Monday, February 17, 2014
[Presidents Day]
[1653 - Arcangelo Corelli, violinist,
composer, born in Fusignano, Italy]
[1801 - Thomas Jefferson is selected as President (House breaks electoral college tie)]
[1844 - Aaron Montgomery Ward, mail order tycoon, born in Chatham, New Jersey]
[1908 - Red (Walter) Barber, sportscaster, born in Columbus, Mississippi]
[1910 - Marc Lawrence (Max Goldsmith), actor, born in New York City]
[1914 - (John) Arthur Kennedy, actor, born in Worcester, Massachusetts]
[1916 - Raf (Raffaele) Vallone, actor, born in Tropea, Calabria, Italy]
[1929 - Chaim (Herman Harold) Potok, rabbi, philosopher, author, born in the Bronx]
[1934 - Sir Alan (Arthur) Bates, actor, born in Allestree, Derby, England ]
[1979 - China invades Vietnam and is repulsed]
Saber rattling, military bullying, and war posturing are of questionable value under the best of circumstances; when one cannot walk the walk after talking the talk, they can be downright counterproductive. Threatening words directed at Iran, North Korea, Syria, and assorted other nations rang a bit hollow when one stopped to notice that our army was stressed to the breaking point just trying to cope with the mess in Iraq and the worsening situation in Afghanistan. Having worn a reasonable facsimile of a saber on several formal occasions, william can report that when properly fitted in a scabbard a sword does not rattle at all. The ones carried by many modern day military officers do not even have an edge. I cannot imagine a saber rattling, unless it was way too small for its scabbard, or missing part of its blade.
William's Whimsical Words:
When it comes to your saber, size matters.
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