Sunday, April 9, 2017

April 9, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Palm Sunday

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 9, 2017  The Trump Administration continues to evolve as KT McFarland is stepping down as deputy national security adviser to become Ambassador to Singapore; ISIS is alive and well in Egypt as two Coptic churches were bombed by suicide bombers killing 43 innocents and wounding a 100 on Palm Sunday; giving credence to the threat that ISIS is trying to infiltrate refugees coming into Europe, Norwegian police arrested a 17 year old asylum seeker from Russia for planting an explosive device near a train station in Oslo which was defused by police (he entered Norway at age 10 and was involved in extreme Islamic circles in Norway); the man arrested in the Stockholm lorry attack was a failed Muslim asylum seeker who had until his attack had foiled attempts of the Swedish government to deport him; almost like a stuck record or a remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continues unabated with total shootings in 2017 through April 8 increasing to 813 and the death toll rising to 149 (God help those poor minorities being shot mostly by minorities when the weather gets warmer and the shooters’ aim gets really better and there is more daylight to find and shoot victims) and yet nothing, absolutely nothing, appears to be occurring to address this blight on blacks and minorities which is what racism from a black mayor really looks like who appears to care only about the rights of illegal aliens in his sanctuary city  (when will Chicago residents through the city council try to impeach this pathetic, inept mayor?). 
    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Judge Henry Whitfield, knowing that if you go to the zoo today make sure you ask if there are any tigons to view, you will avoid being sesquipedalian,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.
1.  National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Daycommemorating the sacrifices endured by our prisoners of war and first proclaimed by President Reagan in 1987; April 9th was selected as it corresponds to the surrender by the largest number of American soldiers in World War II to the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula on this day in 1942.
2.  Palm Sunday—commemorating the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to be crucified by the Romans and rise again to ascend into heaven.  
3. 1982 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1982 on a run of 7 weeks in that position “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.  Here is a recording of the band performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3T_xeoGES8; the twenty year vegetarian is still going strong on tour and is in the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame.
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “tigon” which means the offspring of a male tiger and a lioness (wonder if the union was accomplished in the dark not knowing what species was on the receiving end).
5. Catfish Plate-—celebrating the birth on this day in 1946 of James Hunter, better known to his baseball fans as Catfish who became the youngest pitcher to record 200 wins at age 31 but arm problems forced an early retirement and Lou Gehrig’s Disease prompted the manager in the sky to take the ball from his hand and remove him from the mound permanently at the age of 53. 
On this day in:                                                                                   
a. 1865 General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appattomox Courthouse, effectively ending the Civil War.
b. 1909 Congress passed the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act which increased tariffs on certain goods and split the Republican party which proceeded to lose the 1910 midterm elections as a result thereof.    
c. 1940 Vidkun Quisling who collaborated with the Nazis after their invasion of Norway, seized power in Norway; after Germany surrendered Quisling was arrested, tried, convicted of treason and executed by firing squad on October 24, 1945, leaving his contribution of the word “quisling” to the English language which means traitor or collaborator.
d. 1945 the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission was formed.     
e. 1947 eight whites and eight blacks commenced a two week long protest of the failure of the South to follow the SCOTUS case of Irene Morgan v Commonwealth of Virginia banning segregation in interstate travel. Fortunately they suffered only a few arrests as opposed to the Freedom Riders of the 60’s.  
Reflections on SCOTUS from the eyes of a southern judge that gives a perspective on how far we as a country have come for the better in the last 70 years: "It's about time you Jews from New York learned that you can't come down here bringing your niggers with you to upset the customs of the South. Just to teach you a lesson, I gave your black boys thirty days [on a chain gang], and I give you ninety." North Carolina Judge Henry Whitfield  Please enjoy the poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day in History, poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance or go to Ridley's Believe It Or Not for just This Day in History
©  April 9, 2017, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 
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