Random News and Notes 12 June
The Philippines were a Spanish colonial holding until the end of the Spanish – American war. However, on this date in 1898, Philippine separatist leader Emilio Aguinaldo declared an independent nation. Despite being annexed by the US after the Spanish-American war and being a US territory until 4 July 1946, 12 June is celebrate as Independence Day in the archipelago.
On this date in 1939, the Inaugural class of the Baseball Hall of Fame was inducted in Cooperstown NY. The sleepy little town on the Mohawk river was chosen because it was widely believed at the time to be where Abner Doubleday invented the game.
The inaugural class had been elected in 1936, but had to wait until 1939 for the actual induction ceremony. The inductees were five legendary players: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson.
On this date in 1987, President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech that likely ended a country. He gave remarks at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin that contained the line “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall“. It was one of the most powerful political speeches ever given, ranking up there with the Boys of Point du Hoc speech he gave just 3 years earlier.
Two years later, on November 9, 1989, joyful East and West Germans did break down the infamous barrier between East and West Berlin. Germany was officially reunited on October 3, 1990.
(Time chop for the money line: 12:00)
John Thune needs to be next. Because of him, H.R. 260, the No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act, still hasn’t had a full Senate vote. The bill that requires the State Department to report on Taliban backers and U.S. aid programs amid concerns over $40 million in weekly UN cash shipments to Afghanistan’s Taliban-controlled central bank, much of it from U.S. taxpayers, passed the House last fall and cleared the Senate Foreign relations committee in January.
Thune claims he hasn’t even seen the bill. He needs to go. Tout Suite.
The plans for the GWOT memorial have been released and they are hot garbage. And that is not just my opinion, nearly all the commentary on social media agrees. The backlash was so severe the people behind the design had to put out a video explaining.
Rod is a good guy, but this is bullshit. He and the rest of the board behind this shit design were given feedback all during the process and it was all negative. At this point he is just digging deeper.
Oh, and this is what it looks like. I don’t recall if the design was posted in the comments anywhere. I know I have avoided this topic, mainly because my time was before this.
Anyway, give me your thoughts on the design. I’m curious to know what y’all think.
There was a video posted on Twitter of a British guy confronting an immigrant who was following a woman. The 60-second clip, posted early Friday by @IAmBritishReal, captures the intervention on a Leeds street.
While I am glad these men stepped up, it is sad that it is an isolated incident and not the norm.
There is an active shooter incident unfolding in Midland Texas. It seems the shooter has barricaded himself in a business on the 4600 block of West Wall Street near Business 20 and Eisenhower Drive, with the suspect barricaded close to the Tall City Vet Clinic, All American Collision, and Victorian Inn. No word on any causalities yet.
This is an ongoing situation and will be updated in the comments section as new info becomes available.
President Trump has signed the Secure America Act, a $70 billion border bill today. The law boosts U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with $38.9 billion—nearly four times its current budget—and gives $26 billion to Customs and Border Protection for agents, surveillance tech, detention centers, and deportation transport.
The new law provides full funding for DHS, ICE, and CBP through FY2029 to bolster border operations and immigration enforcement.