Something special at 11 a.m. and 11 p.m.?
Are you going to keep talking about turning it up to 11 or are you going to get annoyed at people who are debasing the sublime by continually making the same aged rock-music reference?
For variety: Here's the Grateful Dead playing "The Eleven" in 1968.
But who's into variety, when the whole point is sameness? You've got those ones all lined up. Is that exciting? Are you the kind of person who finds lined up numbers exciting... like 999? Or 666?
If you think 11/11/11 is exciting, imagine how folks wet their pants over November 11, 1111, the most digitally lined-up day in the entire history of the world. Mankind will have to survive — and maintain its numerical system — until 11/11/11111 for there to be another day like that.
Did anything happen on 11/11/1111? Not according to Wikipedia's compendium of things that have happened on November 11ths. Perhaps the most interesting — for us Americans, anyway — event that took place on history's thousands of 11/11s is The Mayflower Compact, in 1620. And in 1930:
1930 – Patent number US1781541 is awarded to Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd for their invention, the Einstein refrigerator.Albert Einstein invented the refrigerator?!
Speaking of cold, there's only one 11/11/11 event on that list. 11/11/1911, and the event is just that it was a very cold day in the Midwest. Well, it's 30° here in Madison, Wisconsin, and it's supposed to hit 41° at 11 when we reach maximum elevenosity. I think we can handle that.
ADDED: I'm getting justly slaughtered in the comments for not recognizing Veterans Day:
AND: I'm getting cold-shouldered in the comments for minimizing the weather event of 1911. From today's Wisconsin State Journal:
The freakishly warm and humid weather that sunny Saturday set the stage for Rock County's worst weather disaster....
Shortly before 2 p.m., it was 74 degrees. Then, in a matter of minutes, the temperature plummeted 10 degrees in downtown Janesville. By that night, it had fallen to zero.
A massive cold front had slammed into the warm air, unleashing a rash of storms and tornadoes throughout the Midwest.
Posts
160 comments:
I don't give a damn about 11/11/11, but I would like to say to all of the veterans out there: "HAPPY VETERANS DAY and thank you for serving.
I'm going to try to post on althouse at 11:11
You won't run into Einstein's refrigerator in your house, but you may run across a cousin to it in an RV.
that a 11/11/1918 seems pretty important
Echo AllenS' sentiments, plus what I do every other Friday, work, eat, etc.
It wasn't a very cold day at the start of 11/11/11 in 1911.
Link
Of course, on 11/11/1111, nobody knew that it was 11/11/1111. Likewise, when Washington was born in 1732, it wasn't 1732--at least not in Virginia. Washington was born in 1732 the same way that the October Revolution was in November.
Ann, I can't believe you don't mention the very reason we have Veterans Day on Nov. 11--the fact that it is Armistice Day. You know, the signing of the "armistice" at the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" that signaled the cessaton of hostilities between the Allies and Germany and ended the First World War. And eventually led the the Treaty of Versailles which led to the Second World War...Come on!
I'm an old fart.
I don't get excited about much of anything. I plan to take my Fukitol and... welll... after that... I'm not sure.
Actually, I'm not so good at planning any more. (Caution, link whoring at work.)
Here's a bit of bullshit from the San Francisco Chronicle:
"11-11-11 really gives you a chance to bring your dreams to fruition," says Hollywood numerologist Glynis McCants, author of "Glynis Has Your Number."
McCants sees the triple 11's as doorways to opportunity, making 11/11/11 the perfect day to seize that new career, new relationship or other goal you've always desired. Her advice: Light a white candle and write down exactly what you hope to accomplish before the year ends. The best time to think good thoughts for those wishes? You guessed it - 11:11 a.m. or 11:11 p.m.
So much of life is bullshit.
For instance, Althouse is sure to publish something about the PSU child abuse thing, and we're all likely to bullshit for hours over it, and I guarantee that sanctimonious horror will be expressed to the Nth degree.
And... then what?
I'm outraged!
Blessings and RIP to my wife's dad, who served in WW2 and Korea. Thanks to all veterans, and their home front.
If we had a base-11 number system, today would be 10/10/10.
In a base-12 or duodecimal system, today would be B/B/B or E/E/E.
Turn the volume up to E!
Maybe I should read The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club today.
The 1620 Mayflower Compact was quite an historic moment. I never knew the day was November 11th.
With Thanksgiving approaching, a very good read is Bradford's first person history of the Pilgrims called Of Plymouth Plantations. Amazon carries a cheap paperback since the copy write expired.
Happy Veterans Day!
from a happy Vet . . .
AllenS beat me to it. Remember 11/11/1918 and/or Veterans day.
Ignore the new age 11/11/11 stuff
Absent Companions
PS: The US has the holidays reversed compared to The Euros and the Canoeheads.
11/11 is their Memorial Day. aka Remembrance Day. Red Poppies on everybody and Flanders Field....
They have no Veterans Day, which is fine, because Remembrance Day does both and is huge. It isn't just an excuse to go shopping.
"I'm getting justly slaughtered in the comments for not recognizing Veterans Day"
You missed the Marine Corps birthday yesterday. See that Iwo Jima Memorial? Those were Marines! Oorah!
Thanks veterans for your service! Our nation is indebted to you...even if we don't always remember.
"Now is the time past believing."
--Hunter/Lesh
A strange song, as it is played in 11/8 time.
Furthur, whose members include the Dead's Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, played Madison Square Garden last night, and by all accounts delivered an awesome show.
The stuff of legend.
There are an unusual number of numerological days this month. At least 4.
Besides 11/1/11 and 11/11/11, there are 11/20/2011 (verbal palindrome) and 11/02/2011 (actual palindrome)
No mention of corduroy?!
Google even put a Veterans Day banner. The have not in the past.
PaddyO, I was going to wear cords today -- that was my plan last night -- but forgot about it when I got dressed this morning.
"Maybe I should read The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club today."
Mad Men, another Dorothy L Sayers fan. You can be Bunter to my Lord Peter Wimsey any day.
I went to a free vets breakfast at our HyVee supermarket with my vet buddies. I paid because I'm not a vet.
Happy Veterans Day and thanks!
Without you, we'd be "celebrating" elf/elf/elf.
ADDED: I'm getting justly slaughtered in the comments for not recognizing Veterans Day:
Even Google tied a yellow ribbon, AA. Shame, shame (speaking as a veteran).
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
MM, sadly my closet it corduroy free... I used to have a great green corduroy jacket but lost it. And didn't plan ahead for today.
I wonder if 1911 Madison had a proto-Al Gore running around panicking everybody about "freak weather" being caused by the dozens of automobiles on the road.
It is veterans day, and before that Armistice Day--as AllenS, Drill, Scott M and now me, would ask you remember the veterans who served, but much more important, the veterans who served and never came home. We who came home were the lucky ones, and we owe that the the valor of those that didnt come home. They are the heroes.
November 9 was more significant. It's the day Kaiser Bill abdicated the throne as King of Prussia, dissolving the monarchy. Twenty years later the occasion became known as Kristalnacht.
"ADDED: I'm getting justly slaughtered in the comments for not recognizing Veterans Day:"
We wouldn't slaughter you, Ann. We might, however, tie you to the "comfy chair."
"Without you, we'd be "celebrating" elf/elf/elf." As a result of WWI or WWII? If the latter, I suspect not. Though, Russian might be a much more common language in Paris.
Ah, sorry Professor Althouse, but Wiki does say "1918 – World War I: Germany signs an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car in the forest of Compiègne, France. The fighting officially ends at 11:00 (The eleventh hour in the eleventh month on the eleventh day) and this is annually honoured with a two-minute silence. The war officially ends on the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28th 1919."
And it is, of course "Veterans Day" here in the U.S. and I'd like to wish my fellow Veterans a Happy Veterans Day. Perhaps that "two minutes of silence" will be observed by folks on their way to do some holiday shopping.
Shortly before 2 p.m., it was 74 degrees. Then, in a matter of minutes, the temperature plummeted 10 degrees in downtown Janesville. By that night, it had fallen to zero.
Did you see the size of the SUV's they were driving in 1911? Truly shocking. They would barrel down the highways belching exhaust while tossing empty Coke and Dew cans out the windows making every damned Indian cry. It was an environmental Armageddon. I'm just glad the global warming that resulted was over by 1999. No warming since, thank God.
RogerJ. Respectfully, today is the day we recognize all veterans - not just those who gave their last measure of devotion; for them we have Memorial Day - the day on which we remember - or should - all those who've died in the military service of our Nation.
I served in the U.S. Army Infantry in Vietnam and appreciate that folks still recognize Veterans Day and we haven't turned it into a 3 day weekend as we have with Memorial Day.
Roger J. said...
It is veterans day, and before that Armistice Day--as AllenS, Drill, Scott M and now me, would ask you remember the veterans who served, but much more important, the veterans who served and never came home. We who came home were the lucky ones, and we owe that the the valor of those that didnt come home. They are the heroes.
-----------------------------------
Amen.
If you are a veteran you belong to the 1%. The 1% that actually served.
Realwest--thanks for the comment--much appreciated. And you are correct. Veterans day hits me a bit harder than any other holiday--perhaps because of the darkening days--at any rate, thank you for your service as well.
11/11/11 11:11 (in Puerto Rico)
November 11, 1969. The northern most sand dunes of Atlantic Beach, Florida. A giant 12'- 14', 16 second interval swell was pushing onto the sandbars. The dunes were lined with a hundred long haired shortboard riding cultural revolutionaries to scared to paddle out. Only one surfer had enough sack to paddle out and he spent an hour negotiating the detonating explosions of giant drowning waves. Overheard - an army veteran just back from Vietnam said "I'd rather face the Slopes (Viet Cong) again than paddle out there."
Several restaurant chains supposed to be offering free food to vets and AD today. Might go 'round and see if any of them in Madison are participating--then be sure to patronize them regularly!
It's only 54 minutes until 11:11 a.m. EST!
Happy Vet's Day!
I remember reading 4 years ago that as the date 7/7/7 was approaching, records were set for the number of marriages planned for that "lucky" day.
I'm getting justly slaughtered in the comments for not recognizing Veterans Day
I wouldn't worry about it. You've never recognized Veterans Day before. If you don't feel comfortable talking about veterans or their activities, then don't.
Every time I see a veteran I thank them. I was in a pool in San Diego and a young Marine was drinking beer and talking to his grandma. He was shipping off to Afghanistan and told grandma on this mission[this was his 2nd tour] he wouldn't be able to call, but he could Skype. He told grandma his sister, Jen, was getting a computer and would be over later and explain Skype to her. It was obvious grandma was intimidated by all this but this warrior was beautifully patient w/ her, assuring her that Jen would make her comfortable using Skype.
After this long converstion I said thanks to this kid for his service. He got a funny look on his face. being able to read folks I said, I guess you don't get many thanks. He said, "When people see me in uniform they'll sometimes smile, but the only thanks I ever got were from family and friends." That broke my heart.
On this day, and every day, make it a point to thank people in uniform. I praise AllenS and others who are of the right mind. For the narcissists and glib people I just ask that you let it go for a day and honor the people who allow you and your family to be safe.
I am going to send my wife an email at 11:11, and try to do it at 11 seconds after the minute.
The email will say Happy Veterans day. Her Grandfather was a Marine, and he took her to the Marine's Ball after his wife died.
If you think 11/11/11 is exciting, imagine how folks wet their pants over November 11, 1111,
Most people in the year 1111 didn't know the time of day much less what day it was.
If you think 11/11/11 is exciting, imagine how folks wet their pants over November 11, 1111
Most people in the year 1111 didn't know the time of day much less what day it was.
Many of them didn't have pants.
Special thanks, this day, to my father-in-law who served as an officer in the Pacific in WWII and to a long ago relative on my father's side, who fought in the Revolutionary War.
Today is also one of the few days where a record high temperature and a record low temperature were recorded on the same day.
Oklahoma City was 83 today in 1911, but also 17.
Great idea Kit! Thank you to my father[Nick] and 6 uncles[Joe, Dom, Jack, Pat, Mike and Joseph] who served in WW2. Dom was left for dead on the battlefield of the Battle of the Bulge. The body wagon saw him move, flew him to England, where he spent 6 months in the hospital. He came home and ran his own restaurant and catering biz for 40 years. Thank you to my 2 cousins[Scott and Robert] who served in Vietnam. And to my mentor and good friend, Chuck Manarel, who died in Viet Nam.
If you read 11.11.11 as a binary number, it equals my age in years.
Pretty nifty.
Thank you for the kind words, spinelli. My sister just thanked me for my service, through Facebook. There are enough people out there who care. I just don't want people who don't give a damn to act like they care when they truely don't.
Oops.
I always mentally call it "Armistice Day", in part to be retrograde, but really because, in some stange seriocomic way, it makes me think of the grim uplift of 11/11/1918, and how, at that moment, so many truly wanted to believe that War must finally be buried forever.
The rawness of that desire, along with its apparent impossibility and the so-tragic-it's-farcical outcome of that moment.
The hope, and futility, of a true Armistice that endures forever. Thus "Armistice" somehow gets to the essence of what it must mean to be a soldier. The burden we must always hope to shun, but never may entirely.
Happy Veterans Day to my daughter R, in Afghanistan. We love you and stay in the wire.
I used to see 11:11 everyday for years and wondered why it was only 11:11 and not some other random combination. Years later, on the old Art Bell radio show , the significance was revealed. It was a signal that we are spiritual beings, not merely a product of animal evolution, but the product of spiritual evolution.
Strangely , after that I stopped seeing 11:11 .
Kit said...
Special thanks, this day, to my father-in-law who served as an officer in the Pacific in WWII and to a long ago relative on my father's side, who fought in the Revolutionary War.
Thanks Kit. I'm not denigrating your sentiment or the service of your relatives, but I was struck by the difference 30 or 40 years makes in how that sounds.
Thirty Years, ago, I would have said, Special thanks to grandpa, who was in WWI, Dad in WWII, my 5 maternal uncles and one paternal uncle who all served in peacetime after WWII, one cousin who went off to Vietanm like I did, and my wife was also in uniform. Not to mention many of the boys in my HS Class of '67.
My point? Previously, the whole country had family, friends and neighbors that were serving, had served or were going to serve. Now, that is seldom the case.
Lest we forget...
Where is Crack ?
Veterans Day is a good day to add my thanks for those who served and are serving now. They have made it possible for the rest of us to live our daily lives in peace.
Yesterday I helped my Mom celebrate her birthday, which is actually today. She's one shy of the Gettysburg Address - four score and six years.
Today, I went by an assembling parade on my way to work. At my office now, if I look out one window, there is Electric Boat, who built one of the greatest deterrents to general war of the last half century. Looking out another window, I can barely see the Air Guard HQ. I may take a spin down to the old NAS field and then by the Quonset Air Museum, where they have a Phantom, a carrier COD of some sort plus some Soviet junk picked up for a few cases of wodka after the fall of the USSR.
Tomorrow, I'll help my son celebrate his 29th birthday, which is also actually today. He was born a little after 11PM; we like to think 11 minutes after, but due to an emergency C-section, we weren't really checking a timepiece.
Once again, to those who have served, my sincere thanks.
wv: pappsi - what you drink if you don't like Coke
AllenS, You're very welcome. I'm w/ you. So many people have no gratitude for the selfless souls who serve keeping this country safe from outside enemies and scum walking and stalking the streets. But, they're the minority and we need to constantly remind ourselves of that, appreciating the grateful ones..looking @ the glass half full as it were.
Veterans eat free at Applebee's today.
Happy Veterans' Day and thanks to all who have served or are serving.
As an aside, the once-good-but-now-awful History Channel is showing "Hairy Bikers" and "Tougher in Alaska" all day today. Shame, shame, shame.
Lest people assume that the military is all work and no play, here's the only pic I can find of myself in the Army. Pretty sure we were kicking back after an intramural floor hockey game.
"Stripes" had nothing on us
If any veteran is close to Star Prairie today, head over to the Cedar Creek Inn just outside of town. You can have a free breakfast, or a hamburger basket. Thank you, Barb.
Veterans eat free at Applebee's today.
How on earth would you prove that to them?
Veterans eat free at Applebee's today.
How on earth would you prove that to them?
11/11/11 10:18 AM
Scott, with your old military ID?
I could care less about Vets Day in terms of honoring the nincompoops who VOLUNTEERED to go over to Iraq and Afghanistan to get themselves shot at for no good reason. Cops, firemen and postal workers deserve a day of respect more than these gun-ho wannabes.
Yeah, I could probably dig that out if need be. I happen to know right where the ol' DD214 is though.
It's also James Bond's birthday.
By all means, a big thanks to our vets - female as well as male, we still think of vets in terms of men and that's certainly not so anymore - and one to the Althousian vets, especially.
Curious George said...
"I'm getting justly slaughtered in the comments for not recognizing Veterans Day"
You missed the Marine Corps birthday yesterday. See that Iwo Jima Memorial? Those were Marines! Oorah!
She also missed the Army's birthday - June 14.
PS I knew my Dad enlisted before Pearl Harbor, but found out recently his elder brother was a flyer in WWI, their grandfather and a great-uncle served in the Civil War, their great-grandfather served in the War of 1812, and their great-great-grandfather, his father, and possibly his brother all served in the Continental Army.
Cops, firemen and postal workers deserve a day of respect more than these gun-ho wannabes.
Aside from the fact that quite a few of those cops, firemen, and postal workers are veterans, gasp even of Iraq and Afghanistan, thus showing your statement as vacuous as it actually is, please explain why they are "wanna-be's".
Elegant comment Jay Retread--totally appropriate to the day.
@ScottM:
Applebees will accept DD214, honorable discharge certificate, American Legion or VFW card, Veterans Dept card, or just about anything -- at least they did for my wife and I last year.
Here's a lighthearted Veteran's Day story. I listed all my uncles who served in WW2. I had an uncle, Eugene who was in the Army but deserted during the war. He had the Irish disease and went on a bender and was just afraid to go back. Neither myself or my many cousins knew of this..Irish pride.
Decades later I get a job working as a hack @ the US Penitentiary in Leavenworth. After I told my mon she whispered to me, "You know, your Uncle Gene spent a year there after the war." I asked for further explanation. She told me how he deserted and was picked up by the Feds in 1947 when he returned to Bristol, Ct., our hometown. I told my mom that there is the Army Disciplinary Barracks just down the road and that's where he was most certainly taken. Where I worked was for hardened career criminals. Then, of course, she worried even more!
Drill SGT, no offense taken, though I'll say I'm a little embarrassed that I could only come up with the two. Pre-volunteerwise, I'm hoping it was just a generational timing issue.
It's all gonna be about Skyrim once the big brown truck gets here around 4 p.m.
I've had this date marked on the calendar for months in anticipation of the game. And I took next week off on vacation so I don't have less important stuff like work interfering with my gaming.
All, happy Veterans' Day and Happy Nigel Tufnel Day to all!
Contra Jay Ret:
Even during the draft years, there were those who volunteered. Volunteers are not less worthy of honor than draftees. By the way, I have not heard of any police or firefighters who were not also volunteers.
The purpose of Veterans Day is not to sympathisize with those involuntarily dragged away to die for us, it is to honor those who fight and sometimes die on our behalf, even if they may not agree with every political position of the rest of the country. There are plenty of others who would not dream of even inconveniencing themselves.
"ADDED: I'm getting justly slaughtered in the comments for not recognizing Veterans Day"
I'm a veteran and I completely forgot it was Veteran's Day today until I realized my train had 1/4 the normal amount of people in it.
@Clyde
Too bad its dumbed down for consoles and has been since III. How many gigs is the install on that thing going to take?
Nobody even remembers that it is Vets Day because nobody gives a shit about dudes who want to go to other countries to kill people. Often, women and children and old men.
ADDED: I'm getting justly slaughtered in the comments for not recognizing Veterans Day:
Yes, I can't believe Armistice Day isn't right up on top there. I mean what is this?
Perhaps the most interesting — for us Americans, anyway — event that took place on history's thousands of 11/11s is The Mayflower Compact, in 1620.
Honestly! The Glorious Dead, Professor. The Glorious Dead. The Great War for Civilisation, which civilisation lost. Floodgates opening for the deluge.
ndspinelli said...
I told my mom that there is the Army Disciplinary Barracks just down the road
The old USDB was built in like 1870. By prisoners, sleeping in tents till they got their cell built.
Until recently the standard UCMJ sentence was "Confinement at hard labor"
e.g. making little rocks out of big rocks....
A significant number of police and firemen are veterans, Jay. How does that sit with you?
"I could care less about Vets Day in terms of honoring the nincompoops who VOLUNTEERED to go over to Iraq and Afghanistan to get themselves shot at for no good reason. Cops, firemen and postal workers deserve a day of respect more than these gun-ho wannabes."
You're welcome, Jay, for the freedom our military has given you to spout off such moronic drivel.
As to Veterans Day freebies, most of the places offering them take ID cards, DD Form 214s, and even a photo of the vet in uniform (although the older one is the more difficult that may be working - LOL).
Last year my wife and I ate at Applebee's. I had my Reserve ID and she had her 214. We're heading there again tonight. What's coolest about it is you might get to chat with some really old warrior from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Their stories get better with every telling.
Jay Retread said;
Nobody even remembers that it is Vets Day because nobody gives a shit about dudes who want to go to other countries to kill people. Often, women and children and old men.
11/11/11 10:44 AM
Is this guy for real?
Your commentary elegance continues Jay Retread
Jay Retread said...
I could care less about Vets Day in terms of honoring the nincompoops who VOLUNTEERED to go over to Iraq and Afghanistan to get themselves shot at for no good reason. Cops, firemen and postal workers deserve a day of respect more than these gun-ho wannabes.
The Occupation has finally checked in. And, yes, the Lefties haven't changed a bit in the 35 years since 'Nam. I'll bet they miss being able to spit at the returning vets.
And it's gung ho.
From the Chinese.
Mandarin, I believe.
Meaning a method of accomplishment.
And they're not wannabes. They went out and did it.
Unlike Jay Retread.
I set up for the computer to notice it while I was busy elsewhere
$ while ! date | grep 11:11:11; do sleep 0.5; done
Fri Nov 11 11:11:11 EST 2011
Folks, If I learned anything in the past few days it's that the Jay Retreads and their ilk aren't worthy of response. He and his kind have anger, resentment, narcissism, issues that require professional help. Let them spew nonsense and let it go. It took me awhile, but I did learn. Unlike these folks, I am educable and I know your righteous folks are also.
Jay Retread said...
Nobody even remembers that it is Vets Day because nobody gives a shit about dudes who want to go to other countries to kill people. Often, women and children and old men.
Yes, Allie, he is for real. Believe me, he is correct that a lot of people don't give a shit.
Jay Retread said...
Nobody even remembers that it is Vets Day because nobody gives a shit about dudes who want to go to other countries to kill people. Often, women and children and old men.
Yes, Allie, he is for real. Believe me, he is correct that a lot of people don't give a shit.
11/11/11 10:52 AM
Allen, I have run across people who sometimes have forgotten we still have troops In Afghanistan, some who have told me that because it is a voluntary military that we shouldn't worry high rates of suicide after repeat deployments. Some who say how can you reconcile being a liberal with a daughter in the military? I find it disgusting and reprehensible and it's all I can do to keep from slugging them.
Jay Retread said...
Nobody even remembers that it is Vets Day because nobody gives a shit about dudes who want to go to other countries to kill people. Often, women and children and old men.
Just another day off hehe?
@Caplight, Love that piece. Wonder if Jay holds his Manhood cheap today?
PS: The other shorter version by a later Brit that I also think applies is that sorta-Orwell quote:
"Good people Sleep peaceably in their beds at night, only because rough men stand ready to do voilence on their behalf"
PPS, or an even shorter Heinlein,
"My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly. "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that." Source: Lt. Col. Jean V. Dubois (Ret.),
Here's to all the Rough Men, and the formerly rough men (and some women)
Caplight, Kipling's Tommy is also good reading on Remembrance Day.
The first Stanza:
"I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play."
Compare and contrast the youth of America:
Occupation Wall Street
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFm3xNOJjnc&feature=share
US Marine Corps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLO06zTo6rs&feature=relmfu
Yawn. Retread is a perfectly apt name for this twit. Quick, Jaytard, explain how the military industrial complex has co-opted the blah-blah-blah. Amazing how stupid people in one generation are always just like the stupid people in the last generation. The names change but the idiocy never does.
Some who say how can you reconcile being a liberal with a daughter in the military?
Putting aside the inference that a liberal should find a military career wrong, or something, I'd ask the person why my daughter's job career should need my stamp of approval.
Love for a child should not depend on how they earn a good hard honest living.
TWM said;Compare and contrast the youth of America:
Occupation Wall Street
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFm3xNOJjnc&feature=share
US Marine Corps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLO06zTo6rs&feature=relmfu
11/11/11 11:03 AM
The Occupy Oakland protester that got injured with a projectile to the head, survived two deployments to Iraq while in the Marine Corps. HE is a veteran.
11/11/11 11:11
I always wonder, would I be able to think up a retort like that on the spot.
I hope so, but I doubt it.
Love for a child should not depend on how they earn a good hard honest living.
Does that include porn?
HE is a veteran.
HE runs a website that is dedicated to hating the military and there are still questions about how HE separated from the service to begin with.
Maybe I should've included legal.
Porn might be excluded under the 'good' description, too.
wv: really
Interesting tidbit I picked up from a buddy of mine commenting @NeptunusLex. Take the last two digits of the year you were born and add your age at the end of this year--it will total 111 (works for everyone)
I have two first cousins (my Mother was 20 years younger than her next oldest sister)who served in WWII (West point of 43--were roommates and the one married the other's sister, daughter of my Mothers oldest sister--one went AAF and the other Army arty) while my Dad was an Inf officer in the 42nd Rainbow Div. I was in Vietnam as a 1st Lt in the USAF flying out of DaNang in F-4s. My wife had 2 bros who served in Vietnam--one in the Army and one in the AF. But what takes the cake is that my wife's father and his 4 bros ALL served overseas as enlistees in WII in both the Pacific & ETO--2 in the Army, one ea in Navy, AF & Marines) and ALL came home alive unscathed--just the reverse of the 5 "Fighting Sullivans." My Mother-in-law has a signed award from FDR in honor of the "accomplishment." (such as it was, lol.no small thing considering the alternative possibilities and odds)
"The Occupy Oakland protester that got injured with a projectile to the head, survived two deployments to Iraq while in the Marine Corps. HE is a veteran."
I know and I respect his service. He's one of the very few exceptions however. Happy to see him exercise his right to free speech, but sad to see him stray so far off a productive path.
y Retread said...
I could care less about Vets Day in terms of honoring the nincompoops who VOLUNTEERED to go over to Iraq and Afghanistan to get themselves shot at for no good reason. Cops, firemen and postal workers deserve a day of respect more than these gun-ho wannabes.
Yes, the "post office deserves a day of respect" by closing it.
Permanently.
You idiot.
Scott said;
HE runs a website that is dedicated to hating the military and there are still questions about how HE separated from the service to begin with.
11/11/11 11:13 AM
Last I heard this was a different Scott Olsen.I will try to find a link to that again.
Last I heard this was a different Scott Olsen.I will try to find a link to that again.
Could be. I stopped following the story when there was stories swirling that he wasn't as innocent as his candle-lighters wanted him to be.
"HE runs a website that is dedicated to hating the military and there are still questions about how HE separated from the service to begin with."
I was going to add that but decided not to at the last moment as it seemed snarky. Glad you mentioned it though because while service is admirable it's also how you live your life afterward that counts. Like I said, he seems to have chosen the wrong path.
(works for everyone)
What if you're born Feb 29th?
The Occupy Oakland protester that got injured with a projectile to the head, survived two deployments to Iraq while in the Marine Corps. HE is a veteran
Um, so?
Some who say how can you reconcile being a liberal with a daughter in the military? I find it disgusting and reprehensible and it's all I can do to keep from slugging them.
Actually, since the left open hates the military, it is a legitimate question.
PS, count me in the camp who don't believe for a second you have a daughter in the military.
Scott M,
Here it is;
http://www.politicususa.com/en/right-smear-scott-olsen
I don't know how he got separated from the Marines, he won seven medals during his service. There are plenty of Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan that are messed up, due to PTSD. He didn't lose his way, maybe FOUND it.
I don't know how he got separated from the Marines, he won seven medals during his service.
Medals or service ribbons? I got one just for finishing basic, if the latter. If they are actually medals, that would make him one of the most decorated I've heard of from that theater.
Besides, if Audi Murphy himself came home and started shitting all over the Army, it wouldn't matter how many medals he received. It's what you do with your life afterward, as TWM has already mentioned, that matters.
lol
Audie the guy, not Audi the car. I don't know how many Germans Audi has killed, but I bet it's more than Audie.
Jay said,
The Occupy Oakland protester that got injured with a projectile to the head, survived two deployments to Iraq while in the Marine Corps. HE is a veteran
Um, so?
Some who say how can you reconcile being a liberal with a daughter in the military? I find it disgusting and reprehensible and it's all I can do to keep from slugging them.
Actually, since the left open hates the military, it is a legitimate question.
PS, count me in the camp who don't believe for a second you have a daughter in the military.
11/11/11 11:24 AM
I KNEW that was coming, I'm used it it by now from some of you folks here, oh well I really don't care anymore what any of you haters want to throw my way.
The instances I spoke of came from people on both sides of the divide.
For any of you who give a shit, go to my blog, Long Sweet Summer Days, scroll to the bottom, there you will see some beautiful pictures of my daughter R. I claim no moral authority over you folks as some have said.
God, Althouse is an UGLY place.
"He didn't lose his way, maybe FOUND it."
He should keep looking then because this is not going to take him anywhere good.
As to his medals, I only found one AP reference to him receiving them and considering their woefully inadequate knowledge of the military I am bettering that he did not in fact receive seven (that would be quite an accomplishment for a young Marine with even two tours there). His photo shows two medals, one being the Navy Achievement Medal. Not that that is a small thing, I'm just saying I don't trust the media.
BTW, Allie, please thank your daughter for her service.
Thank you TWM , I will.
TWM, your comment was #111.
Well done.
The exercise as to who wrote the 11th comment is left to the reader.
Irrespective who won what medals and all the atmospherics that have been injected into this thread: the bottom line, is what those who have served think of their comrades in arms. At the end of the day, we fought and died for our country, right or wrong. and if I may be so bold, I think veterans know who are deserving of praise and approbation.
We ultimately fought with our comrades and trusted our well being to them. Again, they are the heroes.
Sad to see something so personal and touching be debased in mindless political rhetoric.
I will always remember first Lt Joseph Mark Lauinger, and SSG Willard Croy. These were the troopers I lost, and god bless them and their families. Good men and valiant soldiers.
From the video, "Veterans Day is a time to hear the stories of combat..."
Please, show respect and DON'T ask a veteran, "So, did you see combat," "So, what was it like," or "Do you think we should be over there?" And for F's sake, don't ever ask "Did you have to kill?"
The experiences a veteran amasses are very intimate, sometimes difficult to live with, and are not to be thought of as public domain. If they want to share their experience, they will volunteer a story.
What is best said to a veteran on Veterans Day? "Thank you." And, if you want to take it further: "Thank you for doing what I couldn't."
To all the veterans on this Veterans Day: I thank you for your service. I love you like brothers and sisters. I know you as kin.
Semper Fidelis
My father was in the Navy near the end of WW II. He was on an LST (Landing Ship Tanker) full of Marines and half-way across the Pacific, when the atom bombs were dropped. After the Japanese surrendered, the ship's captain unsealed their sealed orders and announced that they were originally scheduled to be in the first wave of the invasion of Japan. My father's combat duty was to drive one of those landing boats that drove up on the beach and dropped the front down for the Marines to charge out. If the bombs had not been dropped, I would have probably never been born. The survival rate of the first wave would have been pretty low.
Part of my father's tour, his ship was used to ferry Korean slaves from Japan back to Korea. Outside of Korea, it is not well known that the Japanese used Korean slaves. It was not just 'comfort girls'. They back-filled their industrial base with slaves because they had drafted most of their men. There were thousands of them.
Although I am a veteran myself, I think my father's story is more dramatic. I think about him on Veteran's Day. Thank God he is still alive.
As a vet I don't mind people missing the day. But there is so little patriotism in the US today celebrating vets is an important function. Black Angus has a vet special today. Give them some business. I met a homeless slightly mentally ill vet at McDonalds this morning who was super excited to get some free vet food at Black Angus. I could tell it was probably the highlight of his year. No occupy protests for him.
And kudos to McDonalds for being the most progressive business in the world with their $1 menu. Me and a lot of the homeless and under priveleged join together at McD's a couple of times a week for $1 coffee( free this week in the small size) and a $1 sandwhich.
The homeless love this much better than a social service because it gives them freedom. There are few rules from a government institution that they need to follow. They can just be like everyone else and spend $1. That is the true America. not this occupy baloney.
The left is willing to give full honor to wounded veterans--provided their wounds were rendered by the cops.....I served in the military during Vietnam. I was nowhere near a combat area and was quite grateful to be nowhere near a combar area. I give my full respect to those who have done so, but it is my view that more often than not wars are more often barbaric and futile than valorous or necessary......The holiday was originally meant to honor those fallen in WWI. What a ghastly waste of lives, and to no good purpose. There's a book by Winston Groom, A Storm in Flanders, that details the horrors on the Ypres Salient from 1914-1918Every year, for four years, men who went to church on Sunday developed new and more fiendish ways to kill their children. They were quite good at it. Poison gas, machine guns, mines under the trenches, snipers, intensive artillery bombardments. If you served long enough, you either died or went crazy. The world that emerged from this war was infinitely worse than the world that preceded it. Honor the veterans. Love the sinners, hate the sin.
The biggest thing you can do for a service member is to make their travels easier for them. It made a huge impression on me as a 20 year old uniformed serviceman when a young teenage lady working the concession stands at the KC intl airport comp'd me my coca cola while changing flights. I never forgot her smile and positive attitude. It was more worthwhile than a year of chruch sermons. :-)
What a ghastly waste of lives, and to no good purpose.
Unless, of course, you're French and the Kaiser just invaded you. I'm pretty certain if I saw a hated enemies armies closing in on Saint Louis, MO (probably from Illinois, just sayin'), I would do whatever I could to turn them back, whatever personal sacrifice it required.
The Dead, on the klan-house??
I doubt Phil, Bob, et al would approve, even if they are now greedy self-absorbed sh*ts.
Salute the conscripts. Even the Nam ones. Enlistee-grunts? For WWII, alright. The rest, not.
Wow Byro-the LDS stoner troll ("william", ken,--put yr false veteran act on, trash. We need mo evidence0
My Dad's interesting stories include going to the European theater on the Aquatania, and somehow he lucked out and there were only 3 people instead of 4 in his room, and it had a (metal) porthole (he was just above the waterline, so a torpedo would have been the end of him) and was near a (saltwater) showerhead. On the way home (Queen Mary), one of his berth-mates was one of the two berthmates for the going-to-war trip, and he had not seen him during the War. There's a book about the Aquatania -- Running the Gauntlet I think is the title -- that describes the very trip he took to Europe.
Re Veterans' Day:
On behalf of those who cannot say it, "You're welcome."
The many sacrifices the French made during WWI contributed to the nihilism which caused them to roll over for Germany during the next war. The occupation of German lands by Napoleon's forces during his great war was, if not the root cause of Prussian militarism, one of the root causes for the respect German principalities gave to Prussian militarism....There's not much to be said in favor of wars. Tornados, locusts, and drought bring out some good things in the human spirit, but there's nothing much to, per se, to be said in favor of tornados, locusts, and drought.....We live in a country where, when young men dream of glory, they think of having a hit record or playing in the NFL. That's as it should be.
J: are you trying in your usual inarticulate way to make a point?
You are the most worthless piece of shit to ever grace this blog--and that includes some genuinely worthless candidates
Go out fuck your little boys you sorry piece of shit--you apparently were spawned when the sixth fleet fucked your mamma and your are the residue of that encounter
wiccan, satanist, mormon, trash dreck
got your IP dreck--watch your back puta
(damn--that was pretty good--how did i did I do?)i
Sarcasm off
The many sacrifices the French made during WWI contributed to the nihilism which caused them to roll over for Germany during the next war.
Most of those living in the rural French countryside couldn't have given two merdes for your historical take on things, William. You implied WWI was unnecessary. From the perspective of a man who's country was just violently invaded and who's very family and home are directly, threatened, fighting them back was necessary.
Commas, on the other hand, can be incredibly, horribly, unnecessary.
Scott M--LOL--I didnt not an excessive use of commas-
RogerJ said;
J: are you trying in your usual inarticulate way to make a point?
You are the most worthless piece of shit to ever grace this blog--and that includes some genuinely worthless candidates
Go out fuck your little boys you sorry piece of shit--you apparently were spawned when the sixth fleet fucked your mamma and your are the residue of that encounter
wiccan, satanist, mormon, trash dreck
got your IP dreck--watch your back puta
(damn--that was pretty good--how did i did I do?)i
Sarcasm off
11/11/11 1:15 PM
You did good Roger, almost too good, God, for a minute there....... ;)
Allie: sometimes it is necessary to assume distastful personas
apologize for my post, but damn--some times it is gratifying.
I enjoy engaging with garage, whom, i might add is a personal friend. Mr Cook is a guy who is always consistent; Ritmo is engaging. In short, I do appreciate our liberal commenters.
J is, regretably, over the top so I did that particular soliquy to try to skewer him.
anyway--apologies if I offended you.
Reward behavior and you'll get more of that behavior. Validation is a form of reward.
Yes ScottM--but sometimes it just feels good to do it.
LOL, Roger no you didn't offend me at all, it was damn funny :) it gets pretty humorless here on Althouse at times, so humor is always welcome.
Allie--when we lose our sense of humor, all is lost--beware the humorless world
The interesting thing to me was how easy my comment came--and that is a bit scary--I may need to do a bit of reflection on how easy it is to be an asshole
it gets pretty humorless here on Althouse at times
Heretic.
Hmm scottM and Allie I have an unlimited resource book of sven and ole and boudreau and thibidoux jokes--dont tempt me
Scott M--what is the bike on your avatar?
it gets pretty humorless here on Althouse at times
Heretic.
11/11/11 1:49 PM
Yup Scott and to prove it I'm reading Lawyers Guns and Money in my other window.
A Harley-Davidson V-Rod...the one and only Harley I've ever looked at and said, "oh yeah, gotta have it". Working toward that now, in fact. When I get it, I'll be changing the avatar to me ON the bike.
ScottM--thanks--never been one for bikes my late uncle had seventeen Harles and a different set of leathers for each one--He got a cententinal edition which he specified had to have a serial number below 10--quite a bike--
ScottM--thanks--never been one for bikes my late uncle had seventeen Harles and a different set of leathers for each one--He got a cententinal edition which he specified had to have a serial number below 10--quite a bike--
That's a serious investment in iron.
Appalling is the only way to describe this:
If you’re a parent who accepts Medicaid payments from the State of Michigan to help support your mentally-disabled adult children, you qualify as a state employee for the purposes of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). They can now claim and receive a portion of your Medicaid in the form of union dues. . .the plan reportedly provides the SEIU with $6 million annually in union dues deducted from those Medicaid subsidies.
http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/seiu-siphons-dues-mich-medicaid-payments
Scott--my late uncle god bless him could afford it :)
When you own all the Toyota dealships in Boise you can carry it off--a really great guy
RIP
What so special about 11/11/11? It's not a some kind of coincidence, just a regular count result. Every date is unique, but in mm/dd/yy pattern it repeats every 100 years.
Professor-you are not being pilloried--sometimes some holidays or dates mean moe to your audience than you might think-thats ok--your blog permits deviations from you initial post-not a big deal and I dont think anyone attributes to malice on your part
Whatever elan with which the French went off to war, was soon destroyed in the relentless artillery barrages and endless, pointless battles. There were battles where hundreds of thousands of men perished in order to gain a few yards of land. There was a widespread mutiny by the French which Marshall Foch suppressed only with great difficulty. The sober truth is that if the mutiny had succeeded in 1916 it would, in the long run, have been better for both France and the world. On this day we should remember the brave efforts of the French army to surrender at a tactically opportune time instead of grinding out the slaughter for another two years.
"If we had a base-11 number system, today would be 10/10/10."
@Pogo: Technically if we used base 11 this year would be 1569.
The next 10/10/10 would not occur until 1610 which is 2068 in decimal.
"If you think 11/11/11 is exciting, imagine how folks wet their pants over November 11, 1111, the most digitally lined-up day in the entire history of the world."
Not the history of the world, only Christendom. The jews would have had their 11/11/1111 on January 20-21 2650 BC. The Chinese would have had theirs on December 7, 1587 BC. However, given the fact that neither of these cultures used a decimal system, it is unlikely that they would have noticed. (The Hebrew caledar is particularly problematic, since the first month was not defined as Nisan until the time of the Exodus, some 1200 years later.)
Not trying to toot my own horn, (ok, maybe I am!) but my lil' webpage remembered Armistice Day. As well as the USMC birthday. And the Army's birthday. And a whole lot of events that some of ya may never have even known about...
But, in all fairness, Althouse has much prettier pictures of flowers than I do. (For those who are wondering, that is a sincere comment, not sarcasm)
Perfect, from your point of view, no doubt, armchair generalship doesn't change the fact that they were being invaded and had to fight back.
Happy Veteran's Day AllenS and all you awesome Vets on Althouse.
Okay, Althouse nerds, a friend posted today that if you add your age and the year you were born you get 111. Why is this?
Deanna
I'm not sure what to make of military valour. The awful truth is that Adolf Hitler was a brave soldier during WWI. All those goddammed jihadists show a remarkable amount of physical courage. I'm glad that America produces more than its fair share of brave men, but I hope to God we also produce more than our fair share of prudent men who realize that there are values beyond military glory. More Marshalls and Eisenhowers and less Pattons and MacArthurs......I served during Vietnam in a non-combat role and received an honorable discharge. It wasn't the biggest waste of time in my own life, but that war was arguably the biggest waste in America's history.
Jay Retread is a right wing Moby. Do not respond to him.
War spares not the brave but the cowardly - Anacreon
Since I'm extra snarky for some reason today, I feel like I should take a second and tone it down and be serious.
I really do want to add my thanks to those who have served this country in the military. The US military is something unique in history, and it has to do with the quality and character of the men and women who serve. It's been a beacon of hope for so, so many and a force of protecting and enabling freedom.
Weird and frustrating injuries have kept recent generations from serving (my dad broke his toe surfing, and they wouldn't take him in the draft -- I blew out my knee playing basketball not long after beginning the process for enlistment after seminary), so I value those who not only could but also did serve. I think I had family in every theater in every branch in WW2, marines on the beach in the Pacific, a bomber captain uncle, mechanics and others.
So thanks to them. And thanks to all the vets who hang out hereabouts. I learn from you, I respect your opinions, I appreciate your perspectives. I get to do what I'm doing because of men and women in history who have sacrificed their time, their comfort and sometimes their lives providing a space of freedom for this country to become the greatest country in history.
I had surgery on my foot.
No, it wasn't due to kicking an OWS-er in the butt.
Though they need it.
11/11/11
The day Althouse displayed, in all it's Glory, how sheltered and removed from he real world academia, and liberals in general are.
Oh my gosh, I had no idea!
heh- no kidding
Kinda the entire point, isn't it?
So I'm sharing this little tidbit with my soon-to-be 17 y.o. dd and she looks at me like I've lost a few marbles. "Mommmm!! Think about it!" Thinking didn't help. She had to 'splain it to me. Goodness gracious. So here's my excuse - I've imparted so much information to my homeschooled teens that there's nothing left for me. We've reached the point where they have to start pouring it into my little aging brain.
On a completely unrelated (I hope) note: I just finished reading the excellent book "Still Alice". A novel about a young (50) woman who contracts early Alzheimer's. Highly recommended for understanding folks afflicted with that illness.
Deanna
there was no such thing as 'november' in 1111
(and it's pronounced 'eleventy-leven')
Furthur, the band fronted by the Grateful Dead's guitarists, played "The Eleven" as an encore at precisely 11 p.m. on November 11, 2011, at their show in Syracuse.
Listen here.
The song was recorded for, but not released on the Dead's palindromically titled album "Aoxomoxoa."
As the song says, "This is the season of 'What now?'"
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