Here’s a song some members of the Kinzinger Family probably haven’t heard.

~ roldaver ~ Leave a comment

At the end of last November I wrote a post about 10 things I’d like to see the Republican Party like to address going forward after the 2020 presidential election. One of these things was a distancing from Donald Trump. It isn’t something that I think is greatly needed but not something I had great hope in happening. After the attacks in Washington, I hoped this would be the last straw for those aligning themselves with Trump. This happened with some Republicans but clearly not most Republicans.

One person who did not only distant himself from Trump but actually spoke out against him was Adam Kinzinger, a U.S. congressman from my home state of Illinois. Kinzinger was one of 10 Republican members of Congress to vote to impeach Trump earlier this year. Standing up to the highest ranking member of your party takes guts and earned Kinzinger a great deal of respect in my opinion. It would be no surprise to hear that not every one in the Republican Party holds my opinion about Kinzinger. It turns out that not everyone in Kinzinger’s own family agrees with me.

Earlier this year Kinzinger received a letter signed by 11 of his family members denouncing the congressman. Here are some quotes from the letter.

“Oh my, what a disappointment you are to us and to God! We were once so proud of your accomplishments! Instead, you go against your Christian principles and join the ‘devil’s army’ “

“You won’t convince us otherwise with your horrible, rude accusations of President Trump! (To embrace a party that believes in abortion and socialism is the ultimate sin.)”

“It is now most embarrassing to us that we are related to you. You have embarrassed the Kinzinger family name,”

“We are thoroughly disgusted with you!! And, oh by the way, we are calling for your removal from office,” 

This letter from Kinzinger’s family members was written about 6 months ago just a few days after the capitol was stormed. I meant to write about this months ago as I thought there were some valued lessons to be learned from this incident. 6 months later I will just let the music and lyrics of Susan Ashton make my point.

Agree to Disagree

Standing on this battlefield of strong opinion
Among the verbal brush and briar
Plenty of weaponry and ammunition
We say ready aim fire.

So you argue points of logic until I’m put in my place
And I argue my convictions until I’m blue in the face but.

We just keep on going round in circles
Lost, found, life is such a mystery
We search and we find opposing answers
Maybe we should just agree to disagree.

Can we meet on nuetral ground
For surrender
And carve a path for restitution
Because my love for you is surely strong enough
To find some kind of resolution.

Cause we can have our differences
And that won’t change the way I feel
About you and about me and about God
And His whole deal but.

We just keep on going round in circles
Lost, found, life is such a mystery
We search and we find opposing answers
Maybe we should just agree to disagree.

Cause we are getting nowhere fast
When the concrete and the supernatural clash
So we will stand at other ends with all this stuff
But can’t we find a common thread in love.

And in our thirsting quest for knowledge
Maybe one day we will find
That I finally see it your way
Or you finally see it mine.

We just keep on going round in circles
Lost, found, life is such a mystery
We search and we find opposing answers
Maybe we should just agree to disagree…

H is for Hundred

~ roldaver ~ 1 Comment

I have been working hard this month at my blog HSD writing about people who lived in 1921 in the A to Z Blogging challenge. As a supplement to that work here are 10 things that took place in 1921.

Thing 1: According to babynames.it In 1921 The most popular Boy’s name in the U.S. was John and the most popular girls name was Mary. In 2015 (The last available data at babynames.it) John was ranked26th and Mary was down to 124th

Thing 2: In 1921 Boeing which has been a furniture maker before it began to manufacture airplanes. In 1921 it discontiued furniture altogether.

Thing 3: In 1921 John A. Larson invented the first lie detector and it was originally called a polygraph.

Thing 4: On March 4th, 1921 congress approves the burial of an unidentified soldier who died in WW I. While not fully completed until 1932, Warren G. Harding dedicated the tomb to the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day 2021.

Thing 5: April 2nd 1921 Albert Einstein spoke in New York on his theory of relativity. Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics but did not receive it until 1922.

Thing 6: May 30, 1921 Tommy Milton wins 9th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Thing 7: July 14, 1921 Nicola Sacco & Bartolomo Vanzetti were found guilty of the 1920 murder of F.A. Parmenter. They were executed 6 years later after many appeals.

Thing 8: July 18, 1921 Babe Ruth hits his 139th home run in Detorit’s Navin Field. This broke the home run record previously held by Roger Connor of 138. Ruth added 596 more dingers in his storied career. Ruth held the record at 714 until 47 years ago tonight when Hank Aaron surpassed him with #715.

In 1921 Babe Ruth broke the single season home run record for the third time in 3 years. He broke it again in 1927. Here is a chart showing who owned the record immediately prior to and after the Bambino.

PlayerYearHr
Ned Williamson188427
Babe Ruth191929
Babe Ruth192054
Babe Ruth192159
Babe Ruth192760
Roger Maris196161

Thing 9: August 3 , 1921 Eight members of the 1921 “Black Sox” were banned by Baseball Commissioner Kennesaw “Mountain” Landis from Major League Baseball for life.

Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player that throws a ball game; no player that undertakes or promises to throw a ball game; no player that sits in a conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where the ways and means of throwing ball games are planned and discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball. Of course, I don’t know that any of these men will apply for reinstatement, but if they do, the above are at least a few of the rules that will be enforced. Just keep in mind that, regardless of the verdict of juries, baseball is competent to protect itself against crooks, both inside and outside the game.

Kennesaw “Mountain” Landis

Thing 10: October 13 1921 New York Giants defeat New York Yankees in last best 5 of 9 World Series.

That is what’s happening 100 years ago. To see more about 1921 click here for more A to Z challenge at HSD. . Click here to see more blogs participating in the 2021 challenge.

A to Z Challenge at HSD

~ roldaver ~ Leave a comment

In 2019 and 2020 I returned to blogging at about the same time as the April A to Z Challenge commenced. As opposed to 2019, I did not leave again in 2020 and have been blogging fairly regularly at all 4 of my sites. I am participating in the challenge again this year bit not here at Random Acts. You can see my challenge entries. at HSD where I am writing about people who lived in 1921 Thanks to what I am calling A to Z Easter Eggs I am providing both old and new content from this blog for the challenge. This means you probably won’t see anything not A to Z related here until May. Link here to go directly to the April A to Z website.

Happy Birthday to Chris and Al.

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My younger brother turns 55 today. Happy Birthday Christopper John!

This is not a picture of my brother,

That is a picture of former White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle who shares a birthday with my brother. When Chris was turning 13 Buehrle was born.

My brother is not a White Sox Fan. (He does have many fine qualities, that is just not among them.) So focussing on the former Burlington Bee would not really mean anything to my brother.

This is also not a picture of my brother.

That is a picture of former Mad Magazine artist and writer Al Jaffee. He also shares a birthday with Chris . When Chris was born, It was Mr. Jaffee’s 45th birthday. Today may be a milestone for Chris at 55 , but it is quite the acheivement for Jaffee as he hits 100.

Like most boys growing up in the 70’s we were big fans of Mad Magazine. Jaffee, who retired from Mad in 2020 was most known for the Mad Fold-in. Which originated in 1964. (I also originated in 1964, but I digress)

A fold in was Jaffee’s homage to the fold out posters that are in some magazines. In true Mad fashion, he inverted the idea made one drawing that when folded in would reveal a gag,.that somehow responded to the original drawing.

This was Jaffee’s final fold in from last year when he retired from Mad.

In my blog HSD , I am participating in the A to Z challenge again this year. My theme is people who were alive in 1921. Al Jaffee is one of those people and may get an honorable mention when it comes to the letter J. To find out more about the A to Z challenge click here.

Because of Covid, I have not seen my brother since 2019 even though we live relatively close to each other. we are planning on getting our families together again soon.

Until then Chris, I hope you enjoy your birthday. I have many fond memories of our childhood and I like the man you have become. Now become a White Sox fan, and you may have something.