Are We (as a nation) Bad At History Or At Math?

OK, it's settled that Geo. W. (Washington) was not the first president of the United States. He was ninth.

John Hanson was the first to hold the title "president of the United States in Congress Assembled," as described by the Articles of Confederation, the predecessor to the Constitution created by the Continental Congress during the chaotic days of the American Revolution. (Ironically, Hanson himself was a noted antifederalist who opposed many facets of the Constitution.)

Hanson served his one-term presidency for barely less than a year--from Nov. 5, 1781, to Nov. 3, 1782. He died in 1783, more than five years before the ratification of the Constitution.

Nonetheless, we can consider Hanson a "forgotten" president of the United States. He shares the honor with the seven other men, among them John Hancock, who held the office after him.

Then George Washington became the first person to hold the office of President under the Constitution of the United States.

Are there any other "forgotten" Presidents of the United States?

Maybe.

Well, there was that sticky matter of David Rice Atchison. According to some, Atchison qualifies as a President of the United States, though he "held" the office for only one day.

The term of office for President James K. Polk ended on Saturday, March 3, 1849, but his ardently religious successor, Zachary Taylor, refused to take office on Sunday, instead holding his inauguration on Monday, March 5. By some interpretations, during the Sunday "between" these two terms, the presidency fell to the next office-holder in the line of succession, President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

Indeed, according to the explicit wording of the Constitution in Article II, Section I, Clause 8, "Before [the president] enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—'I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.'"

Put simply, one can become president without taking the oath, but one cannot execute the powers of the office without taking the oath. Thus, Zachary Taylor was already president on Sunday, even if he didn't assume his presidential powers until the following day. Atchison's place in the line of succession was never necessary.

So the President we call "43" is really either "51" or "52", depending on how one views the Atchison affair.

Still, it will be quite a while before a U.S. President can claim "666". Some surely have tried, though.

CIA Insider Says U.S. Fighting Wrong War

A career CIA officer claims in a new book that America is losing the war on terror, in part because of the invasion of Iraq, which, he says, distracted the United States from the war against terrorism and further fueled al-Qaida’s struggle against the United States. The author, who writes as “Anonymous,” is a 22-year veteran of the CIA and still works for the intelligence agency, which allowed him to publish the book after reviewing it for classified information.
Full Story.

Cheney Has Become A Huge Embarrassment

"Governor Bush and I are also absolutely determined that [we] will restore a tone of civility and decency to the debate in Washington."
- Dick Cheney, 8/4/00

"I look forward to working with you, Governor, to change the tone in Washington, to restore a spirit of civility and respect and cooperation."
- Dick Cheney, 7/25/00

* Also...remember, White House Chief of Staff Andy Card attacked Senator Kerry for using the F-word, saying, "I'm very disappointed that [Kerry] would use that kind of language. I'm hoping that he's apologizing."

Some distingished, humble, Godly men spoke out when Kerry swore:

"Oh [expletive deleted]! What the [expletive deleted] should I get for Wesley Clark and John Kerry? Of course, several bars of fine French-milled soap to wash out their dirty mouths."
--Oliver North

"...when a man who runs for president deliberately uses the f-word in an interview with a national magazine, it is cause for concern. Nearly all non-liberals and even some liberals would regard such a person as one who has a different understanding of what preserves our civilization.

[...]

If you are a Democrat and it troubles you that...Senator Kerry uses the f-word in a magazine interview, you might want to reconsider your party affiliation. The Democratic Party has earned a reputation as a poor defender of our civilization against external threats. In fact, it has become a poor defender of our civilization.

Period."
--Dennis Prager

"People are registering shock at Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's profanity in an interview for Rolling Stone magazine. But why should this shock anyone? In recent times, crudeness has virtually become a rite of passage for Democratic presidential candidates (and presidents)."
--David Limbaugh

"...another sign of desperation from a dying campaign."
--Michael Medved

"Certainly Mr. Kerry set a new low for American presidential contests when he used the F-word in regards to Mr. Bush in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine."
-- Washington Times editorial

Restoring Dignity To The Government

"CNN is reporting that on the floor of the Senate yesterday, Dick Cheney told Sen. Pat Leahy, 'Go f*&# yourself.'"

That Cheney! What a class act. Leadership by example is such a good policy.

UPDATE: Speaking of sodomy (while it's still legal)...

Wonkette:
"...operatives tell us that the fighting words sprang from an exchange in which Cheney told Leahy he didn't like what Leahy had been saying about Halliburton, to which Leahy replied that he didn't like Cheney calling him a bad Catholic."

"So you'd see how 'Go f#*% yourself' is the only appropriate response."

Meanwhile, Reuters reports the following:

"President Bush's re-election campaign lumped together vocal outbursts by Democrats Al Gore, Howard Dean and others on Thursday and called them part of John Kerry's 'Coalition of the Wild-Eyed.'"

"The Bush-Cheney campaign released a video on its Web Site that played up some of the more strident statements Democrats have made on the campaign trail and declared: 'This is not a time for pessimism and rage.'"

"The implication the Bush campaign appeared to be trying to leave was that some of the main boosters of Kerry's presidential campaign are filled with rage and perhaps a bit kooky."

"'Today, our campaign is releasing a web video to 6 million of our supporters to show them what we're up against and what we're up against is John Kerry's coalition of the wild-eyed, said Bush campaign manager Ken Melhman."

Um-m-m-m, Dick.... "This is not a time for pessimism and rage."

Sing Along With The Billionaires For Bush

Filled with musical propaganda spanning all issues and genres, The Billionaires Are In The House and Here Come The Billionairesare must-haves for those who have a lot! Whether you blast it from your stretch humvee, bathe your workforce in its mesmerizing tunes, or make love to its rich audio offerings - if you pull down a nine-figure salary, this music is for you! The Billionaires Are In The House and Here Come The Billionaires

Visit the music resource page, where you can download song sheets, instrumentals, and karaoke MP3s to all the songs from the new music CDs. Start your own Billionaires Singing Group today!

Contact Felonius Ax, Minister of Musical Manipulation, for questions about the CDs or getting a Billionaires Singing Group started.

Surf the Web While You Surf The Waves

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 June 2004:

Intel unveils surfboard with a built in Laptop computer. It reckons the kit could come in handy for catching up on email while catching a few waves while a mini-camera worn by the rider beams pictures back to the beach.

   

The wireless laptop, using the Intel Centrino mobile technology, lets surfers connect to the net by hooking up to a broadband hotspot on the sand. It was launched at the Intel Gold Coast Oceanfest, the North Devon free sports and music festival and international pro surfer Duncan Scott reckons it’s a swell idea.

Low battery won’t ever be a problem either, as this board is juiced as a back-up by solar power. But before all you rush to buy one – you’re out of luck. This board is one-of-a-kind and you may never see it hit the shores for real.

Is this for real? Or just another web hoax?

D-Day and The '50s Might Have Been Different If He Could Hit A Curveball

How did professional baseball nearly prevent a future U.S. commander in chief from attaining the presidency?

The leader in question was none other than World War II Supreme Allied Commander and two-term President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The technicality that nearly altered his destiny was a short-lived professional baseball career for minor league Junction City in the Central Kansas League.

Eisenhower played 14 games for the team in 1911. However, you won't find any explicit mention of him in the record books, since he played under the assumed name of "Wilson."

Why did Eisenhower conceal his identity? To protect his amateur status: If anyone found out that Eisenhower had earned money as a professional athlete, he would be ineligible for any athletic scholarships to college.

The year before, Eisenhower had applied to the U.S. Naval Academy and passed its entrance exam. But at the ripe old age of 20, he was deemed too old for enrollment.

As a second choice, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point accepted Eisenhower for enrollment in the fall of 1911. Between his application and his enrollment, Eisenhower briefly played minor league baseball simply to earn money.

When Eisenhower enrolled at West Point, he tried out for both football and baseball. He made the football team as a promising halfback (failing to make the cut as an Army baseball player was one of Ike's great regrets).

However, even though all West Point cadets received full tuition regardless of whether they played on a sanctioned Academy team, Eisenhower still had to comply with college athletics' amateur rules. In order to make the football team, he signed a voucher card attesting that he had never worked as a professional athlete.

If any academy official had ever learned that this statement was false, Eisenhower would have faced expulsion from West Point, and he would have been ineligible to receive an athletic scholarship from almost every civilian college. Thus, an utterly unremarkable baseball career could have very easily cost history one of its pivotal leaders, and it nearly cost America one of its best-known presidents.

Ironically, Eisenhower was and is the only U.S. president to ever play professional baseball. Thank goodness he wasn't much of a center fielder—and that his baseball career amounts to little more than some great Geek Trivia.

Juneteenth: It's All About Freedom

June 19 -- long known in Texas simply as Juneteenth -- is a unique state holiday. It's the anniversary of the day in 1865 when General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas, and read aloud the Emancipation Proclamation, two and a half years after it should have taken effect. Although General Lee had surrendered a couple of months earlier, there were simply not enough Union troops present prior to General Granger's arrival to enforce the proclamation.

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Sorry, No Rant Today

It's Father's Day. I'm taking the day off to remember my Father. Hopefully, my kids will remember me.