December 2, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Special Education Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For December 2, 2016 Trump is not even president yet and already he’s being castigated for taking a congratulatory phone call from the President of Taiwan by the Chinese (first contact since 1979 by a U.S. President or President-elect); deadly wildfires with 13 dead in Tennessee as officials are taking heat (no pun intended) for not sending out evacuation orders by text or cell phone); the Washington Monument, a must see attraction while in Washington, is now closed indefinitely until sometime in 2019 to undergo elevator repairs (seems like a long time but this is the federal government even in cases where the repair is being funded by private philanthropy); in a refreshing note that we are not the only country that transitions power peacefully, Gambia’s president of 22 years conceded defeat in election results; HRC failed in her attempt to move enough people to ignore her flaws and vote for her but with her never ending attacks on Trump she certainly moved more people to go to Merriam Webster to search her words of racist (1), xenophobe, bigot  and misogyny (none of which Trump was or will be). 

      As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances,  a music link to Phil Harris, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Harry Reid, while looking forward to munching on some fritters (killer recipe for pumbpkin fritters below), 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. Special Education Day—commemorating passage of the Individuals with Disability Education Act in 1975 and observed since 2005.

2. International Sweater Vestival—created in 2005 to encourage men and women to wear a sweater to work although I would have placed this day on the first work day following Christmas so one could display for the first and only time some of the wacky Christmas sweaters as gifts before being returned.  
3. 1950 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1950 on a run of 4 weeks in that position “The Thing” by Phil Harris. Here is a recording of Phil Harris performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWPx-fw0mI8

4. National Fritters Day—celebrating fried cake or dough with meat or vegetables inside. Here is a killer recipe for pumpkin fritters:  http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/11/24/recipe-pumpkin-fritters/

5. The Living Proof that Boxing Is Not Good for the Mind—bemoaning the birth on this day in 1939 of a lifelong denizen of the swamp who leaves the swamp for good hopefully on December 31, 2016, Senator Harry Reid who in his tenure as Senate Majority Leader was the most divisive, tyrannical to probably ever occupied that position; he spent too much time in the ring and probably was hit too many times to the head. He will not be missed.           

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1823 President James Munroe in his State of the Union address proclaimed American neutrality in Europe and warned European powers not to intervene in the Americas.

b. 1845 President James Polk in a State of the Union address proclaimed America’s Manifest Destiny to aggressively expand to and settle the West.       

c. 1930 in a too little too late moment President Hoover in a State of the Union address proposed a $150 million stimulus program to put people back to work on public works projects (aka infrastructure).

d. 1956 Fidel Castro and with his 80 supporters landed in Cuba to commence the Cuban Revolution and institute the nightmare that is still present even though Fidel at 90 has smoked his last cigar. 

e. 2015 Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik at the San Bernadino Regional Center returned to a Christmas Party and killed 14 people and wounded 22 coworkers, many of whom had earlier hosted a baby shower for Malik.  

Demented reflections from a biased partisan mind that fortunately will no longer have a forum: “I think it is much easier to be a good member of the Church and a Democrat than a good member of the Church and a Republican.” Harry Reid The sad thing is I really think he believes that dribble. Good luck in retirement; too bad he did not take Pelosi with him.   
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 2, 2016, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

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