on the "unofficial last day of summer".
____________________
Was Carole King a "Prophet" Back in '62?
Carole King
Was She Thinking About Life in 2020 when
she wrote this song in 1962?
Dedicated to Our Wonderful City....The One We Used to Know
_______________________
You've Come a Long Way Baby in 100 Years
One hundred years ago today, a dream that originally began 72 years prior to that historic date in 1848, became the law of the land when US Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby, certified that the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution would be a part of that historic document.
What was the 19th Amendment?
It prohibits the states and federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex...
...long referred to as Women's Suffrage.
What most people are unaware of is the long road it took for that amendment to pass dating back to pre-Revolutionary War days when several of the colonies had granted women the right to vote.
However, once the colonies became the United States of America, by 1807 every state constitution DENIED women that right.
A movement then began in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, when during a convention, the "Declaration of Sentiments" was passed, calling for sexual equality that included a provision that urged women to seek the right to vote.
Pro-suffrage organizations would eventually evolve, but each time an argument was presented to the Supreme Court, it was struck down, leaving the movement's only possibility of success to pass and ratify an amendment to the US Constitution.
...the most vocal members of that movement, being...
Susan B. Anthony
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Lucretia Mott
By the late nineteenth century, new states and territories, particularly in the West, began to grant women the right to vote.
In 1878, a suffrage proposal first was introduced to Congress, but it was rejected in 1887.
Would that stop the movement? Not in a heartbeat.
In the 1890s, suffrage organizations would continue focusing on a national amendment while still working at the state and local level...
...with new leaders emerging for their cause during the first and second decades of the 20th century.
In 1914, the amendment was once again introduced in Congress, and AGAIN, it failed, despite eight states having approved women's right to vote.
Lucy Burns
Alice Paul
Carrie Chapman Catt
President Woodrow Wilson
World War I would bring a strong surge of Suffrage support, despite President Woodrow Wilson's STRONG OPPOSITION prior to US entry.
President Woodrow Wilson
Lucy Burns and Alice Paul, through the National Woman's Party, staged marches, demonstrations, and hunger strikes, pointing out the contradictions of fighting abroad for democracy while limiting it at home by denying women the right to vote....in many cases being jailed, rather than paying fines.
Carrie Chapman Catt's National American Woman Suffrage Association would gain favor through their war efforts, making the case for woman's patriotic service worthy of suffrage.
The work of both organizations swayed public opinion, prompting President Wilson to announce his support of the suffrage amendment in 1918.
By that time, eighteen states had approved woman suffrage, and President Wilson was facing stiff opposition in the mid-term elections, and he realized that its ratification would allow 26 million women to vote in the 1920 elections.
Politics prevailed, and the amendment proposal then went to Congress for approval, requiring two-thirds of the members of both the House & Senate..for the FIRST STEP to approve inclusion in the US Constitution.
Finally, on May 21, 1919 the US House of Representatives passed the Suffrage amendment by a vote of 304-89 (42 votes more than necessary due to there being 48 states in that year).
On June 4, 1919, the US Senate passed the measure by a vote of 56-25. Due to only 81 of the 96 Senators voting, the vote carried by only 2 votes.
(76% of Republican senators voted in favor, while 60% of Democrat senators voted against it).
But it still required three-fourths of the states to ratify it !
In 1920, with 48 states voting, 36 states were required to complete the ratification process.
...and that is where the drama would climax !
The suffragettes knew that they only had one last chance at victory...the state of Tennessee. All others were committed to voting for and against the ratification, and 35 had already committed.
What would Tennessee do?
Prior to the actual vote, it was assumed that Tennessee would ratify; however, support began to dwindle. They knew that they did not have the vote and assumed that all the years of effort would once again die.
Though the Democratic governor of Tennessee, Albert Roberts, supported ratification, most lawmakers were still undecided.
Anti-suffragists targeted members, meeting their trains as they arrived in Nashville to make their case.
When the General Assembly convened on August 9, both supporters and opponents set up stations outside of chambers, handing out yellow roses to suffrage supporters and red roses to the "Antis".
On August 12, the legislature held hearings on the suffrage proposal; the next day the Senate voted 24-5 in favor of ratification.
House Speaker Seth Walker, attempted to table the ratification resolution, but was defeated twice with a vote of 48-48.
The vote on the resolution would be close.
Harry T. Burn
House Representative, Harry Burn, a 24 year old Republican, had voted to table the resolution both times. He opposed it.
....until he received a letter from his mother...
Febb Ensbinger Burn
Result....he voted FOR the measure, passing it by a SINGLE VOTE
with Tennessee becoming the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on August 18, 1920...
...sending the vote total to Washington DC, for Secretary of State Colby to seal its sanctioning on this date, August 26, 1920....100 YEARS AGO TODAY.
Suffrage leader, Alice Paul, who had begun sewing a star on the American flag as each state ratified the Amendment, was finally able to compete it by sewing it on the 36th star.
Ladies, you've come a long way, and we congratulate the pioneers of our nation (and a Tennessee mom's letter) whose dedicated efforts brought about the CHANGE we all take for granted today.
Yes indeed, ladies...
From Jan Olsen...to...Anthem Opinions
I am very proud to tell you that Alice Paul was my cousin on my Father’s side of the family.
She died in 1977 but unfortunately I never got to met her.
From all that our family reads about her, she was an amazing woman and we are proud to be her ancestors.
I am very proud to tell you that Alice Paul was my cousin on my Father’s side of the family.
She died in 1977 but unfortunately I never got to met her.
From all that our family reads about her, she was an amazing woman and we are proud to be her ancestors.
Jan, I think all of our readers are impressed. Thanks for sharing.
_________________________
Examining
the
However
Due to an alliance with...
Where does the money go?
25%
46%
Consultant Fees
Let's look a bit closer to what the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is REALLY ALL ABOUT...it's a great deal more than merely the words "Black Lives Matter".
Black Lives Matter’s fund raising machine also has an interesting link to supporters of the Democratic Party, one of which is an organization called "ActBlue".
To be fair, there are a number of groups that use the phrase “Black Lives Matter” in their name; however in this case, BlackLivesMatter.com is operated by an umbrella Black Lives Matter organization called the Black Lives Matter Global Network.
To collect donations, the website uses ActBlue Charities, a 501(c)(3) organization that specifically makes the platform available to charitable organizations.
In 2020, it was discovered that ActBlue's top political recipients were
the presidential campaigns of Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
ActBlue isn’t itself donating money.
It’s just the online platform that campaigns and groups use to solicit and collect donations.
Getting back to THOUSAND CURRENTS, Contributions made to the Black Lives Matter movement through that organization are deductible as well.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/markets/the-story-behind-thousand-currents-the-charity-that-doles-out-the-millions-of-dollars-black-lives-matter-generates-in-donations/ar-BB15Ytxo
After checking the above organizations, we then decided to visit the Black Lives Matter website itself, something we suggest all do to understand their objectives.
Within the body of their objectives, Black Lives Matter has made it clear that, as an organization, it exists to overthrow the existing order within the United States, stating on its website about its plan to “disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement” and to “foster a queer‐affirming network.”
Let's look at an individual who has been associated with Thousand Currents, the organization that SPONSORS and has an ALLIANCE with "Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation".
Susan Rosenberg
Susan Rosenberg has served as vice chair of the board of directors for Thousand Currents, an organization that provides fund raising and fiscal sponsorship for the Black Lives Matter Global Movement.
She was an active member of revolutionary left-wing movements whose illegal activities included bombing U.S. government buildings and committing armed robberies.
As recently as June 24, the date on which the Capital Research Center published their report, the Thousand Currents website listed Susan Rosenberg as vice chair of the organization’s board of directors, describing her as a “human and prison rights advocate and writer.”
The entire “board of directors” page has since been removed from the site.
Rosenberg’s prominent position within Thousand Currents is clear, as are that organization’s close links to the Black Lives Matter Global Network (and thereby the broader Black Lives Matter movement).
Originally from New York City, Rosenberg was an active member of several revolutionary left-wing groups and movements during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
In November 1984, she was arrested in Cherry Hill, New Jersey after police said she and an associate, Timothy Blunk, were found transferring 740 pounds of explosives, an Uzi submachine gun, an M-14 rifle, a rifle with a telescopic sight, a sawed-off shotgun, three 9-millimeter handguns and boxes of ammunition from a car into a storage locker.
Rosenberg was tried and convicted on the following charges:
“Conspiracy to possess unregistered firearms, receive firearms and explosives shipped in interstate commerce while a fugitive, and unlawfully use false identification documents …; possession of unregistered destructive devices, possession of unregistered firearm (two counts) …; carrying explosives during commission of a felony … ; possession with intent to unlawfully use false identification documents…; false representation of Social Security number, possession of counterfeit Social Security cards.”
In May 1985, New Jersey U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Bernard Lacey gave Rosenberg and Blunk the maximum available sentence of 58 years each in prison.
She spent 16 years in prison and was released in 2001 through executive clemency by then President Bill Clinton on his final day in office.
Her commutation produced a wave of criticism by police and New York elected officials at the time.
According to several contemporaneous news reports, Rosenberg had previously been charged with multiple offenses as part of a major 1982 conspiracy case against several prominent left-wing revolutionaries.
Along with the others, Rosenberg was charged with conspiracy and racketeering offenses in connection with the following incidents:
The 1979 prison escape of Joanne Chesimard (also known as Assata Shakur)...
...a former leader of the Black Liberation Army who had been serving a life sentence for the 1973 murder of a New Jersey State Trooper named Werner Foerster.
The 1976 attempted robbery of an armored car in Pittsburgh.
The 1980 robbery of an armored car in Manhattan.
Three attempted robberies of armored cars in Danbury, Connecticut.
Four attempted robberies of armored cars in Nanuet, New York, in 1980 and 1981.
The most high-profile incident was the October 1981 Brink’s robbery in Nyack, New York.
Several members of the Weather Underground and Black Liberation Army groups were accused of having orchestrated and carried out the violent robbery of a Brink’s armored vehicle at the Nanuet Mall, stealing total of $1.6 million.
In the course of a police chase and shootout, two police officers and a Brink’s guard were killed.
The money was recovered.
Specifically, Rosenberg was accused of having driven one of the getaway cars.
After Rosenberg’s arrest in New Jersey in 1984, and her subsequent conviction and imprisonment on the weapons and explosives possession charges, prosecutors dropped the conspiracy and racketeering charges against her, and she was never tried or convicted in relation to the 1981 Brink’s robbery, the 1979 Shakur prison escape, or other armed robberies.
The prosecutor who oversaw the decision not to proceed with that case, in the 1980s, was Rudolph Giuliani, then U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
After Rosenberg’s release in 2001, Giuliani, by then Mayor of New York City, told the New York Times the charges were dropped because her existing 58-year prison sentence made a further prosecution unnecessary.
In 1988, Rosenberg was charged with aiding and abetting a series of bombings which took place between 1983 and 1985, at the Capitol building, Fort McNair, the Washington Navy Yard Computer Center and the Washington Navy Yard Officers’ Club, all in Washington,
D.C. Bombs were also planted, but did not detonate, at several sites in New York: the FBI’s office in Staten Island, the Israeli Aircraft Industries building, the South African consulate and the New York Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.
However, prosecutors dropped those charges in 1990 as part of a plea deal involving other suspects in the bombings.
As a result, Rosenberg was never tried or convicted on any charges relating to the 1983-1985 bombing campaign.
Bet you never knew the REAL MEANING OF THE WORDS, did you?
Note: This is a HISTORY, not a POLITICAL article, and if one chooses to follow this path they are free to do so.
...but...
Now you know that ...
Got a comment?
Send it to us at:
From Neal Graham...to...Anthem Opinions
Anthem Opinions:Bravo on this editorial!
As Americans we need to fight back against globalists using collectivist ideology for their own financial gain.
These Collectivist Marxists gain power through stealth.
Light is a good disinfectant.
Since the 1920s Progressive/ Socialist/ Marxists (all the same, just different labels) have used front groups in order to hide in plain sight.
Black Lives Matter is as much a front group as George Soros’ Open Society or the Chinese Confucius Societies in colleges throughout the country.
Those that support these front groups and ideologically believe their goals are what Soviet defector Yuri Bezmenov terms “useful idiots.”
Anthem Opinions:Bravo on this editorial!
As Americans we need to fight back against globalists using collectivist ideology for their own financial gain.
These Collectivist Marxists gain power through stealth.
Light is a good disinfectant.
Since the 1920s Progressive/ Socialist/ Marxists (all the same, just different labels) have used front groups in order to hide in plain sight.
Black Lives Matter is as much a front group as George Soros’ Open Society or the Chinese Confucius Societies in colleges throughout the country.
Those that support these front groups and ideologically believe their goals are what Soviet defector Yuri Bezmenov terms “useful idiots.”
From Robert Nusser...to...Anthem Opinions
Thanks for the informative article about BLM.
Thanks for the informative article about BLM.
From Nelson Orth...to...Anthem Opinions
Is it possible that you can send me just the article on your Black Lives Matter that I received this morning?
You obviously did a lot of research, and it is a great article that I want to send to a number of people.
Is it possible that you can send me just the article on your Black Lives Matter that I received this morning?
You obviously did a lot of research, and it is a great article that I want to send to a number of people.
If any of our readers wish to obtain a copy, merely send us an email and we'll get it to you.
-
From Elizabeth Breier...to...Anthem Opinions
We were aware of the background of BLM and its ties to radicals like Rosenberg.
We can therefore assume that since this is all public knowledge, those wearing hats, shirts and other paraphernalia supporting this radical, anti-American group and posting signs in their yard in support are also angry, dangerous anti-Americans that would kill a police officer, attack innocent civilians and generally want to create havoc in our country.
We consider those people dangerous and all the more reason to support the 2nd Amendment.
This has nothing to do with our feelings that all people should be treated equally.
Kind, nice people deserve like treatment.
Mean, nasty, violent people deserve whatever they get.
ALL LIVES MATTER.
From Mary Brandin...to...Anthem Opinions
AWESOME INFORMATION, LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR BLOG, THANK YOU
AWESOME INFORMATION, LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR BLOG, THANK YOU
-
Just what we need here is BLM...NOT. They aren't even a fully legitimate organization. I am 100% for ALL LIVES MATTER. I do not want a socialistic criminal organization here. Maybe (for me) is to see from one of the clubs is to get a real conservative black speaker here to offer true guidance to discuss this issue. I can think of many wonderful black guests to do that. Larry Elder or certainly Mr Leo Terrell of Los Angeles too. Please note too that while l don't think Mr. TERRELL is a conservative, he is well versed to communicate his thoughts to all people.
________________________
He Left Us 43 Years Ago
:format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-1530117-1458481050-4003.jpeg.jpg)
#25
"G.I. Blues"
(1960)
From
From
#24
Ku-u-i-po"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0-W22mWFaY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0-W22mWFaY
(1961)
From
#23
"Rock-A-Hula"
(1961)
From
#22
"No More"
#21
From
#20
"Let Us Pray"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbWSu0yZMDU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbWSu0yZMDU
(1969)
From
"Speedway"
(1967)
From
#18
"Bossa Nova Baby"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GanoEE7VUc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GanoEE7VUc
(1963)
From
From
#17
"Anyone (Could Fall in Love With You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U329CPQrQmY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U329CPQrQmY
(1963)
From
From
#16
"King Creole"
(1958)
From
From
#15
#14
"Got a Lot of Livin' to Do"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJhlCNTszcQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJhlCNTszcQ
(1958)
From
#13
"Hard Headed Woman"
(1958)
From
#12
From
#11
"King of the Whole Wide World"
(1961)
From
#10
"Follow That Dream"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKhpMD7ACL4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKhpMD7ACL4
(1961)
From
#9
"Charro"
(1968)
From
From
#8
From
#7
"You Don't Know Me"
(1967)
From
From
#6
"All I Needed Was the Rain"
(1967)
From
#5
"Let Yourself Go"
(1967)
From
From
#4
"You're So Square Baby I Don't Care"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3oBSmyKHUc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3oBSmyKHUc
(1957)
From
From
#3
"Clean Up Your Own Backyard"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCgMuUPVyPs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCgMuUPVyPs
#2
"Can't Help Falling in Love"
(1961)
From
Honorable Mentions
"Dija Ever"
(G I Blues)
"Flaming Star"
(Flaming Star)
"Fun in Acapulco"
(Fun in Acapulco)
"Girls Girls Girls"
(Girls Girls Girls)
"Girl Happy"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-PnrqNNSwU
(Girl Happy)
(Girl Happy)
"One Broken Heart for Sale"
(It Happened at the World's Fair)
"Pocket Full of Rainbows"
(G I Blues)
"Return to Sender"
(Girls Girls Girls)
"Teddy Bear"
(Loving You)
"The Lady Loves Me"
(Viva Las Vegas)
"Wooden Heart"
(G I Blues)
"Young & Beautiful"
________________
Saying Good-Bye to Anther Vegas Icon
Vickie's Diner
If you have a love for the past...or should I say...if you have reverence for it as I have, then get ready to send another part of Vegas history "packing".
...and if you've never had the chance to experience Vickie's Diner, you'better do so this weekend because it will sadly close its doors on Sunday, August 16th....
...after 50 years !
It’s been in business since the early 60s and was a late night favorite of casino employees and entertainers, including Elvis and Liberace.
It is known internationally because of media coverage and the loyalty of longtime locals.
The owner, Vickie Kelesis...
...is the niece of Pete Kelesis...
....the original owner of the first diner in Las Vegas.
Pete Kelesis passed away Aug. 5, 2009. He was born in Levidi, Greece, Feb. 10, 1916.
He immigrated to America in 1951, and was a resident of Las Vegas since 1952.
He was a restaurateur for over 40 years, best known for his showmanship, excellent cooking and the huge unforgettable meals he prepared at White Cross Cafe.
He started his restaurant career with Benny Binion at the Horseshoe...
... where for 13 years he cooked for celebrities, gamblers and locals that were drawn to his magnetic personality and charm.
He went on to own and operate several successful restaurants in the Las Vegas valley that were known for the excellent quality and service that Mr. Pete demanded from himself and all around him.
Pete honored the Greek tradition of devotion to his family and made great sacrifices to ensure that his children, grandchildren and his extended family had the best education and every opportunity afforded to them.
Pete Kelesis would have been proud of Vickie because she continued his
dream with Vickie's Diner.
dream with Vickie's Diner.
Many people call Vickie "Pete junior" for carrying on his legacy specializing in good food with large portions, old homemade recipes, soups and specials, customers being first while making you feel right at home.
The 50s-style diner and lunch counter is inside the old White Cross Pharmacy on Las Vegas Boulevard just north of Sahara and will be open from 6:00am to 4:30pm until its closure on Sunday.
It is known internationally because of media coverage and the loyalty of longtime locals.
In 2018 it was featured on the Food Network.
Thanks for the memories, Vickie.
_______________________
Destroying Confederate Statues
Both Sides Died ...
A Strong Nation Survives
The past is the past, and what we must always remember is that having a thorough knowledge of it, we should allow future generations to understand those who preceded them, good or bad.
You can't change the past, you should learn from it.
Those statues that were defaced meant a great deal to many who built and honored them for over a century.
They are not just statues; they are part of a nation's way of life that followed the Civil War, and was an attempt to show the southern states that though the nation as a whole did not agree with the evil of slavery, that remembering those who fought and died, was designed to say to them:
"We welcome you back...we understand you fought and died for what you believed in".
If you remove the memory of those individuals, you harm a section of the nation that was promised to be rebuilt both emotionally and structurally, following its mass destruction, to be part of a great union.
Those statues allowed the South dignity in defeat in order t bring a nation together again.
The statues were of historical value, not current manner of thought.
When Lee surrendered to Grant, Lee and his army were so respected by Grant that they were simply told:
"Go home to your farms. We are all one nation."
That initial respect allowed a nation to heal.
Why was respect and understanding so important?
Let's look at Civil War statistics, and devastating losses both sides sustained.
Civil War records at the time were not kept in detail so there really are only rough Estimates.
A total of approximately 650,000 Americans died in the War on both sides.
The Union Army fielded roughly 2.2 million men during the war
Around 110,000 were killed in action or died of wounds received in battle.
About 230,000 died of disease which was rampant during the war and nearly 30,000 Union troops died as POW's.
The South fielded roughly 1 million men during the war
About 95,000 Southerners were killed in action.
Around 200,000 died of disease/starvation/exposure etc.
Civilian deaths totaled around 50,000 from things like bombardments, sieges, starvation and disease.
An additional 80,000 slaves died during the conflict.
Add these numbers to wounded, and you're looking at well over a million casualties.
1 out of every 3 men who served were going to be either killed or wounded during the war.
1 out of every 9 Southerners served in the war for the Confederacy.
In the North 1 out of every 20 Northerners served.
With a population of 31 million combined, the US suffered a huge loss of life and able bodied men during the war.
1 million casualties with 31 million people is an incredible casualty rate.
Did the average Southerner fight to keep a slave? You decide after you read these statistics.
Did the average Southerner fight to keep a slave? You decide after you read these statistics.
The Cost of a Slave
Average cost of a slave (of any age, sex, or condition) in 1850 =
$ 800 ($26,440 in 2020 dollars)
$ 800 ($26,440 in 2020 dollars)
Cost of a prime field hand (18-30 year-old man) in 1850 =
$ 1,200 ($39,660 in 2020 dollars)
$ 1,200 ($39,660 in 2020 dollars)
Cost of a skilled slave (e.g. a blacksmith) in 1850 =
$ 2,000 ($66,000 in 2020 dollars)
$ 2,000 ($66,000 in 2020 dollars)
Average Income of a Confederate Soldier
$11.00 per month...$132.00 per year
($4,356.00 annually in 2020 dollars)
($4,356.00 annually in 2020 dollars)
Tomorrow, in Part Two...
Why They Fought !
_______________________
Destroying Confederate Statues
Both Sides Died ...A Strong Nation Survives
Unless We Allow Current Chaos to Destroy It
(Part Two of Two)
(Part Two of Two)
Why they Fought
Typical men who became Southern soldiers were influenced by a couple of pre-war actions that started them thinking about the sectional conflicts.
First...
...there were a multitude of abolitionist activities that were started by northern societies who attempted to create communities of freemen in the south.
...there were a multitude of abolitionist activities that were started by northern societies who attempted to create communities of freemen in the south.
One example is the town of Ceredo, West Virginia originally Ceredo-Kenova, Virginia, which was an attempt by a Massachusetts congressman, Eli Thayer, to create anti-slavery support in the west.
Kenova is on the border of Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia (now West Virginia).
It was established in 1857, just before the war.
Not far away is Point Pleasant, West Virginia where John McCausland lived on a plantation.
McCausland was a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute during the time when Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was a professor there.
He was instrumental in raising a militia unit in the area during
1859–1860, which no doubt was based on resistance to the abolitionist movement in the region.
1859–1860, which no doubt was based on resistance to the abolitionist movement in the region.
This unit was mustered into the Confederate army as the 36th Virginia Infantry in 1861.
Outsiders were not welcome.
Second...
...slave revolts, or the fear of them.
...slave revolts, or the fear of them.
The fear of slave revolts was not particularly real to non-slaveholders such as the ordinary farmer. Then Nat Turner led a rebellion in 1831 in which 60 white men, women and children were killed.
At that point slave revolts became a rallying point for anybody wanting to stir up anti-abolitionist sentiment.
Then, along came John Brown and his slave rebellion in 1859, which really struck fear into the average southerner.
/John-Brown-2668-3x2gty-56a489713df78cf77282de2c.jpg)
McCausland was part of the military contingent that witnessed the execution of Brown.
In the North, Brown was celebrated as a martyr, but in the South he became the example of “I told you so” for the anti-abolitionist, pro-slavery people.
Most people are not aware that the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” is really a celebration of the martyrdom of Brown and his movement.
“John Brown’s body lies a mouldrring in the grave but his truth goes marching on” or some variant of that were the lyrics set to a religious camp meeting hymn.
Julia Ward Howe heard it being sung in the army camps and created the new words of the Battle Hymn, which although not referencing John Brown, did extol the justness of the Union cause.
Finally, at least in the border areas such as Virginia, the threat of invasion by hordes of "Yankee demons" who would rape and pillage their way across the state was the issue used by clever politicians to convert the nay-sayers into secessionists when Lincoln called for 75,000 troops to put down the rebellion in South Carolina.
Only a couple of weeks earlier, Virginia had voted down secession, but with the call for troops and the recognition that they would be marching through Virginia to get to the Confederacy, Virginia voted again and joined the Confederate States of America.
The selection of Richmond as capital, while a ridiculous choice from a military standpoint (being only about 95 miles from Washington) was an attempt to bolster the tenuous sentiments of the state to remain in the Confederate States of America.
Evidence clearly demonstrates that the average soldier, north or south, was reasonably well informed, read newspapers routinely, and had heated debates on the important subjects of the day.
As is always the case, soldiers on each side were pretty well indoctrinated by the propaganda, and this was particularly true in the south.
This is evidenced by a quote from a letter of William T. Sherman to a close friend and well-known and fiery secessionist in 1860:
“You people of the South don't know what you are doing. This country will be drenched in blood, and God only knows how it will end. It is all folly, madness, a crime against civilization! You people speak so lightly of war; you don't know what you're talking about. War is a terrible thing! You mistake, too, the people of the North. They are a peaceable people but an earnest people, and they will fight, too.
They are not going to let this country be destroyed without a mighty effort to save it...
Besides, where are your men and appliances of war to contend against them?
The North can make a steam engine, locomotive, or railway car; hardly a yard of cloth or pair of shoes can you make.
You are rushing into war with one of the most powerful, ingeniously mechanical, and determined people on Earth—right at your doors.
You are bound to fail.
Only in your spirit and determination are you prepared for war. In all else you are totally unprepared, with a bad cause to start with. At first you will make headway, but as your limited resources begin to fail, shut out from the markets of Europe as you will be, your cause will begin to wane.
If your people will but stop and think, they must see in the end that you will surely fail.”
Sherman wrote this letter from his position as Superintendent of what later became Louisiana State University.
Sherman was actually a supporter of slavery in the south, but he was an ardent anti-secessionist.
So, why did the soldiers fight?
Soldiers on both sides generally fought to maintain the way of life in which they were living at the time.
Secessionist fervor in the south was used to the advantage of the large landholders who were most threatened.
Most people in the South would not have been affected one way or the other by the end or continuation of slavery, and certainly if Virginia had remained loyal to the union there would have been no fighting in the state unless it had been started by pockets of pro-confederates.
But Southerners felt that this way of life was threatened by Northerners, and he fought to prevent that, at the urging of wealthier people in his community.
The moral of all of this is both sides lost many loved ones.
They must never be forgotten.
Both fought for what they believed, but looking to the past to justify riots, looting, burning, and defacing historical statues, dishonors all of them.
Slavery ended officially 155 years ago; it was wrong, a war was fought over it, legislation was passed to forever outlaw it, and now it's time to stop blaming those of today for something that took place well before any of us were born.
From Marcia Kosterka...to...Anthem Opinions
Great two part article regarding destroying Confederate statues. You cannot erase history, try as they might.
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From Robert Nusser...to...Anthem Opinions
Excellent article concerning statues.....but beware of the fact that the article fails to comply with the template of radicals.
If you fail to learn from history you are doomed to make the same mistakes over and over.
_______________________
The 10 Greatest Moments in Baseball History
&
Honorable Mentions
1991
Nolan Ryan pitches his seventh no-hitter
1988
Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit homer sends Dodgers on way to a World Series upset
1941
Joe DiMaggio hits in 56 consecutive games
1941
Ted Williams is the last man to post a .400 average
1985
Pete Rose passes Ty Cobb as the all-time hits leader
1939
Lou Gehrig retires with his “luckiest man” farewell speech
1998
Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa surpass Roger Maris’ single-season home run record
1947
Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American major leaguer
1974
Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record
1995
Cal Ripken breaks Lou Gehrig’s streak with his 2,131st consecutive game
1932
Babe Ruth Calls His Shot
Reggie Jackson Becomes Mr. October
Roger Maris Hits #61
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hSNO_PhSnI
1951
1975
Carlton Fisk Waves the Ball Fair
Carlton Fisk Waves the Ball Fair
1954
1977
Reggie Jackson Becomes Mr. October
1956
Don Larson's World Series Perfect Game
Roger Maris Hits #61
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hSNO_PhSnI
1951
Bobby Thompson...The Shot Heard Round the World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T0drh8i4Tw
1978
1938
Johnny Vander Meer Throws Consecutive No-Hitters
1978
Bucky Dent Home Run...American League Tie Breaker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tl7xW4Oxo01938
Johnny Vander Meer Throws Consecutive No-Hitters
1908
Merkle's Boner
1951
Eddie Gaedel
1960
Bill Mazeroski World Series Home Run
2016
Chicago Cubs win World Series after 108 years
1976
Rick Monday Saving the American Flag
Got any others we missed?
Let us know !
Send them to:
From "Checkmate"...to...Anthem Opinions
October 4, 1954
Bottom of the ninth inning at Yankee stadium.
October 4, 1954
Bottom of the ninth inning at Yankee stadium.
This one really has me stumped.
The season ended on 9/26/54 with the Yankees winning 103 games and finishing 8 games behind the Cleveland Indians, who won 111 games (in a 154 game season).
The Indians met the Giants in the World Series and lost 4 games to 0.
What have I missed, Checkmate?
The season ended on 9/26/54 with the Yankees winning 103 games and finishing 8 games behind the Cleveland Indians, who won 111 games (in a 154 game season).
The Indians met the Giants in the World Series and lost 4 games to 0.
What have I missed, Checkmate?
From Kay-Al Bugman...to...Anthem Opinions
1955
1955
Any special moments in 1955?
I do know that the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series 4 games to 3.
Were you a Dodger fan?
I do know that the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series 4 games to 3.
Were you a Dodger fan?
From Barry Goldstein...to...Anthem Opinions
Dick, thanks for the article about baseball’s ten best moments.
You included my favorite video of the catch by Willie Mays.
He was my favorite player.
Dick, thanks for the article about baseball’s ten best moments.
You included my favorite video of the catch by Willie Mays.
He was my favorite player.
You are very welcome, Barry.
I'm a Chicago Cubs fan and waited 108 years to see them win a World Series in 2016, but when I think of all the great players I was able to see at Wrigley Field in Chicago, I have to admit that "The Say Hey Kid", Willie Mays was the greatest ballplayer I ever saw. There wasn't anything he couldn't do !
I'm a Chicago Cubs fan and waited 108 years to see them win a World Series in 2016, but when I think of all the great players I was able to see at Wrigley Field in Chicago, I have to admit that "The Say Hey Kid", Willie Mays was the greatest ballplayer I ever saw. There wasn't anything he couldn't do !
Now it all makes sense, Kay-Al..
I remember the 1955 Series well.
I was in 3rd grade and the Principal stopped classes and all of a sudden, she allowed the game to be heard over the loudspeaker.
After all the Yankee wins, the Brooklyn "bums" did it !
Being a National league fan (Cubs), it was a dream come true ! Someone finally beat the mighty Yankees!
Here's a little memory for you !
I remember the 1955 Series well.
I was in 3rd grade and the Principal stopped classes and all of a sudden, she allowed the game to be heard over the loudspeaker.
After all the Yankee wins, the Brooklyn "bums" did it !
Being a National league fan (Cubs), it was a dream come true ! Someone finally beat the mighty Yankees!
Here's a little memory for you !
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn-tjSU3uGw
- _________________________
51 Years Ago Today !
"The Eagle Has Landed"
In this world of chaos let us never forget a moment in time when the world came together in joy on July 20, 1969.
The dream began on September 12, 1962 with a speech made by President Kennedy at Rice University.
On July 16, 1969 Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldren, and Michael Collins would be the first human beings to leave the world we all had known for a distant journey of over 252,000 miles and land on the surface of the earth's moon on July 20, 1969.
Armstrong and Aldren would land the "Eagle", while Command Module Pilot, Michael Collins, would remain on the return module "Columbia", spending 21 hours and 36 minutes on the moon surface until the "Eagle" would rejoin the "Columbia" for its return journey to earth.
Of course Neil Armstong's words will forever be notched in American history as he took his first historic step, while those on earth watched the moment LIVE.
While on the moon, Armstrong and Aldrin would plant the American flag and leave this plaque for the world to know of America's presence.
President Nixon would also make the first phone call directly to the astronauts:
Nixon:
"Hello, Neil and Buzz. I'm talking to you by telephone from the Oval Room at the White House. And this certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made.
I just can't tell you how proud we all are of what you've done.
I just can't tell you how proud we all are of what you've done.
For every American, this has to be the proudest day of our lives. And for people all over the world, I am sure they too join with Americans in recognizing what an immense feat this is.
Because of what you have done, the heavens have become a part of man's world. And as you talk to us from the Sea of Tranquility, it inspires us to redouble our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to Earth.
For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one: one in their pride in what you have done, and one in our prayers that you will return safely to Earth."
For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one: one in their pride in what you have done, and one in our prayers that you will return safely to Earth."
Armstrong:
"Thank you, Mr. President. It's a great honor and privilege for us to be here, representing not only the United States, but men of peace of all nations, and with interest and curiosity, and men with a vision for the future. It's an honor for us to be able to participate here today."
"Thank you, Mr. President. It's a great honor and privilege for us to be here, representing not only the United States, but men of peace of all nations, and with interest and curiosity, and men with a vision for the future. It's an honor for us to be able to participate here today."
They returned for "splash down" in the Pacific Ocean on July 24th being retrieved by the USS Hornet.
Neil Amstrong Strong passed away on August 25, 2012 at the age of 82 while Michael Collins is currently age 89 and Buzz Aldren, age 90.
In 2018 Buzz Aldren did an interview of the day the "Eagle' landed.
Go back in time to that historic day by simply clicking on this link.
Go back in time to that historic day by simply clicking on this link.
It was a "job well done"...a great moment in American history...
...and should be remembered as a moment in our nation's pride.
Do you remember where you were on that day?
Tell us about it.
Tell us about it.
Send your thoughts to:
From Cary Chubin of Ft. Lauderdale, FL...to...Anthem Opinions
I was at the Playboy Resort pool in Delavan, Wisconsin when the Eagle landed.
Surreal.
I was at the Playboy Resort pool in Delavan, Wisconsin when the Eagle landed.
Surreal.
Cary,
I was in US Army Basic Training at Ft. Ord, CA...which closed in 1994.
I was in US Army Basic Training at Ft. Ord, CA...which closed in 1994.
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From Jill from Chicago...to...Anthem Opinions
What a moment to celebrate.
Bastille Day
Vive la France
We often write of American history, but 231 years ago on July 14, 1789, merely 6 years after the newly created United States signed the Treaty of Paris ending America's war of independence against the British, freedom "caught fire" across the world, and particularly in America's strongest ally at that time, France.
The US relations with France might be somewhat strained in today's world, but in the late 1700s, perhaps the USA would never have existed without the assistance of France...
...a decision that eventually resulted in the overthrow of the French monarchy.
In 1774, King Louis XVI ascended to the French throne at a time when that nation was facing bankruptcy.
Why bankruptcy?
It was the support of the Seven Years war against the British and the American revolution.
In America, the "Seven Years War" is referred to as "The French & Indian War" (1756-1763), fought largely as a result of the British and French dispute in the Americas. While the French claimed possession of the Great Lakes and Canada, the British fought to claim the "thirteen American colonies".
The ironic part of the war was that it resulted from a British mistake by a 22 year old officer named George Washington, who mistakenly attacked a French delegation sent to settle the dispute, while Washington, believing they were spies, attacked and killed many of the party, including the main French negotiator...Joseph Coulon de Jumonville.
Marie Antoinette
... until in 1789, the king dismissed his Comptroller-General, Jacques Necker...
Many in Paris assumed the king's actions against the Assembly, accompanied by arriving soldiers in the city....in many cases, foreign mercenaries, were summoned to completely shut down the National Constituent Assembly....
...and Paris was quickly consumed in riots, chaos, and widespread looting.
Before long, the French Guard began to support the mobs and on July 14, 1789, it all "exploded" when the Bastille, a prison established for "upper class" members of French society who opposed the king, was stormed...
From the standpoint of Louis XVI, the moral of the story as to the French vital involvement in America's successful revolution is simply:
...a decision that eventually resulted in the overthrow of the French monarchy.
In 1774, King Louis XVI ascended to the French throne at a time when that nation was facing bankruptcy.
Why bankruptcy?
It was the support of the Seven Years war against the British and the American revolution.
In America, the "Seven Years War" is referred to as "The French & Indian War" (1756-1763), fought largely as a result of the British and French dispute in the Americas. While the French claimed possession of the Great Lakes and Canada, the British fought to claim the "thirteen American colonies".
The ironic part of the war was that it resulted from a British mistake by a 22 year old officer named George Washington, who mistakenly attacked a French delegation sent to settle the dispute, while Washington, believing they were spies, attacked and killed many of the party, including the main French negotiator...Joseph Coulon de Jumonville.
Years later, during the American revolution, French financial assistance became imperative. The colonies were unable to properly fund the war, resulting in reduced enlistments, disease, and desertions.
American independence was in deep trouble...and had it not been for the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the French likely would have ignored the new nation. Colonial reconciliation with England would have ended French involvement.
Why the investment from France?
The colonies had been covertly supplied by French merchants (through Dutch ports), and subsequently supplied directly by the French government...
...which proved invaluable during the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777....often called the turning point of the Revolutionary War.
American independence was in deep trouble...and had it not been for the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the French likely would have ignored the new nation. Colonial reconciliation with England would have ended French involvement.
Why the investment from France?
The colonies had been covertly supplied by French merchants (through Dutch ports), and subsequently supplied directly by the French government...
...which proved invaluable during the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777....often called the turning point of the Revolutionary War.
Once France learned of the British surrender, Louis XVI entered into negotiations with the Americans resulting in an alliance with France entering the war.
The rest is "history"...American independence had been won, but the fever of American freedom would soon spread to the nation who had likely been responsible for the financial assistance to allow the revolution to succeed.
The rest is "history"...American independence had been won, but the fever of American freedom would soon spread to the nation who had likely been responsible for the financial assistance to allow the revolution to succeed.
Louis XVI would continue to suffer the hardships of French financial difficulties, and public opinion would continue to deteriorate, including hatred toward his wife, Marie Antoinette...
Marie Antoinette
... until in 1789, the king dismissed his Comptroller-General, Jacques Necker...
...while completely restructuring the Financial Ministry.
Many in Paris assumed the king's actions against the Assembly, accompanied by arriving soldiers in the city....in many cases, foreign mercenaries, were summoned to completely shut down the National Constituent Assembly....
...and Paris was quickly consumed in riots, chaos, and widespread looting.
Before long, the French Guard began to support the mobs and on July 14, 1789, it all "exploded" when the Bastille, a prison established for "upper class" members of French society who opposed the king, was stormed...
...and the French revolution had begun !
Over the next few years, King Louis XVI's power would wane until on June 21, 1791, he and his family made an unsuccessful attempt to escape Paris and were returned to the city.
On August 13, 1792, Louis XVI was arrested; the monarchy was abolished by the National Assembly on September 21, 1792, and on January 21, 1793, following a trial, the King was convicted of high treason, and was sent to the guillotine at the age of 38.
His wife, Marie Antoinette, age 37, suffered a similar fate on October 16, 1793.
From the standpoint of Louis XVI, the moral of the story as to the French vital involvement in America's successful revolution is simply:
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wow....wonderful....thank you
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