We are now in the space/time of September 20, 2023. So far, so good. I survived last night and now have a mug of hot coffee. Life is good. I intend to be kind, considerate, helpful, and happy today. I will give no one permission to piss me off. I will not watch any news. That’s my plan. I may celebrate National Fried Rice Day, National Gibberish Day, National Pepperoni Pizza Day, National Rehabilitation Day, National School Backpack Awareness Day, National String Cheese Day, and National Rum Punch Day and the obvious winner in this list. On this day in 1565 Spaniards captured the Fort Caroline Florida and killed the 200 or so Frenchmen who occupied the fort and took 50 women prisoners. No record of what happened to the women. On this day in 1664 Maryland passed the 1st anti-amalgamation law to stop intermarriage of English women and black men. On this day in 1850 the slave trade was abolished in DC but slavery was allowed to continue. On this day in 1945 German rocket engineers began work in the US. On this day in 1951 Swiss males voted against female suffrage. Women would not get the full right to vote until 1990. On this day in 1961 African American student James Meredith was refused enrolment at the segregated University of Mississippi. Meredith sued Mississippi and the case went to the Supreme Court and he won and on October 1, 1962, he enrolled, after a riot in which 2 people died. He graduated in 1963 with a degree in political science. Today’s quotes come from Upton Sinclair who was an American writer, muckraker and political activist who died in 1968. Upton said, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” “One of the necessary accompaniments of capitalism in a democracy is political corruption.” “It is foolish to be convinced without evidence, but it is equally foolish to refuse to be convinced by real evidence.” That’s enough for today. Abide.
