The Daily Dose/November 1, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
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In The News
We haven’t checked in with the migrant caravan making its way through Mexico, or America’s response to it, for a few days, so let’s dive right in with the latest.
There are four caravans now. Two are in Mexico, the first is about 900 miles from the closest US port of entry and the second invaded Mexico Monday, about 250 miles behind the first. Two others are working their way their way through Central America towards Mexico. The first caravan rested Wednesday and are hoping for some help, with one man stating:
We are waiting to see if they are going to help us out with buses, to continue the trip…
Who “they” are was not specified. Like a lot of people in desperate straights, they have passed off responsibility for their plight to others, something we’ve noticed happens from time to time. And their plight is desperate. Their homeland is in disarray and, really, they do not have much of a prospect of a future anywhere else. Too bad. We genuinely hope they are given the chance to make a go of it here in America because this country was built on the backs of migrants.
That is unlikely to happen, though. President Trump didn’t dispatch US troops to the border to be their welcoming committee. This is merely another attempt for Trump to draw attention to himself and work up the emotions of those who got him elected because the midterm elections are next week. Sending troops to the border is silly because it is not reasonable to think the migrants are going to attempt to cross the border en masse. Even if they do, the migrants are not armed, nor do they appear to be particularly dangerous. A well-disciplined pack of ROTC cadets could probably handle them.
There is danger in this situation. However, the danger is not people wanting to come to America. They’ve been doing that for centuries. It is not even our government’s knee-jerk reaction or its pandering to the lowest common denominator before an election. That’s been happening for centuries, too.
No, the danger is you and me continuing to tolerate being pandered to. Our country will continue to be a partisan, bickering mess, as long we allow it to be.
Today At The Site
Sparrow gets the snow tires put on The Wife’s car on today’s episode of The Diary of a Nobody. Also, he is too lazy to leave the house to drive to the next county for lunch at the Mexican joint.
The Thought for the Day continues its vacation, so please enjoy this one from September. It’s from Charle Kuralt.
On This Date
In 1800 – President of the United States John Adams moves into the White House, though it was still far from finished and the yard was mainly weeds. Defeated for reelection, Adams only lived there a few months before Thomas Jefferson moved in. Jefferson being Jefferson, he immediately started in making changes and additions, including the colonnades that now connect the White House with the east and west wings. At the time, however, their purpose was to hide stables and storage areas. The White House was gutted and the interior rebuilt during the Truman Administration.
In 1964 – Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns rushes for 149 yards in a 30-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, becoming the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 10,000 yards. Brown would retire after the 1965 season with 12,312 yards, still good for eleventh on the all-time list, though his average of 5.2 yards per carry remains the best in league history.
In 1975 – Elton John is at #1 for the fifth time on Billboard’s Hot 100 with Island Girl. The song would spend three weeks at #1 and to date John has had seven #1s on the Hot 100. It was John’s third #1 of 1975, after Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and Philadelphia Freedom. Island Girl was written by John and his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin and his backing vocals on the song are credited to Ann Orson.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The Rochester Royals are still in the NBA. After stops in Cincinnati and Kansas City/Omaha, they are now the Sacramento Kings. The Washington Capitols folded in 1951.
Today’s Stumper
Elton John’s 1975 #1 songs Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and Philadelphia Freedom bracketed a stretch where a record number of songs spent only one week at #1. How many songs make up this record?
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