February 18

1405 - Emir al Kebir Timur 'i-Leng' (Tamerlane) died while leading an expedition to China.

How can one person be known by so many names? Timur - also known as Temur, Taimur, Timur Lenk, Timur i Leng, Tamerlane, Tamburlaine, or Taimur-e-Lang, which translates to Timur the Lame.

No matter what he was called, this Turko-Mongol was a fantastic leader, and one of the few to go down in history with 'the Great' after his name - a well earned title.

1536 - France and the Ottoman Empire signed a trade and military alliance against the Holy Roman Empire.

It's important to remember the Ottomans held large chunks of Eastern Europe and were major players in the European power structure...It's also important to remember the French have always been willing to take on any allies - even Muslims who wanted to crush Christian Europe.

1546 - Martin Luther, German Augustinian Friar and leader of the Protestant Reformation, died.

Luther is one of the twenty most important people in history...Anyone could have taken on the Church, but very few could have survived its attacks, and almost none could have won.

1861 – Jefferson Davis was inaugurated the Confederacy’s provisional president at a ceremony held in Montgomery, Ala...“All we ask is to be left alone,” Davis stated.

Thankfully President Lincoln was at the helm...If a man of lesser qualities had been president, the America we know today would be a much different place.

1932 - Japan declared Manchurian independence from China.

How nice of the Japanese...In reality, Japan placed a puppet in charge of Manchuria and held it for themselves, but the headline is nice.

1962 - Robert F. Kennedy said U.S. troops would stay in Vietnam until Communism was defeated.

Or until peaceniks flooded his party and forced the defeat of our proud military.

I have no doubt the war would have went differently if JFK hadn’t been assassinated...If nothing else, a reasonably Conservative leader would have been Commander-in-Chief, instead of LBJ.

1979 - Snow fell in the Sahara Desert.

Global Cooling at its finest.

1985 - General William C. Westmoreland and CBS reached an out-of-court settlement in Westmoreland's $120 million libel suit from a CBS News documentary, 'The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception.'

You’d think CBS would have learned, but they obviously haven’t and continue to put out 'hate-the-military propaganda.'

1998 - President Bill Clinton's foreign policy team encountered jeers during a town meeting at Ohio State University while trying to defend the administration's threat to bomb Iraq into compliance with U.N. weapons edicts. "One, two, three, four, we don't want your racist war," shouted some of the handful of hecklers at The Ohio State University in Columbus, catching Secretary of State Madeleine Albright off guard and drowning out what she was trying to say.

This puts a big challenge to the 'Bombs with (D) = Good, Bombs with (R) = Bad' theory.

That said, I’m sure Halfbright was 'caught off guard,' because she had no reason to think 'her people' would turn on her.

February 3 (A Triple)

1451 - Mehmed II became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Mehmed wasn't any ol' sultan - he was one of the greatest Ottoman rulers...Also known as Mehmed the Conqueror, for taking Constantinople - ending the Byzantine empire, which put an end to the Roman Empire - as well as reclaiming all of Anatolia, portions of the Balkans in Europe, and extending the empire further into Asia.

As such, the Ottoman Sultanate became not only an empire, but one of the most powerful and vibrant nations on earth.

1870 - The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting the right of citizens to vote regardless of race, color or previous condition of servitude.

For all its greatness, the Constitution and its founders failed on this issue. Many of the Founders knew they were wrong to allow slavery to continue, but they also knew the Constitution would have never been passed by the states if the issue of slavery was tackled at that time...Like most things in life, they had to serve the greater good at the expense of some obvious wrongs.

Fortunately, the Founders were brilliant enough to know the document's flaws and left it open ended with a means of righting this and other wrongs...Such was the brilliance of the amendment process.

1913 – The 16th Amendment, allowing the establishment of an income tax, was ratified. The new income tax laws included an exemption on life insurance to help widows and orphans. Also, the first $3,000 was exempted, and the top rate on incomes over $500,000 was 6%.

The Founders may have missed on the issues of the 13th-15th Amendments, but...

That said, there is no reason we shouldn’t return to the 6% top rate, and then tax consumption at a reasonable rate...Business would boom, and the government would get more money than it ever dreamed.

But this will never happen, because everyone would have to pay the consumption tax, including those who currently don’t pay income tax...The Democrats aren't about to do this to one of their primary voting bases.

1160 - Emperor Frederick Barbarossa hurtled prisoners, including children, at the Italian city of Crema, forcing its surrender.

That might have be a violation of the Geneva Conventions :)

1887 - The U.S. Congress passes the Electoral Count Act, designed to prevent the sort of confusion which marred the 1876 presidential election. Individual states were to be responsible for determining their own electoral vote counts.

The system could use a few more tweaks, but fraud will never be completely avoided...Not as long as politics is the method of choice to determine who rules the country. Which isn't perfect, but is highly preferable to civil war.

1919 - The first meeting of the League of Nations took place in Paris.

What a waste of time. Almost as much as the U.N...ALMOST!

1950 - Nuclear physicist Klaus Fuchs was arrested on spy charges. His confession revealed the Soviet Union obtained the atomic bomb from sources within the Manhattan Project.

The Ruskies would have caught up eventually, but treasonous American help definitely sped them up.

This event drastically altered the world, and led to the enslavement of many million people, because the U.S. no longer had the ultimate power to save them without having to commit millions of troops to the cause (E. Europe, Korea, China, etc).

1969 - The Palestine National Congress appointed Yasir Arafat head of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

The Hitler-in-a-Headdress got a promotion...Congratulations.

1973 - President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law.

I can't imagine Nixon had any idea how drastically this law would be used to restrict production and commerce, instead of as a method to 'save our precious animals.'

Lefties were very aware of its potential future uses, however.

1998 - The state of Texas executed Karla Faye Tucker for the pick-ax killing of two people in 1983.

What’s good for the gander is good for the goose...At least it should be.

January 26

1699 - The Treaty of Carlowitz was signed: Venice, Poland, Austria and the Ottoman Empire.

This wasn't the end of the Ottoman Empire by any stretch, but it was the beginning of the end for the Ottomans as a great power in Central and Southeast European affairs...It was also a strengthening of the Habsburg monarchy in these same regions.

We can never know for certain, but I'm betting the people in these parts of Europe hated their new Austrian overlords as much as the Turks.

1340 - English King Edward III proclaimed himself King of France.

Never forget, the English kings at this time were successors of William the Conqueror - Duke of Normandy - and felt they had a rightful claim to much of France...Edward felt it was all of France.

The French put an end to this silliness, however by winning the Hundred Years' War:  1337-1453.

1784 - In a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin expressed unhappiness over the choice of the eagle as the symbol of America. His personal preference was the turkey.

I like Ol’ Ben, but am so glad we don’t have a damn turkey for our national symbol.

1934 - Nazi Germany and Poland signed a ten-year non-aggression pact.

Amazingly the Nazi’s actually got half way through this agreement before they broke it...I don’t think anyone else got nearly this far.

1942 - The first American Expeditionary Force to go to Europe during World War II went ashore in Northern Ireland:  WWII.

Our troops went out to save the world...I have often wondered if the Euros would have sent their troops to the Western Hemisphere to do the same. I doubt it.

1943 - Soviet troops defeated all but 12,000 Germans trapped at Stalingrad, and freed three of the main railways:  WWII.

Hitler should've never insisted on capturing Stalingrad (or Leningrad). There was no need to invest this city, and it made much more sense to reduced it to rubble and push on...Stalingrad would have died on its own over time due to starvation, disease or chaos. Forcing the city to fight for its survival allowed Stalin to keep the city of his name alive, and eventually led to the destruction of the German 6th Army.

1998 - President Bill Clinton forcefully, and with anger, denied having an affair with a White House intern, telling reporters, "I want to say one thing to the American people...I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." Clinton also said he "never told anybody to lie."

What a joker, and not for the BlewClinsky Affair.

Historically, Clinton’s presidency will be defined by the debasement of American society, and the global proliferation of nuclear and missile material and technology (China, N. Korea, Pakistan, and who knows who else)...And lets not forget he passed on a chance to apprehend Bin Laden, who was all but handed over to him by Sudan. But Billy didn't think it was necessary to accept this gift.

1999 - German Chancellor Schroeder abandoned an ambitious timetable for the planned shutdown of nuclear power plants.

I will never understand why the Germans are insisting on destroying their nuclear power plant structure…Nuclear power is the way of the future, and it is also extremely clean for the environment.

I guess they’d rather burn dirty coal and oil for power, and remain dependant of the Ruskies and Middle East for their energy demands...Or maybe they're looking at re-enlisting the Jews as a cheap energy source.

January 22

1973 - The U.S. Supreme Court handed down the 'Roe v. Wade' decision, legalizing abortion.

I'm sure many Conservatives hate to hear me say this, but I am not an anti-abortion zealot or absolutist...But I am an abortion realist.

I'm pretty sure most Americans would be shocked to know there have been over 50,000,000 abortions in the U.S. since 1973...That's 50 million.  As in 50 million would-have-been-Americans eliminated before they were born.

There is no way to deny this is a fetal holocaust, and there is no way to deny this is a national shame...Even for those who can justify the practice.

What’s really sick is rapists, child molesters, murderers, Mexican wolfs, dung beetles, and thousands of other 'Liberal causes' have more rights than innocent unborn babies...I’m sure this makes me a radical, though, because I'm not willing to say abortion should be a right up until the time a baby is born, or that women shouldn't have other options as their primary option.

Just wait until the idea of post-term abortions becomes a thing.

1517 - The Ottoman Turks conquered Cairo, Egypt.

The Turks were in the process of completing the conquest of the Middle East and North Africa, and it wasn't long until they started taking chunks out of Europe...The Caliphate was getting a new hegemon, and the Ottomans proved to be one of the great forces of the era.

1917 - President Woodrow Wilson pleaded for an end to WWI, calling for "peace without victory."

"Peace without victory"???? I thought only a Euro, or the modern Democrat Party - which really was created by Wilson, could think like that.

Unfortunately, WWI ended without 'victory' for the Allies, because the Germans weren't defeated.  As a result, the 'peace' which followed WWI was a hollow one, and simply served as a timeout until WWII.

1944 - Operation Shingle. As part of the Italian Campaign, American troops landed at Anzio Beach in a move to outflank German defensive positions:  WWII.

The invasion of the German Empire moved from Africa to Europe, but didn't begin in total until June 6 at Normandy.

Stalin was pissed, and he was right. The Soviets were left to tie up as many German troops as possible, which made the eventual Normandy invasion less difficult than it would have been if the Germans could have devoted more troops to fight back the Allied invasion from France and Italy.

It also cost the Soviets a couple million deaths...Which is exactly what Uncle Joe deserved for dealing with the Nazi's in 1939.

1993 - On the 20th anniversary of the 'Roe v. Wade' decision, President Bill Clinton lifted a series of abortion restrictions imposed by his Republican predecessors.

Not enough babies were dying I guess.

1997 - The U.S. Senate confirmed Madeleine Albright as Secretary of State, the first woman to hold the office.

Congratulations Madeleine Halfbright, and thank you for thinking it was a good idea to appease the North Koreans, giving them nuclear material...America is much safer for having you in this position. NOT!!!!

Also, why is it a big deal when a Democrat 'woman' is placed in such a position, but a Republican 'woman' or 'minority' would be called a 'sell-out' or an 'Uncle Tom'?

1998 - Theodore John Kaczynski pleaded guilty to charges he was the 'Unibomber.'

What a POS...The same cannot be said for his brother, who put decency ahead of family and turned his brother in.

Oh, and lets not forget many of the Liberals who want unlimited fetal executions have a problem with pukes like Theodore being executed..."Lunatic Fringe, we all know you're out there." - Red Ryder.

1999 - President Bill Clinton called for spending $2.8 billion to protect the nation from cyber-terrorism, chemical and germ warfare.

Who was Bill worried about? I thought the Democrats have been saying there is no real threat of terrorism...Especially not against bio/chem terror. They said Bush was "fear mongering," and made it all up.

Bunch of lying, lunatic bastards.

November 11

1918 - Armistice Day: Fighting in World War I came to an end with the signing of an armistice between the Allies and Germany.

After four brutal years, WWI ended on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month."

So, what did WWI accomplish? It:
1. Destroyed the 'old order of things' (especially in Germany, Russia, Austria, and Turkey)...Which has had massive consequences.
2. Ushered in the advent of the Communist Hell State...Starting with Russia.
3. Saw the beginning of America's international influence on a large scale.
4. Was the beginning of total, unrestricted warfare...Involving civilians as participants and casualties in exponential numbers.
5. Resulted in the death of over 15,000,000 people (8.6 million military, and 6.4 million civilians).
6. Created a perfect petri-dish for the 1918-19 Spanish Flu, which killed over 20,000,000 people.
7. Ended without a clear-cut victor...Germany wasn't 'defeated,' and hardly lost a battle on German soil.

Of all the disasters of WWI, it is the last one which cost humanity the most.

Germany quit the war, but wasn't defeated, and many Germans at the time believed they should resume the battle as soon as they could to reestablish their historic place in the world...And to put an end to the unreasonable reparations forced on them, which killed the German economy.

As a result, what WWI really accomplished was:
1. The founding of Leninim/Stalinism.
2. The founding of Nazism.
3. The resumption of WWI with an even greater and more horrific evil in WWII.

So, we must recognize and honor the end of WWI, but also should look back with disdain on those who didn't bring it to a proper end...Which caused the Armistice to be nothing but a cease-fire between 1918 and 1937-in-Asia/1939-in-Europe.

1215 - The Fourth Lateran Council was convened by Pope Innocent III.

It was here that the Church first defined 'transubstantiation': The Eucharist changing invisibly into the body (bread) and blood (wine) of Christ.

The Council also attempted to define papal primacy over secular leaders, which had been, and continued to be, a huge problem between the various European kings and the Pope.

On a side note, the Council also determined Jews and Muslims should wear clothes to enable them to be distinguished from Christians...Very nice.

1620 - The Mayflower Compact was signed: An agreement by 41 Pilgrims calling for a "body politick” designed to guarantee "just and equal" laws.

The Pilgrims felt they landed in a world outside that owned by the London Company, therefore they were outside the reach of British rule...They soon found this wasn't the case in the eyes of the British crown, though.

The importance of the Compact is it provided for the basis of all governments in what eventually became the thirteen American colonies.

1921 - President Harding dedicated the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

1923 - The Eternal Flame was lit at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

I hope you will someday be able to visit this amazing site...There have been few moments in my life more powerful than the two days I spent at Arlington, and even fewer than the time I spent at the Tomb.

1972 - The U.S. Army turned over its base at Long Bihn to the South Vietnamese army, symbolizing the end of direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In other words, we turned tail and left the South Vietnamese to be slaughtered by their northern brothers.

"It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it." - General Douglas MacArthur

1992 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin told U.S. senators in a letter that Americans had been held in prison camps after World War II and some were "summarily executed," but that others were still living in his country voluntarily.

No one should be shocked by this statement, but not being shocked doesn't take away the sting of its reality.

1995 - The European Union's 15 member-states decided to pull their envoys out of Lagos to show their anger at Nigeria's execution of human rights leaders.

I'm sure the Nigerians were really upset by this action...Scared, too.

1998 - President Clinton ordered warships, planes and troops to the Persian Gulf as he laid out his case for a possible attack on Iraq. Iraq, meanwhile, showed no sign of backing down from its refusal to deal with U.N. weapons inspectors.

Clinton should have taken care of this problem during his administration, but didn't have the testicular fortitude to do it...Instead he 'spoke loudly, and carried a wiffle-ball bat.'

Keep this in mind the next time you think about voting for a peacenick Commander-in-Chief.

Question: I thought Billy and his Democrat pals have been saying there was no need to worry about Iraq? Hmmmmmm.

2004 - Yasir Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, died in Paris.

HAPPY YASIR's DEAD DAY!!! WoooooooooooooHoooooooooooo!

Good riddance to dead murderers...I hope he suffered terribly, and wish it lasted longer.

I also hope he's getting his '72 Virgins' in Allahville...Of course, I'm of the opinion the 72 are gorillas, and they do the devirginizing.

November 2

1783 - The Continental Army was dissolved and General George Washington issued his 'Farewell Address to the Army.'

I can’t explain how indispensable Washington was to the American cause of liberty...There wasn't and hasn't been anyone nearly as important to the history of the United States.

The Revolution would have failed and the new nation would have never lasted past its first decade without him...Also, the fact he dissolved his army - instead of keeping it in place and making himself king - is one of the many instances of Washington rejecting absolute power.  Which set him aside from almost every leader in history up to that time.

Just a few of the many reasons he is, and forever will be, the most important American in history.

Read Washington's Farewell Address.

1917 - British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour expressed support for a "national home" for the Jews of Palestine in what came to be known as 'The Balfour Declaration.'

I'm a staunch supporter of the State of Israel, but there is no denying the Balfour Declaration and the establishment of Israel, along with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire into the many Middle Eastern nations, has created a region that is little short of Hell on Earth.

1948 - Harry Truman defeated Thomas Dewey to the surprise of pollsters and newspapers, in the greatest presidential upset in U.S. history.

Am I the only one who isn’t surprised the press and pollsters got it wrong? Nor that the Democrat magically found the votes?  This seems to be the norm.

Oh, and Truman lost the title of having the 'biggest upset' to Donald Trump in 2016.

1976 - Former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter became the first candidate from the Deep South since the Civil War to be elected U.S. president, defeating incumbent Gerald Ford.

Congratulations America! You elected the worst president of the 20th Century.

The desire to stick it to the ‘Party of Nixon’ was so great the downside was overlooked...Unfortunately, the nation paid a heavy price for this mistake. In fact, we are still paying the price.

Sadly, in an effort to stick it to another president the U.S. made the same mistake in 2008 as well...But at least the country had the common-sense to right its mistake in 1980, unlike in 2012.

1983 - President Reagan established the third Monday of January as a federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Last I checked Reagan was a Republican president...Of course he was. It’s always Republicans who REALLY elevate minority status, opposed to the Democrats who simply yip-yap about it.

That said, this holiday should have been Civil Rights Day...Not that MLK isn't a great man, but the day should have been a celebration of all those who did so much to help so many.

1991 - Jesse Jackson, who ran for the presidency in 1984 and 1988, announced he would not be a candidate in 1992.

This was an absolute shame...Jesse should run in every presidential race - if for no other reason, he's good for laughs.

1995 - A man claiming to have a bomb hijacked a school bus with 13 learning-disabled children aboard, leading authorities around Miami-area highways for an hour and a half before being fatally shot by police.

I love instant justice for criminals...Uh, uh, uh, I mean, I can’t believe the police violated this man’s civil rights to ride around on the short-bus.

Damn it’s hard to act like a Liberal.

November 1

1952 - The U.S. exploded the world's first hydrogen bomb, at Eniwetok Atoll, in the Pacific Ocean.

20 tons of TNT, and 1000 times larger than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan...Definitely a huge event in history.

We better all hope testing is as far as it goes, and one of these monsters is never used in anger.

82 B.C. - The Battle of the Porta Collina (Colline Gate).

The Roman Republic was fighting for its life, and after an extended civil war, Sulla emerged from this battle, capturing Rome and assuming the title of dictator...A title which had a much different meaning at that time than during ours.

1755 - An earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal, killed 60,000 people (about 2/3 of the population).

A terrible event for sure, but this isn't what I find interesting about the headline.

In 1755 Lisbon had just under 100,000 people...250 years later this city has over 3,500,000 people. An increase of 3500%!!!

1861 - General George B. McClellan was promoted to General-in-Chief of the Union Armies:  U.S. Civil War.

McClellan was a favorite of the ‘Eastern elite,’ and had a great reputation as a military commander. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the testicular fortitude to put the worlds largest and best equipped army to use...And make no mistake, at this point in history this army was exactly what I stated - huge, equipped, but with poor leadership and green troops.

McClellan spent a great amount of time planning battles instead of fighting them, and didn’t have the instincts it took to crush the Confederates when he had his chances in 1861-62...In other words McClellan was the Civil War's version of post-El Alamein Monty in WWII.

1871 - Gustav Mahler wrote he had become a vegetarian, saying he thought it would regenerate the human race if everybody stopped eating meat.

I wish people like this would stop eating all together.

1918 - The Habsburg monarchy of Austria-Hungary was dissolved.

This kingdom was also known as the Dual Monarchy or the K.U.K. Monarchy = 'Kaiserlich und Königlich.' German for 'Imperial and Royal.'

The dissolution of Austria-Hungary was long overdue, and good for both Austria and Hungary...That said, had it not been for the former strength of the Habsburg, it's likely most of Europe would be praying to Allah.

1922 - Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey became a republic.

The land of modern-day Turkey has always been one of immense importance, and continues to be...It's too bad in its current form it's much closer to its Ottoman than its Byzantine roots.

1936 - In a speech in Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini described the alliance between his country and Nazi Germany as an "axis" running between Rome and Berlin.

The Paperboy almost had it right...He should have said 'asses' instead of axis.

1990 - President GHW Bush accused Iraqi forces of engaging in "barbarism" and "brutality," adding "I don't believe that Adolf Hitler ever participated in anything of that nature."

GHW Bush is a good man, but this was an absolutely ignorant comment.

There are few people in the history of the world who's actions can be compared to the barbarism and brutality of Hitler...The Iraqis may have been his peers, though not in quantity, but they were in no way his superior when it comes to either barbarism or brutality.

1993 - The Maastricht Treaty was enacted, establishing the European Union.

What a colossal joke!!!

Since the fall of Rome, Europeans have been hoping for a united Europe...And since this same time have failed.

The continent is made up of so many dissimilar people, and the history of warfare among them has been awesome. Brutally awesome.

It will never happen, And proof of the failure is the fact it is 2017 and there is no European constitution, because they can't work one out to everyone's satisfaction...If anything, it's much more likely the EU will collapse, the euro will fail, and traditional European states will splinter.

October 19

202 B.C. – The Battle of Zama:  Rome v. Carthage.

The Battle of Zama is one of the five most important battles in Western history, fought between two of the super-powers of the ancient World, and was the decisive battle of the Second Punic War.

Prior to Zama, Rome was in dire straits, losing just about every battle in Europe against Hannibal...Hannibal kicked the Romans around for years, but had no ability to force a siege of the Roman walls, which made it impossible for him to defeat Rome.

The Romans realized they couldn’t defeat Hannibal in the open battlefield, so they put together an army led by Scipio Africanus to invade Carthage...The Carthaginians were caught completely off-guard, and Hannibal was unable to get back to Zama in time to change the outcome of the battle.

As a result, Carthage was forever weakened, and never powerful enough to threaten Rome again. A fact which destined the West to a Roman Civilization instead of a possible Carthaginian one.

439 - The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, conquered Carthage in North Africa.

North Africa was an important part of the Roman Empire, but the decline of the region began its slide from the West (not just from Rome, but from Western Civilization) with this event...The Vandals and other Germanic people held it for awhile, and the Byzantines for another short period until the Muslims conquered North Africa in the 7th Century - removing North Africa from the sphere of Western Civilization; forever lessening its standing from what it had previously been.

1448 - Ottoman Sultan Murat II defeated Hungarian General Janos Hunyadi at Kosovo, Serbia.

The Ottoman Empire was growing by leaps and bounds, and this victory gave them virtual control of the Balkans, and an invasion route into Central Europe.

That said, the Serbs lost the battle, but never quit fighting the war, which continues to this day.

1453 - The Hundred Years War ended:  England v. France.

The Hundred Years War was actually 116-years long, not 100, and was the result of over 400-years of French, English, Viking, and Norman confrontations.

The result of the war was the end of English territorial claims in France, and is noted as the ‘end of chivalry,’ with the increased use of standing armies, the longbow and gunpowder.

1812 - Napoleon Bonaparte began the retreat of his Grande Armie from Moscow.

The Emperor invaded Russia with 500,000 of his finest troops...He returned to France with around 20,000.

Napoleon was bested by 'General Winter' and the Russian's willingness to suffer, beginning a string of losses for the brilliant commander...Fortunately, the next great European tyrant (Hitler) made the same mistake.

1926 - The Russian Politburo expelled Leon Trotsky and his followers.

Stalin took firm control of the Soviet Union, and tossed his greatest political nemesis out on his ass...Then Uncle Joe spent the next 15-years searching for him all over the globe - for elimination.

1951 - President Truman signed an act formally ending the state of war with Germany:  WWII.

The war ended in 1945, but the state of war ended six years later...This is important to remember in our current and future wars.

2005 - Saddam Hussein pleaded innocent to charges of murder and torture as his long-awaited trial began with the one-time dictator arguing about the legitimacy of the court and scuffling with guards.

Who knows how many Saddam tortured, but we know he killed a million or so...No big deal, I guess.

October 15

1529 - The Ottoman Turks, led by Suleiman, abandoned the siege of Vienna.

The importance of the Habsburgs (rulers of the Austrian Empire - among many other holdings) can’t be minimized when it comes to stopping the spread of Islam. There was no other power to stop the onslaught from East to West, and had the Habsburgs not been such staunch defenders it’s likely much of Europe would be speaking Arabic at this time.

1582 – The Gregorian calendar was adopted in Catholic countries.

Ten days disappeared from the calendar...It’s funny to note, many Europeans thought this was nothing but a tax-collection scheme.

1892 - The U.S. government convinced the Crow Indians to give up 1.8 million acres of their reservation for 50 cents per acre.

Sounds like a rip-off, but it’s much more than most Indians got.

Again, I must repeat Rule #1 of invasions: Do not let the defenders off the beach...This rule held absolutely true for the Crow and every other conquered population. As it always has, and will.

1914 - The Clayton Antitrust Act became law.

This law was passed to eliminate monopolistic policies, and put limits on big-business...Worked very well didn’t it?

1923 - The N.Y. Yankees won their first World Series.

It wouldn’t be their last, with the Bombers founding the greatest dynasty in the history of American sports.

1946 - Nazi war criminal Hermann Goering poisoned himself hours before he was scheduled to be executed.

What a complete miscarriage of justice...The Fat Field Marshal had to die, but it shouldn’t have been at his own hands.

The executioner was cheated and so was justice.

1964 - It was announced Soviet leader Nikita S. Khrushchev had been removed from office. He was succeeded as Premier by Alexei N. Kosygin and as Communist Party Secretary by Leonid I. Brezhnev.

Nikki proved to be the last competent Soviet leader (an oxymoron in its own right), and the Evil Empire began a slow period of deterioration from this point on.

1966 - The Endangered Species Preservation Act became law, and the Fish and Wildlife service initially listed 78 species as being 'endangered.' The number of 'endangered species' grew greatly over the following years to a count of 984 in the U.S., as of September 2002.

We protect animals, but we've had no problem executing over 45,000,000 UNBORN BABIES in the past 40-years...Nice set of principles we have.

October 7 (A Double)

1571 – The Battle of Lepanto: The Ottomans were defeated by the Holy League.

The Holy League was a  loosely allied force of the Papacy (Pope Pius V), Spain, Venice, Genoa, Savoy, Naples, and the Knights of Malta.  The Ottoman Turks were the dominant force in the Islamic world and the Mediterranean sea basin...As such this was the greatest naval battle in history between Christian and Muslim forces.

Lepanto is one of the most significant naval battles in history, one of the final naval clashes between ‘galleys,’ and the last gasp of the Ottoman Empire as a legitimate threat to Western Europe...It took centuries, but from this point forward the Christian world began rolling back the forces of Islam, reclaiming Europe, and even conquering much of the Islamic world.

1949 - The Republic of East Germany was formed.

The Soviets drew the demarcation line between ‘democracy’ and ‘communism’ at Berlin, and East Germany was its great wall to keep the West out...Even more important, it was the wall which kept the people of Eastern Europe 'in' - in slavery.

On many levels the Soviets can’t be blamed for doing so, after being invaded by Germany twice in the previous 50-years and losing 20-30 million people as a result of these invasions...And let's not forget that Napoleon also devastated Russia in the 1800's, as well.

Also, it was a division the Germans brought on themselves, and one the West was unable to undo for 50 years…It took the virtual collapse of the Soviet Empire for Germany to be reunited, but to this day the division is felt and the country still isn't fully repaired.

1492 - Christopher Columbus missed Florida after changing course due to a false cry of "land ho."

This is a ‘mislanding’ of great consequence...Had Columbus landed in North America the greatness of the Spanish Empire would have taken over the northern part of the Western Hemisphere, and who knows if the Brits would have been able to root them out.

As a result the New World would have a different look and who knows how history would be different...Needless to say there would not be a United States of America, because part of this country's greatness is in its territory and the English systems which were built on the territory.

1765 - Delegates from nine of the American colonies met in New York to discuss the Stamp Act Crisis and colonial response to it. This 'Stamp Act Congress' went on to draft resolutions (Declaration of Rights) condemning the Stamp and Sugar Acts, trial without jury, and taxation without representation as contrary to their rights as Englishmen.

The Colonists were getting sick of their meddling sovereign, and the Brits were getting sick of their undisciplined, ‘disloyal’ colonists...As such, the stage was being set for war, and a change in the world order.

1993 - President Clinton ordered more troops, heavy armor and naval firepower to Somalia, but also announced he would pull out all Americans by the end of March 1994.

1. He sent more 'power' but didn’t allow the troops on the ground to use this power.

2. Setting a date for 'pulling out' is stupid, because it gives the enemy a date to shoot for, and avoid battle until the date is up...But this is the Democrat modus operandi, as was seen in their demands for a 'pull out' date in Iraq and Afghanistan - with even worse results.

1994 - President Clinton ordered Army troops on alert and dispatched an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf after Iraqi troops were spotted moving south toward Kuwait.

Saddam played Clinton like a yo-yo, jerking him up and down as he pleased - not in a Monica-way, either...It was sickening how he allowed Hussein to act with impunity, but Clinton had no clue what it meant to be Commander-in-Chief. A fact America continues to pay dearly for.

2001 - Operation Enduring Freedom began. The United States launched its attack in Afghanistan to crush the Taliban and al Qaeda members responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks.

I love the Democrat and European lie that they were in favor of attacking Afghanistan, but not Iraq…Truth is, they didn’t approve of attacking Afghanistan until deciding to use it as a political tool against attacking Iraq.

September 26

1414 - The export of gunpowder from England was prohibited.

Every era has seen the hope of banning weapons technology and keeping them in the hands of those who have them...And every era has seen these efforts fail.

War is a constant in the human condition, and the human desire to procure the means of making war are stronger than those to stop war.
 
The Clausewitz-Pero Corollary
Clausewitz: “War is the continuation of Politics by other means."
Pero: “Politics is the continuation of War by other means.”

Clausewitz was correct, but he had the ordering wrong.  War came first, and is a natural human instinct...Politics is the civilized method of warfare. Even when it is barely civil.

1371 - The Battle of Maritsa.

Another in the long process of the Turks overwhelming the Balkans, defeating the Serbians.

Had it not been for the Crusaders and the Habsburg Empire, the Ottomans might have overwhelmed all of Europe.

1580 - Sir Francis Drake returned to England with a shipload of loot from the Spanish after the first successful circumnavigation of the globe by an Englishman.

Drake was a great naval commander...And an even greater pirate.

1789 - Thomas Jefferson was appointed America's first Secretary of State; John Jay the first Chief Justice of the United States; Samuel Osgood the first Postmaster-General; and Edmund Jennings Randolph the first Attorney General.

The young nation was evolving, and luckily had many brilliant, fertile minds to choose from.

Thank God the modern-day idiots weren't around back then, or the ‘American Experiment’ would have blown up in the lab.

1913 - The first boat was raised in the locks of the Panama Canal.

The world shrunk with this event...No longer would commerce have to travel to the tip of South America (a terribly dangerous trip, due to weather patterns) to get to and from Europe and Africa to the U.S. West Coast or the Orient.

This event also greatly reduced the importance of the South American countries bypassed due to the Canal crossing (Brazil, Chile, etc.)

1941 - Nazis slaughtered about 34,000 Jews in Kiev:  WWII.

34,000 in 24 hours = 1,400+/hour = 23+/minute.

An impressive day for the 'Master Race Killing Machine'...Especially considering this was before the 'Final Solution' perfected the gassing/oven technique.

1960 - The first televised debate between presidential candidates Richard Nixon and John Kennedy took place.

Kennedy looked and sounded great...Nixon looked like a sweaty corpse, and sounded like Hell.

Needless to say, this event went a long way in JFK getting elected...That and the Mob, of course.

September 21

1949 - The People's Republic of China was proclaimed by its Communist leaders.

The West almost fell off its chair, and the global balance of power took a sudden shift...Luckily for the world, the U.S. was so far ahead of everyone else militarily and economically this shift didn’t completely flip the balance of power.  Plus the two main commie countries (the USSR and  China) have never trusted each other, and probably never will - no matter how much they may currently pretend otherwise.

454 - Aetius, Roman Supreme Army Commander, was murdered on the order of Valentinian III, Emperor of the West.

The Empire was on it’s last legs, yet the emperor thought it prudent to kill his best general.

Aetius is often called the “last of the Romans,” and was the only Roman who ever defeated Attila, which is why Valentinian killed him...He feared Aetius overthrowing him as emperor.

1348 - Jews in Zurich Switzerland were accused of poisoning wells.

The belief was Jews were causing the Bubonic Plague through the water supply...Just another case of the long standing European tradition of: 'If in doubt blame the Jews.'

1529 - Turks under Suleiman I laid siege to Vienna.

The Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburgs have often been reviled by historians, but they played a huge roll in keeping the Muslim Horde out of Central and Western Europe...They were attacked repeatedly by the Ottomans, but Vienna never fell, and the Ottomans never got past Eastern Europe.

1780 – Major General Benedict Arnold gave British Major John Andre the plans to West Point: American Revolutionary War.

Arnold was one of America's first great heroes, as the victor at the Battle of Saratoga - the turning-point of the Revolutionary War.

But he was a traitor, indeed, and had his plan succeeded there is some doubt the Revolution could have sustained itself...West Point held the key to the Hudson River Valley (an incredibly important strategic region), and would have split the Continentals in two.

Somehow Arnold felt he could justify his decision, in a letter to George Washington: "love to my country actuates my present conduct, however it may appear inconsistent to the world, who very seldom judge right of any man's actions."

What a crock of crap...It's too bad he escaped to England and avoided a proper execution at the hands of his former troops.

1893 - The first successful American-made, gasoline-operated motor-car appeared on the streets of Springfield, Massachusetts. It was designed and built by Charles and Frank Duryea.

I bet you thought Henry Ford invented the automobile.

Unfortunately our education system doesn’t bother with details...Ford may have perfected the assembly system to mass produce the automobile, but in no way did he invent the car itself.

1904 - Exiled Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph died of a 'broken heart.'

Give me a break! The 'Noble Savages' were nothing more than the modern-day Phrygians, Hittites, Sumerians, Ancient Egyptians, etc...And I never hear anyone cry for these extinct cultures.

Trust me, all of 'our people' and civilizations will eventually disappear to the trash-heap of history...It is the way of the world, it is natural, and it will be a truth for as long as humans are animals - which will be forever.

1941 - The German Army cut off the Crimean Peninsula from the rest of the Soviet Union: WWII.
The War in the East European Theatre was awesome...The longest fronts, bloodiest battles, massive use of tanks and aircraft, horrific suffering and heroism among the civilian population, and an overall battle of annihilation were just some of the factors in the greatest war in the history of the world.

And I hope you understand when I say 'awesome' and 'greatest,' I’m talking about size, scope and importance.

1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor became the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

Was that a Democrat or a Republican who put the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court? Of course it was a Republican - Reagan.

That said, she wasn't a very good choice...Unless you are a Liberal, that is.

1992 - President GHW Bush addressed the U.N. General Assembly, offering U.S. support to strengthen international peacekeeping.

Bush was at the end of his presidency, and Bubba used this pledge to lead some of the most inept military missions in U.S. history...Somalia and the Balkans in particular.

Luckily, Somalia is of little consequence, and the Russians were too weak after the fall of the Soviet Union to support their Serbian cousins.

September 14

1829 - The Peace of Adrianople: Ended the Russo-Turkish War.

The Ottoman Empire was on its death-bed and was forced to give much to the Russians.  Including:  access to the mouth of the Danube and additional territory on the Black Sea, opened the Dardanelles to all commercial vessels, granted autonomy to Serbia, promised autonomy for Greece, and allowed Russia to occupy Moldavia and Walachia until Turkey paid a large indemnity.

Needless to say, the Ottomans were falling apart, and the Russian Empire was growing in every direction...And the rest of Europe was getting very nervous about both facts.

1812 - Napoleon’s invasion of Russia reached its climax when the Grande Armee entered Moscow.

Napoleon thought he had a great victory, but entered the city only to find the enemy capital deserted and burning - set afire by the few Russians who remained...It burned until September 19 and much of it was destroyed.

The Russians went into a slash and burn defensive mode, and planned on forcing Napoleon to spend the winter in Russia, without food, winter clothing or shelter - and to the ravages of disease...Which were the eventual reasons for the Grande Armee’s downfall.

Napoleon's invasion was just one of many instances of Russian 'strategic depth' and willingness to suffer...Two of the many reasons such a backward nation has been able to keep its independence from its much more prosperous and advanced Western peer-powers.

1901 - President McKinley died in Buffalo, New York, of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him as President.

It's a terrible event anytime a president is assassinated...Luckily, the U.S. had the right man, in the right place, at the right time in Teddy Roosevelt.

1930 - The National Socialist (Nazi) Party won a stunning election triumph, becoming the second largest party in the Reichstag (parliament).

Again, it’s important to note the Nazi’s were elected to power...Sure they used force during these elections (as did every party involved), but for the most part they were put in power by the German people.

1940 - Congress passed the Selective Service Act, providing for the first peacetime draft in U.S. history.

Yet FDR had no intent of the U.S. entering WWII, or knowledge of a pending attack...Uh, huh!

1950 - On the heels of the landing at Inchon, the U.S. Eight Army and South Korean allies broke out of the Pusan Perimeter:  Korean War.

Inchon was General MacArthur’s masterpiece - his most brilliant tactical battle...There were few in the military who thought he could pull off the landing, and President Truman only gave him the go because he was afraid of the public relations nightmare of taking the general on.

MacArthur was one of the most brilliant military minds in American history, and is one of my five favorite American characters to read about, but it’s too bad he made the mistake of challenging Truman at every step in the Korean War...It was a mistake which cost him his job - deservedly.

1959 - The Soviet space probe 'Luna Two' became the first man-made object to reach the moon as it crashed onto the lunar surface.

The Soviets were the first to successfully launch a rocket at the Moon, but never put a human there.

1960 - Representatives of oil-producing countries finished a meeting in Baghdad which led to the formation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Congratulations to them...They will only dominate the market as long as U.S. politicians (pushed by insane EnvironMentalists) and Russian incompetence allow them to.

1983 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted, 416-0, in favor of a resolution condemning the Soviet Union for shooting down a Korean jetliner on Sept. 1, calling it a "cold-blooded, barbarous attack."

Whoa, whoa, whoa!! I can’t believe there wasn’t at least one Democrat to vote against this resolution...There were no Rep. Barbara Lee’s around???

1986 - President Reagan and his wife, Nancy, appeared together on radio and television to appeal for a ''national crusade'' against drug abuse.

If we really wanted to stop 'drug abuse' we’d shut the damn southern border.

But then again that would be an answer to other 'if we really wanted to stop it' issues...You know, things like Illegal Immigration, terrorism, destruction of our health care and education systems, etc.

Unfortunately, we’ve never gotten completely serious about any of these problems.

1998 - President Bill Clinton, struggling to regain his footing from the Monica Lewinsky scandal, pledged during a speech in New York to work with America's allies to deal with the "biggest financial challenge facing the world in a half-century."

Re-read that, and skip the BlewClinsky BS.

Bill was talking about the upcoming financial problem...The one which lead to the 2000 and 2008 recessions. The same ones he and his cronies blame on Bush, even though they knew it was coming long before Bush was elected.

Bunch of duplicitous SOB's.

2005 - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to world leaders marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nations to help restore confidence in the world body. He also said that U.N. members had failed to achieve the profound reform the global organization needed on its 60th anniversary.

Hard to restore confidence in what has always been a failed group...The sooner this entity joins the League of Nations in the dustbin of history the better.

September 6 (A Triple)

394 - Battle of the River Frigidus.

Theodosius was the emperor of the eastern portion of the Roman Empire, and in this battle he defeated Eugenius, emperor of the western portion...As a result, Theodosius re-united the entire Roman Empire. He was the last to do so, and the empire split for good shortly after his reign.

Another important result of this battle was Theodosius was a Christian and Eugenius a pagan. Eugenius's defeat is seen as a final victory in the empire for Christianity over paganism.

1522 - One of the five ships which set out on Ferdinand Magellan's trip around the world made it back to Spain. Only 15 of the original 265 men who began the trip survived.  Magellan was killed by natives in the Philippines.

Magellan was one of the ‘astronauts’ of his time. Too bad he didn’t finish the trip, like the other 95% of his crew...As captain of the fleet, though, Magellan receives credit for circumnavigating the globe, but it was really his lieutenant, Juan Sebastian Del Cano, who captained the final leg of the journey.

1566 - Suleiman 'the Lawgiver (also called 'the Magnificent') died.

Suleiman was a 'magnificent' ruler and the Ottoman Empire reached its greatest strength and size during his reign: Stretching from Vienna to Yemen and Aden, from Persia to Oran, and his navy dominated the Mediterranean Sea, which put him within arms reach of much of Europe, Asia and North Africa.

Here’s what Suleiman had to say about himself: “I, who am Sultan of the Sultans of East and West, fortunate lord of the domains of the Romans, Persians, and Arabs, Hero of creation, Neriman of the earth and time, Padishah and Sultan of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, of the extolled Kaaba and Medina the illustrious and Jerusalem of the noble, of the throne of Egypt and the province of Yemen, Aden, and San'a, of Baghdad and Basra and Lhasa and Ctesiphon, of the lands of Algiers and Azerbaijan, of the region of the Kipshaks and the lands of the Tartars, of Kurdistan and Luristan and all Rumelia, Anatolia and Karaman, of Wallachia and Moldavia and Hungary and many kingdoms and lands besides; the Sultan Suleyman Khan, son of the Sultan Selim Khan.”

That's fantastic!!  Needless to say, Suleiman thought very highly of himself; something which was as much a reality as a figment of his imagination.

Note:  You may have noticed he claimed to rule the "domains of the Romans"...This is true, but it wasn't Rome he was talking about; it was Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine portion of the Roman Empire.

1776 - The first submarine attack occurred when an American sub attacked the British warship Eagle in New York harbor:  American Revolutionary War.

Calling this vessel a 'submarine' is a stretch, but it was a submersible boat...More like a can in the water than a modern sub, though.

1901 - President William McKinley was shot while attending a reception at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, by anarchist Leon Czolgosz.

McKinley died eight days later, becoming the third American President to be assassinated.

The death of a president is a terrible event for the nation to recover from, but the U.S. was lucky to have a worthy successor in the person of Vice President Theodore Roosevelt....Looking back, this is easy to identify but at the time many were horrified by the reality of the 'roughneck Roosevelt' becoming president.

Luckily, the U.S. has almost always been blessed with the 'right man at the right time,' and a better leader could not have been asked for, because Roosevelt proved to be one of the greatest presidents in American history...The most conservative Liberal president ever, and the most liberal Conservative president ever.

I hope you understand what I mean by this, and the differentiation between the capital and lower case C/c and L/l.

1941 - Jews six years of age and older were ordered to wear yellow Stars of David in Nazi-occupied areas:  WWII.

Making it easier to identify them prior to processing and extermination.

1943 - The United States asked the Chinese Nationalists to join with the Communists to present a common front against the Japanese:  WWII.

This would have been nice, but in reality the only 'common front' they established was the one between each other.

1953 - Operation Big Switch: The last American and Korean prisoners were exchanged - the final official act of the Korean War.

The last American reached 'Freedom Village,' and the Korean War came to an unofficial end.

This war was the first America didn’t win, but we didn’t lose either. Ties are disgraceful to many Americans, but the millions of South Koreans who have lived in relative peace and freedom for the past 50-years are proof that ties are better than losses.

I highly recommend you read this excerpt from “Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul: Freedom Village”.

1995 - Baseball player Cal Ripken, Jr., broke Lou Gehrig's iron man record by playing in his 2,131st straight game.

I love Cal, and he was one of my favorite players when I was a boy...That said, had I been Cal I would have tied the record, not broken it.

The beauty of the record isn’t the number of games played. The beauty of the record is it was Lou Gehrig’s record, and I would have wanted my name right next to the ‘Iron Horse’, not on top of it...But that’s just me.

August 10

1920 - The Treaty of San Sevres was signed - formally ending WWI between the Allies and Turks.

The terms of this treaty have been disputed, violated, and overlooked by most of the principles involved, because the Ottoman Empire didn’t last long enough to put it into effect...The 'Young Turks,' led by Kemal Ataturk, had other ideas after taking over the Turkish government and simply refused to accept the treaty.

The results of this treaty, its uselessness, and the fact it left the Middle East without a Muslim hegemon (the Brits and French were never seen as legitimate - nor are Americans in our time) have been some of the many reasons why the Treaty of San Sevres has been called 'The Peace To End All Peace.'

70 - The Jewish Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans.

The ancient Jewish state and nation ended with this event, which marks the beginning of the 1900-year Diaspora.

1776 - A committee of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson suggested the United States adopt "E pluribus unum" as the motto for its Great Seal.

A brilliant motto – “Out of Many, One” – and a perfect concept to found the new country on...Sadly, Liberals have debased this motto, and changed its definition to 'Out of Many, MANY.'

1831 - The Nat Turner slave rebellion occurred.

This was the largest slave uprising in pre-Civil War America, and was brutally put down, resulting in the killing and beating of hundreds of slaves and clamping down on security measures against future revolts.

1921 - Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with polio at his summer home on the Canadian island of Campobello.

It’s amazing most Americans didn’t know FDR had polio, and doubtful he could be elected in modern times with such a disease due to the negative media coverage he’d receive from it.

1942 – General Bernard Montgomery assumed command of the British Eighth Army, in North Africa:  WWII.

Monty was a good commander, and the first Western Allied leader in any position to hand the Nazis a significant loss of any kind...That said, he was timid in the field and a pain in the ass in the office.

But, there’s no doubt he was the best British field commander in WWII.  It's also true the Nazis never won another significant battle in the West after Monty took command of the 8th  - a fact which was helped by the timing of the U.S. entry into the war in earnest.

1945 - Japan announced its willingness to surrender to the Allies, provided the status of Emperor Hirohito remained unchanged:  WWII.

The terms of surrender stipulated “unconditional surrender,” and the Japanese were unwilling to do away with the emperor. So...

1945 - The U.S. Third Fleet aircraft raided northern Honshu and Hokkaido:  WWII.

The Japanese refused to surrender, so the war went on and the Americans started preparation for the impending invasion of Japan Proper...Had the Japanese not quickly surrendered all of Japan would have been destroyed.

1988 - President Reagan signed a bill awarding $20,000 to each survivor of the Japanese-American internment.

There's no denying Japanese internment wasn’t America’s kindest event, but it was probably a proper decision.

Unfortunately, we’ll probably need to have another internment in the future:  A Muslim internment...To protect them from themselves.

1991 - China agreed in principle to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Agreeing and doing are two different things.

1993 - Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Can you say 'FAR LEFT?'

Just a reminder: Ruthie served as the ACLU's General Counsel from 1973-1980, and on the National Board of Directors from 1974-1980...That's as far Left as they come.

1995 - Norma McCorvey, 'Jane Roe' of the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, announced she had joined the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.

I’m sure 'Roe' had no idea abortions would go from being 'SAFE, LEGAL and RARE' to leading to the death of one out of every four American pregnancies.

I’m against abortion, but I’m a realist, not an absolutist.

The sooner both sides come to an agreement that our current argument is out of control the better...Put the 'RARE' back into the equation, and most will be placated, but abortion shouldn’t be a form of after-the-fact birth control - which is simply fetal murder.

July 23

1532 - A Turkish invasion forced Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to agree to peace with his Protestant enemies.

The role of the Turks in the success of the Protestant Reformation isn’t given enough credit for the success of the Reformation...If Charles didn’t have to fight constant battles with the Ottomans - guarding his eastern flank - it is much less likely he would have been outmaneuvered (politically, economically, and militarily) by his European enemies.

1914 - Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia following the killing of Archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serb assassin.

The tinder-box was about to blow and the world soon witnessed the greatest war to that time.

1979 - Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini, who overthrew the Shah of Iran and made the country a theocracy, laid down the law on music. He said, "Music is no different from opium. Music affects the human mind in a way that makes people think of nothing but music and sensual matters."

What a bizarre edict, but nothing out of the norm for this bizarre man. Plus, it was almost directly from the Koran itself.

Unfortunately, Khomeini's importance on the Islamist movement is huge, and the world is paying dearly for allowing such a man - and ideology - to take power in Iran.

1990 - President GHW Bush announced his choice of Judge David Souter of New Hampshire to succeed retiring Justice William J. Brennan on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ugh!!! Bush had good intentions, but Souter turned out to be one of the most Liberal voices on the Supreme Court...Which is why it's important to remember the Rule of Good Intentions:  'The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions.'

May 30

1814 – The Treaty of Paris (one of many) was signed, ending the war between France and the United Kingdom, Russia, Austria, Sweden and Prussia. It also enforced the abdication of Napoleon I.

This treaty ended the French Revolution and returned the French borders to their 1792 extent.

That said, even though many consider the end of the Revolution to be when Napoleon was crowned Emperor, the reality is Napoleon was a product of the Revolution and his reign should be considered part of it.

Unfortunately, the treaty may have ended the French Revolution, but it didn't end the Napoleonic Wars, because the Euro's didn't have the emperor executed, and another Peace of Paris was required in 1815 after they finally defeated Napoleon at Waterloo...Incredibly, they didn't execute him there either.

1431 - Joan of Arc was burned at the stake by Bishop of Beauvais Pierre Cauchon, after being convicted of high treason against God by an ecclesiastical court.

Nice of the French to hand her over to the English after she saved their ass...The French king was afraid of her 'power,' and figured it'd be easier to do away with Joan.

Oddly enough, this war was one of the few they won against the English/Brits in the next 500+ years...Could it be they've been cursed for betraying 'The Maid?'

1539 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto landed on the coast of Florida.

From this discovery came the Spanish claim to North America, which they believed the Treaty of Tordesilla guaranteed them, anyway...Unfortunately for Spain, the Brits, French, and later United States, had no use for Papal or Spanish declarations.

1868 - The first 'Decoration Day' (Memorial Day) observance occurred in Columbus, MS.

A well deserved day, and one we should all take time to embrace...Freedom isn't free!!! It never has been, and never will be.

1913 - The First Balkan War ended with the Treaty of London.

Much of Southeastern Europe won its freedom from the Turks in this war, which presented a challenge to the ever-weakening Austro-Hungarian Empire.

As such, the result of the Balkan War was to create increased tension between the Empire and Russia - semi-protector of the newly independent nations...Which played a huge role in the beginning of WWI a year later.

1922 - The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated by Chief Justice William Howard Taft.

This is an incredibly powerful monument, with the great man seated and flanked by the inscriptions of the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address...Above Lincoln's head is the dedication:

IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER.

1943 - American forces secured the Aleutian island of Attu, Alaska from the Japanese:  WWII.

I'm amazed many Americans don't know the Japanese had a foothold on part of North America during WWII.

Japan held the Aleutians for a very short time, but proved they could get a landing force to the continent, and had they not been discovered could have wreaked havoc with chemical and biological weapons from this range...And they were very close to having such weapons.

1958 - Unidentified soldiers killed in World War II and the Korean conflict were buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

I highly recommend you go to Arlington and take some time to walk its grounds...Beware of the largeness of the grounds, however, because the maps don't do justice to the enormity of it.

And make sure you take the walk to the Iwo Jima Memorial, as well.

1994 - The U.N. Security Council warned North Korea to stop refueling a nuclear reactor and allow U.N. monitors to perform full inspections.

WOW!!! I bet the North Koreans almost pee'd themselves when the Circle Jerk Group made this declaration.

As we know, there are no monitors in North Korea, Bill Clinton gave them the 'nuclear farm' in exchange for peace (ha ha), and the Kims are constantly waiving the middle finger and their new toys at the world.

Obviously, the U.N. warning meant nothing to North Korea...And why should they worry? The U.N. is a paper tiger and the U.S. is terrified of China next door.

1997 - Child molester Jesse K. Timmendequas was convicted in Trenton, New Jersey, of raping and strangling a seven year old neighbor, Megan Kanka, whose 1994 murder inspired 'Megan's Law,' requiring communities to be notified when sex offenders move in. Timmendequas was later sentenced to death.

Megan's Law is a fantastic tool, but a much better method of protecting the public would be to execute all sex offenders.

1. They'd be dead (duh!).

2. This would put fear in the mind of those who might otherwise become predators...And yes, I do believe they can control themselves.

Anyone who argues they can't control themselves, must agree option '1' is the best way, because if they can't be controlled they should be terminated. Unless those who argue against execution don't mind setting these 'uncontrollable freaks' loose on the public, that is.

3. They'd be dead (DUH!!!).

May 29

1453 - The Byzantine Empire fell to Turkish Sultan Mehemet II, who captured Constantinople.

This is the 'real date' of the Fall of the Roman Empire...The Western capital (Rome) fell in the 5th Century, but the Eastern capital lasted for almost another 1,000 years.

It's sad this isn't properly taught in schools. I'm not sure if it's intentional or not - probably not.

The splendor of the Byzantines was every bit as impressive as that of Rome, and the power of the Roman Empire was centered in the East long before the West fell.

Unfortunately, I see no way the West ever regains this magnificent piece of territory...Not so much because the Islamic world is so powerful, but because the West has become to pathetic to reclaim it.

1765 - Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act before Virginia's House of Burgesses. Responding to a cry of "Treason!," Henry replied, "If this be treason, make the most of it!"

Henry is one of my favorite Patriots, and one of the leading advocates of revolution...Check out some of his famous quotes, and you'll see why I'm so fond of him.

1864 - Archduke Maximilian of Austria arrived in Mexico to become Emperor.

Gotta love the a Euros trying to reestablish themselves in the Western Hemisphere while the U.S. was in the middle of a civil war.

It's too bad Lincoln didn't have a few extra divisions to send to Mexico and mop up on these pukes...Pathetically, the Euro-scum couldn't even handle the Mexican force, which tossed them out.

1943 - Meat and cheese rationing began in the U.S.:  WWII.

CALL OUT THE ACLU(seless)...How dare the government restrict anyone's liberty of eating meat and cheese!!!

Of course we were in the middle of a world war, but this would mean nothing to the current group of anti-American POS's...In fact, they'd probably be crying we had no business fighting Germany, because they didn't attack us.

2001 - The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case of Elkhart v. Books, letting stand the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling that the display of the Ten Commandments on an Elkhart, Indiana, city monument was in violation of the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

How ridiculous!! Most of the laws we have are based on a scriptural reference or concept...And the Bible (Old and New) has always been a motivating force behind American justice.

I'm sure they'd have no problem if a judge decided to post the Code of Hammurabi, though! Which was codification of religious laws as well, but it isn't Judeo-Christian so it would pass...Hell, they'd probably allow Sharia to be posted, as well.

April 24

1877 - Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire.

The Russian's had been sparring with the Ottomans since the time of Peter the Great, and by this time the Turks were a shell of their former greatness.

Russia put together a coalition of Christian nations in the Balkans against their longtime nemesis in the region, and when the war ended in 1878 and much of the region established at least a portion of freedom from Ottoman rule...The real winner, however, was Russia - who gained much territory in the Caucasus and firmly solidified itself as the hegemon of the Slav/Orthodox Christian world.

The Turks lost big, but were able to hold onto a semblance of their empire for another 40-years...It would be a brutal 40-years.

1184 B.C. (traditional date) - The Greeks entered Troy using the Trojan Horse.

Trickery has always been involved in military maneuvers, and the Greeks were masters...Partially because they were brighter than most of their opponents, but also because they were almost always out-manned by their opponents and had to use deception and technology to overcome numbers.

1558 - Mary Queen of Scots, aged 16, married the Dauphin of France, the future Francis II.

This was going to be a problem. Scotland was a Protestant nation, and Mary was Catholic. Marrying a Frenchman was bad enough, but the fact he was also a Catholic was too much for the Scots to bear...And then she had to deal with her English friends to the south.

Needless to say, Mary’s reign was rocky and ended messy, with her execution at the order of another strong woman - Queen Elizabeth I.

1877 - Federal troops moved out of New Orleans, ending the North's military occupation of the South following the Civil War.

The war ended in 1865, and the occupation ended in 1877...Keep this in mind:  Winning wars is often easier than winning the peace.  And sometimes keeping a war footing is necessary to enforce peace.  The Romans couldn't enforce the Pax Romana without their Legions, and the U.S. can't continue the Pax Americana without its various forces, either

1915 - Armenian Martyr's Day:  The Turkish massacre of Armenians began.

Like most of the minority population in the Ottoman Empire - which was actually the majority but had no power - the Armenians were brutalized by the Turks...That said, this event saw the murder of an estimated 600,000-1.5 million Armenians, and should be noted along with the other barbaric tragedies of the 20th Century.

1961 - President John Kennedy accepted "sole responsibility" for the Bay of Pigs.

He was ultimately responsible for it...And should have immediately begun making new plans for a full-scale invasion of Cuba.

There is no excuse for a having a communist nation 100 miles off of American shores. Every U.S. president since this time has failed on this issue, and every American should be disgusted with this fact.

1980 - The United States launched an abortive attempt to free the American hostages in Iran, a mission which resulted in the deaths of eight U.S. servicemen.

Jimmy Carter was (is) a joke, and he sent these eight troops to their death with no hope of success...It's fair to say this was Carter's 'Bay of Pigs,' and it failed as miserably as his hero's plan.

You either use the military or you don’t, and when you choose to do so you must do it completely with full force...The hostages should have been saved and the Ayatollah should have been assassinated.

But this is what you get when you vote for Liberals/Democrats as Commander-in-Chief.

April 2

1963 - The USSR launched Luna 4 - it missed the Moon by 8,500 km.

1966 - The Soviet Union's Luna 10 became the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon.

It's easy to rip on the Soviet space program for its flaws, but it's important to be honest enough to admit they had an awesome program and were ahead of the Americans in many ways in these early years of space exploration...Partly due to their willingness to take human losses - which is something the U.S. rightly chose not to absorb.

999 - Gerbert of Aurillac was elected the first French Pope.

The period of the 'Dual Papacy' is very complicated, and unknown to most Catholics. What's important to know is the reason for this event was due to politics, not religion...This has been the case for much of the history of the Church.

1453 - Mehmed II began the siege of Constantinople.

The great city fell on May 29, 1453, and the Roman Empire finally came to an end...The fact the Eastern Empire lasted 1,000 years longer than the Western Empire is a near miracle. How it survived 700 years of constant Islamic attacks is almost as impressive.

1513 - Explorer Juan Ponce de León claimed Florida for Spain.

The New World had been Spanish for decades, but de Leon opened a whole new region to Spanish domination with the founding of Florida...Luckily the Spanish were never able to get as strong a hold on the territory of the modern-day U.S.

It's amazing to see what became of every former Spanish conquest, compared to that of those ruled by England and France (primarily England)...The difference is massive, and I've often wondered if the difference is due to Spain or due to Catholicism?

1559 - Treaty of Le Cateau-Cambresis: Ended the Habsburg-Valois War.

This treaty was a British-French agreement ending the war between Spain and France, which was fought over control of Italy...If that explanation makes your head spin it should, but such was the state of dynastic wars in 16th Century Europe - make that most of post-Roman European history.

The result of the treaty was Spain kept control of Italy...The truth of this result was it merely began a new phase of battles over control of Italy.

1792 - The U.S. Congress passed the Coinage Act, authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Mint.

The new nation was growing up, and no nation can be truly independent without its own currency.

1865 - Confederate President Davis, and most of his Cabinet, fled the capital of Richmond, Virginia:  U.S. Civil War.

1865 - After a ten-month siege, Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant captured the trenches around Petersburg, Virginia, and Confederate General Robert E. Lee led his troops on a desperate retreat westward:  U.S. Civil War.

The Confederates were on the run and nearly surrounded...The war was coming to an end, but there were still five days of killing left.

1866 - President Andrew Johnson ended the state of war in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Almost a year after the war ended and a state of war still existed...It was many more years before Union troops left the South.

Keep this in mind with all of our wars, because winning wars is often easier than winning the peace.

1876 - The Philadelphia A's and Boston Red Caps played the first National League game, in Philadelphia.

Baseball is the great American game, and this game began Major League Baseball history...It's important to remember this wasn't the first game or the first league, however.

The National League, officially known as the 'National League of Professional Baseball Clubs,' replaced the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, and to this day is the longest running professional sports league in the United States...And please don't try to pull out some obsolete sports league, because I only recognize baseball, football, basketball and hockey as legitimate American sports.

1917 - President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany:  WWI.

"...the day has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured…The world must be made safe for democracy."

President Wilson's War Message

1917 - Jeannette Rankin became the first female member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

I'd be much more excited about this event if Rankin wasn't such a POS.

For the record:  She voted against entering WWI and WWII...The only congressman with such a dubious honor.

1980 - Wayne Gretzky became the first teenager to score 50 goals in an NHL season.

'The Great One' was the most dominant athlete in the history of North American team sports...Yes, he was greater than Babe Ruth, and he was much more dominant than Michael Jordan.

Amazingly, this 50 goal season was a mere blip on his path towards destroying every important offensive record.

1982 - Several thousand troops from Argentina seized the disputed Falkland Islands, located in the south Atlantic, from Britain.

Argentina thought the Brits would flinch...Before and after Margarette Thatcher they may have been correct. Unfortunately for them, this was during the time of the Iron Lady.