A fair fight

Maverick John McCain & Holy Joe Lieberman issue a statement from a refugee camp for Syrians in Turkey, saying the usual stuff. Including that the international community needs to supply the Syrian rebels with arms because “The slaughter in Syria has now claimed more than 10,000 lives. And it is not a fair fight.”

No one who uses the term “fair fight” about a war deserves to be taken seriously.

Today -100: April 10, 1912: The man that pulls the rope should hang by the rope

There have been few real opportunities to test the relative popularity of Taft & Roosevelt, with there being so few primaries and no such thing as opinion polls. This means that the Illinois primary is especially important symbolically and as a measure of what the voters might do in November. And TR kicked Taft’s ample behind, gaining more than twice as many votes. Roosevelt supporters are making the case that while the Tafties, with their tight grip on the party machinery, can secure Taft’s re-nomination, the Illinois primary shows that he’s too unpopular to win the general election.

On the Democrat side, Speaker of the House Champ Clark beat Woodrow Wilson by better than 3 to 1.

A black man, Thomas Miles, is lynched in Shreveport, LA, after he is acquitted “because positive proof was lacking that he wrote letters to a young white woman”.

Pres. Taft makes an anti-lynching speech at Howard University, saying “The man that pulls the rope should hang by the rope.”

NY Governor Dix is planning a European vacation. On the Titanic, when it returns to England from its maiden voyage (which commences.... today).

Long division

One of Obama’s spokesmodels calls an anti-gay marriage initiative “divisive,” which is a rather weak way of saying hate-mongering. Also, as far as I know Obama still opposes gay marriage but he’s against anti-gay marriage measures – how does that work?

Anyway, it just reminded me that I’ve been meaning to point out that “divisive” is the trendy tut-tutting put-down of this election cycle, used by all sides (so everyone’s united against divisiveness, because disagreement is icky). Newt Gingrich, for example, has used it against Obama’s comment that Trayvon Martin looked like his hypothetical son, and Romney against the Occupy movement.

Today -100: April 9, 1912: Of delegates, the elusive Christabel, and dead guards

The Louisiana Republican Convention excludes “several negroes who declared they were delegates”. Pro-Roosevelt delegates.

Christabel Pankhurst Rumor of the Day: Boston, she’s totally in Boston (she isn’t).

Headline of the Day -100: “Dead Man on Guard Over Insane Woman.”

Today -100: April 8, 1912: Of fighting senators, Mormons, and women in Turkey

Headline of the Day -100 (LAT): “Senator From Arizona Fights Negro.” Marcus Aurelius Smith (D), a new senator from the new state, beat up a hotel elevator operator who finished taking another passenger up when the senator wanted to be taken down.

The Mormon church comes out in support of Taft. So that settles that.

The British Daily Chronicle reports on the backlash against women’s rights in Turkey. Women were briefly encouraged to liberate themselves at least a little after the 1909 revolution, but some of those who, for example, stopped wearing the veil, have been beaten by their fathers, divorced by their husbands, etc. The government has also cracked down on women entering European shops without escorts, gatherings of women, etc.

Today -100: April 7, 1912: It’s a vagina, not a troop-carrier

Rep. William Francis (D-Ohio) introduces a bill to grant a pension to a Mrs. Sarah Brandon, 16 of whose children (out of, dear Christ, 33 total) fought for the North during the Civil War. She claims to be 114 years old.

More vigilante anti-Wobblie activity in San Diego: 5 masked men kidnap a pro-IWW newspaper editor, drive him 25 miles, and turn him loose in Escondido.

Today -100: April 6, 1912: Of the elusive Christabel and airboatmanship

Christabel Pankhurst Rumor of the Day: The NYT says that Christabel Pankhurst wasn’t on the Mauretania after all, but she was definitely spotted dining at the Hotel Majestic in NYC. Nope.

The captain in charge of the US Navy’s aviation dept says the word for the art of flying hydro-airplanes should be “airboatmanship.” So that’s that settled (this post will bring the total number of Google hits for the word airboatmanship to 3).

Today -100: April 5, 1912: Of cats, piles of skulls, fugitives, and forced flag-kissing

Germany is considering a tax on cats to pay for armaments.

President David Starr Jordan of Stanford University says that nations should be gentlemen and arbitrate their differences rather than go to war. He says that if the skulls of the victims of the Napoleonic Wars were placed together, the pile would be 31 times as tall as the Washington Monument, and 31,000 times as awesome. Okay, he didn’t say that last part, but it totally would be.

Christabel Pankhurst Rumor of the Day: The NYT reports that fugitive British suffragette Christabel Pankhurst has reached the United States and is living in NYC under an assumed name. According to a Major George William Horsfield, who claims to have spotted her aboard the Mauretania and seen through her clever disguise (a veil), “No one who has ever seen her aggressive-looking face, with its over-hanging black eyebrows, could make a mistake.” And yet...

Deputies and armed San Diegans meet a train on which 100 Wobblies were arriving and force them to kiss the American flag, then throw them out of the county into Orange County.

I think they take their responsibilities very seriously

Obama gave a speech yesterday to the Associated Press Luncheon.

BOY, THAT GUY’LL BE KIND OF FUCKED, WILL HE? HATE TO BE THAT GUY. “Whoever he may be, the next president will inherit an economy that is recovering, but not yet recovered, from the worst economic calamity since the Great Depression.”

“TOO MANY,” HE SAYS, BUT HE NEVER TELLS US HOW MANY IS JUST THE RIGHT NUMBER: “Too many Americans will still be looking for a job that pays enough to cover their bills or their mortgage. Too many citizens will still lack the sort of financial security that started slipping away years before this recession hit.”

AND LET’S FACE IT, WE DON’T MAKE ANYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY ANY MORE: “I believe this is a make-or-break moment for the middle class”.

ALSO, TRYING TO IMPRESS CHICKS: “I believe deeply that the free market is the greatest force for economic progress in human history.”

RUPERT MURDOCH? “Show me a business leader who wouldn’t profit if more Americans could afford to get the skills and education that today’s jobs require.”

THE ENTIRE ECONOMY? WHAT ABOUT THE CAR ELEVATOR BUSINESS? “What drags down our entire economy is when there’s an ever-widening chasm between the ultra-rich and everybody else.”

He says the “trickle down theory” has been tried and failed, and that Paul Ryan’s budget (he never mentioned Ryan by name) is “so far to the right it makes the Contract with America look like the New Deal.” He notes that Romney (he does invoke the Mittster’s name) called the Ryan budget “marvelous.” He calls it “a Trojan Horse” and “thinly veiled social Darwinism.” So it’s social Darwinism in a wooden horse which is wearing a veil.

OBAMA WANTS TO BE JUST LIKE REAGAN, IF ONLY THE REPUBLICANS WOULD LET HIM: “Ronald Reagan, who, as I recall, is not accused of being a tax-and-spend socialist, understood repeatedly that when the deficit started to get out of control, that for him to make a deal he would have to propose both spending cuts and tax increases. Did it multiple times. He could not get through a Republican primary today.” The deficit didn’t “get out of control,” Reagan and the Republicans cut taxes drastically on the rich, then pretended to be shocked at the increase in the deficit.

NOTE HOW HE ZOOMS RIGHT IN ON THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT “SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO ENTITLEMENT”: THE EFFECT ON DEMOCRATS’ POLITICAL INTERESTS. “I’ve got some of the most liberal Democrats in Congress who were prepared to make significant changes to entitlements that go against their political interests, and who said they were willing to do it. And we couldn’t get a Republican to stand up and say, we’ll raise some revenue, or even to suggest that we won’t give more tax cuts to people who don’t need them.”

He goes on to point out that all of his current positions are the past positions of Republicans: cap & trade, mandatory insurance, etc.


I DIDN’T LEAVE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY LEFT ME: “So as all of you are doing your reporting, I think it’s important to remember that the positions I’m taking now on the budget and a host of other issues, if we had been having this discussion 20 years ago, or even 15 years ago, would have been considered squarely centrist positions. What’s changed is the center of the Republican Party.” Although to be fair I don’t think they’d have liked the idea of a black president back then either.

WILLING? WE ARE TOTALLY SCREWED. “And that’s part of what this election and what this debate will need to be about, is, are we, as a country, willing to get back to common-sense, balanced, fair solutions that encourage our long-term economic growth and stabilize our budget.”

SO TOTALLY, TOTALLY SCREWED: “So I don’t anticipate the Court striking [health care reform] down. I think they take their responsibilities very seriously.”

Today -100: April 4, 1912: Of universal alphabets, small sheep men, and auto bandits

Alexander Graham Bell testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in support of adoption of a universal alphabet.

Headline of the Day -100: “Taft Aids Small Sheep Men.”

Paris police capture the head of the gang of auto bandits that’s been plaguing the city (bandits who use cars, not car thieves). Before they could stop him, he swallowed something and shouted, “Ah, now it is good-bye to all.” However, what he evidently thought was prussic acid wasn’t, so it wasn’t good-bye to all.

Comments

Okay, I enabled Blogspot’s commenting system, as of the previous post, but it only shows up on that post’s unique URL, not on the home page. Anyone know what’s wrong?

This atrocious act

Palestine has committed another “atrocious act” proving its “failure to meet the basic requisites of peace.” It must be punished.

Today -100: April 3, 1912: Of election joy, hissing carnivals, aroused Republicans, titanic tests and sacrifice cults

Robert La Follette wins the Wisconsin Republican primary.

Headline of the Day -100: “Dies of Joy Over Election.” Some dude upon hearing the news that his son won an alderman race in Chicago. Which turned out to be wrong.

Hissing Headline of the Day -100: “Suffragists Hold a Hissing Carnival.” Hissing at politicians in Albany (where a women’s suffrage bill was just passed, then tabled) during speeches given at a benefit performance of Shaw’s pro-suffrage play “Press Cuttings” (not his best work).

Sexy Headline of the Day -100 (LA Times): “Republicans Are Aroused.” Taft supporters in Riverside start a newspaper. Presumably so they can use it to cover their arousal.

Foreshadowing Headline of the Day -100: “Titanic Tests Her Speed.”

The Massachusetts Legislature votes against women’s suffrage.

Remember the voodoo sacrifice cult in Louisiana and Texas? The NYT runs its, what, third story? about the group responsible for the murders of 35 black people, after the head, one Clementine Barnabet, is arrested and confesses to personally killing 17 of those victims.

Today -100: April 2, 1912: Insert Michael Moore reference here

Flint, Michigan’s socialist mayor, John Menton, is defeated for re-election by a Democrat-Republican coalition after one term in office.

One of these is not like the others

Caption contest (in the UAE, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Kuwait).



Bonus question: any preferences for a commenting system to replace JS-Kit/Haloscan? Disqus or Blogspot?

Today -100: April 1, 1912: Of protectorates, maniacs, and invasions

The sultan of Morocco is coerced into signing a treaty of “protectorate” with France.

The “maniac” who attacked Sen. Thomas Gore with a club yesterday had actually wanted to kill Theodore Roosevelt (Jesus told him to do it after a head injury, or something), but TR took a different route through Wisconsin and I guess a blind guy makes an easier target.

Secretary of War Stimson is denying reports in the NYT that various national guard commanders were called to Washington to plan for a possible invasion of Mexico.

Today -100: March 31, 1912: Of conservative people, government by a representative part of the people, and women lawyers

Pres. Taft says “The American people are the most conservative people in the world.”

Roosevelt attacks the Senate’s decision to exonerate Sen. William Lorimer (R) of bribery in his election by the Illinois Legislature. He says it illustrates the working “in actual practice of the president’s theory of government of the people by what he calls a representative part of the people,” because the senators who voted to uphold Lorimer’s election were going against the wishes of their constituents. This proves the need for direct election of senators.

Headline of the Day -100: “Woman Lawyer for a Negro.” A Miss Lucille Pugh now represents some black dude accused of shooting some white dude over a game of craps (nothing of any special interest in itself). The NYT naturally describes Miss Pugh’s clothing in detail and for no particular reason I’ll repeat that description: “a black tailor-made suit with modified waistcoat and a high starched collar, such as men wear. A white carnation was stuck in the lapel of her coat, and a dainty white lace handkerchief peeped from her coat pocket. She wore a vivid red tie containing a scarab scarfpin. Her heavy brown hair was piled up under a stiff black derby hat of the latest model.”

Today -100: March 30, 1912: Of lynchings, buying colonies, wobblies, and hats

After the lynching of two black men who supposedly got a white man drunk for the purposes of robbing him, posses of the white population of the ironically named town of Blacksburg, SC are now patrolling because of rumors of an impending invasion of revenge-seeking blacks.

Secretary of State Philander Knox’s Latin America tour has taken him unexpectedly to St. Thomas, raising rumors that the US plans to buy the island (and its residents) from Denmark (a plan along these lines was rejected by the Danish parliament in 1902, but will be accepted in 1917).

Nearly 50 Wobblies are arrested in San Diego for plotting to overthrow the US government.

British suffragette Charlotte Despard, leader of the militant (but not as militant as the WSPU) suffrage group the Women’s Freedom League, calls for a boycott on buying hats (among other things, but that’s the one that’s fun to put in headlines, so everyone does).

Sorry

I had my camera battery charged and ready for some original reporting at a Rick Santorum rally at a jelly bean factory not too far from here, hoping for a picture of Ricky under the jelly bean portrait of Reagan, but I took a nap instead. My bad.

Today -100: March 29, 1912: Of rumps, incitement, women’s suffrage in Michigan and Britain, and late Scotts

The Taft people have discovered that the Roosevelt people have taken an option to rent a theater in Chicago during the week of the Republican convention in June, in other words that they’re making plans to bolt the party convention and hold a rump convention. TR’s people deny they have anything to do with the person who made the arrangements.

British trade unionist leader Tom Mann is out on bail pending trial for incitement to mutiny for publishing in his newspaper The Syndicalist an open letter to troops asking them to please not shoot strikers in the coal strike.

Mayor Harry Shriver of Rock Island, Illinois, set off a riot in which one person died, shot by police, by assaulting the editor of The Rock Island News, John Looney, who wrote something about him that the NYT annoyingly refrains from repeating. The mayor is now barricaded in his office, surrounded by soldiers, issuing threats to kill the editor like a dog (when he gets out of the hospital).

The Michigan Legislature passes a bill for a women’s suffrage referendum in November.

The British Parliament votes against a women’s suffrage bill 222-208. This is a decline in support since last year, when a similar bill passed its second reading but went no further. Some of the opposition this time around came from Irish Nationalists afraid that it would take time away from the Home Rule Bill and disrupt the Liberal cabinet (in the debate, Prime Minister Asquith spoke against the bill, Foreign Minister Grey for). Also, the coal strike meant that Labour MPs representing mining unions were busy elsewhere. Also, Anti sentiment has been strengthened by the increase in militant suffrage activities (Spoiler Alert: they ain’t seen nothing yet).

Today is believed to be the day Commander Scott died on his Antarctic expedition (Turner Classic Movies is playing “Scott of the Antarctic” tonight as part of a South Pole marathon, along with Ice Station Zebra, With Byrd at the South Pole, Frank Capra’s Dirigible and The Thing From Another World).