history
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34 Years Ago Today In Stevens Point, Wisconsin, President George Bush (41) Chugged Into Town
October 31, 1992, was a cold and blustery day across Wisconsin. Light snow flurries swirled through the air as many thousands stood for hours at the old train depot in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The presidential campaign was winding down that year, and even though President George Bush campaigned with David McCullough’s latest book, “Truman,” in his hand… Continue reading
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The Sands Of Ogaden And Iran’s 1979 Revolution
My current active reading pile includes Zbig by Ed Luce, a grand narrative and meticulously researched biography of Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s National Security Advisor. On this chilly, gray day, I read the chapter titled “The Sands of Ogaden”. It takes its name from the conflict in the Horn of Africa, where Ethiopia and Somalia became caught… Continue reading
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Pete Hegseth Staff Broke More Than Dwight Eisenhower Globe
Pete Hegseth’s staff damaged a priceless globe associated with Dwight D. Eisenhower after bypassing trained curators, trying to move it themselves, dropping it, and leaving a gash near Antarctica. The Army acknowledged the damage occurred during an attempted move, and reports indicate the Defense Secretary’s office had been seeking the globe. The broken globe is… Continue reading
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Martha Mitchell And Roy Acuff (And George Bush, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan)
After reading my article about the Department of Justice listening to a two-hour spiel on why Richard Nixon and Watergate defendants were somehow treated unfairly in the legal process in the 1970s, a reader sent me the following photographs. (This reader knows I am a fan of how the Grand Ole Opry once was, and… Continue reading
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Fifty Years Later, Donald Trump’s DOJ Trying To Break Into Watergate History
Readers who have followed this little place on the internet highway for years know I’ve been a Richard Nixon history buff for decades. Today we had sunshine after two days of rain, so while I was outside with a book and coffee, James opened a door and said, “You will not believe what I am… Continue reading
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From Nixon’s Press Blacklist to Trump’s Media Bans, The Old Lessons Still Apply
On Friday, when I read that Donald Trump had banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from accessing the White House, I instantly thought of how President Richard Nixon ordered reporters from The Washington Post to be kept out of daily press briefings. I need not write that The Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl… Continue reading
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Bookstore Treasures
President Truman said, “There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not”. Walking into a used bookstore late this afternoon, James and I were greeted by an employee before we drifted down separate aisles, being called by the spines. There are many times on such a journey when I am seeking… Continue reading
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Nancy Kassebaum Not Forgotten By Politicos And Readers Of Newspapers
Nancy Kassebaum died last Friday, and unless you’re one of the dwindling Americans who still read newspapers, you might have missed it. Television news, with its breathless devotion to storms with rain or planes that blew a tire, largely shrugged. A former U.S. senator with an amazing history passed away, and the national broadcast networks… Continue reading
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Presidential Bully Pulpit Is Not A Public Barstool
Last week we witnessed two examples of tin-ear politics when Donald Trump commented on sailors aboard the U.S.S. Lincoln and the pain of higher gas prices in America. When he was asked about being concerned about the crew’s mental health after being at sea for over 260 days and whether it was too long for… Continue reading
