Tenskwatawa Was Help and Hinderance to His Brother Tecumseh June 16, 2010

Tenskwatawa Not As Famous As His Brother Tecumseh

On This Date In History:  In the late 18th Century, there was a young, dissolute Shawnee warrior whom we might call a wayward youth today.  His name was Laulewasika and he was prone to drunken brawls.  In fact, he lost an eye in one fight.  One day, he quietly lit his pipe and he fell over.  The tribe thought that he was dead but during the funeral ceremony he suddenly awoke, proclaiming that he had “returned from the Master of Life” and said he was to be called the prophet Tenskwatawa. 

Tippecanoe Meant "Prophetown" to the Indians and "Road To White House" For Harrison

It’s unclear whether or not the brother of Laulewasika, the great Shawnee leader Tecumseh, called his brother Tenskwatawa  nor if he suspected that his brother was bamboozling everyone.  But he certainly should have done the latter because, it just so happened, that the message being preached by Tecumseh for years coincided with the new Indian Prophet’s verbiage.   The central theme to the rhetoric was for all of the Indian tribes to unite against the White settlers.  The two brothers went on tour to try and convince the other tribes of their plan with Tecumseh doing the heavy lifting with the political story while Tenskwatawa would woo them with his revival work that renounced the ways of the White man, in particular booze and religion.  Their plan worked to the extent that several tribes joined them and the headquarters for their new endeavor was a town they called Tippecanoe, which meant Prophetstown.  Bet I know  who came up with the town name.

Tenskwatawa Blotting Out The Sun Story Has Been Published in German!

Anyway, this caused the territorial Governor, William Henry Harrison, to challenge the powers of Tenskwatawa in hopes of proving him to be a Charlatan.  The challenge was to stop the sun, change the course of the moon and stop the rivers from flowing, among other things.  Harrison said if he could do those things, then he was indeed sent by God.  Well, I don’t know who made Harrison the arbitor regarding Divinity, but Tenskwatawa had the answer in his back pocket.  See, Tenskwatawa was a  pretty smart guy and he not only knew what his brother’s political ideas were he also knew how to read a solar table.  On This Date in 1806 Tenskwatawa made the sun go black then asked the Master of Life to bring it back and the sun shone brightly again!  The Indians were believers! 

I Don't Think That Tecumseh and Harrison Ever Squared Off But Don't Let the Truth Get in the Way of a Political Campaign

Harrison may not have known that Tenskwatawa had read the solar tables and knew of the exact time of a solar eclipse, but he wasn’t persuaded because a few years later, he gathered an army to march on Tippecanoe.  Tecumseh left to get others to join in the fight. He left his brother in charge with explicit instructions not to engage the Americans.  But Tenskwatawa just couldn’t pass up the chance to reign glory upon himself.   He had the warriors touch his bean belt to make them immune to bullets and dip their weapons in his magic bowl to ensure victory and he ordered an attack.  The Indians were routed by Harrison,the town burned to the ground and the path was set for Harrison to become President of the United States.  The survivors were incensed and came after Tenskwatawa who used his powers of BS to get out of it by blaming it on his squaw!  That’s right, when the chips were down, he blamed his loss on his wife whom he said stood too close to the bowl of magic potion. 

Fool Your Friends At Halloween with your Tenskwatawa Impression

This story ends with a bit of magic power, but it came from his brother Tecumseh.  Legend ist is that Tecumseh,while on his death bed in 1813, put a curse on the White Man.   On March 2, 1841  President William Henry Harrison talked for nearly 3 hours in sub-freezing temperatures at his inauguration in Washington, DC.  He died of pneumonia 30 days later.  It is called Tecumseh’s curse and every president elected in a year that ended in zero, starting with Harrison in 1840, died in office.  After Harrison, the list of apparent victims to Tecumseh’s curse included Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Harding, FDR and JFK.  President Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 and was wounded severely by an assassins bullet but managed to recover and therefore broke Tecumseh’s curse.  Tecumseh was the famous middle name of General William T. Sherman.  And you know what, no one remembers the phony faker Tenskwatawa…and it’s just as well. It would teach a bad lesson to kids that being a big fibber is good. That cheaters somehow prosper.  Besides, it’s easier to pronounce Tecumseh than it is Tenskwatawa.

Weather Bottom Line:   We had a little boundary sneak through the region overnight.  While it will still be warm, the humidity level will be noticeably more bearable.  It will remain warm and dry through Thursday.  By Friday afternoon, we see the higher heat and humidity return with a warm front ahead of a cold front that will approach Friday night or Saturday.  Rain chances will again become elevated and the heat and humidity will stick around for a few days because the front will get hung up to our north and west…in other words, from the weekend into early next week could end up being similar to the 5 or 6 day period we just completed.

Sign From God Elects American President February 9, 2010

Quincy Adams is Lucky Andy Didn't turn to the pistols to resolve the electoral college SNAFU in 1824

On This Date in History: George W. Bush was not the first son of a president to become president. Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of William Henry Harrison but John Quincy Adams was the son of the second president, John Adams. But, like the election of GW Bush, the election of the first presidential son did not come without a hitch. In the case of GW Bush, we had Supreme Court intervention while John Quincy Adams looked even higher.

Close But Not Enough for Old Hickory

Adams did not have a majority of the electoral votes. In fact, Andrew Jackson had more of the popular vote and more electoral votes. But, neither man had a majority of the electoral college so the election went to the House of Representatives. How did that happen? Well, the two party system wasn’t too developed at that time and a whole bunch of people took the Republican mantra. Remember, this is way before the birth of the modern Republican Party just prior to the Civil War. In fact, a bunch of state legislatures disdained the slate of candidates and nominated favorite sons. At one point ,there were 17 candidates but by election day, the field had narrowed to four.

When a Win is Not A Win

Jackson took the most votes in the popular election as the sitting Senator from Tennessee and war hero. His opponents said he was a hot head who was semi-literate who was good for a bar room fight but not fit for national office. Adams had the second most votes and was the sitting Secretary of State. He was quite qualified through experience and education, but was considered pretty bland and boring, lacking in any human warmth. The guy in third was William H. Crawford who had been treasury secretary and collected a bunch of political debts that were redeemed for support for the nation’s top office. He was so over-the-top with political appointments and trading that President James Monroe threatened him with a pair of fire tongs in a heated discussion on the subject. Kentucky’s Henry Clay was fourth but he was eliminated by the 12th Amendment that said only the top 3 vote getters could be considered.

Steve Could Say "no" to Dan and Hank, But Not God

On this date in 1824, the vote was to take place in the House and Adams figured he needed to win on the first ballot if he were to win because after that, Jackson’s popular support would wash over the decks. John Quincy was certain that he had locked up 12 states, which left him one short. But, New York stood tied. If he could take the New York delegation, then he would be the president. Apparently, Henry Clay was in the Adams camp because he counseled that an old and wealthy landholder who was a representative in the New York legislature was most likely to be swayed. His name was Stephen Van Rensselaer III and he was led to the chambers of the Speaker of the House where he felt the full force of persuasion than none other than Clay himself and Daniel Webster. Who could turn that down? Van Rensselaer that’s who. Guess he owed a lot to Crawford because thats whom he was supposedly backing. As it turns out, Webster and Clay had some effect because after they left, the old man bowed his head and prayer, asking for guidance. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a piece of paper with the name of John Quincy Adams. It was possibly a discarded ballot but Van Rensselaer accepted it as Divine intervention and while he could deny Webster and Clay, he could not deny the will of God. He took the slip of paper, put it in the ballot box and John Quincy Adams became the 6th President of the United States. While Bush the younger went on to win a second term, Adams the younger lost his re-election bid but went on to serve in the House of Representatives until 1848 when he was literally carried out of the legislative body after suffering a stroke on February 21.

NWS Louisville overnight forecast

By Early Tue AM 65.5% of nation under snow cover avg depth 8 inches

Weather Bottom Line:  I will bask in the glow of victory as a good bit of the area got 5-6 inches of snow with Louisville in the 6 inch range and some even greater totals. The guys who clear the snow from our place used leaf blowers and buried my front porch and our adopted cat, Paintbrush.  Hmmm… Snow White gave a gentle lecture at 6:30am so I decided that I needed to get my lazy self out of bed.  I cleaned off the car and the driveway and then we went on our winter walk.  We love walking in the snow.  I was surprised that the birds were chirping.  I thought for sure that they would stay silent wherever birds go when it snow.   A cold front will swing through in the late afternoon or early evening.  We can expect some more snow with that as it lifts up the air as it literally plows through.  If you think about it, a cold front kinda looks like a snow plow from a vertical profile perspective.  Probably less than an inch of additional snow.

             LOCATION………………………..SNOWFALL……..TOTAL ON
                                                                         THROUGH 1 PM     GROUND
                                                                                 (INCHES)        (INCHES)

LEXINGTON (OFFICIAL)                                           2.0               1
LOUISVILLE INTERNATIONAL (OFFICIAL)    6.3             7
LOUISVILLE NWS OFFICE                                        6.1             7
BOWLING GREEN (OFFICIAL)                                0.9             1

Pretty Common Across Area by Afternoon Tuesday

Now, I still do not see how we get above freezing anywhere soon. I know that the national forecasts advertise mid 30′s for Saturday and Sunday but I’ve noticed that they have been lowering the numbers closer and closer to freezing.  Anyway, if we do nudge above freezing anytime soon it won’t be for long or that much above freezing.  Overnight, the wind will pick up and the temps falling to the teens…only the teens because of the wind.  Wednesday perhaps some passing snow showers or flurries.  The wet roads may freeze in spots but it may not be all that bad because the wind will help evaporate that water but if it freezes before the wind can work on it, then there may be some issues. Keep that in mind when driving at night or the morning.  Thursday, we stay in the 20′s in the afternoon and if we get some clearing on Thursday night, which is possible, then those double digits lows you see on the national forecasts for our area will be way off the board.  Clear skies, thick snow cover, light winds…that sounds like zero or below zero to me.  Certainly single  digits.  From that point, it gets unclear.  I have some data saying that we get nothing as another storm system comes across similar to the last two with  a low to the south and one to the north.  Several models want to keep them separate and we stay in no man’s land.  But, the GFS has the northern branch diving down over us.  It wants to give us snow all weeked with a crescendo of 3 inches on Monday leaving us with a 3 day total of additional 5 inches.  No other model calls for this but, in some regards, it makes some sense.  We’ll see how it shakes out.  My guess is that the GFS is closer to what will happen than not..but its strictly a guess.  I still don’t see how we get above freezing for the rest of the week into early next week.  But, I’ve been wrong before…but not this time. I claim victory!!!

Should Letterman Be Fired? Did Tecumseh Need a Different Brother? June 16, 2009

Maybe Dave Should Try the Amish Look To Soothe Critics

Did Richard Simmons Already Fire Dave?

Should Letterman Be Fired? There is a mild rumble of noise afoot regarding a spat between Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and David Letterman involving a joke Letterman made referencing the governor’s daughter. At least 2  New York Assemblymen are calling for CBS to fire Letterman. Check out this example of media ignorance, a Denver TV station thinks that a Congressman and State Assemblyman are one in the same.  I was unable to find a story from the AP about the stance of the New York lawmakers, which is interesting.  Letterman apologized (sorta) once for the gaffe but it didn’t calm the storm.   So, he apoligized a second time on Monday night.  But, I’m sure that won’t satisfy a group that calls itself, FireDavidLetterman.com, who probably won’t be fired.  And I don’t think he should be.  Many think that this is comparable with the Don Imus situation.  It’s interesting that, in his defense of Letterman, George Schlatter doesn’t mention Imus at all.  I”m not sure that I agree with Schlatter that we should vote for Letterman, but I don’t think he should have been fired either.  See, I think that people should be less quick to want to end someone’s job or career.   I suspect that those who are so quick to judge have never lost a job before.  Those of us who have would not wish that on anyone.

On This Date In History: In the late 18th Century, there was a young, dissolute Shawnee warrior whom we might call a misspent youth today. His name was Laulewasika and he was prone to drunken brawls. In fact, he lost an eye in one fight. One day, he quietly lit his pipe and he fell over. The tribe thought that he was dead but during the funeral ceremony he suddenly awoke, proclaiming that he had “returned from the Master of Life” and said he was to be called the prophet Tenskwatawna.

Tecumseh(left) and his smarter Brother

It’s unclear whether or not the brother of Laulewasika, the great Shawnee leader Tecumseh, called his brother Tenskwatawna nor if he suspected that his brother was bamboozling everyone. But he certainly should have done the latter because, it just so happened, that the message being preached by this new Indian Prophet coincided with what his great brother had been urging for years. The idea was for all of the Indian tribes to unite against the White settlers. The two brothers went on tour to try and convince the other tribes of their plan with Tecumseh doing the heavy lifting with the political story while Tenskwatawna would woo them with his revival work that renounced the ways of the White man, in particular booze and religion. Their plan worked to the extent that several tribes joined them and the headquarters for their new endeavor was a town they called Tippecanoe, which meant Prophetstown. Bet I know who came up with the town name.

Anyway, this caused the territorial Governor, William Henry Harrison, to challenge the powers of Tenskwatawna in hopes of proving him to be a Charlatan. The challenge was to stop the sun, change the course of the moon and stop the rivers from flowing, among other things. Harrison said if he could do those things, then he was indeed sent by God. Well, I don’t know who made Harrison the arbitor or not, but Tenskwatawna had the answer in his back pocket. See, Tenskwatawna was a pretty smart guy and he not only knew what his brother’s political ideas were he also knew how to read a solar table. On This Date in 1806 Tenskwatawna made the sun go black then asked the Master of Life to bring it back and the sun shone brightly again! The Indians were believers!

Harrison may not have known that Tenskwatawna had read the solar tables and knew of the exact time of a solar eclipse, but he wasn’t persuaded because a few years later, he gathered an army to march on Tippecanoe. Tecumseh left to get others to join in the fight. He left his brother in charge with explicit instructions not to engage the Americans. But Tenskwatawna just couldn’t help it. He had the warriors touch his bean belt to make them immune to bullets and dip their weapons in his magic bowl to ensure victory and he ordered an attack. The Indians were routed by Harrison,the town burned to the ground and the path was set for Harrison to become President of the United States. The survivors were incensed and came after Tenskwatawna who used his powers of BS to get out of it by blaming it on his squaw! That’s right, when the chips were down, he blamed his loss on his wife whom he said stood too close to the bowl of magic potion.

This story ends with a bit of magic power, but it came from his brother Tecumseh, who it is said on his death bed put a curse on the White Man. On March 2, 1841 William Henry Harrison talked for nearly 3 hours in sub-freezing temperatures at his inauguration in Washington, DC. He died of pneumonia 30 days later. It is called Tecumseh’s curse and every president elected in a year that ended in zero has died in office, until Ronald Reagan broke Tecumseh’s curse. Tecumseh was the famous middle name of General William T. Sherman. And you know what, no one remembers the phony faker Tenskwatawna…and it’s just as well. It would teach a bad lesson to kids that being a big fibber is good. That cheaters somehow prosper. Besides, it’s easier to pronounce Tecumseh than it is Tenskwatawna.

You know what’s funny…there are actually people today who are dressing up like Tenskwatawna. Check out this imposter to the right!

SPC Convective Outlook Tue 6.16.09

6.16.09 Tornado Probability

Weather Bottom Line:  Every model that I looked at (GFS, NAM, UKMET, ECMWF,CMC) have anything from a fairly strong shortwave to a very strong shortwave moving through from the southwest to the northeast on Tuesday afternoon.  Look for rain and t’storm activity to pick up around midday.  Should the wave be a little more pokey, then the chances for severe weather will be enhanced.  If its moving quickly, then the chances would be lessened as it would get things going earlier in the day.  The Mon 18Z GFS forecast vertical profile has a very healthy CAPE, BRN, LI and K Index from mid afternoon through the evening.  The SWEAT Index is also pretty high.  The Mon 18Z NAM has similar numbers, but doesn’t raise the roof until late Tuesday night.  I suspect that the NAM is a little late.  Nevertheless, be ready for some strong t’storms by Tuesday afternoon through the evening.  While tornadic activity is possible, the primary risk will be hail and high winds.  I would count on at least  a few warnings issued.   at 9:15am, it appeared that a wave moved through the region that left cloudy conditions.  The main shortwave was a few hundred miles to the west southwest and has a vector that seems to give it a heading exactly how the earlier models suggested.  The NAM was too slow.  Looks like this afternoon it will arrive. If the initial wave can get some legs on it, then the sun will break out and that will destablize the atmosphere ahead of the main short, giving enough extra oomph to support strong storms in the heat of the day.  However, if the clouds to not break out, the severe threat will be inhibited.

6.16.09 Severe Wind Probability

Once the wave moves through, a warm front will follow.  Perhaps and errant t’shower on Wednesday and then we head to the low to mid 90′s to end the week.  A cold front comes through late Saturday bringing back a little cooler but certainly more noticeably less humid air for the second half of the weekend.

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK 
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   0736 AM CDT TUE JUN 16 2009
  
   VALID 161300Z – 171200Z
  
   …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM THE MID MS VALLEY INTO
   SC/GA…
   
 

6.16.09 severe hail probability

  …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS OVER PARTS OF EASTERN CO…
  
   …MID MS VALLEY INTO KY/TN TODAY…
   MORNING WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH TRACKING
   EASTWARD ACROSS MO…WITH AN ASSOCIATED LARGE MCS PRODUCING
   SCATTERED SEVERE WEATHER.  THIS FEATURE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE MID MS
   VALLEY TODAY WHILE THE THUNDERSTORM CLUSTER MOVES EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD
   INTO PARTS OF IL/KY/TN.  RELATIVELY STRONG WINDS ALOFT ACROSS THIS
   REGION…COUPLED WITH SIGNIFICANT MESOSCALE ORGANIZATION IN MCS
   SUGGESTS A CONTINUED THREAT OF LOCALLY SEVERE STORMS THROUGH MUCH OF
   THE DAY.  STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FINALLY WEAKEN AFTER SUNSET OVER
   THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS.  DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY TO BE THE MAIN
   THREAT.
  
   …NORTHERN OK/SOUTHERN KS THIS AFTERNOON…
   UPSTREAM OF THIS AREA…THE UPPER RIDGE IS FORECAST TO BUILD ACROSS
   THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON.  THIS WILL TEND TO
   WARM THE MID LEVELS AND INCREASE THE CAPPING INVERSION ACROSS PARTS
   OF TX/OK.  NEVERTHELESS…THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY LEFT FROM OVERNIGHT
   CONVECTION EXTENDS ACROSS NORTHERN OK AND MAY BE THE FOCUS FOR
   ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT BY LATE AFTERNOON.  HOT
   TEMPERATURES AND AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL YIELD HIGH CAPE
   VALUES AND SUGGEST THAT ANY STORM THAT CAN BE SUSTAINED WILL LIKELY
   BE SEVERE.
  
   …EASTERN SD INTO EASTERN KS/WESTERN MO…
   EARLY MORNING VISIBLE IMAGERY SHOWS BACK EDGE OF CLOUD SHIELD
   EXTENDING FROM WEAK UPPER LOW OVER ND TO NEAR OMA…THEN SOUTHWARD
   TOWARD TUL.  STRONG HEATING WILL OCCUR ALONG AND WEST OF THE CLOUD
   SHIELD…BUT UPPER RIDGING IS ALSO FORECAST TO OCCUR.  PRESENT
   INDICATIONS ARE THAT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THIS
   CORRIDOR AROUND PEAK HEATING AND PERSIST FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE
   WEAKENING.  SUFFICIENT WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT AND EFFECTIVE DEEP LAYER
   SHEAR VALUES SUPPORT A RISK OF SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL AND
   DAMAGING WINDS.  FURTHER REFINEMENT OF THIS PART OF THE OUTLOOK WILL
   OCCUR THROUGH THE DAY AS FOCI FOR INITIATION AND EXTENT OF
   DESTABILIZATION BEHIND MCS OVER MO BECOME MORE CLEAR.
  
   …EASTERN CO…
   A BAND OF STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL REMAIN ACROSS CO TODAY WITH
   SUFFICIENT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FOR SCATTERED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM
   DEVELOPMENT.  FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGEST A RISK
   OF A FEW SEVERE STORMS BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING.  HAIL
   SHOULD BE THE MAIN THREAT.
  
   ..HART/JEWELL.. 06/16/2009

Hurricane Ike Preliminary Reports; Upper Low Close to Valhalla; 3rd Time’s The Charm For Chet Arthur September 20, 2008

Hurricane Ike Prior to Landfall

The preliminary reports from the NWS and the National Hurricane Center are in regarding Hurricane Ike.  Be careful regarding some of the data.  You will notice that at IAH they reported a lowest pressure of 961 mb yet they translated that into 29.97 in.  I think that should be 28.97 in.  Also, Scholes Field on Galveston reported a low pressure of 1002 mb.  Nonsense. I played a Rugby Tournament at Scholes Field and can tell you that it was very close to where the eye passed over.  I suspect that the instruments failed as the storm was approaching.  In any event, it is what it is, which is “preliminary” and I’m sure that there will be corrections or footnotes when the final report is issued.  The second link is really about the life of the storm with links to images and all sorts of stuff. The first is data pertaining to the NWS Houston region.

Here is the NWS Houston preliminary report

Here is the NWS Hurricane Ike preliminary report

For photos, video and stories pertaining to Hurricane Ike Damage, CLICK HERE and scroll down.  There’s lots of stuff in several posts.

Ryder Cup: An upper low snuck up from the south rotating up.  Between the heating and the fringe of the disturbance to the SW, a little shower popped up at Bowman Field in Louisville on Friday.  But never fear, the disturbance will move through but is weakening as it moves over the area.  Short wave ridging should build in on Saturday and for the most part snuff it out, though an isolated shower can’t be ruled out.  Nevetheless,  all in all, the general forecast will hold….just a little wrinkle for a few…let’s just hope those few are not teeing it up at Valhalla. So, it will be for most warm afternoons with partly cloudy skies with cool nights.  The Yanks are off to a good start with Boo and JB leading the way.  Do you really think the Euros can be Americans with names like Boo and JB?

On This Date in History: Rutherford B. Hayes served as President from 1877 to 1881.  The man who took his place was Congressman James A. Garfield from Ohio.  I don’t think he ever made it to General in the Union Army but had served with some distinction as a Colonel.  He was a conservative who won the election and was inaugurated in March of 1881.  Remember, originally, inauguration day was in March.  Later it was moved to January 20.  Anyway, Garfield had the misfortune of getting the way of the bullet from the gun of a nutbag, disgruntled ( I love that adjective) office seeker, Charles Guiteau.  Garfield was in a train station on July 2, 1881 and was shot in the back.  He lingered for several months and it is widely speculated that he may have survived had they had him up and walking around, getting stronger.  I”ve read that he got weak and died and I’ve read that he died of an aneurism or some other complication.   In any event, he died on September 19, 1881 and Vice-President Chester Alan Arthur was sworn in  on this date in 1881.  From jail, Guiteau wrote to Arthur claiming credit for his elevation to the highest office in the land.  I suppose that he was lobbying from death-row for that evasive political appointment.   It was the second time in American history that the United States had three presidents in one calendar year.  The other time it happened was in 1841 when President Martin Van Buren gave way to William Henry Harrison who got pneumonia at his inaugural (Marth 1841) after Harrison walked a very long parade route and then gave a very long winded speech in sub-freezing temperatures.  He died a month later and John Tyler became president.

Chester Alan Arthur was basically a political hack who had served as New York Port Authority Commissioner during a time of great corruption on the New York docks.  He served just one term…a term described by former President Hayes as one of “liquor, snobbery and worse.”  He was not only not re-elected but didn’t even get the nomination of his party for another term.  Just as well. He would have died in office had he been allowed to run and if he had won because he died in November 1886 and then we would have had another VP take over the helm.  Arthur otherwise would have been lost to the pages of history except that he seems to have been one of our more dapper presidents and also more recently showed up in the 3rd Die Hard movie with Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and Jeremy Irons when the clue is the 21st President of the United States.  The school that was threatened by the terrorists was named for him.  No one knew who it was…except for the truck driver Jerry who proudly told Bruce Willis all about Chet Arthur.  I think to this day, Jerry still knows more than anyone else about Chester Alan Arthur.

Thunderstorm Watch Today; Tecumseh’s Not So Smart Brother June 16, 2008

The eastern two-thirds of the viewing area is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 5 PM EDT today. Just after sunrise, some decent little thunderstorms popped up along and either side of the Ohio River and moved east. Now, the main front will move down and the idea is that it may kick off some strong storms in the heat of the afternoon as it moves through. I think this is one of those deals where there’s not a huge chance of us getting storms, but if we do, they have a good chance of being strong. And, if we do, the chances are enhanced the farther east you go. It’s the stability issue…chances are greater for more unstable air to our east. Biggest risk would be gusty winds. But, we probably will get nothing as there is cu forming almost right over us but the boundary is moving through which tells me that any real stuff won’t get going until its to our east. I told you not to get worked up over it.

 The rest of the forecast is on track though there may be some activity on Wednesday as it appears a shortwave will be moving through the flow.

On This Date In History:  In the late 18th Century, there was a young, dissolute Shawnee warrior whom we might call a misspent youth today.  His name was Laulewasika and he was prone to drunken brawls.  In fact, he lost an eye in one fight.  One day, he quietly lit his pipe and he fell over.  The tribe thought that he was dead but during the funeral ceremony he suddenly awoke, proclaiming that he had “returned from the Master of Life” and said he was to be called the prophet Tenskwatawna. 

It’s unclear whether or not the brother of Laulewasika, the great Shawnee leader Tecumseh, called his brother Tenskwatawna  nor if he suspected that his brother was bamboozling everyone.  But he certainly should have done the latter because, it just so happened, that the message being preached by this new Indian Prophet coincided with what his great brother had been urging for years.  The idea was for all of the Indian tribes to unite against the White settlers.  The two brothers went on tour to try and convince the other tribes of their plan with Tecumseh doing the heavy lifting with the political story while Tenskwatawna would woo them with his revival work that renounced the ways of the White man, in particular booze and religion.  Their plan worked to the extent that several tribes joined them and the headquarters for their new endeavor was a town they called Tippecanoe, which meant Prophetstown.  Bet I know  who came up with the town name.

Anyway, this caused the territorial Governor, William Henry Harrison, to challenge the powers of Tenskwatawna in hopes of proving him to be a Charlatan.  The challenge was to stop the sun, change the course of the moon and stop the rivers from flowing, among other things.  Harrison said if he could do those things, then he was indeed sent by God.  Well, I don’t know who made Harrison the arbitor or not, but Tenskwatawna had the answer in his back pocket.  See, Tenskwatawna was a  pretty smart guy and he not only knew what his brother’s political ideas were he also knew how to read a solar table.  On This Date in 1806 Tenskwatawna made the sun go black then asked the Master of Life to bring it back and the sun shone brightly again!  The Indians were believers! 

Harrison may not have known that Tenskwatawna had read the solar tables and knew of the exact time of a solar eclipse, but he wasn’t persuaded because a few years later, he gathered an army to march on Tippecanoe.  Tecumseh left to get others to join in the fight. He left his brother in charge with explicit instructions not to engage the Americans.  But Tenskwatawna just couldn’t help it.  He had the warriors touch his bean belt to make them immune to bullets and dip their weapons in his magic bowl to ensure victory and he ordered an attack.  The Indians were routed by Harrison,the town burned to the ground and the path was set for Harrison to become President of the United States.  The survivors were incensed and came after Tenskwatawna who used his powers of BS to get out of it by blaming it on his squaw!  That’s right, when the chips were down, he blamed his loss on his wife whom he said stood too close to the bowl of magic potion. 

This story ends with a bit of magic power, but it came from his brother Tecumseh, who it is said on his death bed put a curse on the White Man.  On March 2, 1841 William Henry Harrison talked for nearly 3 hours in sub-freezing temperatures at his inauguration in Washington, DC.  He died of pneumonia 30 days later.  It is called Tecumseh’s curse and every president elected in a year that ended in zero has died in office, until Ronald Reagan broke Tecumseh’s curse.  Tecumseh was the famous middle name of General William T. Sherman.  And you know what, no one remembers the phony faker Tenskwatawna…and it’s just as well. It would teach a bad lesson to kids that being a big fibber is good. That cheaters somehow prosper.  Besides, it’s easier to pronounce Tecumseh than it is Tenskwatawna.

You know what’s funny…there are actually people today who are dressing up like Tenskwatawna.  Check out this imposter!