December 7, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For December 7, 2016 Trump has been named by Time Magazine as its “Person of the Year” in a very backhanded way, labeling him a “huckster” while (can you believe this-extolling a felon who dodged prosecution as “an American Moses—not sure if this is Biblical or a reference to Granma Moses who had artistic talent which HRC is completely devoid of);  Trump continued his “Thank You” Tour in North Carolina before a large, cheering crowd with Mad Dog Mattis, his pick for Secretary of Defense at his side; the recount mess continues in three states with not a snowball’s chance in Hell of affecting the outcome but contributing to the attempts of the sore losers left to delegitimize Trump’s presidency; Trump is now 3-0 in keeping jobs her in the U.S. as he announced a pledge by Japan’s Softbank to invest $50 billion and create 50,000 jobs in the U.S. due to Trump’s victory and the promise of tax cuts and reduced adverse to business regulations; Trump is believed to have offered the post of Ambassador to China to Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (Jon Huntsman fluent in Chinese and a former Ambassador to China and Singapore would be  more qualified for this pivotal post); Obama was in Florida defending his counter terrorism record (more like a lack thereof) while the House released a report that the U.S. is facing the worst terror threats since 9/11; it looks like the most arrogant and disliked man to ever head the IRS will not be facing impeachment as he will be pounding the pavement on January 20, 2017 (too bad as impeachment would have sent strong message to future IRS Commissioners and other high government officials but the political capital expended not worth it); Prime Minister Abe of Japan will be visiting Pearl Harbor in the near future but is rumored that he will not apologize for the “day that will live in infamy”; in a moment that will warm the cockles of your heart, Lowes hired a disabled vet and his service dog (hopefully there are no Department of Labor regulations on canine overtime, lunch breaks and rest time).
       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances,  a music link to Tennessee Ernie Ford, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Frank Gaffney, while looking forward to enjoying a sugar high with some cotton candy, blessed with a positive attitude and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

1. Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day—commemorating the “Day of Infamy” attacks on December 7, 1941 by two waves of Japanese carrier aircraft on Pearl Harbor and the surrounding U.S. Army Airfields that killed over 2400 Americans and decimated our Pacific Fleet.

2. International Civil Aviation Day—created by the UN to honor since 1996 the contribution of civil aviation to our global economy in terms of moving people and goods and generally making the world a much smaller place.  
3. 1954 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1955 on a run of 7 weeks in that position “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford.  Here is a recording of Tennessee Ernie Ford performing the song (now that Trump has been elected and the EPA’s war on coal will be dumped in the trash, maybe the song will be heard again in great numbers as coal miners start returning to the mines): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIfu2A0ezq0

4. National Cotton Candy Day—celebrating a popular dose of sugar usually consumed at fairs and amusement parks in the summer (do not ask me why it is celebrated on a winter day as I am clueless as to the rationale).

5. Cat’s in the Cradle—celebrating the birth on this day in 1942 of Harry Chafin, noted singer/songwriter whose songs include “Taxi” and that classic that tells a father too busy to play with his young son what will happened to him when the son becomes an adult and is raising his own family—“Cat’s in the Cradle.”             

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1776 Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette of France entered the Continental Army as a Major General.

b. 1917 the United States declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary due to German sinkings of merchant ships in the Atlantic and the infamous Zimmerman telegram promising support to Mexico if it commenced hostilities against the U.S.       

c. 1949 the government of China flees from the advancing Communists led by Mao Tse Tung to Taiwan and reestablished in Taipei.

d. 1963 to the joy of football fans present and in the future, replay was introduced during the coverage of the Army Navy Game. 

e. 1999 the Recording Industry Association of America sued Napster, Inc. for its peer-to-peer services, alleging copyright infringement and obtained an injunction on appeal to the 9^th Circuit against the practice.  

Reflections on Pearl Harbor Remembrance on one of the reasons after 8 years of a shrinking military under President Obama why Trump was victorious: "History demonstrates that previous military drawdowns invited aggression by our enemies." After World War I, America drew down forces until the U.S. Army had fewer than 100,000 men in uniform. That weakness invited Nazi aggression in Europe and the imperial Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor.” Frank Gaffney, noted conspiracy theorist and viewed by many on the left as “one of America’s most notorious Islamaphobes”; but his quote in the context or China’s and Russia’s aggressive acts recently seems right on point.
Please enjoy the poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History, poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance or go to Ridley's Believe It Or Not for just This Day in History.

© December 7, 2016, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

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