Remembering Pearl Harbor...!

America's involvement in World War 2 became set in stone because of the actions of the Japanese on this date.

Certainly one of the most remembered dates in American history, as well as one of the saddest!

Pearl Harbor bombed

At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault. The surprise attack struck a critical blow against the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States irrevocably into World War II.

With diplomatic negotiations with Japan breaking down, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his advisers knew that an imminent Japanese attack was probable, but nothing had been done to increase security at the important naval base at Pearl Harbor. It was Sunday morning, and many military personnel had been given passes to attend religious services off base. At 7:02 a.m., two radar operators spotted large groups of aircraft in flight toward the island from the north, but, with a flight of B-17s expected from the United States at the time, they were told to sound no alarm. Thus, the Japanese air assault came as a devastating surprise to the naval base.

Much of the Pacific fleet was rendered useless: Five of eight battleships, three destroyers, and seven other ships were sunk or severely damaged, and more than 200 aircraft were destroyed. A total of 2,400 Americans were killed and 1,200 were wounded, many while valiantly attempting to repulse the attack. Japan's losses were some 30 planes, five midget submarines, and fewer than 100 men. Fortunately for the United States, all three Pacific fleet carriers were out at sea on training maneuvers. These giant aircraft carriers would have their revenge against Japan six months later at the Battle of Midway, reversing the tide against the previously invincible Japanese navy in a spectacular victory.

The day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, President Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of Congress and declared, "Yesterday, December 7, 1941--a date which will live in infamy--the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." After a brief and forceful speech, he asked Congress to approve a resolution recognizing the state of war between the United States and Japan. The Senate voted for war against Japan by 82 to 0, and the House of Representatives approved the resolution by a vote of 388 to 1. The sole dissenter was Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a devout pacifist who had also cast a dissenting vote against the U.S. entrance into World War I. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war against the United States, and the U.S. government responded in kind.

The American contribution to the successful Allied war effort spanned four long years and cost more than 400,000 American lives.

Please find time today to say a prayer for the memory of those lost in battle, as well as for those that offered their all to protect us from all enemies of our great nation.

God bless all those that continue to do so today! God Bless Our Republic!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning! Want some apple pie with that?

Disaster In Halifax Harbor...!

The most devastating explosion of it's kind happened on this date in 1917, causing unforgettable damage and destruction.

Accidents like this was probably the main force behind so many of the safety procedures we follow today! I would hope this never happens again!

Dec 6, 1917:

The Great Halifax Explosion

At 9:05 a.m., in the harbor of Halifax in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, the most devastating manmade explosion in the pre-atomic age occurs when the Mont Blanc, a French munitions ship, explodes 20 minutes after colliding with another vessel.

As World War I raged in Europe, the port city of Halifax bustled with ships carrying troops, relief supplies, and munitions across the Atlantic Ocean. On the morning of December 6, the Norwegian vessel Imo left its mooring in Halifax harbor for New York City. At the same time, the French freighter Mont Blanc, its cargo hold packed with highly explosive munitions--2,300 tons of picric acid, 200 tons of TNT, 35 tons of high-octane gasoline, and 10 tons of gun cotton--was forging through the harbor's narrows to join a military convoy that would escort it across the Atlantic.

At approximately 8:45 a.m., the two ships collided, setting the picric acid ablaze. The Mont Blanc was propelled toward the shore by its collision with the Imo, and the crew rapidly abandoned the ship, attempting without success to alert the harbor of the peril of the burning ship. Spectators gathered along the waterfront to witness the spectacle of the blazing ship, and minutes later it brushed by a harbor pier, setting it ablaze. The Halifax Fire Department responded quickly and was positioning its engine next to the nearest hydrant when the Mont Blanc exploded at 9:05 a.m. in a blinding white flash.

The massive explosion killed more than 1,800 people, injured another 9,000--including blinding 200--and destroyed almost the entire north end of the city of Halifax, including more than 1,600 homes. The resulting shock wave shattered windows 50 miles away, and the sound of the explosion could be heard hundreds of miles away.

This was, without a doubt, a terrible tragedy! Even though it was a long time ago, the lessons learned from this type of incident have more than likely saved a great many lives. I certainly hope that's the case!

Back in the kitchen again for our coffee this morning. Too cold for me outside!

I'll Drink To That...!

On this same date, the end came to what was one of the most failed experiments in modern times.

The government learned that you cannot curb the appetites for alcohol just by making it illegal! What you do instead is to create a lot of rich gangsters.

Sounds a lot like the "war on drugs", doesn't it?

Dec 5, 1933:

Prohibition ends

The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment and bringing an end to the era of national prohibition of alcohol in America. At 5:32 p.m. EST, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, achieving the requisite three-fourths majority of states' approval. Pennsylvania and Ohio had ratified it earlier in the day.

The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for national liquor abstinence. Several states outlawed the manufacture or sale of alcohol within their own borders. In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes," was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. On January 29, 1919, the 18th Amendment achieved the necessary three-fourths majority of state ratification. Prohibition essentially began in June of that year, but the amendment did not officially take effect until January 29, 1920.

In the meantime, Congress passed the Volstead Act on October 28, 1919, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto. The Volstead Act provided for the enforcement of Prohibition, including the creation of a special Prohibition unit of the Treasury Department. In its first six months, the unit destroyed thousands of illicit stills run by bootleggers. However, federal agents and police did little more than slow the flow of booze, and organized crime flourished in America. Large-scale bootleggers like Al Capone of Chicago built criminal empires out of illegal distribution efforts, and federal and state governments lost billions in tax revenue. In most urban areas, the individual consumption of alcohol was largely tolerated and drinkers gathered at "speakeasies," the Prohibition-era term for saloons.

Prohibition, failing fully to enforce sobriety and costing billions, rapidly lost popular support in the early 1930s. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and ratified, ending national Prohibition. After the repeal of the 18th Amendment, some states continued Prohibition by maintaining statewide temperance laws. Mississippi, the last dry state in the Union, ended Prohibition in 1966.

What I don't understand is why do the PTB continue to pursue avenues that have long ago ceased to be effective? There has to be some better way to approach the problem.

I can't help but think that instead of making a few industrious criminals rich, we need to find some way to recoup part of those vast amounts of money and put it back into the infrastructure of this country!

Just a thought! Coffee in the kitchen this morning, if that's alright with you!

How About A Sunday Mystery...?

I figured that today would be a good time to share a mystery right out of the history books!

Many of you may have heard of this ship before, but many others may not have had the chance to study it. To this day, the mystery has not been solved and that's what makes it such an enduring maritime tale!

Dec 4, 1872:

The mystery of the Mary Celeste

The Dei Gratia, a small British brig under Captain David Morehouse, spots the Mary Celeste, an American vessel, sailing erratically but at full sail near the Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was seaworthy, its stores and supplies were untouched, but not a soul was onboard.

On November 7, the brigantine Mary Celeste sailed from New York harbor for Genoa, Italy, carrying Captain Benjamin S. Briggs, his wife and two-year-old daughter, a crew of eight, and a cargo of some 1,700 barrels of crude alcohol. After the Dei Gratia sighted the vessel on December 4, Captain Morehouse and his men boarded the ship to find it abandoned, with its sails slightly damaged, several feet of water in the hold, and the lifeboat and navigational instruments missing. However, the ship was in good order, the cargo intact, and reserves of food and water remained on board.

The last entry in the captain's log shows that the Mary Celeste had been nine days and 500 miles away from where the ship was found by the Dei Gratia. Apparently, the Mary Celeste had been drifting toward Genoa on her intended course for 11 days with no one at the wheel to guide her. Captain Briggs, his family, and the crew of the vessel were never found, and the reason for the abandonment of the Mary Celeste has never been determined.

I always did love a good mystery, but what makes this one even better is the fact that that it is real and not some made up piece of fiction! I, for one, would love to know the whole story, but I suppose we will never find out the true facts.

Like a good mystery book with the last couple of pages torn out, isn't it?

The cold front hasn't come in yet, so let's have our coffee on the patio! OK?

Old Folks With Wheels...!

Yesterday, our friend Dizzy Dick showed us a few pictures of his new motor home.

If you missed it, you can see it over at his Blog! and I have to admit, it is one good looking piece of hardware!

Seeing his new one made me want to look around for something like that for myself! After browsing around, I think I've found the perfect camper for me!

Not quite as big as Dizzy's, but then I don't have three dogs and a wife. That means I don't need much room! For a single person like me, this might be just the thing!

Now, I need to bring you a medical alert that I just heard about! You might be affected and then, you might not...but either way, I felt it important to bring you this warning! I did not know this...


When you drink vodka over ice, it can give you kidney failure.


When you drink rum over ice, it can give you liver failure.


When you drink whiskey over ice, it can give you heart problems.


When you drink gin over ice, it can give you brain problems.


Apparently, ice is really bad for you.


Warn all your friends !

Whew! I feel much better now that I've got the warning out to all my friends!

How about we get some fresh coffee and sit outside this morning? Should be a nice day until the cold and nasty front comes in!

Another Gift From My Cat...!

Do you remember when, not to long ago, I showed you a present from my cat?

In case you have forgotten, here is a picture to jog your memory!

Now, as any of you with cats around the house know, they are notorious for bringing little gifts to the humans that feed them. I don't know if the reason is to show off their hunting skills or just to follow nature's urges!

Anyway, last night C.B. brought me another little present. Pretty nice for a Siamese tom, don't you think? At least this one he left outside and didn't bring into my room!

What was it, you asked? Well, instead of just telling you about it, I better show you! Ready...?

In case you don't know, this is a fully grown opossum, Or as we call it here in Texas...a 'POSSUM! Whatever you call it, I don't ever remember hearing of a cat catching one before!

I'm thinking that in a survival situation, this cat of mine might be handy to have around! If he could bring down a possum, he can be in charge of putting meat on the table!

Making the best of each and every team member's talents, right? That's what it's going to take!

Coffee on the patio this morning. We have some nasty weather coming in later!

You Gotta Love This Guy...!

This old boy lived in a time when men were men.

I don't care who you are, when you have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to 80 Texas cowboys wanting to fight, then you are a "Bad Man!" This man had some major backbone, let me tell ya!

Dec 1, 1884:

Elfego Baca battles Anglo cowboys

Elfego Baca, legendary defender of southwestern Hispanos, manages to hold off a gang of 80 cowboys who are determined to kill him.

The trouble began the previous day, when Baca arrested Charles McCarthy, a cowboy who fired five shots at him in a Frisco (now Reserve), New Mexico, saloon. For months, a vicious band of Texan cowboys had terrorized the Hispanos of Frisco, brutally castrating one young Mexican man and using another for target practice. Outraged by these abuses, Baca gained a commission as deputy sheriff to try to end the terror. His arrest of McCarthy served notice to other Anglo cowboys that further abuses of the Hispanos would not be tolerated.

The Texans, however, were not easily intimidated. The morning after McCarthy's arrest, a group of about 80 cowboys rode into town to free McCarthy and make an example of Baca for all Mexicans. Baca gathered the women and children of the town in a church for their safety and prepared to make a stand. When he saw how outnumbered he was, Baca retreated to an adobe house, where he killed one attacker and wounded several others. The irate cowboys peppered Baca's tiny hideout with bullets, firing about 400 rounds into the flimsy structure. As night fell, they assumed they had killed the defiant deputy sheriff, but the next morning they awoke to the smell of beef stew and tortillas--Baca was fixing his breakfast.

A short while later, two lawmen and several of Baca's friends came to his aid, and the cowboys retreated. Baca turned himself over to the officers, and he was charged with the murder of one of the cowboys. In his trial in Albuquerque, the jury found Baca not guilty because he had acted in self-defense, and he was released to a hero's welcome among the Hispanos of New Mexico. Baca was adored because he had taken a stand against the abusive and racist Anglo newcomers. Hugely popular, Baca later enjoyed a successful career as a lawyer, private detective, and politician in Albuquerque.

Let me say this! If this guy was running for office in my town...I'd vote for him, hands down! I sure wish we had a few men of this caliber in office today!

Let's grab some fresh coffee and sit out on the patio! I'll build a fire in the pit so we can stay warm!