Browsing: Politics

A Brief History On February 3, 2020, we stand on the edge of the 2020 Presidential election season, the evening that the Iowa Caucuses that will kick off the start of the major party nomination process for the Republican and Democratic Parties candidates for President finally begin.  Tonight, the 2020 Presidential campaign begins in earnest.  On the Republican side, barring some sort of catastrophe or tragedy, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be once again nominated, virtually without opposition as the people that run the party have seen to it that there will be no meaningful process…

A Brief History On February 2, 2020, we celebrate yet another Groundhog Day, a day in which Winter weary people find out if we are in for 6 more weeks of Winter or if we are facing the joy of an early Spring.  As implied by the name of the day, an actual Groundhog is “consulted” for his (or her) “prediction.”  But…. This year the animal rights organization, PETA, is recommending we immediately end this act of animal cruelty (?) and replace our beloved Marmots with (gasp!) animatronic replicas of Groundhogs!  A discussion of why this plan is “stupid” is…

A Brief History On January 31, 2020, European Union member the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will no longer be a member of what amounted to a “United States of Europe.”  Back in the day, Napoleon Bonaparte dreamed of a “United States of Europe,” a collection of nationalities united in a common cause (presumably led by him, of course!) as the premier “country” in the world.  This dream was (sort of) realized in 1993 when the Maastricht Treaty went into effect, but now has suffered an enormous blow to its power, prestige and population. Digging Deeper…

A Brief History On January 29, 1907, Charles Curtis of Kansas was sworn in as a United States Senator, the first US Senator of Native American heritage.  Not only the first person of Native American heritage to serve in the Senate, he was the first person of any non-European heritage to so serve.  In fact, he is the highest ranking person of Native American ancestry ever to serve in the United States Government, reaching his political pinnacle as Vice President of the United States (1929-1933) under President Herbert Hoover!  (Were you aware that we have had a Native American Vice…

A Brief History On January 22, 613, in the capital city of Constantinople, Emperor Heraclius of the Byzantine Empire declared his 8 month old son, Constantine, Co-Emperor, or in the vernacular of the day, “Caesar.”  Perhaps you recall our related article, “The Beheading of a Byzantine Emperor by Another Byzantine Emperor!?” (October 4, 2013) that details how Heraclius seized power from the reigning Emperor, Phocas, by personally chopping off Phocas’ head!  Apparently, Heraclius was not quite done with doing outrageous things, such as making a baby Co-Emperor. Digging Deeper Heraclius had inherited a tough war by seizing power, a war…