March 5 (A Triple)

1946 - The 'Iron Curtain Speech': Winston Churchill delivered his famous speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.

"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron Curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in...the Soviet sphere."

Churchill was the greatest leader in the free world during the 20th Century, and his evaluation of Soviet Communism was right on target...Just as he had been regarding Nazism in the 1930's.

1953 - After 29-years in power, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin died at the age of 73.

In the entire history of the world, Stalin stands side by side with any of the worst and most destructive human beings...In his 12-year period of raising Hell, Hitler may have been worse, but Stalin was in power 17-years longer than Hitler, which allowed him to catch up and pass the German madman in the total number of lives ruined or ended.  Though he fell short of Mao's final number - and probably Genghis Khan's as well.

Here's how Stalin spent his last moments:

"For the last twelve hours the lack of oxygen became acute. His face and lips blackened as he suffered slow strangulation. The death agony was terrible. He literally choked to death as we watched. At what seemed to be the very last moment, he opened his eyes and cast a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance, insane and perhaps angry, full of fear of death." - Svetlana Stalin (Joe's daughter).

In other words, the Man of Steel exited the world just as he lived in it...Here's hoping he suffered mightily in death, and continues to do so in Hell.

2004 - Libya acknowledged stockpiling 44,000 pounds of mustard gas and disclosed the location of a production plant in a declaration submitted to the world's chemical weapons watchdog.

WOW!! This was an unforeseen, AND BARELY REPORTED, benefit of the Iraq War...It was also a scary awakening to the reality of the Middle East: If Libya had such weapons, what do the big players have?

The world also has to notice it wasn't long until the U.S. took out Gaddafi after he gave up his toys - It's debatable if we would have if he hadn't...Something every dictator with such weapons will keep in mind when we ask them to give them up:  North Korea, Iran, etc.

1616 - The Roman Catholic Church, through Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, declared Copernicanism a “false and erroneous” doctrine. As a result, Nicolaus Copernicus’ 'de Revolutionibus' was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Roman Catholic Church.

He couldn’t prove his theories at the time, but Copernican ideas eventually won out on this argument...Years after his death.

1770 - The Boston Massacre: British soldiers, who had been taunted by a crowd of American colonists, opened fire killing five people.

In terms of bloodshed the 'massacre' has been over-hyped, but in terms of propaganda value for what was becoming a revolutionary cause it was a tremendous gift.

1933 - President Franklin Roosevelt ordered a four-day bank holiday in order to stop large amounts of money from being withdrawn from the banks.

Ever wonder why FDIC banks are never closed for four consecutive days? Here is your reason...I like FDR as a ‘war president,’ but his domestic plans were disastrous, and many were unconstitutional.

1933 - In German parliamentary elections, the Nazi Party won 44% of the vote, enabling it to join with the Nationalists to gain a slender majority in the Reichstag.

It is important to remember the Nazis took power through the ballot-box...Needless to say, this was the last 'free election' the Germans had for awhile.

Under the wrong circumstances it could happen in any country...Even in the U.S.

1998 - NASA officials announced the Lunar Prospector probe found the presence of water on the moon at the north and south poles. As much as 100 million tons of water was estimated. They estimated the water frozen in the loose soil of the moon might support a lunar base and a human colony.

The Moon is the next step in 'America’s Manifest Destiny'...No other country has ever been there, and none will have the audacity and ability to colonize it either.

1999 - In China, the annual two week plenary session was scheduled to amend the Constitution. The preamble mentioned the goal of developing a "socialist market economy" and acknowledged the late Deng Xiaoping. Revisions were planned to protect private enterprise and recognize multiple forms of ownership.

This was a giant leap towards capitalism, but China is a long way from having a free-market economy...If they ever allow free markets the world will see the establishment of an economic giant, capable of challenging the U.S. in the global economy - not just in GDP, but in individual economic wealth as well.

That's a big 'if,' though.

2000 - A Virginia subsidiary of PPL Therapeutics of Edinburgh, Scotland, the company that cloned Dolly the sheep, produced the first cloned pigs.

Congratulations! The Frankenstinians are extremely brilliant, and equally immoral and dangerous.

2001 - Muslim pilgrims began the stoning of the three pillars symbolizing the devil as part of the annual hajj to Mecca. 35 people suffocated to death during the stoning of the devil ritual.

Nice religion...If it only happened this particular year it would be an accident, but it happens every year.

February 22

1980 - In a stunning upset, the United States Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviets 4-3.

I try to not make too many sports references in my history posts, but this is the greatest single event in the history of American sports...It was also at a time when the United States had been reeling under the pathetic leadership of Jimmy Carter, and the Cold War was at an all time high.

I was a 9-year old boy, and still remember sitting in my dad's living room watching the game on a black-and-white TV, listening to Al Michaels:  "Do you believe in miracles?!  YES!"

It's almost impossible to state how unlikely the American victory against this Soviet team was.  Not only had the Ruskies kicked them around various times during the year, but the Soviets also beat up on an NHL all-star team prior to the Olympics...The Soviet team was a machine, maybe one of the greatest hockey teams ever put together.  The American team was a group of college kids scrapped together with little expectation of reaching the medal round, let alone challenging the mighty Soviet juggernaut.

What most Americans don't realize is this victory didn't earn the U.S. team the gold medal - it was a semifinal match...The Americans had to defeat the Finns for the gold medal, which they did by a score of 4-2.

I'm not too proud to admit I still cry when watching a replay of the event, or the movie 'Miracle.'

I hope you will take the couple minutes it takes to watch the two videos in each hyperlink.

1819 - Spain ceded the Florida Territory to the United States.

America’s Manifest Destiny was getting closer to completion.

1856 - The first national meeting of the Republican Party took place in Pittsburgh.

Lets take a quick look back at the first 150-years of Republican history:

- Which party ended slavery? (R) Lincoln and the strict abolitionist Republican congress.

- Which party entered and won the Spanish-American War, winning much land, prestige, and naval bases for the U.S? (R) McKinley - really it was Teddy, but McKinley was prez.

- Which party busted the nations Trusts (monopolies)? (R) Teddy Roosevelt and Taft.

- Which party put politics aside and helped win WWII? Unlike the Democrat Party, which always puts politics ahead of anything else? (R).

- Which party ended the Korean and Vietnam Wars? (R) Ike and Nixon.

- Which party had the higher proportion of its members vote for the 60’s Civil Rights Acts? (R)...The Dems had many more Robert ‘KKK’ Byrd’s than the Republicans.

- Which party put the dagger in the Soviet Union? (R) Nixon, Reagan and Bush.

- Which party put an end to Saddam Hussein and put its foot on the throat’s of the Jihadists? (R) G.W. Bush...Too bad the (D) who followed him let up.

Just a reminder!

1902 - A fist-fight broke out in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Benjamin Tillman suffered a bloody nose for accusing Sen. John McLaurin of bias on the Philippine tariff issue.

Those foolish enough to think modern-day politics is 'more contemptuous than ever' need to review history...American politics has always been messy, and always will be.

Democracy in a free nation (never forget not all 'democratic' nations are free) is ugly, but much better than any other system:

"Politics is the continuation of War by other means." - Pero
"War is the continuation of Politics by other means." - Clausewitz

1942 - President Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines:  WWII.

There are many opinions about MacArthur, but Roosevelt was correct to get him out of an impossible situation in the Philippines...MacArthur was a megalomaniac, but he was also the most able American general in the Pacific Theatre, and it was important to keep him in the fight instead of in a Japanese POW camp.

1997 - A new welfare law in the U.S. removed tens of thousands of people off of food stamps. The new law stated that adults under age 50 without children or jobs could only receive food stamps for three months in any three year period. The law authorized states to contract with private companies to provide welfare services.

What a novel idea: MAKE BUMS WORK!!! And yes, anyone who is capable but unwilling to work (even crappy jobs) is a bum.

Incredibly, President Obama re-instituted the program of perpetual, generational welfare...And expanded it!

2004 - An Islamic state in Nigeria, which is at the heart of a spreading Africa polio outbreak, declared it would not relent on its boycott of a mass vaccination program it called a U.S. plot to spread AIDS and infertility among Muslims.

Nice logic...I’m pretty sure Allah won’t be sparing them from the disease, so they better get on-board. Or don’t!

February 19

1945 - The Battle of Iwo Jima began: WWII.  Over 60,000 U.S. Marines went ashore at Iwo Jima, where they began a month-long battle to seize control of the island from Japanese forces. The 36-day battle took the lives of 7,000 Americans and about 20,000 of 22,000 Japanese defenders.

25% of the U.S. Marines who received the Medal of Honor in WWII received theirs as a result of heroics in this battle:

"Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue." - Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

If you ever get the chance, go to the Iwo Jima Memorial (just outside Arlington National Cemetery). Looking into the eyes of the soldiers in the statue is absolutely breathtaking, awe-inspiring and heart-breaking...I'm not too proud to admit tearing up at this magnificent monument.

197 - The Battle of Lugdunum.  Roman Civil War:  Emperor Septimius Severus defeated Claudius Albinus.

Lugdunum is considered the largest and most bloody civil war battle in Roman history.

The barbarians, pestilence, constant war, failing economy, etc., etc., were all reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire, but the fact there was no routine 'peaceful' means of leadership transition was as big as any...Of course there were emperors who took office without fighting to gain it, but just as often succession was a simple matter of who could overthrow the previous emperor or win a civil war.

This is the historical norm for most countries throughout all of human history...Any modern states which have managed to have peaceful political transitions are truly rare.

1674 - The Treaty of Westminster was signed, ending the Anglo-Dutch War. Under its terms, New Netherlands became British.

New Netherlands later became New York, and the Dutch were all but eliminated as a New World power.

1800 - Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself First Consul of the newly established French dictatorship.

The modern-day Caesar was soon calling himself Emperor.

1807 - Aaron Burr became the first Vice President of the United States to be arrested; charged with treason for planning an expedition to invade Mexico.

Burr was an absolute nut, and it’s hard to imagine the damage he could have done if the House voted for him to break the tie in the 1800 Presidential Election instead of Thomas Jefferson.

1859 - Daniel E. Sickles, N.Y. congressman, was acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity. This was the first time this defense was successfully used. He shot the D.C. district attorney for having an affair with his wife. Sickles pleaded temporary insanity and the sanctity of a man’s home and beat the murder rap.

Murder is an 'insane' act, so of course he was insane...This was a terrible precedent, and one the 'Red Diaper, Doper Babies' love to run out as a defense for their pathetic clients.

1861 - Russian Tsar Alexander II abolished serfdom.

A nice first step, but the Russian people were a long way from freedom...Sadly, they will have to cross the threshold from absolutism to Communism through their current post-Communist state to get there.

1918 - A decree was issued by the Soviet Central Executive Committee abolishing all private ownership of land, water and natural resources in Russia.

A giant leap for the Hell State, which more or less ended private property rights...Sounds like the wishful thinking of some American Democrats.

1942 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, giving the U.S. military the power to relocate and intern "any and all persons." The order was used to detain some 110,000 Japanese-Americans, most of them U.S.-born citizens:  WWII.

This is black-eye on American history, but it was the correct thing to do. Sooner or later, we will have to do something similar again...Mark my words.

1977 - President Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D'Aquino ('Tokyo Rose').

I don’t care how old she was, it is always a bad decision to free traitors...She should have been executed a long time before this date.

February 11 (A Double)

1945 - President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement.

I’m a Conservative ‘hawk,’ but it is foolish for anyone to claim FDR 'gave up Eastern Europe and Berlin' to the Soviets at Yalta...We weren't going to war with the Soviets to save Eastern Europe, and were not going to beat the Ruskies to Berlin.

Sure Roosevelt was on his deathbed, but he did not betray anyone, and wasn’t swindled by Stalin.

Plus, from the very beginning of the war, the Western allies main goal was to defeat Germany and contain them in the future - at the time, 50-years was a pipe dream...The Soviets were a strong force on the Eastern flank, and to this day the Germans are still cowed from their resounding defeat - proving the 50-year goal to be much more achievable than anyone could have hoped for.

The one ‘mistake’ FDR did made at Yalta was pushing so hard to get Soviet involvement in the Japanese theatre of battle. It was completely unnecessary at this point of the war, and proved terribly costly because it was Uncle Joe’s excuse to openly intervene in China and Korea.

1979 - Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, nine days after the religious leader returned to his home country following 15-years of exile.

Thank you Jimmy Carter...This should have been stopped before it began, but he didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to assassinate the 'Lenin of the Middle East.' We will continue to pay dearly for this mistake, because this joke-of-a-president was unwilling to take care of the situation while it was possible at a minimal cost.

660 B.C. - Japan was founded by Emperor Jimmu Tenno.

Of course this date is mythical, but it's a great story, for a great culture and people...Here’s hoping they are our perpetual allies, because their genius and national discipline would combine to make a terrible foe - again!

1650 - Rene Descartes died.

Many will say: 'Who cares?' (myself included)...The reason this event is memorable is because most historians link his death with the end of the Renaissance Period.

1847 - Thomas Alva Edison was born.

Thankfully this genius was born long before the days of mass abortion.

I wonder how many Edison’s, Einstein’s, Da Vinci’s, Newton’s, etc., have been executed in the womb during the Prenatal Holocaust? Odds are, at least a few with such brilliance are killed off in the 45,000,000 abortions per year worldwide.

1904 - President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed strict neutrality for the U.S. in the Russo-Japanese War.

This war was so short it wouldn’t have mattered if T.R. proclaimed our alliance with either, because by the time we would have gotten there the war would have been over.

1943 - General Dwight Eisenhower was selected Supreme Allied Commander of all Allied armies in Europe:  WWII.

Ike was the perfect ‘political-general’ for the difficult task of invading the Continent with a multi-national force...He didn’t have the tactical genius of Patton or the strategic and logistical genius of Marshall (who outranked him), but it is doubtful any other general could have molded such a perfect Allied force.

1975 - Margaret Thatcher became the first female leader of a British political party when she was elected leader of the Conservatives.

The 'Iron Lady' was a great leader, and proved to be the third most important person in the downfall of the USSR...After President Reagan and Pope John Paul II.

February 9

1825 - After no presidential candidate won the necessary majority, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams as sixth President of the United States.

I thought there wasn't such a 'Constitutional crisis' until the 2000 election? This is what Liberals would have us believe...They know they can get away with such stupidity, though, because they've controlled the education system for the past 60-years, and have thoroughly dumbed-down and brainwashed America.

J.Q. Adams may have been our smartest president ever, and he was an excellent foreign diplomat, but he wasn't a very good president...Probably because he was too smart and diplomatic.

That said, the House performed its Constitutional duty - even though Adams didn't win the popular vote, and didn't even have the most electoral votes...It also set the stage for the next president to walk into office on a much less contested vote: Andrew Jackson - the man who did have the most popular and electoral votes in the 1824 Election.

1861 - The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America elected Jefferson Davis president and Alexander H. Stephens vice president.

Both were the logical choices to lead the CSA, and both were extremely capable - both would have been excellent choices for these same posts in the U.S. government...Luckily for the Union, most of the rest of the South wasn’t as ‘capable’ as Davis and Stephens, however - or those who were shunned.

1943 - The Battle of Guadalcanal ended with an American victory over Japanese forces:  WWII.

This was a brutal battle, but a fantastic victory for the Americans...The Japanese tide was halted in 1942, but this battle was the first large-scale U.S. offensive in the Pacific, and began a string of enormous losses for the Japanese.

1943 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered a minimal 48-hour work week for those employed in the war industry:  WWII.

How inhumane!  Can you imagine the response modern-day unions and the ACLU would have to a proclamation like this one? You know instead of doing their duty to help the nation they’d do just the opposite and go on strike or sue the government...SOB’s.

1946 - Joseph Stalin announced a new five-year plan for the USSR, calling for production boosts of 50 percent.

That's a good one.  Production boosts in the Soviet Union were another way of saying the commissars needed to become more creative in making statistics up to satisfy Moscow.

1950 - In a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, Senator Joseph McCarthy charged the State Department was riddled with Communists.

'Crazy Joe' was considered ‘crazy’ at the time, but time has proved he was correct in many of his charges - particularly when it came to State...See the Venona Papers.

February 8

1904 - The Battle of Port Arthur: In a surprise attack at Port Arthur, Korea, the Japanese disabled seven Russian warships, beginning the Russo-Japanese War.

This is one of the most decisive naval battles in history, with the Japanese completely destroying the Russian Far East Navy.

It is also the beginning of the great modern Japanese Navy, and set a precedent for Japanese surprise attacks...The Pearl Harbor attack was based primarily on this one, and was equally successful on a tactical level.

An interesting note on the Russo-Japanese War: It is considered the first war in history where more troops died in battle than due to disease.

421 - Flavius Constantine became co-emperor as Connstantius II.  He was emperor of the Western part of the empire, and Honorius was emperor of the East.

Emperor was a nice title, but being in charge of Rome was a brutal position by this point...Western Europe was besieged by barbarians of every sort, and in the process of being overrun by Germanic tribes.

The East, on the other hand, had another 1,000 years of existence...Not that it was nearly as grand an existence as it had been.

1587 - Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

Legend has it, her head fell down the scaffold, and her pet dog grabbed it by the hair and ran though the streets for hours...True or not, it’s a great story.

1807 -  The Battle of Eylau:  Napoleon defeated the Russians.

The French held the field, but the battle accomplished very little for them:  "What a massacre!  And all for nothing." - French Marshal Michel Ney

The Russians didn't win, but Napoleon didn't crush them, which was a strategic victory for the Allies.

1924 - The first execution by gas in the United States took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City - Gee Jon was put to death for murder.

Gas, beheading, lethal injection, by noose or by the bullet, I couldn't care less how murderers are executed. We shouldn’t worry about how, but about the lack of them on a regular basis.

If you murder, you should be executed. It's a pretty simple concept.

1940 - Nazis shot every tenth person in two Polish villages near Warsaw in reprisal for the deaths of two German soldiers:  WWII.

A slow day by Nazi standards.

1943 - FDR ordered a minimal 48-hour work week in war industry:  WWII.

Gasp!!! The horror!! Try to imagine a modern-day American president trying to make such a requirement...Even during a time of war the Liberal scum would throw a fit.

February 5

1918 - The Soviet Union proclaimed the doctrine of 'separation of church and state.'

Look back and try to find where this concept began in American history. It definitely isn’t anywhere in the Constitution, even though it is often quoted as such.

I'm still amazed anyone can read 'separation of church and state' into the First Amendment, which speaks of 'freedom of religion,' and the need to avoid the creation of a state sponsored religion - not 'freedom from religion.'

The whole idea is new (a product of International Communism), and modern-day Liberals are more than happy to recall and re-frame the proclamations of Lenin.

1597 - Japan killed a group of Japanese Christians for being seen as a threat to Japanese society.

The Japanese were correct in this assessment...I'm sure many Christians would argue they were there to give the Japanese God or to enlighten them in some way, but the reality is they were there to convert Japanese from their ancient beliefs.

Any research on any region the Christians went proves this to be true, and to a large extent their 'success' shows the destruction of most of the cultures they touched - both Americas and Africa are the best examples...For the sake of their own culture, the Japanese were wise to act as they did.

And no, I'm not anti-Christian.  I'm just a realist.

1937 - Not happy with the lack of Supreme Court approval for some of his measures which tended to stretch the Constitution a bit, President Franklin Roosevelt proposed a way to 'stack the Court' by adding six more justices.

FDR made a huge mistake tinkering with the basic foundation of American government...He attempted to make himself a king and got slapped for it, even though he was the only U.S. President to more-or-less attempt to be 'king for life.'

Incredibly, Barack Obama has found a way around the Court and Congress:  He just does what he wants through 'executive order,' unlegislated regulations, and simply refusing to execute laws he has a problem with...FDR must be rolling over in his grave - with jealousy.

1990 - Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev proposed the Communist Party give up its monopoly on power in the Soviet Union.

An exciting year followed this proclamation, but don’t buy into the mythology of Gorbachev as a great man. He gave up power only after realizing the situation was untenable and the likelihood of losing his life in an eventual coup was a very real possibility.

1997 - Switzerland's 'Big Three' banking giants announced they would create a $71 million fund for Holocaust victims and their families.

Lets play with numbers: $71,000,000 for 6,000,000 exterminated Jews = $11.83/Jew...WOW!! That's a great deal.

February 4

1789 - Electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first President of the United States.

A more perfect choice has never been made...Washington wasn’t just the 'right man at the right time,' he was probably the only man who could have pulled off the miracle of uniting the states under a federal government.

“The United States of America has been fortunate in many ways, especially in the magnificent endowment of nature. But not the least of its blessings was the man who first led it to victory (Washington), then made the new nation that emerged law-abiding, stable and prosperous, as well as free. This double achievement is without parallel in history.” – Paul Johnson

Washington truly was the 'Irreplaceable Man' in American history - meaning no one else could have pulled off the miracle he did...And part of what makes him so special is he left office after two terms, trusting that he was 'replacable,' and the young nation he helped found could go on without making himself 'president-for-life' or 'king,' which he could have been - and many wanted.

960 - The Song Dynasty in China was founded by Emperor Taizu.

This dynasty ruled China for over 300 years.  It was a time of great achievement:  The world's first banknotes were created, China created it's first permanent navy, and the use of gunpowder was discovered...All during a time when the West was in a period of semi-barbarism in the Dark and Middle ages China continued to progress and was by far the greatest nation on earth.

1783 - Britain declared a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the United States of America.

In their minds this was a cease-fire, not an acceptance of American independence...It took the War of 1812 for the Brits to finally realize they were never going to recover their thirteen colonies.

1938 - Adolph Hitler assumed direct control of the German Army.

What a huge blessing for the Allied and Soviet armies...The German Army was an awesome fighting force in every way, but Hitler insisting on controlling it doomed it to failure.

1945 - The Yalta Conference began: Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin met at Yalta, in the Crimea, to discuss plans for the defeat of the Axis powers and to decide on the post-war future:  WWII.

FDR is often ripped for giving up Eastern Europe and Berlin to the Soviets in this meeting. Of course he was in poor health, and Uncle Joe got a Hell of a deal, but Roosevelt had no other choice.

Those who blame Roosevelt for the Russians 'conquering' Eastern Europe would be much better off questioning his reasoning for keeping America out of the war in 1939-41...Had FDR been a statesman instead of a politician he would have entered before Pearl Harbor, but this wasn't the route he took.

Also, the Battle of the Bulge (as well as Montgomery's Market Garden fiasco) held up the Allied assault on Germany to a point the Soviets were able to subdue Berlin, and Eastern Europe was already in Stalin’s hands...Were we going to fight the Russians? I think not. The deal at Yalta was tragic, but it was reality because of the events which occurred prior to Yalta.

1974 - Mao Tse-tung proclaimed a new 'Cultural Revolution' in China.

The Chairman was so creative in his titles for plans to repress and kill his population.

1997 - A civil jury in Santa Monica, California, found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, awarding $8.5 million in compensatory damages to Goldman's parents. (Six days later, the jury added $25 million in punitive damages to go to Nicole Brown Simpson's estate and Goldman's father.)

I thought he was innocent???

It's hard to believe this POS got away with murder. It's equally hard to believe he met justice 11 years later due to an act of stupidity - trying to 'recover' some of his football paraphernalia.

1998 - President Bill Clinton vowed "one way or the other" he would deny Iraq any weapons of mass destruction and said he was encouraged by an international consensus that Baghdad obey U.N. mandates.

Bombs with (D) = Good, Bombs with (R) = Bad...But then again, we know the Democrats would never have done much more than make useless threats and launch a few cruise missiles.

Now that I think about it, what was Clinton talking about? I thought there was no risk of Iraqi WMD's and President Bush made the whole thing up?...This is what his party has tried to sell us since the 2004 presidential election.

January 27

1945 - Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz and its concentration camps, where the Nazis murdered 1.5 million men, women and children, including more than one million Jews:  WWII.

I must repeat, there is no such thing as a 'Soviet liberation'.  They may not have systematically eliminated the Jews, but they surely weren’t there to 'liberate' them.

That said, even the brutal Ruskies were appalled by the situation at Auschwitz.

1939 - Franklin Roosevelt approved the sale of U.S. war planes to France:  WWII.

Talk about a waste of time and money...For both the French and Americans.

I'm sure the Germans appreciated it, though.

1944 - The Soviets broke through the Siege of Leningrad:  WWII.

Sieges are always brutal, but this was one of the longest sustained sieges in history (almost 900 days)...The Soviets suffered almost a million deaths - most were civilians.

Little wonder when the Red Army took the offensive to the Germans they acted the way they did - which was almost as barbaric as the Germans.

1951 - An era of atomic testing in the Nevada desert began when an Air Force plane dropped a one-kiloton bomb on Frenchman Flats.

Drop the 'Flats' and you’ll see me do cartwheels.

1981 - President Reagan greeted the 52 former American hostages released by Iran, telling them during a visit to the White House: "Welcome home."

Carter was a disgrace for many reasons (and continues to add to his resume), but his lack of legitimate efforts to save the hostages is at the top of the list.

January 20 (A Triple)

1265 - The first English Parliament, the Commons and the House of Lords, was called into session by the Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort.

This marks the beginning of a pseudo-democratic system in England, established in order to decide the methods of government administration and collecting taxes...The 'Montfort Parliament' wasn’t the same as the modern British Parliament, but its importance is huge because it's the forefather to the current English-speaking governmental systems across the globe (UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc).

1942 - The Wannsee Conference.  Nazi officials decided on the 'Final Solution,' calling for the extermination of Europe's Jews:  WWII.

What a glorious day for the Reich, and all of humanity's Jew-hating psychotics for that matter.

What else would you expect from the Hitlers, Himmlers, Eichmanns and Heydrichs of the world? And hey, what’s six-million Jews? If they could have, they would've killed every last one of them and then went on to the Poles, Russians, Roma, Magyrars, French, Belgians, etc., etc.

2009 - Barack Obama was inaugurated as President of the United States.

It would be idiotic to deny the importance of the first black man elected U.S. President, because it is a fantastic event in the history of this great nation...An event which could only happen in the United States of America - a nation which has never been perfect, but has always been the most fair on earth.

Sadly, Obama's inauguration also saw another barrier broken down: Barack Obama is the first truly 'Leftist President' in U.S. history...He won't be the last - nor the worst.

1320 - Wladislaw I, also known as Wladislaw the Short, was crowned King of Poland. In defeating the Knights of the Teutonic Order, he created strong foundations for one Polish nation.

Unfortunately for the Polish people Wladislaw was one of the few strong, competent rulers in their history...It's even more unfortunate the Polish nation was sandwiched between the much stronger Germans and Russians who over time brutalized and carved up their country.

1801 - John Marshall was appointed Chief Justice of the United States.

Marshall is a huge figure in American History, but sadly I'm willing to bet most Americans have no clue of his importance...They also have no clue of the danger he created in a strong court.

1920 - The American Civil Liberties Union was organized.

I just can’t do it. My children need their father and my heart might give out if I did.

1941- President Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for a third term.

1945 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into office for his fourth term.

I’m a Conservative, but I’m not a Roosevelt-basher. In fact, I am quite fond of FDR and believe he was a great war-time president.

That said, what an arrogant bastard. No American should have ever been president longer than Washington, who set the two-term standard...It was legal, but legal isn’t always right.

1946 - The Central Intelligence Group, later to become the Central Intelligence Agency, was established by President Truman.

The CIA has a shady reputation, but what can be expected from an organization who’s job is to spy and lie? It is a necessary evil, and has done much to protect America. Sure there have been rogue agents, and the CIA isn’t ‘lily white,’ but most of the problems of the agency are a factor of politics, which is always ugly.

1961 - John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th U.S. President. As part of his brief address he said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

1. What happened to the Democrat Party? It has completely turned Kennedy’s famous phrase upside down...They've become the party of 'Ask what your country can do for you, not what you can do for your country.'

2. Why didn’t JFK give credit to Marcus Tullius Cicero for this quote?  Cicero proclaimed it almost 2,000 years before Kennedy - in Rome.

1995 - The United States announced it was easing the trade embargo in effect against North Korea since the Korean War.

Nice decision President Bill Clinton...In exchange we received many thanks from Dr. Ill.

January 16

27 B.C. – The Roman 'Imperial Era' was inaugurate when the Senate proclaimed Octavian as 'Augustus.'

Julius Caesar is much more well known, but it's debatable that Augustus is the single most important person in Roman history.

Octavian became Augustus, Augustus became 'the first citizen' (Princeps), the Republic ended and the Empire began...More important, Augustus began a period of relative peace in the Roman world, known as the Pax Romana.

But don't think for a minute there was peace.  There was a relative peace, imposed by Rome - meaning they crushed anyone who tried to break the peace...Until they became weak through decadence and sloth, and allowed their neighbors to overrun them - which brought on a thousand year period of relative chaos in Europe.

1547 - Ivan the Terrible crowned himself Czar of Russia - the first Russian ruler to assume this title.

Ivan was terrible, but he was also a great Russian ruler...Sadly this combination has proven to be more the rule than the exception in Russian history.

1556 - Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, abdicated his crown as Holy Roman Emperor.

Charles was the Charlemagne of his era, and no European ruler had an empire with such power and grand holdings until Napoleon in the 1800s...Unfortunately for his successors, Charles' holdings proved impossible to keep together.

1919 - Prohibition became law in the U.S. with the passage of the Volstead Act, which enforced and defined the 18th Amendment. It was passed over President Wilson's veto with the necessary two-thirds majority of state ratifications.

This act became effective on this day the next year (1/16/1920)...In the end, however, this amendment was a failure. Prohibition was flaunted by mobsters, bootleggers and many average American citizens throughout the country, and was eventually repealed in 1933.

1925 - Leon Trotsky was dismissed as CEO of the Russian Revolution Military Council, and Stalin took over the post.

The ‘Man of Steel’ showed his strength by devouring Lenin’s favorite, and never looked back...Soon every Soviet citizen felt his strength, and Stalin proved to be a leader comparable to Russia's first czar - Ivan the Terrible.

1939 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked for an extension of the Social Security Act to include more women and children.

One of the many attempts bastardizing the Social Security system...It was a boondoggle from the day it was instituted, and has become a political lightning-rod, as well as an economic noose around the neck of every American's future.

1944 - The U.S. First and Third Armies linked up at Houffalize, Belgium, effectively ending the Battle of the Bulge:  WWII.

The Battle of the Bulge temporarily halted the Allied offensive, but from here the route resumed and didn’t end until VE-Day.

The 'Bulge' was a failure, and it was Hitler’s last betrayal of the German people, because its short success was enough to ensure the Ruskies took Berlin before the Western Allies could get to it...A reality which doomed East Germany to 50-years of Soviet controlled Hell.

1973 - 'National Nothing Day' was first celebrated; set aside each year for people to sit around for the entire day and just hang out. No celebrating, observing or honoring anything.

Too many Americans celebrate this day everyday...These same turds vote (D) every two years as well.

1991 - The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. President G.H.W. Bush said in a nationally broadcast address "the battle has been joined" as fighter bombers pounded Iraqi targets. (Because of the time difference, it was early January 17 in the Persian Gulf when the attack began).

What an amazing display of planning, power and speed. As impressive as any in history.

Unfortunately, Bush didn’t remove Sadaam Hussein...The decision to leave him in power was a costly one for the U.S. and the Iraqi people.

2003 - The space shuttle Columbia blasted off on what was its final mission.

Space exploration and exploitation is definitely another frontier in America’s ‘Manifest Destiny,’ but 17 days after this shuttle's launch the world saw this fateful mission end in tragedy.

January 14

1784 - The United States ratified the Treaty of Paris, formally ending the Revolutionary War.

It took almost 10-years, but the Colonists proved to the world that Americans would never live under a monarch again.

It's important to remember how difficult it was to gain freedom, and how long it took as well...We must keep this in mind as countries around the world take their time establishing a modicum of freedom in previously tyrannical lands.

Freedom isn't free, nor is it easy to obtain...It is even more difficult to maintain.

Sadly, I'm also afraid it isn't for everyone.

1526 - Charles V and Francis I signed the Treaty of Madrid. Francis was forced to give up French claims in Burgundy, Italy and Flanders.

The reign of Charles V is one of the most impressive in all of history...His holdings were greater than that of any previous European ruler (including the Romans and Charlemagne), and matched that of any in world history.

Charles' largest holdings: He was Holy Roman Emperor (Germany, Austria, etc.), and King of Spain (including Spanish America, the Netherlands, the Low Countries and parts of Italy).

Unfortunately for Charles, his holdings were extremely contested, and he spent most of his reign defending them in almost constant warfare...There was also a German priest who raised Hell during his rule as well - Martin Luther - and the never-ending threat of invasion from the Turks.

1942 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered all U.S. aliens to register with the government:  WWII.

Sounds like a good idea. All U.S. citizens are registered with the government (birth certificates, SS#'s, etc.), so why is it such a big deal to do the same with aliens? Hmmmmm?

1963 - George Wallace was sworn in as Governor of Alabama, with a pledge of:  "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!"

I hope everyone realizes the Governor was a good ol’ Democrat...As were most of the hard-line segregationists.

Also, you know President Lincoln was a Republican right? The guy who made the Emancipation Proclamation...Ike was also a Republican president - he's the one who forced Gov. Wallace to accept segregation.

I’m sure this history isn’t properly taught in schools however, because Liberal educrats have never been too worried about history which doesn't fit their propaganda.

1980 - The U.N. General Assembly voted to "deplore" the USSR for invading Afghanistan.

Really?  What a joke!

The Soviets weren't cowed at all by this resolution, and the only thing that got them out of Afghanistan was a good ol' fashioned ass kicking by the Afghanis and their Jihadi pals.

2011 - Tunisian dictator Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia.

It's always good to see dictators deposed - even better when they are killed - but we need to be very careful in our hopes for a better Muslim world after the current crop are kicked out...What follows may be much worse.

I made that comment in 2012...I was correct, even though it must be admitted Tunisia has been much more stable than the other Arab Spring countries.

January 11

532 - The Nika Revolt: A general revolt against Byzantine emperor Justinian.

This event wasn't a revolution - it was a massive riot. One of the largest in history...It almost destroyed Justinian, which would have likely brought on a much quicker downfall of the Byzantine Empire - which was nothing less than a continuation of the Roman Empire in the East.

Luckily, Justinian's wife, Theodora, helped him 'keep his head' and gave him the inner strength to put down the riot...Not only did Justinian survive the riot, ending up the greatest Byzantine emperor, but he rebuilt Constantinople which helped strengthen the empire enough to last another 1000 years.

1879 - The Zulu War began:  South African colonials vs. Britain.

Shaka was dead, but he trained his people well...Unfortunately for the Zulus, the Brits were also trained, and had modern weapons.

1922 - Insulin was first used to treat diabetes. Leonard Thompson, from Canada, was the first patient.

Diabetes is a horrible disease, and it's hard to imagine what it would be like without the genius of such medicines.

1923 - France and Belgium occupied the Ruhr as a way to collect reparations from Germany.

I hope they collected plenty because the Ruhr was quickly reclaimed by Germany when Hitler took power, and the Germans soon returned to France and Belgium...Payback-for-payback is a bitch.

1929 - In the Soviet Union, the Bolsheviks officially reduced the workday to seven hours.

Hahahahaha!!! Those silly communists had such a way with words.

I bet if you asked any person who lived in the Soviet system how long their workday was they’d say much longer than seven hours a day...Maybe they meant seven before lunch and seven after lunch.

Oops.  I forgot, lunch was a myth, too.

1943 - The Soviet Red Army encircled Stalingrad:  WWII.

Hitler's army was enveloped, and his insistence on capturing Stalingrad was about to end in disaster...German Field Marshall von Paulus surrendered shortly after this, and the Soviet rout was on.

1944 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his 'State of the Union,' proposed a National Service Act and a new set of rights, including: a right to a job, a right of decent income to farmers, a right to a decent home, a right to medical care, etc.

Sounds like FDR was proposing the U.S. become Utopia. Unfortunately, for Liberals, America is a place situated in 'REALITY,' and is based on 'LIBERTY,' not 'EQUALITY.'

We have the freedom (Liberty) to make our lot in life. We are not owed anything except opportunity, and Equality isn’t an attainable goal, or even a goal worth wanting, because the only way to make everyone Equal is to make everyone 'MISERABLE.'

Incredibly, President Obama attempted to revive FDR's silly program...Which led to the electoral disasters of 2010-2016 for Democrats - ultimately giving rise to the presidency of Donald Trump.

1989 - 140 nations agreed to ban chemical weapons.

How many have kept this agreement?  Did the U.S. keep it?

2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled state employees cannot go into federal court to sue over age bias.

This sounds like a simple ‘states rights’ issue, but some cried because they’d rather have their 'Uncle' (Sam) control everything...Most notably the federal courts, and their Liberal agenda.

2002 - The first al-Qaeda prisoners arrived at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

I'm so glad President Obama is using his last days in office freeing these poor prisoners...I'm sure we'll be much safer for such actions.

January 4

1923 - Vladimir Lenin's 'Political Testament' called for the removal of Joseph Stalin.

Lenin knew Stalin was bad news, and foresaw the Stalin-Trotsky battles to come: "Stalin is too rude, and this fault, entirely supportable in relations among us Communists, becomes insupportable in the office of General Secretary. Therefore, I propose to the comrades to find a way to remove Stalin from that position and appoint to it another man who in all respects differs from Stalin only in superiority - namely, more patient, more loyal, more polite and more attentive to comrades, less capricious, etc. This circumstance may seem an insignificant trifle, but I think that from the point of view of preventing a split and from the point of view of the relation between Stalin and Trotsky which I discussed above, it is not a trifle, or it is such a trifle as may acquire a decisive significance.” - V.I. Lenin

Of course, Lenin was correct in his assessment, but he wasn't able to keep the 'Man of Steel' from claiming power after his death. Such is the cruelty of history...Not that Trotsky would have been a treat.

1648 - The English House of Commons declared itself sovereign.

This is the difference between England and the U.S.:  In the U.S. the American people are sovereign. 

1847 - Samuel Colt sold his first revolver pistol to the U.S. government.

Firearm production was just getting ramped up - perfect timing for the upcoming civil war.

1865 - The New York Stock Exchange opened its first permanent headquarters.

Where did it open?  10-12 Broad - near Wall Street.

1894 - France ratified the Duple Alliance with Russia.

One more step in a chain of alliances leading to WWI.

1935 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt claimed in his State of the Union message the federal government would provide jobs for 3.5 million Americans on welfare.

Most Conservatives look at FDR as the ‘Father of American Liberalism,’ but this is unfair - it was actually President Wilson...That said, FDR never intended to establish a pathway to inter-generational welfare, and simply was looking for a way out of the Depression.

Not that he wasn't a Liberal.

1939 - Hermann Goering appointed Reinhard Heydrich as Head of Jewish Emigration.

'Emigration', aye?  The Nazis had a special way of creating distorted titles.

Words can be funny.  They can also be cruel.

1965 - President Lyndon Johnson outlined the goals of the 'Great Society' in his State of the Union Address.

'Great Society' = U-T-O-P-I-A-N  I-D-I-O-C-Y!!!

1994 - U.S. Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen announced a plan to drive most gun dealers out of business by proposing sharp increases in licensing fees and stricter controls on people who buy and sell weapons.

There's an old saying: “Those who burn books will eventually burn people." - Unknown

An addendum to that statement goes as such: “Those who ban guns will eventually burn books, and then burn people." - Poison Pero

1998 - Administration officials said President Bill Clinton would ask Congress to help him overhaul the Social Security pension system by the end of 1999. Clinton wanted to move on the issue quickly, expecting once the presidential election got into full swing there would be little chance to pass legislation to save the system.

I thought there isn't a problem with the Social Security system. This is what the Democrats said when G.W. Bush wanted to fix it...It's also the lie Obama pawned off on the people, as well.

Will Trump take it on?  Doubtful...If for no other reason, he knows it's an unwinnable battle.

2002 - Sergeant First Class Nathan Ross Chapman, U.S. Army Special Forces, was killed by small-arms fire during an ambush in eastern Afghanistan.  He was the first American military death from enemy fire in the war against terrorism.

Thank you for your service Sergeant Chapman...You and your companions are truly America’s finest, and your efforts are appreciated.

2002 - Zimbabwe released a report on its state of affairs: $54 million in short term food aid was needed to ward off widespread starvation in Zimbabwe. The AIDS epidemic, called 'Nkondombera' (a Shona word for “no condom”) was claiming over 2,000 people per week. Inflation was running at over 100% per month, and unemployment was estimated at 50%.

Just more of the same in Africa: A continent on the verge of implosion.

2007 - Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House.

Nice accomplishment, horrible Speaker.

December 29

1890 - The Battle of Wounded Knee: The last major conflict of the Indian Wars took place in South Dakota after Colonel James W. Forsyth of the 7th Cavalry tried to disarm Chief Big Foot and his followers. Some 300 Sioux Indians were killed by U.S. troops sent to 'disarm' them.

The Anglo-Franco-Spanish-American conquest of the American Indian is a sad, but natural occurrence...We can feel bad, and we can reminisce, but the reality of the situation is this: World history is the spread - as a result of military, demographic, biological or epidemiological conquest - of people over space and time.

The American Indians are no different than the Philistines, Lydians, Hittites, Sumerians, etc, etc, etc...People come and people go. Over time, our people will as well.

1778 - British troops, attempting a new strategy to defeat the American Colonials, captured Savannah, capital of Georgia, in some of the bloodiest fighting of the Revolutionary War.

The British ‘Southern Strategy’ was doomed to failure:

1. Colonial population centers were in the north.
2. France and Spain were neighbors to the south, and would do whatever it took to slap their European foe, helping the Americans by default.

1845 - Texas (comprised of the present state of Texas and part of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming) was admitted as the 28th state, with the provision that the area (389,166 square miles) be divided into no more than five states "of convenient size."

America was getting closer to its 'Manifest Destiny.'

1934 - Japan renounced the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.

Seven years till Pearl Harbor...It’s truly amazing how powerful this tiny island nation became.  It's unfortunate for itself as well, because the price it paid for such a rise was the ultimate downfall.

1940 - In a radio interview, President Roosevelt proclaimed the U.S. as the "arsenal of democracy":  WWII.

It's too bad FDR's successors, modern-day Democrats, don’t see it this way.

1970 - OSHA was established by an act of Congress.

OSHA is an enormous drag on American production, which affects everything from household income levels to Gross National Product. Of course, workplace standards are necessary, but nothing is needed with such reach and punitive power as this bureaucratic monstrosity.

What happened to Adam Smith-style economic policy? Sadly, we have allowed pseudo-socialist economic policy to replace the tried-and-true genius of laissez-faire...Just wait until some real socialists get power.  Then we'll see just how fast they prove the genius of laissez-faire, and the abject failure of socialism.

Unfortunately, we're going to have to live through such proof before Americans give up on this monstrosity.

1998 - Two top Khmer Rouge leaders apologized for the deaths of as many as two million people during their regime in the 1970s, and asked Cambodians to forget the past.

'Forget the past'? You’ve got to be kidding me...This would be like asking the Jews to ‘forgive the Nazis.'

December 27

1927 - Joseph Stalin's faction won at the All-Union Congress in the Soviet Union.  Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party.

What a 'lucky' day for the people of the USSR...Lenin couldn’t have left a better psychopath to perfect his Hell State, and Trotsky was soon to be on the run for his life.

That said, as much of a butcher as Uncle Joe was, it's likely he was also the force which kept Germany from conquering the Ruskies - even though he completely botched the first year of the war.

1512 - The Laws of Burgos gave New World natives legal protection against abuse, and authorized "Negro slavery."

How generous. The Spanish knew they could never control the Indians through enslavement, but did a good job of enslaving them without slavery...They had no such problem with the blacks they shipped in, though.

1558 - English Queen Elizabeth issued a proclamation forbidding any other kind of worship other that used at the close of the reign of Henry VIII.

This form of worship was the English version of Protestantism - the Anglican Church...The Roman Catholic Church picked its allies (led by Spain) and made a historic mistake, because England and the Protestant world was soon much more powerful than Spain.

1941 - Japanese war planes bombed Manila in the Philippines, even though it had been declared an "open city":  WWII.

An 'open city?' What kind of BS is that?...MacArthur knew it was a long-shot, but felt it was worth trying.

1943 - President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the U.S. Army to take temporary possession of all railroads in order to prevent a strike by railway workers. The action was taken under the wartime Labor Disputes Act:  WWII.

It’s amazing to think of a union going on strike in the middle of a war, but this just shows they care more about themselves than the good of the country...FDR was absolutely correct in taking this action and should have locked up the union leaders as subversive SOB’s.

The railroads were returned to private management on January 18, 1944.

1944 - General George S. Patton's Third Army, spearheaded by the 4th Armored Division, relieved the surrounded city of Bastogne in Belgium:  WWII.

There’s no way the 'Battling Bastards of Bastogne' (101st Airborne Division) should have been able to survive the German onslaught, but they fought long enough for Patton to arrive - establishing themselves in the lore of American military tradition.

1996 - France said it would no longer participate in Operation Provide Comfort after the end of the year. The operation was a multi-national air reconnaissance effort to safeguard Kurdish civilians in northern Iraq.

Instead France decided to start participating in ‘Operation Accept Bribes’...Otherwise known as the ‘U.N. Oil-for-Food Program.'

1998 - A vaccine for AIDS, by VaxGen Inc., was reported to be in Phase III clinical trials. It was derived from g-120, a genetically engineered protein copied from a protein found in the HIV virus.

I have a vaccine for AIDS as well; it's much cheaper, and more effective: Don’t be promiscuous, don’t use IV drugs, and don’t have homosexual sex.

Nah! How dare I propose people control themselves for their own good.

2000 - President Bill Clinton appointed Roger Gregory as the first black American judge to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia.

Woopty Doo! President GHW Bush put a black man in the Supreme Court before this event...But that doesn’t count, because Justice Thomas is considered an ‘Uncle Tom’ in Liberalville, which is the only place they are keeping score, anyway.

2001 - President George W. Bush granted China permanent normal trade status with the United States.

It is ugly, but there is no way we can isolate China...And it's likely, furthering trade with China will draw it out of its communist shell anyway.

2001 - U.S. officials announced Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners would be held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The ACLU(seless) would rather they be given a ‘time out’ and put in the corner...Thankfully President Bush had the testicular fortitude to stand up to the 'Enemies Within' who seem more than happy to help our ‘Enemies Without’ destroy our nation.

Wait a minute!  I thought Obama was going to close Gitmo?  Nah!  He left it open, but released many of it's bad hombres.

2002 - A defiant North Korea ordered U.N. nuclear inspectors to leave the country and said it would restart a laboratory capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons. The U.N. nuclear watchdog said its inspectors were "staying put" for the time being .

Hans Blix to the rescue...Pull the U.N. morons out, and tell China to take care of North Korea. I’m sure there is something they’d like in exchange.

December 24

1942 - The first powered flight of a V-1 cruise missile:  WWII.

This was the forefather of every modern rocket...Imagine if Hitler hadn’t shipped out or killed all of his Jewish scientists, and they invented the atomic bomb before the Americans? Which was very possible.

There is little doubt the Mad Corporal would have loaded them on the V-1’s and V-2’s...If the Germans had the time to perfect these weapons, the world would be a much different (more horrible) place than it is today.

1144 – Muslim forces re-captured much of the territory originally taken by the Christian Crusaders. This resulted in the Pope calling for a second Crusade.

The Perpetual War...I bet they never thought it would still be going almost 900-years later.

1814 - The War of 1812 officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.

America firmly established its independence in this ‘second Revolutionary War’...Unfortunately for the Brits, word didn’t reach the South before American forces could wipe out their force in New Orleans.

Ok, this is popular mythology...The Brits in New Orleans knew perfectly well of the war's status, but the British government hoped to pull out a victory in the battle, which would have given them a stronger position to bargain or restart the war from.

In my point of view the Battle of New Orleans was a nice little way of saying ‘Don’t return, ya limey bastards.’

1865 - Several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, Tennessee, called the Ku Klux Klan.

A terrible organization, but an almost natural offshoot of the period...And my favorite Civil War general (for his skill and battlefield innovations, not viewpoints) soon became its first Grand Wizard: Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Oh by the way, these KKK clowns were primarily Democrats - Just as they were in the 20th Century, as well...Now they are just a couple hands full of nutters with no clout at all.

1943 - President Franklin Roosevelt appointed General Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Commander of Allied forces for 'Operation Overlord':  WWII.

Ike was the perfect 'political general'...No other commander could have pulled off the European invasion as well.

Per normal, America was graced with the presence of ‘the right man, in the right place, at the right time.’

1946 – U.S. General MacNarney granted 800,000 'minor Nazis' amnesty.

We had a choice:  Remove all the Nazi's or leave Germany to be run by inexperienced leaders.  Under normal circumstances going with the new blood might have been the better choice, but circumstances were anything but normal...Never forget the Russian bear was in a feeding frenzy at this time, and we didn't have the luxury of allowing Germany to suffer as long as they deserved.

It's too bad we didn't follow these methods after removing Sadaam Hussein from power in Iraq...Things likely would have progressed much better if we had.

1968 - The 'Apollo Eight' astronauts (Lovell, Anders and Borman), orbiting the moon 250,000 miles from home, reading verses from their bible and transmitted a message to all of mankind calling for "peace on earth."

Oh my GOD! Liberal ‘separation of church and state’ nuts must have had spontaneous strokes and heart attacks.

2003 - Pakistan's President, General Pervez Musharraf agreed to step down as head of the armed forces by the end of 2004, part of a deal with the hard line Islamic opposition to end a long standoff which had stalled the nation's return to democracy. Musharraf also agreed to scale back some of the special powers he decreed himself after taking power in a 1999 military coup.

Never forget this is a country with nuclear weapons and advanced delivery systems...With millions of radical Islamists chomping at the bit trying to take control of them.

They can hide behind the facade of democracy, but the reality is the world cannot afford to allow a fundamentalist Pakistani leadership to evolve...Which is why we play patty-cake with the Paki Military and their crazy Taliban creation.

December 4

1563 – The Council of Trent ended.

The council was a Catholic response to Protestantism, and did much to heal the emotional wounds of the 30 Years War...It 'only' took 18-years to complete.

This is not my strong-suit, so here’s a link: "The Ecumenical Council of Trent has proved to be of the greatest importance for the development of the inner life of the Church. No council has ever had to accomplish its task under more serious difficulties, and none has had so many questions of such great importance to decide."

771 - Charlemagne became sole ruler of the Frankish Empire, after the death of his brother Carolman.

Charlemagne was a brilliant ruler and defender of Christendom against the Muslim Horde…One of the few bright spots in the European Dark Ages.

1259 - The Treaty of Paris: Between England and France.

This was a huge treaty in which England renounced claims to most of its former lands in France (particularly Normandy and Maine). England did keep Gascony and parts of Aquitaine, but not as sovereign lands under control of the English crown...At the time it wasn't apparent, but this was a good thing for England, as the descendants of the Norman Conquest became more British, and less Continental.

1875 - William Marcy Tweed, the 'Boss' of New York City's Tammany Hall political organization, escaped from jail and fled the country. He went to Cuba and then Spain where he was identified from cartoons by Thomas Nast and returned to prison.

Tweed was one of the most powerful and corrupt political bosses in American history.

Lets play a game: I'll give you one choice to guess which party he was from...You got it, the good ol’ Demon-cat Party!!

1941 - The Navy Department ordered Guam to destroy all codes and secret documents:  WWII.

This was three days before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and many other American outposts in the Pacific - including Guam...Coincidental? NOT!!

1942 - President Roosevelt ordered the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration, which had been created to provide jobs during the Depression.

The WPA was widely criticized at the time, but FDR must be given credit for ending it...The most rare of all occurrences in the U.S. Government: Ending a useless program.

1945 - The Senate approved U.S. participation in the United Nations.

I just can't do this one...Ugh!

1959 - The Communist Chinese pardoned Pu Yi, ex-emperor of China and of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. Aisingyoro Henry Puyi, the last emperor, Xuantong, was declared rehabilitated and released as 'citizen' Puyi. He settled down as a gardener and wrote the book 'From Emperor to Citizen.'

It's unbelievably surprising the Communists didn’t execute young Pu, but they must have felt it was unnecessary and would cause more public opposition than it was worth...The Soviets would never have had such concerns.

2000 - In Florida, Judge Sauls denied Al Gore’s request for a recount. The U.S. Supreme Court set aside the decision by the Florida Supreme Court to extend the vote counting deadline and sent the case back to the Florida court.

I'm surprised Gore isn’t still screaming for a recount...LOSER!

November 28

749 - Abu Abbas was declared Caliph, the first Abbasid caliph. His dynasty ruled the Muslim world until 1258.

The Abbasid's were an incredibly powerful force, and did much to spread Islam...Also, it isn’t even debatable that the Muslims of this time were hundreds of years ahead of their European counterparts in the advancement of their civilization.

As a result, it didn't take long for them to conquer much of what had previously been considered parts of the Western/Christian world - an area currently known as the Middle East.

1340 - The Battle of Salado: The last Moorish invasion of Spain was driven back.

The Muslims may have discontinued invading Spain, but they continued to rule parts of it for another 150-years.

1775 - The Second Continental Congress formally established the American Navy:  American Revolutionary War.

Forget the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, British and every other great navy in the history of the world. There has never been a more awesome naval force than that of the United States...At this time, however, it was a rag-tag group of daring seamen.

1941 - The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise departed from Pearl Harbor to deliver F4F Wildcat fighters to Wake Island:  WWII.

We’ll get to this on Dec. 7, but it’s hard to believe this was the result of Fate.

1943 – The Tehran Conference: President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin met in Tehran:  WWII.

This was the first time the three leaders met together, and did much to convince Stalin the Western Allies were going to invade the Continent...Before this time, and probably after, Stalin was very concerned Churchill and FDR were going to allow the USSR to fight the Germans more or less on their own.

It was also during this meeting that Stalin first committed to sending Soviet troops to the Japanese Theatre after Germany was defeated, which was completely unnecessary in 1945, but in 1943 no one knew for sure...Unfortunately this decision cost the Allies in the form of Communist entrenchment in China and Korea.

1958 - The U.S. reported the first full-range firing of an ICBM.

This was nice, but our Soviet friends beat us to the punch...We didn’t know it at the time, but it was a 50/50 chance Soviet ICBM’s would have blown up in their silo's before liftoff.

Either way the ‘supposed’ Missile Gap was being closed.

1986 - The United States violated the unratified SALT II nuclear arms treaty when another Air Force B-52 bomber capable of carrying atomic-tipped cruise missiles became operational.

Thank you Ronald Reagan...And since the treaty wasn't ratified it wasn't 'violated.'

The B-52 added to our ability to defend our nation, and it added to our ability to mentally and economically destroy the USSR...Not surprisingly, the Democrats voted against it and our European allies bitched about it.

1990 - Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister of Britain.

American’s, and the whole free world, owe many thanks to the Iron Lady...She was a staunch ally of President Reagan’s, and as important as anyone in America’s success in the Cold War.

1994 - Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was murdered in a Wisconsin prison by a fellow inmate.

I hope someone sent 'Shanks' a care-package for the good deed of killing this piece of shit.

The death of a psychopath is always good news in Peroville...The only thing I'm disappointed about is it wasn’t caught on tape and shown on PayPerView.

November 13

1995 - Seven people, including five Americans, were killed when a bomb exploded at a military training facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Six years before 9/11/01, and what did we do to punish those who killed our troops? NOTHING!!! Because Clinton didn't have the stones to take appropriate action.

Instead he twiddled his thumbs (among other things), and allowed the Islamists to grow more and more bold...We suffered other hits between this time and 9/11/01, and he did little more than after this attack. So, who can blame the Jihadis for thinking they could kill Americans with no recourse?

Luckily when they tried their luck with G.W. Bush they were given a much different answer. And it's no surprise we haven't been hit again - at least not in a big way...Unfortunately, this may change with any future presidents, if they are more in the Bill Clinton mold.

1789 - Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to a friend in which he said, "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

No truer words have ever been spoken...Except maybe an equal truth in our time:

"Nothing is certain, except death, more debt and taxes." - Author Unknown

1806 - Pike's Peak was discovered, but not climbed, by Lieutenant Zebulon Montgomery Pike during an expedition to locate the source of the Mississippi.

Peak is a strange character, and one who's famous name far exceeds his deeds or worth.

The Army sent him to the West because he was such a pain in the ass. The Army brass couldn't stand him and would have been just as happy had he perished in the Rockies.

Plus, Pike never made it up the mountain which is named for him. He tried many times, but never made it. He did make it back East to tell his version of the discovery, however.

1835 - Texans officially proclaimed independence from Mexico, calling itself the Lone Star Republic.

Texas is one of two states which was formerly an independent nation...Along with Hawaii.

Many think Utah was, but it wasn't...Utah was semi-autonomous, but never independent of the U.S.

1913 - The first modern elastic brassiere was patented by Mary Phelps Jacob. She initially made the brassiere from two handkerchiefs, a piece of ribbon and a piece of cord.

I bet many of you've been wondering about this fact...You never know what you're going to be treated to here, so you better keep coming back.

1930 - The first revolving milk platform was used. It could milk 1680 cows in seven hours.

This devise allowed machines to do the work of humans, and sped up the process greatly. Which allowed for mass production of milk and milk products to flourish.

1942 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the draft age from 21 to 18.

In a time of war, you do what is necessary.

1956 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation on interstate buses is unconstitutional.

This decision was the fruit of Rosa Parks efforts...Sadly, legal doesn't mean reality, and it was many years before the problem of transportation and blacks was finally ended.

1993 - President Clinton used his weekly radio address to make a pitch for the North American Free Trade Agreement, then flew to Memphis, Tennessee, where he delivered an anti-crime speech to black ministers at the Temple Church of God in Christ.

NAFTA is nothing but a scheme to get 'Illegal Aliens' in the country, and I wish the Democrats in Congress won this battle...But they didn't.

Also, what's with Clinton giving speeches in a church? Personally, I have no problem with it, but I can't believe the 'separation of church and state Nazi's' didn't go insane over this...Try to imagine if a Republican gave the exact same speech in a church. All Hell would break loose in Liberalville.

2001 - President George W. Bush issued an executive order establishing military tribunals for the trial and potential execution of any person he labeled an “enemy combatant.” He dictated that people classified as enemy combatants “shall not be privileged to seek any remedy...directly or indirectly...in any court of the United States.”

Imprison them, question them, question them some more, torture and question them one last time, then execute them...Bush's order was much too lenient for my taste.