Random News and Notes 25 August
On this date:
- 357 – Julian Caesar defeats the Alamanni at Strasbourg in Gaul. Julian was appointed Caesar of the Western Roman provinces in 355 AD to restore order along the Rhine by Emperor Constantius II.
- 1346 – Edward III of England defeats Philip VI’s army at the Battle of Crecy in France.
- 1758 – The Prussian army defeats the invading Russians at the Battle of Zorndorf.
- 1765 – In protest over the stamp tax, American colonists sack and burn the home of Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson.
- 1830 – The “Tom Thumb” steam locomotive runs its famous race with a horse-drawn car. The horse wins because the engine, which had been ahead, breaks down.
- 1835 – The first in a series of six articles announcing the supposed discovery of life on the moon appears in the New York Sun newspaper. Known collectively as “The Great Moon Hoax,” the articles were supposedly reprinted from the Edinburgh Journal of Science.
- 1862 – Union and Confederate troops skirmish at Waterloo Bridge, Virginia, during the Second Bull Run Campaign
- 1864 – Confederate General A.P. Hill pushes back Union General Winfield Scott Hancock from Reams Station where his army has spent several days destroying railroad tracks.
- 1875 – ”Captain” Matthew Webb becomes the first man to swim across the English Channel.
- 1914 – German troops stationed in the Belgian town of Louvain during the opening month of World War I burn and loot much of the town, executing hundreds of civilians.
- 1916 – The National Park Service is established as part of the Department of the Interior.
- 1930 – After months of torrential flooding, levees around the city of Gaoyou, China, break and the Yangtze River overflows, killing between 10,000 and 15,000 in a single night. The disastrous breach was part of a catastrophic flood that killed an estimated 3.7 million people directly and indirectly over the next several months, and left some 40 million without homes.
- 1940 – The first parachute wedding ceremony is performed by Rev. Homer Tomlinson at the New York City World’s Fair for Arno Rudolphi and Ann Hayward. The minister, bride and groom, best man, maid of honor and four musicians were all suspended from parachutes.
- 1941 – British and Soviet forces enter Iran, opening up a route to supply the Soviet Union.
- 1943 – The Allies complete the occupation of New Georgia.
- 1944 – Paris is liberated from German occupation by Free French Forces under General Jacques LeClerc.
- 1945 – John Birch, an American missionary to China before the war and a captain in the Army during the war, is killed by Chinese communists days after the surrender of Japan, for no apparent reason. His death would inspire a small but vocal group of conservative anticommunists.
- 1948 – The House Un-American Activities Committee holds first-ever televised congressional hearing.
- 1950 – President Harry Truman orders the U.S. Army to seize control of the nation’s railroads to avert a strike.
- 1958 – To help address the food shortage crisis in Japan after World War II, inventor and businessman Momofuku Ando develops Chicken Ramen, the first-ever instant noodles. The shelf-stable noodles are readily available, take two minutes to cook and fill hungry bellies.
- 1980 – Zimbabwe joins the United Nations.
- 1982 – During the Lebanese Civil War, a multinational force including 800 U.S. Marines lands in Beirut to oversee the Palestinian withdrawal from Lebanon. It was the beginning of a problem-plagued mission that would stretch into 17 months and leave 262 U.S. servicemen dead.
- 1991 – Croatian War of Independence: Battle of Vukovar begins, an 87-day siege of a Croatian city by the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), supported by various Serbian paramilitary forces.
- 1991 – Belarus gains independence from the USSR.
- 2009 – Drunk driver and murderer of Mary Jo Kopechne Ted Kennedy dies.
We start the news with a couple of Mil related items. First off is the news that Nidal Hasan is apparently poised to meet Allah and get his 72 goats. Reports are floating around that the Army is prepping for his execution and barring a last minute stay from President Trump, Hasan will die soon. The Supreme Court turned away his last appeal back in March of 25. In case you forgot, Hasan is the sub-human that killed 13 of his comrades at Ft. Hood back in 2009.
The last execution carried out by the United States military was U.S. Army Private John A. Bennett on April 13, 1961. Bennett was convicted of of the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl in Austria. He was hanged by the neck until dead at the Disciplinary Barracks at Ft. Leavenworth. The current method – I checked – under the UCMJ is lethal injection.
The second Mil note involves a current -at least for now- Air Force Major, Jason Watson. You may recall the name, as he stood in full uniform on the Capitol steps calling for the impeachment and removal for President Trump. Well the UCMJ hammer has fallen. Watson now faces 10 charges:
- 3 counts of Article 88 (contemptuous words against the President)
- 5 counts of Article 92 (disobeying orders)
- 2 counts of Article 133 (conduct unbecoming an officer)
Each count of violating Article 88 and 133 carry a year in confinement and the usual loss of pay, benefits etc, Each count of Article 92 carries a 5 year penalty in addition to the usual losses. My guess is he will plead to some combination of the charges, given a big chicken dinner and that will be that.
ICE announced it had quietly rounded up a bunch of illegals in Virginia and Maryland in August. Operation Safe Community ran from August 1 to 14. The op targeted sanctuary areas, detaining 1,328 illegal aliens, including those with U.S. convictions for murder, rape, kidnapping, robbery, and DWI, plus MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the ICE team’s efforts to remove these individuals.
This one amuses me. The Barack Obama Elementary school in Richmond Virginia has been forced to close indefinitely due to the discovery of mold and a rat infestation. Mold has been found throughout the building. Staff setting up classrooms found the growth behind bulletin boards, on laptops, and in the art room.
HVAC problems and a leaking pipe were the source. The school will remain closed until the mold is remediated.
In an apparent 6-3 decision, SCOTUS has lifted the stay blocking the new postal service rules regarding mail-in ballots. The per curiam decision was released late yesterday.
You all know I am an amateur court watcher. One of the things I do whenever there is big news out of the Court is read – or at least scan – the decision. I did so with yesterday’s order. The entire thing was 37 pages. The Precis and Order were 10 pages. Justice Sotomayor wrote a 4 page dissent that Justice Kagan joined. The remaining 23 pages? Justice Jackson’s dissent. I will admit that at least some of her of her page count is footnotes from the majority correcting her dumb ass, but still.
If you have plans to go to Mexicali Mexico, don’t. The State Department just issued a notice regarding the capital of Baja California state.
I wonder what caused the warning. I am not being facetious, That part of Mexico is generally safe-ish.
Target issued a statement about a Hallowe’en costume they had for sale. Apparently it was raciss.
I dunno man, I just gather and present the news.