A Lincoln Not Worth the Ride July 2, 2010

JFK was riding in this Lincoln in Dallas

Jim never caught his train

On This Date in History: President James A. Garfield was shot in a train station by Charles Guiteau on this date in 1881. Guiteau had wanted a political appointment to a consul Generalship of a foreign country.  Guiteau lacked in social graces and had lurked like a stalker around the White House for about 4 months so it’s no wonder that Garfield did not oblige.   In early July, the President had been quite gleeful.  One of his chief politcal opponents, Sen. Thomas Platt,  met his political demise when  Platt was discovered by reporters as he fooled around in a hotel room with a married woman.  Someone, most likely a Garfield supporter, had placed a ladder below a hotel room window and reporters just happened to have such curiosity that they climbed the ladder only to Senator Platt and the woman in action. Apparently, many newspapers refused to print the story claiming it was not fit to print.  Nevertheless,  in the early morning of July 2, 1881 Garfield reportedly was doing handstands on his son’s bed in celebration.  The President is said to have remarked, “Suicide is the chief mode of political death.”   Little did he know that his own lively spirits were near an end.

Some Speculate that Garfield Would Have Lived had they just left him alone

Garfield was due to catch a train from Washington to Elberon, NJ from which he was to go to a Williams College reunion.  Garfield’s entourage arrived at the Baltimore and Potomac railraod station and at 8:30AM on this date in 1881, Charles Guiteau shot President Garfield in the back.   One story claims that the bullet nicked an artery and that eventually killed him 11 weeks later. The bullet was lodged in his body and another story says that if they had left it alone, he would have lived.   Both stories allude to the doctors ignoring the research of Louie Pasteur who had brought to light the idea of bacteria.   It was common for surgeons to wear the same coat from surgery to surgery.  I suppose that a display of blood on their garments proved their work ethic.  As an example of the state of the medical profession with regard to germs, a common form of treatment for a number of maladies was a beefsteak enema!  Garfield’s doctors were among those who pooh-poohed and mocked germ theories.  The skeptical physicians arrived on the scene and didn’t bother washing their hands nor the instruments.   The first doctor on the scene put a hot water bottle on the wounded president’s feet then removed it and opened a window.   Then he closed the window and called another doctor.  The second doctor, Robert Reyburn, thought it was all a prank and took his time getting to the train station.  When he arrived, he  poked his  dirty fingers into the hole in his body looking for the bullet. 

Bell Tried His Induction Balance Machine on Garfield in Attempt to Locate Bullet

 By that time, 10 doctors were in the train station and they finally decided to move the president.  Over the next several weeks, the President got weaker and doctors were flummoxed.   Alexander Graham Bell was summoned to try to locate the bullet with some gizmo. But, all of that poking and prodding with unsterile hands and instruments is surmised by many historians to have brought about the President’s demise, just 6 months into his term. But then again…

Bad Luck For Presidents Bob

It could have been the presence of one man who brought the doom. Robert Todd Lincoln was Abraham Lincoln’s oldest son and the only one still living in 1881.   He had served on the staff of General U.S. Grant and was in Washington at the conclusion of the Civil War.  His parents had invited him to come see Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre but he declined, saying he was tired.  For the rest of his life he felt a sense of guilt, always wondering what would have happened had he gone to the theatre instead of going to bed.  While he was not present in Ford’s Theatre when John Wilkes Booth fired the fateful bullet, he was at the 16th President’s bedside when he died.  

Robert Todd Lincoln Early Photo as President of Pullman Company

In 1881, Robert Lincoln was the Secretary of War for the Garfield administration and he was expected to travel with the president to New Jersey. It has been well documented that President Lincoln had dreams prior to his assassination related to his death.  Some histories claim that Garfield had been having similar dreams and wanted to discuss them with Robert Lincoln which was the reason that he invited his Secretary of War to accompany him on the trip.  But,  Lincoln was running behind and was a bit tardy to the train station.  Just as he arrived,  Robert Todd Lincoln heard the shot that resulted in the second presidential assassination in United States history.  

Robert Lincoln (right) in 1922 did attend a public presidential function with President Harding and former President Taft at Lincon Memorial Dedication

Twenty years later, President McKinley was at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York on September 6, 1901. Presidential invitation in hand, Robert Todd Lincoln arrived just in time to hear two shots ring out.  The President of the United States had been assassinated for the third time in history and Robert Todd Lincoln had either been present at the death or the shooting of all three men.   Again, some histories claim that McKinley had been having dreams relating to his own death and wanted to talk to Robert about it.  As a veteran of presidential assassinations, supposedly and perhaps predictably, Robert Todd Lincoln refused to attend any more public functions with the president, thinking that his presence at all of the shootings was more than just coincidence.  He  became somewhat of  a recluse for the remainder of his life lamenting that “there is a certain fatality about presidential functions when I am present.”   However, he did become the president of Chicago’s Pullman Company.  He died in 1926.  Robert Todd Lincoln’s assocation with presidential assassination followed him even death.  Robert Todd Lincoln’s grave can be found in Arlington National Cemetery…just a few yards from that of John Fitzgerald Kennedy…who was killed when riding in a Lincoln.

Weather Bottom Line:  Snow White and I had a dinner picnic along the river on Thursday, knowledgeable that this streak of dry and relatively cooler weather is about over.  Friday’s winds will be out of the East, rather than Northeast as high pressure moves toward the Eastern Seaboard.  By the time we get to Saturday afternoon, the winds will shift to a more southerly component and temperatures will rise again to the 90′s and humidity levels will surge.  So, its back to the regime we had for a couple of weeks and I suspect that it will be with us for a stretch.  So, hope you got a chance to enjoy the fabulous weather while it lasted…certainly gave me a break on the air conditioning bill.  Oh..BTW…there is a low trying to form in the extreme NE part of the Gulf of Mexico but I see zero evidence that it will be of any significance except to give the media something to talk about over the weekend related to the Gulf Oil Spill.

Stay Away from This Lincoln, Independence Day is Fraudulent and Amelia is Missing July 2, 2009

JFK was riding in this Lincoln in Dallas

Jim never caught his train

On This Date in History: President James A. Garfield was shot in a train station by Charles Guiteau on this date in 1881. Guiteau had wanted a political appointment and didn’t get what he wanted so he shot the President. I did a report on Garfield in 5th grade so I know a little about this. One story claims that the bullet nicked an artery and that eventually killed him 11 weeks later. The bullet was lodged in his body and another story says that if they had left it alone, he would have lived. Both stories allude to the doctors ignoring the research of Louie Pasteur who had brought to light the idea of bacteria. Garfield’s doctors were skeptical and so they didn’t bother washing their hands nor the instruments. They poked dirty fingers into the hole in his body looking for the bullet. Alexander Graham Bell was summoned to try to locate the bullet with some gizmo. But, all of that poking and prodding with unsterile hands and instruments probably brought about the President’s demise, just 6 months into his term. Or…

Bad Luck For Presidents Bob

It could have been the presence of one man who brought the doom. Robert Todd Lincoln was Abraham Lincoln’s oldest son. While he was not present in Ford’s Theatre when John Wilkes Booth fired the fateful bullet, he was at the 16th President’s bedside when he died. In the train station with Garfield was Robert Todd Lincoln. Twenty years later, President McKinley was at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York on September 6, 1901. Presidential invitation in hand, Robert Todd Lincoln entered the exposition hall only to hear two shots ring out. The President had been assassinated. Robert Todd Lincoln became a recluse for the remainder of his life lamenting that “there is a certain fatality about presidential functions when I am present.” Well…that followed him even in death. Robert Lincoln’s grave can be found in Arlington National Cemetery…just a few yards from that of John Fitzgerald Kennedy…who was killed when riding in a Lincoln!

Signatures Came on July 2, 1776

The Fourth os July is a Fraud!  Independence Day is not really the day that we declared independence. Nope. It was really This date in 1776. Richard Henry Lee had proposed a resolution for Independence in June but it was apparent there were not sufficient votes to pass it. So, they held off until July 2, 1776 when almost everyone voted in favor of independence. The delegation from New York abstained. They claimed that they were not sure what their constituents wanted them to do so they did nothing. I wonder though if this is not a case of fence sitting. They had to have known there were the votes for passage so, by abstaining, if the revolution failed, then they could always tell the crown that they never voted for it and maybe save their skins. It’s called covering your backside, among other things. But, Congress didn’t allow the New Yorkers off that easy as they very shrewdly appointed Robert Livingston, a delegate from New York, along with John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Roger Sherman of Connecticut to draft a formal declaration. That formal declaration was completed and adopted on July 4, 1776. Its rather interesting that we celebrate the fourth and not the second given that John Adams wrote that the second of July would be the most celebrated day in all of American history. On the one hand I’m glad Adams was wrong because “The Fourth of July” has a better ring than “The Second of July”. On the other hand, perhaps if it had been celebrated on the day of the actual vote instead of when they got the paperwork done and when it was formally adopted,  then people would remember it more commonly as “Independence Day”.

 

Others Gaining Independence on this Date:

 

Freedom for Amelia?

Amelia Earhardt gained independence from the rest of the world when her plane disappeared on this date in 1937.

 

President James Garfield began his trek for independence from this earth when he was felled from an assassins bullet on this date in 1881. He was shot while standing in a train station, but he didn’t gain full independence for another 6 months.

 

In 1809, Shawnee Chief Tecumseh began his quest for the Indian nations to re-establish their independence from the white settlers. Tecumseh observed how much the native culture had changed and become dependent on the white economy and trade. So, he encouraged going back to the old ways and resistance to European influence. Of course he failed and his fears came true. He gained ultimate independence in 1813 fighting for the British in the War of 1812 when he was killed, but not before he put his curse on the white man. That curse, it is said, caused the death of every president elected to office in a year ending in zero with the first being the man who led the troops against Tecumseh in his final battle, William Henry Harrison. The curse held true until Ronald Reagan overcame the curse of Tecumseh.

Fatal Attraction

Don’t Get Too Independent

A few years ago, a couple in South Carolina made international headlines in June when they took their freedom to new heights. Be careful that you don’t get too  free.

8 AM Sat through 8AM Sunday

Weather Bottom Line:  We will remain in the clouds and cool conditions for today as the big trof over the Great Lakes holds tough.  The long wave pattern will shift sufficiently on Friday to welcome in more sunshine and take us back to more seasonal conditions i n the mid to upper 80′s.  We have a system coming through the flow from the west.  Some disagreement on the model front as some want to increase the rain/t’storm chances for early Saturday afternoon with others making it Saturday evening.  Either way, the revision here is that instead of greatest rain chances Saturday night into Sunday, it looks now as if the Fourth of July may have some bugaboos.  The SPC puts the best risk for severe weather from the southern parts of the viewing area and points to the west but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any t’storms rumbling about. 

DAY 3 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK 
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   0230 AM CDT THU JUL 02 2009
  
   VALID 041200Z – 051200Z
  
   …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM A PORTION OF THE CNTRL AND
   SRN PLAINS INTO THE LOWER MS AND TN VALLEYS…
  
   …SYNOPSIS…
  
   WNWLY QUASI-ZONAL PATTERN WILL PERSIST INTO SATURDAY OVER THE NRN
   TWO THIRDS OF THE U.S. WITH A FLAT RIDGE OVER THE SRN PLAINS AND
   SWRN STATES. SEVERAL IMPULSES WILL MOVE THROUGH THIS PROGRESSIVE
   FLOW REGIME. CIRCULATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE FEATURES WILL HAVE
   AN IMPACT ON HOW FAR SOUTH FRONT PROGRESSES DURING THE DAY WHICH
   REMAINS SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. BASED ON CURRENT MODEL
   RUNS…FRONT WILL PROBABLY ADVANCE INTO SE CO…SRN KS/MO AND NRN
   OK/AR DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING.
  
   …CNTRL AND SRN PLAINS THROUGH LOWER MS AND TN VALLEYS…
  
   PLUME OF STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL HAVE ADVECTED OVER THE
   CNTRL AND SRN PLAINS INTO A PORTION OF THE MID/LOWER MS IN VICINITY
   OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. MODERATE INSTABILITY WILL BE PROBABLE AS
   THE BOUNDARY LAYER WARMS DURING THE AFTERNOON…ESPECIALLY JUST
   NORTH OF THE FRONT WHERE HIGHER DEWPOINTS WILL RESIDE. STORMS ARE
   EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP IN VICINITY OF THE FRONT AS WELL AS FARTHER
   WEST ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS WITHIN DEVELOPING UPSLOPE FLOW REGIME.
   MUCH OF THIS REGION WILL REMAIN ON SRN FRINGE OF THE STRONGER FLOW
   ALOFT WITH BULK SHEAR MARGINALLY SUPPORTIVE OF ORGANIZED STORMS. THE
   PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL AS
   STORMS DEVELOP SWD INTO MORE DEEPLY MIXED BOUNDARY LAYERS.
  
  
   FARTHER EAST TOWARD THE TN VALLEY…MCS THAT WILL PROBABLY BE IN
   PROGRESS OVER THE MID MS VALLEY EARLY SATURDAY WILL CONTINUE SEWD
   TOWARD THE TN VALLEY REGION IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEWD ADVANCING
   IMPULSE AND ATTENDANT LOW LEVEL JET. RENEWED STORM DEVELOPMENT COULD
   OCCUR ALONG SWRN FLANKS OF ANY OUTFLOW BOUNDARY ACCOMPANYING THIS
   ACTIVITY WHERE LIFT COULD BE POTENTIALLY AUGMENTED WSWLY LOW LEVEL.
   STRONGER BULK SHEAR ATTENDING THE MCV/SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL POSE A
   CONDITIONAL THREAT FOR ORGANIZED STORM STRUCTURES IF STORMS CAN
   BECOME SURFACE BASED. OTHERWISE…STORMS DEVELOPING UPSTREAM ALONG
   FRONTAL BOUNDARY COULD MOVE INTO THIS REGION DURING THE AFTERNOON
   AND EVENING WITH A THREAT OF ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL.
  
   ..DIAL.. 07/02/2009

California Wildfires; Popular Cars-Leave The Lincoln At Home July 2, 2008

Let’s start off with weather shall we? Really nothing new. Hope you enjoyed Tuesday’s great weather. Told you not to worry. Snow White and I sculled a bit in the evening. I’ve managed to rub holes in the back of my legs from them rubbing on the tracks upon which the seat moves. I bled all over the boat last week. While the river was nice…save for some liquored up rowdies in their speed boats…the holes in my legs are not really fixed yet. Need more padding.

Anyway, the wind was calm as high pressure roamed overhead. As it drifts to the east, our winds pick up from the south and humidity slowly increases. Wednesday we will push to near 90. Now, the moisture return is not all that strong or fast and so when a front approaches late Thursday, it may be a bit moisture starved. That is one reason the boys at the SPC aren’t too enthused about severe chances around here. There’s a big area to our west and northwest on Wednesday but Thursday it gets shunted to the northeast of here from say Cincy to New York. I’ll post the new maps later on Wednesday. After that, the front gets hung up just to our south and so rain chances will be fairly healthy Friday and Saturday. Hopefully, they will avoid the area for fireworks. It wouldn’t be very un-patriotic of them to do otherwise.

A big fat high is in the west and what it does is has a flow that rotates clockwise around and goes west as it heads toward the coast. The wind comes from the dry desert southwest and down out of the Sierra and coastal range. The result is an offshore wind that is hot and dry. They call it Santa Anna Winds. Perhaps it comes from the revenge of Santa Anna for his disasterous reign (11 times) that resulted in the US gaining possession of much of the west and soutwestern states. Anyway, they’re having a terrible time with the fires. Governor Arnold has called out the National Guard and President Bush has declared a state of emergency. Here are some stories that you may not have seen before. One is from NASA with some cool photos from space and another is from the state of California that gives excact locations and specifics about each fire in an interactive map.

NASA CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE PHOTO/STORY

CAL FIRE INTERACTIVE MAP

CAL FIRE HOMEPAGE TO INTERACTIVE MAP

High Gas Prices Cause People to Buy More Food

Higher gas prices are forcing people to change their habits to make ends meet. Cut back on beer consumption? Haven’t read about that. Quit Smoking? Nah. But we are reducing the trips to the restaurant and increasing the trips to the grocery store. Here’s the story:

Increased Food Buying Due to High Gas Prices

Speaking of Gas Prices….one would think that the hardest to get car would be the Toyota Prius. They can’t build them fast enough. But the second most difficult car to get because demand is outstripped supply? You won’t believe it, though it may suggest that the high gas prices aren’t hurting everyone just yet.

Hardest to get cars

LEAVE THIS LINCOLN AT HOME!! On This Date in History:President James A. Garfield was shot in a train station by Charles Guiteau on July 2, 1881. Guiteau had wanted a political appointment and didn’t get what he wanted so he shot the President. I did a report on Garfield in 5th grade so I know a little about this. One story claims that the bullet nicked an artery and that eventually killed him 11 weeks later. The bullet was lodged in his body and another story says that if they had left it alone, he would have lived. Both stories allude to the doctors ignoring the research of Louie Pasteur who had brought to light the idea of bacteria. Garfield’s doctors were skeptical and so they didn’t bother washing their hands nor the instruments. They poked dirty fingers into the hole in his body looking for the bullet. Alexander Graham Bell was summoned to try to locate the bullet with some gizmo. But, all of that poking and prodding with unsterile hands and instruments probably brought about the President’s demise, just 6 months into his term. Or…

It could have been the presence of one man who brought the doom. Robert Todd Lincoln was Abraham Lincoln’s oldest son. While he was not present in Ford’s Theatre when John Wilkes Booth fired the fateful bullet, he was at the 16th President’s bedside when he died. In the train station with Garfield was Robert Todd Lincoln. Twenty years later, President McKinley was at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York on September 6, 1901. Presidential invitation in hand, Robert Todd Lincoln entered the exposition hall only to hear two shots ring out. The President had been assassinated. Robert Todd Lincoln became a recluse for the remainder of his life lamenting that “there is a certain fatality about presidential functions when I am present.” Well…that followed him even in death. Robert Lincoln’s grave can be found in Arlington National Cemetery…just a few yards from that of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.