A Brief History On June 1, 2009, General Motors, once the single corporation that most personified America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a shocking turn of events for a once mighty company. So iconic was General Motors, that US Secretary of Defense (1953-1957) Charles Wilson, a former CEO of General Motors, has been often misquoted as saying, “What’s good for GM is what’s good for the country.” The real quote was not quite as provocative, but still very telling about the importance of GM to the United States and vice versa. When a US Senator asked Wilson about the conflict…
Author: Major Dan
Major Dan
Major Daniel Zar is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.
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A Brief History On May 31, 2019, the latest in the Godzilla themed movies, Godzilla: King of the Monsters makes its wide spread opening across the country. With a budget of as much as $200 million you would expect a 2 hour+ festival of eye candy, and you would be right! The 35th film featuring the legendary monster that first destroyed Tokyo in 1954, this edition is produced as the sequel to the 2014 film titled simply, Godzilla. We had the opportunity to pre-screen the film with a test audience, and we certainly got what we came for, which is…
A Brief History On May 28, 1830, US President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, a law allowing the President to negotiate with tribes still located in the Southern United States to be moved West of the Mississippi River. This act and the actions that followed were tantamount to a genocide of Southeastern Native American people, leading to the infamous “Trail of Tears” migration of the Cherokee people in which as many as half of the 16,000+ relocated Cherokee died enroute to reservations in the West. (Note: The Native Americans so relocated took their African American slaves along with…
A Brief History On May 25, 2019, we celebrate another National Wine Day, and there certainly is a lot to celebrate! There are wines for just about every occasion, and even specialty wines such as Game of Thrones wines to capitalize on the popularity of the iconic cable television series. Even President Trump had his own line of “Trump” wines. Wine for drinking when eating meat, pasta, seafood or whatever, they make a wine to accompany what you are eating. Of course, being an alcoholic beverage, wine is also used for toasting, and Champagne, a bubbly variety of wine you…
A Brief History On May 22, 1856, Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina had had it! After hearing an anti-slavery speech delivered by Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, including invective against Brooks’ cousin, the Senator from South Carolina, Andrew Butler, Brooks met up with Sumner in the hallway outside of the Senate and proceeded to beat the hapless Senator with the congressman’s cane. Brooks beat Sumner so severely, the injured legislator nearly died. Digging Deeper Brooks, a Democrat, as were most Southerners at the time, had pounded Sumner, a Republican, the party that seemed to represent the greatest threat to the…