The headline: "Trump adds his birthday as free national park day while axing MLK Day and Juneteenth"
What the article doesn't mention is Trump's birthday happens to be Flag Day (June 14). Furthermore, he eliminated those dates only intended to appease a certain element of the population that continually needs to be appeased and instead selected "free days" as those of American holidays and two dates important to the National Park Service.
Landscape Arch, Arches National Park, Utah
"In 2026, the fee-free days for U.S. residents at national parks will include President's Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day weekend, the 110th Birthday of the National Park Service, Constitution Day, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday, and Veteran's Day."
Teddy Roosevelt's birthday was selected as the founder of national parks.
Ought to drop MLK and Juneteenth as holidays anyway.
(yes, it's Pearl Harbor Day. everybody else is speaking of it. nothing new for me to say.
Along about 1983 or so, I lived in Tucson. A work friend - both he and his wife - and I would get together for mini road trips. He drove an itty-bitty 4x4 pickup; I had a full size Jeep 4x4 pickup. As you can see, his truck wasn't large enough for three people - especially since it was a manual tranny - so we went in two vehicles. His got great gas mileage but got stuck often. Mine got not even as good as lousy gas mileage but it would climb trees. It wasn't unusual for me to pull his truck through rough spots. It wasn't unusual for me to have to gas up every 40 miles when off-pavement.
In this photo, we're travelling along the Mexican border - that fenceline heading off to the distance. We didn't worry about cartels, or border agents, or two-legged coyotes then ... though we were well armed. I can't recall his name now - probably because I'm trying to - but he's checking out the path ahead. The tracks faded along this little stretch and there was an arroyo cutting across mid-photo just before the tracks become visible again mid-right. As I recall, there was enough dirt along the fence that we could bull our way through to the other side of this section ... with a little help from some chains as I pulled ahead of him and hauled him through not long after this photo.
I wouldn't dream of doing this today.
He and his wife were both busted for stealing software from the company and I stayed away after that. I left that company not long after but I must not have left on bad terms because they asked me to come back some time later. I declined. Hindsight being what it is, perhaps that wasn't the best decision I ever made .... but it was by far not the worst either.
"Several notable Northern lawyers offered their free services to defend him in a treason trial, which Davis longed for. The government, however, never forced the issue—because, many believe, it feared that such a trial might establish that the original Constitution gave the states a right to secede."
Davis' grave - Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA
Davis died in 1889 in New Orleans of a complicated bronchial ailment. At his temporary interment he was accorded the greatest funeral the South had ever known. On May 31, 1893, he was buried permanently in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
Lincoln illegally invaded sovereign States when they exercised their right to withdraw from the voluntary union. Regardless of the narrative - the victors write the histories - the invasion had more to do with the economics of cotton (the global commodity of its day) than slavery or "save the union". It was Lincoln that changed the nation from a union of sovereign States to a centralized Union of subservient states.
I was raised "Yankee" but looking at different levels of history, including family papers, my participating ancestors fought for their State, not some need to Save The Union (the slavery issue came up later in the war). The family at the time was anti-slavery but pro "States Rights". They aligned with the north (in a state militia, not directly the US Army) simply because the Confederates invaded the neutral State and raided close to their home.
G'grandpa was with mounted infantry, mostly performing scouting duties, primarily in eastern Kentucky. His brothers were scattered around, one of whom served with him, another was with the Confederates. They all survived the war.
The only major battles g'gramps was part of were Salyersville, Cynthiana, and Saltville I (which was the only time his unit left the state). He was part of the action at Mt Sterling, chasing Morgan's raiders, New Haven, and Roaring Springs. He mustered out in December '64, before Saltville II. My father's grandfather; he died at age 61, long before my father was born.
Kentucky was a torn state during and after the war, more so than the "true" southern states. Kentucky had a star on both flags - Kentucky being the central star on what people think of as the Confederate flag. Those issues still persist; I have a close cousin who is proud of her Confederate heritage ... even though her g'grandfather, her only direct ancestor in the war, was a proud member of the GAR as stated on his tombstone. Facts sometimes get in the way of the desired narrative.
I find myself letting my anger at what's going on in this country slip too much into this site. I should apologize for that - there are enough blogs around that focus on politics and I don't really wish this site to become one of them.
I am considered hard right by most people on both coasts; I'm right of center hereabouts.
So what. I don't apologize for that; my apology is for letting it spill over to extremes here. On this site, I don't care about your politics.
Kick me back out of the gutter if I get too political; let's look at more pretty pictures and the good things happening around us.
Not that it changes my opinions on things going on ... or not going on. Or probably not entirely stop me.
Located in the center of the 125 acre Detroit Zoo (actually in Royal Oak, at 10 Mile [now I-696] and Woodward, 2 miles north of the Detroit city limits), the Bear Fountain was sculpted in 1939 by Corrado Parducci and formally named after the first president of the Zoological Society, Horace Rackham. Rackham was a Detroit industrialist (and a lawyer for and one of the original stockholders in Ford) in the days when Detroit was a far different city than it is today. He sold his 50 shares of stock for $12.5mil in 1919. Mr Rackham died in 1933. His widow provided the funds to create the fountain.
Parducci commented: "I didn't like that. I made it against my will. They wanted, Mrs. Rackham was sold on that, bears" (He may not have liked it, but I'm willing to bet he liked the commission ...)
The two 10 foot tall bronze bears stand in the middle of a 75,000 gallon pool. The pool - a bit larger than 3 Olympic pools - is a splash pool in the summer and an ice skating rink in the winter. It is one of the more popular items at the zoo.
My grandparents lived within walking distance of the zoo; I spent a lot of time there. Admission was free back then ... not now.
"Dem Senator Warner Joins Seditious Chorus: "Military May Help Save Us" From Trump"
If it's OK for congress-critters to call for the military to "Save us from Trump" - the duly elected Commander-in-Chief, is it OK for citizens to ask for the militia to "Save us from Democrats"?
"Dangerous snow squalls brewing as arctic blast moves across the U.S."
"Throughout the day, whiteout conditions are possible along major U.S. Interstates, including I-90, I-81 and I-80, with some areas around the Great Lakes and in the Northeast forecast to see several inches of snow."
I'm sure I'm not the only one whose work took them to various hotels; here are two representatives of places I've called "home". On the left, a room in Washington, PA where I stayed for a month or so while supervising a test of coal mine equipment; that on the right my home for 2½ years (!!!) at an extended stay place on the DC beltway.
Wasn't sure how long the DC job would last and had trouble finding a place with a reasonable lease AND parking for a full size pickup. That job paid well but I never plan on being anywhere near DC ever again.
