Curmudgeon Alley

2018/10/172023/03/12

Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father by Stephen Fried

I’ve been fascinated by Benjamin Rush ever since as a grade schooler, I realized that there was a signature on the Declaration of Independence with the same last name as mine, Rush. Rush is not the commonest of last names. Of course, I fantasized that he might be a direct ancestor or other relation. At that time there had not been a lot of genealogy done on my family. Since then I have discovered that we are related, not closely, but related. We are 3^rd cousins 6 generations removed. We share a common ancestor, Capt. John “Old Trooper” Rush. What is interesting about John Rush is that he was a captain in Oliver Cromwell’s army. If you remember your English history, Cromwell briefly established a republic in Great Britain in the 1650s. Capt. Rush later immigrated to the Pennsylvania colony.

There are several reasons that Benjamin Rush has been assigned to the second tier of founding fathers. Continue reading “Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father by Stephen Fried”

2018/10/14

Help Support The Carr Exhibit with Amazon Smile

Paul Henry Carr was my mother’s brother who fought and lost his life in WW II. While losing his life he performed heroically. He received several honors posthumously, included having a missile frigate name after him. After 30 years of service the ship has be decommissioned, but the memory lives on in our family.

This November 3rd, 2018, Paul Henry Carr is to be inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame. The family is looking on this as a huge honor, as it is.

The family commissioned an exhibit that is at Checotah, Oklahoma. Checoath is more or less the ancestral pueblo. There is an ongoing effort to complete the funding.

You can help support The Carr exhibit by doing what you do anyway…buying on Amazon.com . “How?”, you ask, By following some extraordinary simple steps.

Login to smile.amazon.com and go to “Your Account”
Set charity to: “Paul Henry Carr Memorial Foundation”
To support charity, always shop at smile.amazon.com
Shop until you drop…

Cheryl Smallwood-Roberts designed the exhibit honoring Paul Henry Carr in Checotah, OK. The Carr exhibit, installed by Crain Displays, is located Continue reading “Help Support The Carr Exhibit with Amazon Smile”

2018/08/252024/12/27

Food for Thought from Robert Reich

From Robert Reich:

We’re now in the America’s second Gilded Age.

Last week it was reported that in 2017 the average CEO of the 350 largest firms in the U.S. received $18.9 million in compensation. That’s a 17.6 percent increase over 2016.

At the same time, the typical worker’s compensation remained flat, rising merely 0.3 percent.

The first Gilded Age fueled a progressive era that tamed and regulated its excesses, beginning in 1901.

2018/08/252018/08/25

Roy Blunt — Always, Always Party Before Country

I wrote my Missouri Senators requesting them to vote NO on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. IMHO, Kavanaugh is awful man who would have the power to set this country back 50 years. He absolutely, should not be a Supreme Court Justice.

This is the response from Roy Blunt. It just added to the many reasons I have not voted for this man, and will never vote for this man…for any office.

Dear David:

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on President Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Judge Kavanaugh is a highly-qualified nominee with an outstanding legal background. In his decade on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Kavanaugh has become known for his intellect, effective writing style, and ability to build consensus.

The Supreme Court is one of the most important legacies a president can leave. I look forward to learning more about Judge Kavanaugh’s judicial record and talking with him about his judicial philosophy as the confirmation process moves forward.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I look forward to continuing our conversation on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SenatorBlunt) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/RoyBlunt) about the important issues facing Missouri and the country. I also encourage you to visit my website (blunt.senate.gov) to learn more about where I stand on the issues and sign-up for my e-newsletter.

Sincere regards,

Roy Blunt
United States Senator

2018/08/24

“Do you ever despair?” We don’t have time for that.

2018/05/10

Ooops…Wrong Digit

As I have mentioned before I have a “Not My President” bumper sticker on my pickup. When first on I was getting flipped off regularly. Now… not so much. Although yesterday a fellow in an older pickup in the fast lane paced me for so long in rush hour that he had traffic backed way up in that lane. I am sure he wanted me to look over so he could flip me off. I never gave him the pleasure.

More than once I have had a person pull up next to me, honk and then flip me off. Today I am driving home in rush hour traffic when a car pulls alongside and honks. I just knew I was getting flipped off so I automagically started erecting my middle digit to respond. Much to my surprise he was giving me the thumbs up. I hastily retracted my middle finger and tried to pretend I had been doing something else with it.

Maybe the tide is turning.

2018/05/05

Vanity Plate for the Day – FW-TX

FW-TX

On the back of a big, black Chevy SUV. What can I say Texans are Texans no matter where they are at. They always seem to feel they are a cut above the rest of us plebeians

To see more Vanity Plates of the Day for this link: Vanity Plates of the Day

2018/05/042018/05/04

Step on THE Scale, Sir

I recently had some minor outpatient surgery. I am in the prep room beforehand, and the nurse is taking my vitals. She asked, “How tall are you?”

I responded, “Six feet, two inches.”

She then tells me to step outside the room and step on the scale.

I quipped, “Could I just not tell you my weight like Trump?”

This particular nurse either did not have a sense of humor (although I thought I was outrageously funny), or she was a Trumpster. She said, “Please step on the scale, sir.”

Ironically the scale registered exactly 239 pounds.

The nurse did not quite see the irony, either. Oh well.