The Daily Dose/April 17, 2020
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience…
Editor’s Note: click here to visit Gaylon’s campaign website.
GAYLON FOR US SENATE…VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN: On the surface, the results were good: I destroyed my opponent in voting for the Colorado Libertarian Party’s US Senate nomination 50-47, the balloting held online this past weekend after the convention was canceled.
Fly In The Ointment: However, Colorado has a law, tragic in this case, that just because you get the most votes at a convention doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve won. Colorado Revised Statute Title 1, Article 4, Section 103 is very clear on the matter, stating, in part:
To qualify for placement on the primary election ballot, a candidate must receive thirty percent or more of the votes of the assembly.
So I destroyed him, but not by enough.
Dry, Technical Matter: The Libertarian Party has been whining about this law for years on the theory the party is the best unit for deciding who their nominee should be, a position I heartily support. For now. Should future votes turn out differently I will be hailing this provision as a triumph of democracy.
Warm Personal Remembrance: We don’t really like primaries here, having lost the only other one we were in, a 2012 election for a nomination for Congress, one of the few primaries in Libertarian Party history. It was the same deal, too: I had defeated my hapless opponent at the convention, so we are going to take care to ensure we don’t lose again.
FunFact: As leading vote-getter in the race, though, the law states that my name gets placed first on the ballot.
The Bottom Line: Don’t forget to vote. If you’re not happy with our government, our country is calling. She needs our help and we must be prepared to shed the status quo and to make a difference on Election Day.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow takes measures to ensure the cat doesn’t wake him up in the middle of the night for food. Today’s Diary.
I did everything but set up a carving station for her and it more or less worked…
Click here get in on the laffs: Sparrow, The Bottom Ten, the funniest books you’ve ever read. We offer 4Ever and Ever access, or cheapskates can purchase books and columns individually.
On This Date
Great moments in us.
In 1961 – The Bay of Pigs invasion on the southern coast of Cuba begins. Financed by the CIA, the invasion was conducted by about 1,400 Cuban exiles who, along with the CIA wanted to overthrow Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. After modest initial success, the invasion weakened and President Kennedy declined to order further air support and the invasion would end on April 20, a decisive victory for the Cubans and a complete disaster for the United States.
In 1869 – The first baseball game involving a fully professional team is played, as the Cincinnati Red Stockings defeat a team of local amateurs 24-15. The Red Stockings had ten players under contract, a total payroll of $9,300 (about $176,500 in today’s money) and they won their first 88 games, not losing until June 14, 1870. The team had been formed in 1866 and disbanded after the 1870 season. Today’s Cincinnati Reds were formed in 1882 in the then-major American Association and joined the National League in 1890.
In 1971 – Three Dog Night is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first six consecutive weeks with Joy to the World. It was the ninth top 40 hit for the group, their fifth of eleven Top 10 hits and their second of three #1s {Mama Told Me (Not To Come), 1970; Black and White, 1972}. The song also went to #1 in South Africa and Canada and peaked at #24 in Great Britain. It was Billboard’s biggest song of the year and ranked 130th on their 60th anniversary Hot 100 in 2018. The song was written by Hoyt Axton, whose mother Mae co-wrote Elvis’ #1 song Heartbreak Hotel, and they remain the only mother and son to write separate #1 songs on the Hot 100.
Quotebook
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
I had found what I was looking for- a man like myself, but one who in his search for meaning had discovered a worthwhile object for his life; who had paid every price and not counted it a sacrifice; who was paying it still and would pay it till he died; who cared nothing for compromise, nothing for his pride, nothing for ourselves or the opinion of others; who had reduced his life to the one thing that mattered to him, and was free. – John LeCarre, The Secret Pilgrim
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
It’s not who you know, but what you know.
The NBA record for the highest field goal percentage by a team in a season 54.5% by the 1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers.
Today’s Stumper
Cheaper than Trivia Night at the bar.
What was the unit name given to the Cuban exiles that carried out the Bay of Pigs invasion? – Answer next time!
