September 11, 2020. Where were you when the planes hit? I was on a company plane to Los Angeles and got stranded for a week in Lake Havasu. It wasn’t a vacation. The only other “Where were you” event was when I heard that JFK had been shot. I’d prefer to finish this incarnation without any more of those but we never know what the future holds. On this day, aside from The National Day of Service And Remembrance we have I Want To Start My Own Business Day, Make Your Bed Day, 401K Day, National Hot Cross Bun Day, National Emergency Responders Day, Women’s Baseball Day and Patriot’s Day. Now to some historical foot notes. On this day in 1813 British troops arrive in Mount Vernon and prepare to march to and invade Washington D.C. This was the war of 1812 which was fought in the U.S. and Canada. On this day in 1919 the Marines invade Honduras to protect the interests of the American plantation owners. This is where the term “Banana Republic” comes from. This date in 1973 that the Chilean coup supported by the Nixon administration engineered the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende and would lock Chile in a 17-year dictatorship, which left around 3,000 people dead or missing. Finally, this is the day in 2012 that the U.S. embassy in Benghazi Libya is attacked, resulting in four deaths. Lots and lots of bad stuff happens on this date. This is the day in 1524 that the French poet Pierre de Ronsard was born. He said, “Live now, believe me, wait not till tomorrow; Gather the roses of life today”. This is also the day in 1958 that Robert W. Service stopped living. He was a poet and known as the “Bard of the Yukon”. He said, “Just draw on your grit: It’s so easy to quit – It’s the keeping your chin up that’s hard.” That’s plenty for today. Abide.
