The Daily Dose/May 2, 2020
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
USA! USA! Former Vice President Joe Biden – the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee – has denied a sexual assault allegation by a former member of his US Senate staff. The allegation was made in late March and it’s puzzling why Biden waited so long to address the matter publicly.
Here We Go Again: Our first thought was this is hardly a surprise, it’s par for the course in politics nowadays and it is not difficult to understand such allegations are made: us males have a long history of sexual assault. We are in possession of Mother Nature’s mandate to reproduce and when some men want it they are going to get it. This neither excuses nor explains it, it merely acknowledges it and while some men are falsely accused, some are not. It’s the way the world is built.
Our other thought was that’s it, only one allegation? Good gravy, compared to President Trump Biden is a sexual assault allegation novitiate with absolutely zero street cred in this matter.
Dry, Technical Matter: President Trump has had over a dozen such allegations made against him over the years and he admits to grabbing women by the pussy, an admission that gives the allegations some measure of credence. Trump, of course, routinely dismisses such allegations – he certainly doesn’t fret over them, like Biden appears to be doing – and goes on the attack against his accusers. He could care less. Trump’s main talent and only real desire is to draw attention to himself and it doesn’t particularly matter how. His only goal is that people notice him.
LOL: This is all very rich. The Democrats, of course, railed when the Trump allegations seemingly appeared every hour on the hour, and they would like us to dismiss this.
The Bottom Line: We must be careful with he said/she said allegations. Biden cannot prove he didn’t do it because, of course, you cannot prove a negative and short of an admission, witnesses or video coverage, it’s difficult to prove it happened. It’s a conundrum us humans have yet to adequately address.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow has a package waiting for him at The Shire. Today’s Diary.
The goodies I bought for The Shire are starting to trickle in…First to arrive today was the package from that New England-ish website: the red plaid blanket for the bed, the green checked tablecloth and matching napkins…I could’ve sworn I ordered red napkins – for the contrast – and I was prepared to call in airstrikes on their goddamned store, but a check of the order shows I did, in fact, specify green napkins and the good folks there had merely had the nerve to send me what I’d ordered.
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On This Date
History’s long march to today
In 1982 – In the Falklands War, the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine light cruiser ARA General Belgrano about 200 nautical miles southwest of the Falkland Islands and about 100 nautical miles east of the southern tip of the Argentine mainland. The attack killed 321 Argentine sailors and two civilians and 772 men were rescued. The General Belgrano had originally been commissioned in 1938 by the United States Navy as the USS Phoenix and was sold to Argentina in 1951. It remains the only ship to be sunk in combat by a nuclear submarine.
In 1917 – Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds throws a 10-inning no-hitter in a 1-0 win over the Chicago Cubs at what is now Wrigley Field. Cubs pitcher Hippo Vaughn threw nine hitless innings, giving up a run in the tenth on two hits and an error. It was the third extra-inning no-hitter in major league history and remains the only major league game where both teams were hitless through nine innings. In 1909 Toney had pitched the longest no-hitter in American professional baseball history, a 17-inning game for the Winchester Hustlers of the Blue Grass League.
In 1981 – Sheena Easton is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Morning Train (Nine to Five). The song, whose title was changed to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 hit, also went to #1 in New Zealand, Australia and Canada and peaked at #3 in Great Britain. It was the second of 14 Top 40 hits for Easton and remains her only #1 song.
Quotebook
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Cicero…acquitted himself with a degree of competence and integrity that which surprised and offended his friends. – Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, Vol III: Caesar to Christ
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
It’s not who you know, but what you know.
The two songs in the 1960s that debuted higher than Mrs Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter at #12 were both by the Beatles: Hey Jude (1968) and Get Back (1969), both of which debuted at #10.
Today’s Stumper
Cheaper than Trivia Night at the bar.
Who pitched the last extra-inning no-hitter in major league baseball? – Answer next time!
