December 29,2023 Ridley's Believe It Or Not

 © December 29, 2023  Ridley’s Believe It Or Not

             Maine Blue  Secretary of State Sheena Bellows who based on her bias decided to remove Trump is getting a lot of flak from Red Maine legislators who want to her to be impeached from Blue legislators who since Trump was not impeached her attempt to ban him has jumped the gun. Her stunt and the Colorado Supreme Court early banning Trump attempt and the California Secretary of State wanting to follow the State Constitution to keep him on should mean SCOTUS has to weigh in hopefully with not a 5-4 but a 9-0 ruling that banning him without due process is  like dumping the rule of law into a trash bin.     
                 On the need for humanitarian aid to the Gazans, 81 truckloads of food and medicine entered through checkpoints which the UN blasted as not enough  so Gazans remain in a world of hurt which could be ended in a heartbeat if Hamas released the over 100 hostages it holds which it will not do since it would expose Hamas hiding in the numerous tunnels to forced evacuation or drowning.
               In Ukraine, massive missile and drone strikes against almost exclusively civilian targets with Putin emboldened by signs support for Ukraine from the EU is fading away. The mass drone and missile attack may have been in response to Ukraine’s severely damaging a Landing ship of the Black Sea Fleet.
               On the ban Trump from the ballot in Colorado front, the Colorado GOP filed an appeal with SCOTUS prompting the Colorado Secretary of State to put Trump’s name on the primary ballot on January 5, 2024 unless SCOTUS affirms the Colorado Supreme Court ruling or refuses to take up the case. Hopefully this ruling will put a damper on the more that dozen cases filed in state courts trying to keep Trump off the ballot other than Maine whose Blue Secretary of State Sheena Bellows after an “administrative hearing” ruled Trump had participated in an insurrection and barred him being of the ballot which will be appealed and gives greater urgency for SCOTUS to rule on the ability of Secretaries of State to remove a candidate from the ballot on a charge that he or she participated in an insurrection.
              On the illegal surge front a caravan of illegals totaling more 8,000 has just crossed into Mexico’s southern border with the organizer a zealot open border proponent bragging that it will near 15,000 when it reaches the U.S. while Blinken is hand in hand visiting Mexico seeking their assistance in securing their southern border. So far only Texas has recognized what the surge of illegals really is—an invasion mostly without arms and is now arresting illegals crossing into Texas which Arizona, New Mexico and most importantly California should follow coupled with no aid and assistance and sending them back home which cause illegal immigration to dry up overnight.
              The cry in California by surfers of “Surf’s Up” has been drowned out by cries of the “Surf’s Really, Really Up” as waves in the 20 to 40 feet range have been hitting California north of Ventura to the Bay Area.
               SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Rocket has been launched carrying the secret uncrewed probe X-37B deep into the cosmos in a mission believed to focus on how to sustain life in deep space hostile environments.
               Boeing’s 737 Max continues to be in the news that the company does not want to hear, as it is this notifying customers to be aware of loose or missing bolts being discovered in routine maintenance checks.
             Sam Bankman-Fried received some good news that prosecutors will not being going to trial on additional fraud allegations that were not included in his first trial paving the way for him to be sentenced to what good be a very long time in prison.                                           December 29, 2023  Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet 
              Noted Holidays: National Get On the Scales Day: Clueless who or when created this holiday but if you are an average American between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve you probably have gained 6 pounds and knowing how much you weigh gives you an idea of how much you might want to lose to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the coming year.
              Word of the Day: The word of the day as we continue with words starting with “b” is “brasero” which means a place where criminals and heretics were burned and on October 7, 2023 Israelis living on the Gaza by Hamas terrorists.
              Song of the Day: Leaving the number 1 songs  on this day in 1940’s to come back to the number song in 1996 in the U.S.A.  was  “Un-Break My Heart”  by Toni Braxton on a run of 4 to share number 1 status with 8 other songs, while 8 acts, including Toni Braxton, achieved their first 1^st number 1 single. Here is a music video with lyrics of Toni Braxton performing “Un-Break My Heart”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Rch6WvPJE
               December 29 Birthdays: “Breaking Another Glass Ceiling”: Celebrating the
birth on this day on December 29, 1947 in Pago Pago, American Samoa Aumua Amata to become the first Republican and the first woman to represent American Samoa as a nonvoting member of House but able to debate on vote on issues in committees in which she serves on.
               December 29 Historical Events in Rhyme
               1.      On this day in 2006 a loan of $3.75 billion with interest at 2 %/The final payment to discharge the debt was sent/Made by the U.S. as the British economy was near meltdown on July 15, 1946 with a term of 50 years with repayments in 1950 beginning to commence/Some of the funds were to be used for needed food and consumer goods but as the Cold War increased dollars were spent on restoring Britain’s defenses/6 years of extensions when exchange rates were crippling/But paid off to the last pence while our erstwhile allies the Soviets the chances of repayment to zero were quickly dwindling.
               2.        On this day in 1998 in what has to rank as the most severe what took you so long to apologize/The delay of the apology by the leaders of the Khmer Rouge for the genocidal demise/In his zeal to Mao and his Cultural Revolution ape/Khmer Rouge dictator Pol Pot embarked on turning Cambodia in to utopian rural state/Abolished private property, forced urban dwellers into collective farms where they starved and 2 million died/Over worked and stripped of Buddhism any chance  of the promised utopia denied.                                      3.       On this day in 1994 Turkish Airlines Flight Number 278/On a flight from Ankara, Turkey to Van, Turkey and trying to land was told to wait/Pilot ignored with visibility almost zero dui to blizzard snow/and on third try into the hillside the plane would go/A crew of 7 and 69 passengers were on board/For ignoring a call to not land 5 crew and 52 passengers died and the others survived with serious injuries as their reward.
               4.      On this Day in 1975 at La Guardia Airport at TWA’s area for baggage claim/A bomb in a coin operated locker had exploded to kill and maim/Estimated to have the force of 25 sticks of dynamite/Fortunately 30 minutes after 2 arriving flights/With 200 packed together now gone after suitcases mostly picked up suitcases/Death count was only 11 with 74 wounded waiting for transportation or cab and limo drives when the bomb would erupt/Although some have a link to The Croatian terrorist group OTPOR suggested/No one has been ever arrested.
               5.      Cecille B. De Milles on this day in 1913/Began filming for the Silver Screen/The Squaw Man, a silent was 74 minutes long filmed in Hollywood and a profit made/Soon Hollywood would be the film capital with many more movies in a never ending parade.
               Quote on the Cambodian Genocide by Dith Pran on the death of Pol Pot in 1998, quoted in the Times:
               “This is sad for the Cambodian people because he was never held accountable for the deaths of 2 million of his fellow countryman. The Jewish people's search for justice did not end with the death of Hitler and the Cambodian people's search for justice doesn't end with Pol Pot.” 

               © December 29, 2023 Ridley’s Believe It Or Not
                  www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com
                  Poems on Events of the Day
                  Unique Commissioned Poems for Special Events

   

    

 

     © December 28, 2023  Ridley’s Believe It Or Not

             If we thought censure might cause Rashida Tlaib to tone down her antisemitic rhetoric we were greatly disappointed as she blasted Netanyahu as a “genocidal maniac and blasted any of her fellow Blues that had the temerity to recently meet with this “murderer.”
             On the ban Trump from the ballot in Colorado front, the Colorado GOP filed an appeal with SCOTUS prompting the Colorado Secretary of State to put Trump’s name on the primary ballot on January 5, 2024 unless SCOTUS affirms the Colorado Supreme Court ruling or refuses to take up the case. Hopefully this ruling will put a damper on the more that dozen cases filed in state courts trying to keep Trump off the ballot other than Maine whose Blue Secretary of State Sheena Bellows after an “administrative hearing” ruled Trump had participated in an insurrection and barred him being of the ballot which will be appealed and gives greater urgency for SCOTUS to rule on the ability of Secretaries of State to remove a candidate from the ballot on a charge that he or she participated in an insurrection.
              On the illegal surge front a caravan of illegals totaling more 8,000 has just crossed into Mexico’s southern border with the organizer a zealot open border proponent bragging that it will near 15,000 when it reaches the U.S. while Blinken is hand in hand visiting Mexico seeking their assistance in securing their southern border. So far only Texas has recognized what the surge of illegals really is—an invasion mostly without arms and is not arresting illegals crossing into Texas which Arizona, New Mexico and most importantly California should follow coupled with no aid and assistance and sending them back home which cause illegal immigration to dry up overnight.
              As might be expected the Biden Administration instead of implementing means to secure the border is threatening to sue Texas for its stepping in to do what the Biden Administration has capitulated on—securing the border.
              On the Hamas Israeli War propaganda front, pro-Palestinian protestors have been trying to block access to airports in New York City and block the entrances to the World Trade Center.
            December 28, 2023  Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet 
            Noted Holidays: National Short Film Day: Created by Film Moment in 2019 and celebrated on December 28 of each year to commemorate  In 1895 at the Grand Café in Paris, two brothers sparked the world's love of cinema. Auguste and Louis Lumière brought that fascination to life first in a paying audience of 33 customers. That day, the film pioneers presented 10 short films, each about 50 seconds in length. To the amazement of all those in attendance, the brothers captured everyday events on film and played them back as moving pictures. The experience of “watching movies” came alive that day. And it all began with those first 10 short films.
             Word of the Day: The word of the day as we continue with words starting with “b” is “brandling” which means striped earthworm used as bait.
              Song of the Day: Leaving the number 1 songs  on this day in 1940’s to come back to the number song in 1997 in the U.S.A.  was  “Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Looked Last Night”  by Elton John on a run of 12 to share number 1 status with 9 other songs, while 7 acts, including The Notorious B.I.G. who was the 5 artist to achieve number one status posthumously, achieved their first 1^st number 1 single. Here is a recording of Elton John performing “Candle In the Wind 1997”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxb0GeS4gL8
               December 28 Birthdays: “RINO Is Ticket to Better RINO Gigs”: Celebrating the birth on this day on December 28, 197I in Chinandega, Nicaragua of Anna Navarro, co-host on The View to as a Red though centrist as a supposed counterweight to  the over the top leftist views of the likes of Goldberg, Behar, and Hostin, a role she performs poorly having voted for HRC in 2016 and Biden in 2020 and probably is supporting him again in 2024,
               December 28 Historical Events in Rhyme
               1.      On this day in 1978, UA Flight 173 headed to Portland from JFK after a stop in Denver to refuel/ While beginning to land with flaps down and landing gear to be lowered a malfunctioning chip would the crew fool/Was not green so the landing gear was thought to be not locked in the position down/Which would mean it would buckle and the plane would crash into the ground/Flew around in circles for over an hour trying to be certain the landing gear was locked to safely bring the plane down/With flaps down burned more fuel and the 4 engines soon flamed out for the now glider to crash into the ground/27 people injured and 10 died/Thanks to not monitoring the fuel and a faulty chip on they relied.
               2.      On this day in 1973 the Endangered Species Act was by Nixon signed into law/To recognized that any conservation effort that ignored protection of habitat was flawed/As of 2023 of the 1780 species that were once on the endangered or threaten list/ 64 had moved from endangered to threatened and 64 would without endangered or threatened status exist/Despite our best efforts 11 species have become extinct/another 23 have not been seen for so long extinct status is what agencies think.
               3.      On this day in 1972 the day President Truman died most federal offices with day of mourning closures complied/The last 300 draftees as the draft was to end the next day reported but access to locked federal buildings was denied/Never had to the jungles of South Vietnam report/To run the risk of their lives in a rice paddy being cut short.
              4.      On this Day in 1967 the glass ceiling at the home of the Bulls and Bears/Was shattered as Muriel Seibert became the first female member of the New York Stock Exchange though many of the men did not want her there/Relentless advocate of women in financial markets as the best way to compete/Against Asian countries using only half their population to result in greater losses and defeats/Appointed as Superintendent of New York banks/With the distinction of during her tenure never having one go into the tank.
              5.      On this day in 1943 the 3 day deportation 93,000 Kalmyks to Siberia commenced/In Stalin’s mind 5,000 of them earlier in the German invasion had committed a mortal offense/Formed into a cavalry corps to fight on the German’s side/That some 23,000 had served in the Red Army winning 8 Orders of Lenin to defeat the German invasion tide/Being deported to Siberia and its living conditions caused the death of 16,000 Kalmyks/And the charge against Stalin and his henchmen as war criminals to in history forever stick.
              Quote on the Endangered Species’ Act  by James Saxton, Moderate Republican Congressman from New Jersey Who Served For 25 Years:
               “It is a drastic mistake to eliminate the provisions that have to do with the protection of habitat for endangered species. It is my opinion that the Endangered Species Act is 99 percent about protecting critical habitat.”

               © December 28, 2023 Ridley’s Believe It Or Not
                  www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com
                  Poems on Events of the Day
                  Unique Commissioned Poems for Special Events

Biden and Orwell Hand in Hand as masters of Doublespeak

 

Biden’s favorite author must be George Orwell
As fears of a huge caravan of illegals he is trying to dispel
And his favorite book must be Orwell’s 1984
As he tries to have Americans the tidal wave of illegals ignore
Like Orwell hiding behind the deceptive lexicon of “doublespeak”
8,000 plus illegals have crossed into Mexico’s southern border heading north to crossing into the U.S. seek
To the Biden Administration the mantra is “not unusual” for the record number
It must think despite our eyes seeing the caravan we are dumber and dumber
With the trend of illegals up from the day Biden sat in the Oval Office chair
To claim only a seasonal surge ignores the open border reality that is clearly there
Doublespeak is language that deliberately obscures, disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words.
Asking us to believe the increased illegal migration is a seasonal surge is absurd
Doublespeak practiced by the Border Czar and Mayorkas was in play from the Administration’s first day
That the illegals were being processed before being sent on their way
Processed  to be make a promise at an immigration status hearing promise to appear
When it came up the illegals had long since disappeared.

© 12/28/2023 Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet

Censure Without Consequences for Rashida Tlaib Is Like a Tiny Speed Bump On Her Antisemitic Over the Top Rhetoric Highway

 

In Congress bipartisanship is an endangered species trait
Americans hoping to see politicians crossing the aisle are in for a long wait
All too often the votes in the House are on straight party lines
Desperate to find common ground with one or two crossers bi-partisanship is defined
In a rare moment of putting nation ahead of party 22 Blues on Tlaib’s antisemitism were through
Joined with 212 Reds to censure Tlaib for the false narratives on Israel she chose to spew
Kudos to the 4 Reds who would not follow their leaders’ desires
Voted with the Blues against censure and thought the it was right to push for a ceasefire
If we thought that censure might curb Tlaib’s venom against Israel we were wrong
With her mantra of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as Israel there does not belong
Censure of her is like water rolling off a ducks back
Over the top rhetoric that Netanyahu is a “genocidal maniac”
Blasting her fellow Blues who have met with this “war criminal” with blood on his hands
Ad hominem attacks that increase the burden of bringing peace to this land
Unlike Ilham Omar who was censured and removed from her seat on the Committee on Foreign Affairs
Tlaib’s committee seats were retained so from her rhetorical venom  we will not be spared

© 12/28/2023 Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet

December 27, 2023 Ridley's Believe It Or Not

 

© December 27, 2023  Ridley’s Believe It Or Not

             Baltimore State Attorney who made headlines for her prosecution of police officer for the killing of Freddie Gray while in police custody and who was found guilty of several counts of perjury about her financial condition has been hit a State Bar Petition seeking her immediate suspension from the practice of law.
              Consistent with a prevailing view among Christians of a War on Christmas by the left, the FTC announced on Wednesday the filing of a $40 million lawsuit against Grand Canyon University, the largest Christian University in the nation for deceptive advertising following on the heels of Biden’s DOE $37.7 million fine over lying about te cost of its doctoral programs.
              Fighting in Northern Israel is also intensifying as Hezbollah, backed by Iran seems hell bent to get involved in the Hamas Israel War as it launched  18 rockets at Rosh Hanikra, a coastal kibbutz supposedly trying to hit a naval base and failed and  launched 30 rockets at Kiryat Shmona, where residential buildings were damaged. 
              While our military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan seems on a slow boat to nowhere, XI celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Mao, 130 years ago is touting that the reunification of China and Taiwan is inevitable as China continues with its destabilizing war games in the Taiwan theater.
               On the remove Trump from the ballot on the disgraced notion that entities other than Congress, courts, individuals and state of officials on what constitutes an insurrection, the Colorado Republican party has filed suit to keep Trump on the ballot and in Michigan some sanity on the issue as the Michigan Supreme Court has ruled against the effort to ban him from being on the ballot.
               On the Hamas Israeli War humanitarian aid front former Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag was hired as the United Nations coordinator for humanitarian aid to Gaza on Tuesday Kaag, who speaks Arabic fluently, is married to Anis al-Qaq, a former Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official and should have intimate knowledge of how Hamas ousted the PLO from power and how it will do the same to coopt the humanitarian aid.
               On the illegal immigration front, Chicago Mayor Johnson had it had it less than half right that if the Biden Administration does not address the issue we are doomed but his call for addressing the issue is not securing the border and turning bogus asylum seekers back but more federal aid for housing, food, education, and legal assistance to avoid deportation which will increase the strength of the magnet attracting illegals.
            December 27, 2023  Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet 
            Noted Holidays: National Fruit Cake Day: Clueless who created his observance but the fruitcake has been around since the time of the Roman Legions  marching across the known world and today a welcome or despised gift that if alcohol is added can be stored for many years. Nuts, fruits and fiber are welcome but not the sugar.
             Word of the Day: The word of the day as we continue with words starting with “b” is “brachymetropia” which means shortsighted which when applied to public corporations are to be castigated on focusing on quarter to quarter results as opposed to longer time frames.
              Song of the Day: Leaving the number 1 songs  on this day in 1940’s to come back to the number song in 1998 in the U.S.A.  was  “I’m Your Angel”  by R. Kelly and Céline Dion on a run of 4 weeks to share number 1 status with 14 other songs, while 10 acts achieved their first 1^st number 1 single. Here is a music video of R. Kelly and Céline Dion performing “I’m Your Angel”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PlrjTLQego
               December 27 Birthdays: “Bitten by the Political Bug Is Hard to Recover From”: celebrating or bemoaning depending on your political affiliation the  birthday on this day in 1953 in the wealthy black Ashburton neighborhood of West Baltimore to become the first woman mayor of Baltimore and the third black mayor but whose career was cut short in an embezzlement scandal that forced her resignation. But once a politician always a politician as she has run for reelection and lost in 2016 and 2020 and in 2023 believing the third time is the charm announced she is running in 2024.
               December 27 Historical Events in Rhyme
               1.      On this day in 2008 Israel launched a 22 day attack against Hamas rocket and mortar sites/To degrade and minimize into the air against Israel taking flight/On the 4^th of January Operation Casemate moved into Gaza to tunnels, command centers and military targets to destroy, In a crowded urban environment even with sophisticated bombs and missiles to employ/Collateral damage would be the rule not the exception/Civilian human and residential casualties almost from inception/The IDF claimed victory but October 7, 2023 proved urban warfare will otherwise peaceful citizens radicalize/Peace will be a far off dream if Jews and Hamas cannot learn to each other not demonize.
               2.      On this day in 2007 Benazir Bhutto, who had returned by exile to campaign to be prime minister for the third time/And had shortly after her return survived an assassination attempt by suicide bombers that 129 people had killed in a bloody crime/She was unhurt but reached out for more security from the government and private security firms but was denied/Standing up in an open vehicle visible from the street as a suicide bomber detonations and 3 gunshots as she quickly died.
               3.      On this day in 1991 a MD-91 jet after being parked overnight in freezing weather with a film of clear ice on the wings/Not visible so the ground crew another de-icing to the plane did not bring/Seconds into the flight the ice broke off and into the engines on each wing was ingested/Both engines failed and its climb past 3920 feet was arrested/Now a glider heading to the nearest emergency field/But the forces on a gliding plane do not yield/Landed tail first, wing sheared off sliding across the field to break into 3 parts/A miracle that only some injuries and no deaths in a landing not for the faint of heart.
              4.      On this Day in 1929 Joseph Stalin ordered the liquidation of the kulaks in Ukraine/through confiscation of the crops as even the seed crops the peasants could not retain/Millions starved and it is of no surprise/Ukrainians welcomed the Wehrmacht as heroes who would bring Stalin’s demise/Explains why Ukraine is fighting tooth and nail/To insure Putin’s ill-fated and unprovoked invasion will fail.
              5.      On this day in 1845 Journalist John L. Sullivan who had first used the term “Manifest Destiny” in his paper New York Morning Herald argued that the U.S. had the right to claim the entire Oregon Territory/James Polk who had campaigned on the slogan “54 40 or fight” did not want to fight a 2 front where death would outweigh the glory/Mexico on the south and England on the north when easier to  the existing northern border line extend/Would be a bloodless way to a potential 3^rd war in 70 years come to an end/49^th parallel to the sea/And still not mock the call for “manifest destiny.”
              Quote on America’s Manifest Destiny by Jeffrey Sachs, America’s Unholy Crusade Against China:
               “In 1845, John O’Sullivan coined the phrase “Manifest Destiny” to justify and celebrate America’s violent annexation of North America. ‘All this will be our future history,’ he wrote in 1839, ‘to establish on earth the moral dignity and salvation of man – the immutable truth and beneficence of God. For this blessed mission to the nations of the world, which are shut out from the life-giving light of truth, has America been chosen...’
               On the basis of such exalted views of its own beneficence, the US engaged in mass enslavement until the Civil War and mass apartheid thereafter; slaughtered Native Americans throughout the nineteenth century and subjugated them thereafter; and, with the closure of the Western frontier, extended Manifest Destiny overseas. Later, with the onset of the Cold War, anti-communist fervor led the US to fight disastrous wars in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) in the 1960s and 1970s, and brutal wars in Central America in the 1980s.
               After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the evangelical ardor was directed against “radical Islam” or “Islamic fascism,” with four US wars of choice – in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya – all of which remain debacles to this day. Suddenly, the supposed existential threat of radical Islam has been forgotten, and the new crusade targets the CPC.

              © December 27, 2023 Ridley’s Believe It Or Not
                  www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com
                  Poems on Events of the Day
                  Unique Commissioned Poems for Special Events

 

© December 26, 2023  Ridley’s Believe It Or Not

             After some hundred drone and missile attacks on U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq by Iran backed militia groups and an attack by a one way drone at a base near Erbil, Iraq that wounded 3 Americans, Biden whispered in a frail weak voice enough and the U.S. struck back at 3 facilities with no mention of casualties there as Iraq slams the attacks, claiming 1 dead and 18 wounded including civilians.
              Fighting in Southern Gaza is intensifying and looking like the basement to basement in Stalingrad and the tunnel fighting in Vietnam as Netanyahu lays down criteria for a cease fire-(1) Gaza must be demilitarize with a temporary secure zone between Egypt and Gaza to prevent the flow of weapons into Gaza, (2) Hamas must be destroyed and (3) like Germany was denazified, Palestine must be deradicalized with imams now teaching that Paradise is barred to those who kill Jews.
              On the Hamas Israeli Propaganda a new progressive front Doctors Against Genocide who are demanding a ceasefire to end the “genocide” due to backlash from social media have cancelled an “anti-Genocide event at the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.
              On the international piracy front, the Iran back Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked another container ship in the Red Sea inflicting no injuries but raising the ante that the world of civilized nations really need to band together to force Iran to end its support of the Houthi and increase aid to Yemen to defeat them.
              On the celestial doomsday front the giant asteroid Apophis  aka the “God Of Chaos will be nearing Earth but scientists are assuring us it will not strike Earth in the next 100 years which should give us plenty of time to land and explode numerous nukes to divert it or break it into numerous less catastrophic pieces.
             December 26, 2023  Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet 
             Noted Holidays: Boxing Day: Celebrated in the United Kingdom on the day after Christmas and most countries that were ruled by England or part of the British Commonwealth by the wealthy giving boxes containing gifts to their servants, hired help and trade people but since the handover of Hong Kong to China, no longer there.                               Word of the Day: The word of the day as we continue with words starting with “b” is “brachydactylous” which means having short or stubby fingers which is usually the kiss death to one who aspires to be a classical piano player or wants to excel texting messages on a smart phone.
              Song of the Day: Leaving the number 1 songs  on this day in 1940’s to come back to the number song in 1999 in the U.S.A.  was  “Smooth”  by Santana feat. Rob Thomas of 10 weeks to share number 1 status with 14 other songs, while 10 acts , including Santana and Rob Thomas, achieved their first 1^st number 1 single. Here is a music video with lyrics of Santan feat. Rob Thomas performing “Smooth”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Whgn_iE5uc
               December 26 Birthdays: “The Kind of Fame One Would Want to Avoid”: celebrating or bemoaning depending on your political affiliation the  birthday on this day in 1942 in the Bronx of Gray Davis, a 2 term California Governor  who made history as only the 2^nd governor to be impeached shortly into his 2^nd term and replaced by the “Terminator.”
               December 26 Historical Events in Rhyme
               1.      On this day in 2012  China opened for service the world’s longest high speed railroad from Beijing to Guangzhou (once known as Canton)/With speeds so fast no need for sleepers to travel on/At speeds that make Amtrak look like its pulled by teams of horses/Which explains why Amtrak on its long distance slow speed passenger service is a massive red ink source.
               2.      On this day in 2006, 2 6.and 7.0 Richter scale earthquakes hit Hengchun, Taiwan/Causing only 2 deaths but massive communications disruptions to bring on/ To submarine cables thought to be safe on the ocean floor/Communications severed that took a good time to restore.
               3.      On this day in 2004 we were reminded the Richer number measures severity as exponential/In the Indian Ocean a 9.1-9.3 Earthquake would introduce a good part of coastal and inland Asia to its full deadly potential/Creating one of the largest tsunamis with wave heights and flooding waters  ever witnessed by man/Surging flood waters to hit India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Thailand/ When the flood waters finally receded, survivors who grieved the 227,898 dead across those flood soaked lands.
              4.      On this Day in 1994 in Algeria 4 Jihadist terrorists hijacked Air France Flight 8969 before taking off for Paris, France/With plans to into the Eiffel Tower in a crash advance/Killed 3 hostages before taking off to Marseilles/After being on power on the ground burned too much fuel to send them to Paris on their way/Hijackers did not know the Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale was waiting to storm the plane/A 20 minute gunfight ensued but all 4 hijackers died in vain/Plane was riddled with bullets and would never again fly/ Commandos were wounded but not serious enough to future service deny.
              5.      On this day in 1862/In a two month 303 trial transcripts by President Lincoln review/In what should be viewed as one largest miscarriages of justice in our Native American dealings/Lincoln commuted 264 guilty verdicts and authorized the hanging of 37 convicted of murder and 2 for rape that should even today leave us with a profound guilt feelings/largest number of executions in a single day/A historic stain on our ideals that may never go away.
              Quote on the mass hanging of the Dakotas on December 26, 1862 by Carol Chomsky writing in the Stanford Law Review:  “The Dakota were tried, not in a state or federal criminal court, but before a military commission composed completely of Minnesota settlers. They were convicted, not for the crime of murder, but for killings committed in warfare. The official review was conducted, not by an appellate court, but by the President of the United States. Many wars took place between Americans and members of the Indian nations, but in no others did the United States apply criminal sanctions to punish those defeated in war. ”

  

              © December 26, 2023 Ridley’s Believe It Or Not
                  www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com
                  Poems on Events of the Day
                  Unique Commissioned Poems for Special Events

 

Christmas Day, 2023 Ridley's Believe It Or Not

 

© December 25, 2023  Ridley’s Believe It Or Not

             While Biden sits on his hands paralyzed as Iranian backed forces launch missile and drone attacks on U.S. Bases in Syria and Iraq, Israel does not hesitate to take out Iranian commanders in the field as it did today killing  Senior adviser for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Sayyed Razi Mousavi in Syria. As 3 U.S. Servicemen are wounded in a Iran backed Hezbollah attack, Biden got up off his hands to launch air strikes with the targets or results not yet known, but at least a good first step.
              Biden is in a snit fit attacking the media for not reporting his economic successes in a sufficiently positive vein. In a recent poll only 14% of Americans say Biden’s policies have helped them. Biden’s illusions on how well he and the economy are doing will not put food on the table or pay the mortgage or rent.
               As the FBI is investigating a record number of swatting calls against Jewish institutions as  2 Red House Members, Marjorie Taylor Green and Brandon Williams (really dangerous situation as police a led to believe a crime is taking place and are likely to approach with guns drawn. 
              Harvard University supposedly the elite of the elite is supposed to live by its motto “Veritas” which means truth which its president Claudine Gay mocks. Her academic publications of plagiarism reek. Worse her appointment as Harvard President look less and less like the best and brightest which is what in presidents elite universities should seek. The Harvard Board of Governors continues to support a DEI pick that is mediocrity at its best. If they and she had any integrity or spine, they would demand and she would resign to give this scandal a rest.  
             December 25, 2023  Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet 
             Noted Holidays: National Pumpkin Pie Day: Clueless of who started this holiday extoling this Native American Squash that is usually a must have for Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas Day deserts but usually a hit for all especially if served ala mode. We had to wait until pumpkin pie filing was  introduced in 1929 in a can.
             Word of the Day: The word of the day as we continue with words starting with “b” is “brabble” which means to squabble or quarrel which seems to describe to a tee how our political parties are prone to interact with each other.
              Song of the Day: Leaving the number 1 songs  on this day in 1940’s to come back to the number song in 2000 in the U.S.A.  was  “Independent Women”  by Destiny’s Child  on a run of 7 weeks to share number 1 status with 17 other songs, while 10 acts achieved their first 1^st number 1 single. Here is a music video with lyrics of Destiny’s Child performing “Independent Women”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cQh1ccqu8M4
               December 25 Birthdays: “Don’t Go On TV Without Your Whiteboard”: celebrating the birthday on this day in 1950 in Denver, Colorado to become a noted Republican political adviser, consultant and pundit on election results—often appearing on TV with his trusted whiteboard, forecasting votes by certain groups, based on age, occupation, ethnicity  or income.
               December 25 Historical Events in Rhyme
               1.      On this Christmas Day in 2021 the James Webb Telescope was launched into space/To make our universe a much closer visible place/to reveal stellar bodies never seen before/To at the beginning of our universe open up its birthing doors.
               2.      On this Christmas Day in 2004 the Huygens Titan Moon space probe launched by NASA from Earth on October 15, 1997/After years traversing enroute to Saturn’s moon Titan our solar heavens/separated from its Cassini orbiter to on February 14, 2005 on Titan land/To for 54 minutes transmit data needed to the composition of Titan and its atmosphere to understand/First probe to land on a moon other than the Moon and survive impact/A testament to the mission skills our best and brightest and their computers do not lack.
                3.       On Christmas Day in 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union resigned as its President/One day before the Soviet Union into the dissolution into independent nations went/Following the passage of Ukraine’s referendum to become independent/The first SSSR to leave and the one Putin with his invasion wants to retrieve.
                4.      On this Christmas Day after previously pardoning those Confederates who were not excluded from receiving pardons due to a list of 14 exceptions/Andrew Johnson pardoned all who had participated in the Civil War Insurrection/Fulfilling Lincoln’s 2^nd  Inaugural Address of “With malice toward none and charity for all /…To bind up the nation’s wounds…” that denying pardons would too long stall.

                5.      On Christmas Day in 1621 Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony in his Grinch stealing Christmas time/Banned its celebration subject to a 5 shilling fine/In his mind Christmas celebrations were vestiges of Roman pagan Saturnalia holidays/That would with worship, church service and prayers get in the way.
                Quotes on banning Christmas Day celebrations from Governor Bradford’s journal Of Plymouth Journal:
                “One the day called Christmas day, the Gov called them out to work, (as was used,) but the most of this new-company excused themselves and said it went against their consciences to work on that day. So the Gov told them that if they made it matter of conscience, he would spare them till they were better informed.
                So he led-away the rest and left them; but when they came home at noon from their work, he found them in the street at play, openly; some pitching the barr and some at stoole-ball, and such like sports.
                So he went to them, and took away their implements, and told them that was against his conscience, that they should play and others work. If they made the keeping of it matter of devotion, let them keep their houses, but there should be no gaming or revelling in the streets.”  

              © December 25, 2023 Ridley’s Believe It Or Not
                  www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com
                  Poems on Events of the Day
                  Unique Commissioned Poems for Special Events