The Daily Dose/January 24, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
The bickering continues. Our government shutdown is now five weeks old. The Speaker of the House announced she will not invite the president to appear before a joint session of Congress for the State of the Union address and members of the Coast Guard, who are part of the Department of Homeland Security and not the Defense Department, are not being paid with some only putting food on the table thanks to assistance from food banks.
You know, when we were in the Navy it was fun to joke about Coasties being shallow water sailors whose toughest job is tossing out life preservers. It’s the nature of the service and a lot of fun because if you don’t think submariners get their share of jokes you are deluding yourself. In reality, though, all hands in the Navy have the highest possible level of respect of our friends in the Coast Guard. They deserve better than being obliged to go to food banks to put food on the table.
Everybody should be ashamed of themselves. The president should be ashamed of himself and every member of Congress should be ashamed of themselves, too. While we’re at it, we should be ashamed of ourselves as well.
We should be ashamed for electing and reelecting this crap in the first place. Ashamed for tolerating this. Ashamed for taking a flier on demanding better at the ballot box. Ashamed for accepting whatever our elected leaders choose to spoonfeed us and accepting the shackles our government is putting on us. Because we are being shackled, America. Shackled by elected leaders that know they will not be held accountable on Election Day and are free to send Coast Guard sailors to food banks with impunity.
And that is what we should most be ashamed of: we keep reelecting partisan and fractured, bickering and substandard government. This is all our fault. We deserve better, but we are not demanding better.
We have been at war every day for 30 years and we are $22 trillion in debt. No nation can survive perpetual war and fiscal insanity and if you and me – we the people – don’t do something our country will collapse, perhaps before this half-century is out.
When it does, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow is enjoying a routine night at the hotel until a crush of people show up at the same time, plus he makes a unilateral decision to change the brand of kitty litter they put in the cat’s box, plus Sparrow goes out for a late breakfast at the Mexican joint in the next county.
I don’t understand this, either…For three hours it’s as if you’re working in the Gobi Desert and then BOOM it’s Grand Central Station…It is one of the eternal Wonders of the Front Desk…I’d gotten my work done around 0015 and for the past three hours I’d been working on projects for when the bell that I keep on the front desk rings…Three people…Two want to buy sundry items (some water, a sports drink, and some power bars) and another guy is looking for a room.
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On This Date
In 1989 – Ted Bundy, a convicted serial killer originally from Vermont, is executed in the electric chair by the state of Florida. Bundy was executed for the 1978 murder of a 12-year-old girl, had been condemned for two other murders and had confessed to over 30, though his exact total will never be known. Bundy got scared towards the end and began confessing to assorted murders and promising more information if his life was spared. It wasn’t and Bundy spent most of his last night on Earth crying and praying to whomever he felt would do him the most good.
In 1990 – Clarence Gaines becomes only the second NCAA basketball coach to earn 800 wins when Division II Winston-Salem State defeats Livingstone 79-70. Gaines would retire in 1993 after 47 years at Winston-Salem State with 828 wins, then the second-most in NCAA history, trailing only Adolph Rupp. Gaines now ranks 17th on the NCAA’s all-time win list.
In 1942 – Glenn Miller is at #1 on Billboard’s National Best Selling Retail Records chart – one of several predecessors to the Hot 100 – with Chatanooga Choo Choo. The song was in its fifth of six weeks at the top and was Miller’s third of four consecutive #1 songs, a Billboard chart record that stood until Elvis Presley had five consecutive #1s on the Hot 100 from 1959-61. The song appeared in the movie Sun Valley Serenade and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song From a Movie.
Quotebook
He had the courage to defy his enemies because he did not have the intellect to doubt his truth. He was what he had to be to do what he had to do.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization: The Reformation
Regards Martin Luther
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Challenger Deep got its name from the HMS Challenger, a British ship that in 1875 sounded the first depths in the area.
Today’s Stumper
What was Ted Bundy’s last meal? –Answer next time!
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