Browsing: Politics

A Brief History On November 16, 1871, the National Rifle Association received its charter from the State of New York, starting a long and distinguished history as a major force in encouraging marksmanship by Americans as preparation for possible military service and promoting the shooting sports.  Later emphasis on the rights of gun owners and shooters embroiled the organization in political mire and in recent years the once universally admired organization has generated much backlash against its political activities, including hatred from those that oppose the 2nd Amendment.  How did things go so wrong?  The answer is a bit complex,…

A Brief History On November 10, 1871, Welsh-American journalist Henry Morton Stanley finally met the man he had come so far to see, the missionary Rev. David Livingstone, prompting Stanley to blandly ask, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”  As if it was some other Rev. Livingstone in the African jungle!  People sometimes understate things, and today we look at a few of those notable occurrences, but first we are compelled to say a bit about Henry Morton Stanley, a really fascinating guy. Digging Deeper Stanley was born John Rowlands in Wales in 1841, to an unwed 18 year old mother that…

A Brief History On November 9, 2016, Donald John Trump, New York real estate mogul and television star, was verified as the winner of the 2016 US Presidential election.  We have previously acknowledged “10 Presidential Firsts” and “10 Presidential Firsts That Have Yet to Happen” and today we continue this theme by naming  7 instances when we last had a President that had some particular distinction or another, not necessarily the first or the only President ever to lay claim to that accomplishment or trait or distinction. Digging Deeper Last non-college graduate. The last time we had a President without…

A Brief History On November 5, 2017, Devin Patrick Kelley of New Braunfels, Texas went on a shooting rampage at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing 26 people and wounding another 20 victims in what was the worst mass shooting in the history of the State of Texas.  In fact, the incident was the 5th worst mass shooting in United States history.  And yet, it could have been worse!  A citizen legally armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle intervened and chased off the gunman, stopping the massacre and saving numerous lives.  Once again, a “good guy with…

A Brief History On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, Barack Hussein Obama became the first American of African descent elected President of the United States.  Or you could call him the first “bi-racial” President since his mother was of White European descent and his father was a Black sub-Saharan African.  Now that the seeming racial barrier has been broken by the American voters, what other “firsts” remain to be achieved in regards to US Presidents?  Today we look at 10 such “firsts” that have not yet happened.  (See our previous article regarding “10 Presidential Firsts”) Digging Deeper First Woman.  Oh, we…