Browsing: Politics

A Brief History On May 27, 1703, Czar Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg, Russia.  At 6 feet 8 inches his height alone made him “great,” but of course there were other reasons.  Over the years a variety of people have been called “The Great,” “The Greatest,” or “The Great One,” and here we list 10 of them that really are great.  (Note:  The Great Gatsby is not a real person, just a character from a book. Jackie Gleason, comedian, composer, television pioneer was known as “The Great One.”) Digging Deeper 10. Muhammad “The Greatest” Ali. This former Olympic and…

A Brief History On May 22, 1849, future president of the United States Abraham Lincoln was granted a patent for a device to raise boats over obstacles in a river.  He is the first and only president to have been awarded a patent.  Here we list 10 unique and interesting things done or about a president for the first or only time so far. Digging Deeper 10. None. Presidents have served in the Army, Navy and Air Force (George W. Bush, Air National Guard), but so far we have had none that was a veteran of the Marine Corps!  Obviously,…

A Brief History On May 22, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson announced his “Great Society” program that was to end poverty and racial injustice in the United States.  His reforms did neither, as we see so evidently today.  Presidents have often failed miserably in their attempts to achieve their agendas, and here we list 10 of those losing propositions.  (Note: The order listed does not indicate importance or scale of the blunders.) Digging Deeper 10. Richard Nixon, Cover up Watergate.  Nixon’s attempt to cover up the Watergate break-in by operatives of his re-election campaign blew up in his face when tapes…

A Brief History On May 20, 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul (later Emperor) of France, made a mistake he later regretted the rest of his life when he reinstated slavery in the French colonies.  The revolutionary movement had previously put an end to slavery in France and its colonies, and this step backward was perhaps instigated by Napoleon’s wife, Josephine who was born in Martinique, a French colony with a slave based economy.  Reinstating slavery had disastrous consequences, especially in the country now known as Haiti. Digging Deeper Of course, Napoleon had many successes, and is believed to be the…

A Brief History On May 19, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed into law an act of Congress known as the Firearm Owners Protection Act.  This law was passed in response to allegations of abusive enforcement by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Digging Deeper Congress had investigated those claims and found that the allegations had merit, in that enforcement was being directed at convoluted interpretations of minor violations instead of aimed at hard corps criminals. The subcommittee conducting the investigation found that an incredible 75% of prosecutions pursued by the ATF were “constitutionally improper.” Obviously congress saw a need…