Notes from around the Human Experience…
CAPSULE VICE PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCADE REVIEW: Vice President of the United States Mike Pence, Interstate 25, Colorado Springs, Colorado: Unless you are a stalker, you generally do not run into vice presidential motorcades too often, but we ran into one Saturday morning.
We trying to enter southbound Interstate 25 at about 7:25am from whatever street the Waffle House we had breakfast at is on and a police motorcycle was at the bottom of the on ramp blocking the way.
We were second in line behind a truck. In another, bygone America, I might have gotten out of my car, moseyed up to the constable and asked what was up. That might get you shot nowadays, though, so we stayed in the car and thought about why we were stopped because police don’t shut down freeway access just for the hell of it. Something was up.
For $500 And Control Of The Board: Offhand I figured it was either a motorcade, an accident or something really big or really dangerous being transported. Since a million dollars wasn’t riding on a correct answer, and since there was no point in wasting brain power over the matter, we stopped thinking about it, though.
After about seven minutes or so there was no more traffic passing by and a minute or so later you could see the flashing lights of an awful lot of police cars coming down the freeway, then there was what was obviously a presidential limousine. You could see the seal on the side door. Some black SUV’s followed by a small bus that probably held the media. There were other vehicles and an ambulance brought up the rear.
At first we thought it was President Trump. His schedule for the day, however, had not found its way to my inbox, so I didn’t know for sure and some later research showed it was Vice President Pence who was in town.
Dry, Technical Matter: We were in the Springs, as us Colorado residents refer to it, for the Colorado American Legion State Convention. We command both our American Legion post and district, and we’ve been going to the state convention for a few years.
The usual business was done. An exciting new element was Friday night’s hospitality suite, hosted by those seeking state office.
These saints knew their hardworking comrades would be in the mood to wind down after a tough day of doing whatever the hell we had done Friday, and they had a nicely stocked bar, which is to be interpreted to mean they had a satisfactory amount of bourbon – at no cost to me – there.
They also had food, but the Post 44 delegation had begun the evening’s festivities by going to dinner at Post 38. Dinner consisted of pretty good steaks and since I wasn’t driving I was able to requisition a couple of drinks from the Fun Bar. They had a band, too, and a steak dinner at the local American Legion post with a band playing was a nice piece of Americana.
Running The Numbers: Despite the fact everyone who has at least one day of honorable active duty service since August, 1990 are eligible, membership in the Legion is declining. Some places. Not in my post or district, of course, as both Post 44 and District 14 exceeded their membership goals. District 14, in fact, had the highest membership rate, 105 percent of our goal, of any district in the state.
WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE???: The Boston Red Sox, then known as the Americans, show up in Philadelphia on this date in 1901 for their scheduled game against the Athletics only to find the Athletics aren’t there. The American League had changed the schedule and the A’s were in Washington that day, defeating the Senators 5-4.
No one told the Americans though. They had played at home the day before and were scheduled to be in Washington the next day, which sounds odd but one-game series were fairly common back then. We don’t know why, either.
Fly In The Ointment: Signs everyone in the American League office was high can be found in the fact the scheduled umpire for the series also showed up in Philadelphia. No one had told him about the change.
Dry, Technical Matter: Exactly why Philadelphia was dispatched to Washington for one game on the 26th isn’t immediately clear. Some research showed their only previous trip to Washington had seen the three scheduled games played without incident.
Really Dry, Technical Matter: Further research shows Washington was originally scheduled to be in Baltimore on the 26th, but this game was moved to the second game of a doubleheader on August 1.
The Post Game Show Is Brought To You By Old Style Beer: The Milwaukee Brewers/Cleveland Indians game on the 26th went on as scheduled, with Milwaukee getting four in the ninth inning to win 8-4.
Oh Jesus H: The Milwaukee Brewers were in their only season in the American League and would move to St Louis and become the Browns in time for the 1902 season. They are now the Baltimore Orioles.
The 1901 Baltimore Orioles would become the New York Highlanders, now the Yankees, in 1903.
Well, This Should Solve All The World’s Problems: The United Nations Charter is signed in San Francisco on this date in 1945 by 50 of the 51 countries that were founding members. The Charter would enter into force the following October.
The UN replaced the League of Nations, which had been waning in influence and effectiveness for a few years. The League would cease operations, except for an asset liquidation committee, on April, 18, 1946 when it was officially dissolved.
FunFact: Today the United Nations has 193 members. The world is still as violent as it’s ever been except for World War I and World War II.
Thought For The Day: When the wise say that there are no gods, they mean that the key to understanding all things is within ourselves. External worship is merely a means to point within to the true source of salvation. – Deng Ming Dao, 365 Tao
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: The oldest university in the world is Italy’s University of Bologna, founded in 1088.
Today’s Stumper: What founding member of the United Nations did not sign the UN Charter on June 26, 1945? – Answer next time!
