Browsing: Politics

A Brief History On April 17, 2018, the United States mourns the loss of former First Lady of the United States and mother of the 43rd President, Barbara (née Pierce) Bush, who died surrounded by family in Houston, Texas at the age of 92. Only one other woman has had the honor of serving as First Lady and also being the mother of a President, and that other fortunate woman was Abigail Adams, wife of second President John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams, our 6th President. Former President George H. W. Bush, the grieving widower, is now almost…

A Brief History On April 16, 2018, the World continues to watch events in Syria unfold two days after the United States, the United Kingdom, and France bombed Syrian sites deemed part of their infrastructure required to produce and store chemical weapons in response to Syrian use of chlorine and sarin poison gases against Syrian rebels, killing dozens. The Russians had tersely warned against the Western Allies taking such retaliatory action and hinted at retaliation against the West. Digging Deeper As the rhetoric continued back and forth between the US, its allies, and Russia, one is forced to wonder whether…

A Brief History On April 14, 1775, Benjamin Franklin, inventor, statesman, scientist, musician, publisher and Most Interesting Man in the World co-founded the first Abolitionist society in what would soon become the United States, an event we used to name him as The Most Interesting Man in the World. The task for us today is to nominate several men for the current title of Most Interesting Man in the World. (We will address women at another date, so do not get all irate and stuff!) There is no significance to the order listed, but we are including only those people…

A Brief History On April 12, 1999, President William Jefferson (“Bill” or “Slick Willie” if you will) Clinton was cited for Contempt of Court for lying in a civil suit brought against him by Paula Jones alleging sexual harassment for unwanted sexual advances. The suit had been thrown out by the presiding judge but was reinstated when President Clinton’s admission of having a sexual affair with White House intern Monica Lewinski became public. The lie referenced in the Contempt ruling referred to a deposition in the lawsuit in which Clinton denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky. Digging Deeper The impeachment of…

A Brief History On April 11, 1689, King James II of England, Scotland, and Ireland was deposed by his son-in-law and daughter, William III and Mary II who became joint sovereigns on this date. James II, the second son of King Charles I and younger brother of King Charles II, became King of England (and King James VII of Scotland) upon the death of Charles II. James II was a Roman Catholic, the last such monarch in England. Digging Deeper James II had generated suspicion and loathing among the mostly Protestant population of England and Great Britain, accused of being…