It can pay to read the newspaper. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt was invited by the governor of Mississippi to come bear hunting in his state. During the hunt, several of the other members of the party had bagged bears, but Roosevelt had not. A suite of Roosevelt's attendants, led by Holt Collier, cornered, clubbed, and tied an American Black Bear to a willow tree after a long exhausting chase with hounds. They called Roosevelt to the site and suggested that he should shoot it. Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear, deeming this unsportsmanlike, but instructed that the bear be killed to put it out of its misery. The incident inspired a cartoon in the Washington Post in November of 1902.

A Russian Jewish immigrant in New York City, Morris Michtom, who was running a candy store and making stuffed animals with his wife at night saw the cartoon and got an idea.

He used the picture in the cartoon to sew together a toy stuffed bear that he offered for sale in his shop.

(actual photo of Michtom's first bear)

And what else could Michtom call this bear, except a "Teddy" bear, the nickname that people called the President when he was not within earshot. (TR refused to let any of his friends call him that. As a child, Roosevelt's family nicknamed him "Teedie")

                The toy bear was a smash hit and quickly made Michtom a rich man.

He used the money from sales of the bear to start his own toy company which he called 

So, watch those newspaper cartoons. You just might strike it rich yourself.

How often in history do we dwell on the visible "great" people and overlook the even greater unknowns? One such American who should rank with our greatest, has been virtually forgotten to history, except for his rather stormy 4 year presidency. Even then we fail to give honor to John Quincy Adams. (And they even get his name wrong. John's middle name is pronounced with a 'z' rather than a soft 'c'. John Quinzy Adams.)
         So why am I calling this failed President one of America's greatest figures? Let's look.

John Q. as a young man

In 1778, at the age of 12 he accompanied his father, John Adams, to France. While there he learned French and the next year the next year made a second trip. He accompanied the American Minister to Russia to St. Petersburg, now 14, as a translator. A year later he traveled alone from St. Petersburg back to his father in Holland, visiting the courts of Sweden, Denmark, Prussia, and northern France. He was getting ready for his later role as an ambassador, at which he excelled. While doing all this he learned Latin. 

               In 1794, now the ripe old age of 27, George Washington appointed him ambassador to the Netherlands, and then to Portugal. When his father became President in 1797, John Q. was appointed ambassador to Prussia,where he negotiated a treaty of commerce and friendship. While there he learned German. This was all preparation for his real triumphs later. During this time, incidentally, he is a professor of rhetoric and oratory at Harvard University.

                Jump ahead to 1814. He was appointed to the commission that negotiated the peace treaty with England ending the War of 1812.

                  in 1817 he is appointed Secretary of State by James Monroe. He is considered by many historians as our greatest Secretary of State.

               Much of his work as Secretary of State if settling boundary disputes. In 1817 and 1818 he works out boundary agreements with England in Oregon which do much towards resolving bitter relations between the two countries. It establishes the 49th parallel as the northern boundary of the United States, which it still is today.

            1819 he negotiates with Spain the Adams-Onis Treaty basically transferred Spanish Florida to the United States and settled the boundaries of both countries all the way to the Pacific.

In 1823 he submits a plan which the President includes in his state of the Union message, that will become known as the "Monroe Doctrine" though it was Adams' work. This doctrine served through most of our history since and is still cited today.

               In 1824 he wins a disputed election to the Presidency against Andrew Jackson, who will spend four years stopping everything Adams tries to do. His Presidency is rather a disaster due to Jackson.

                He is defeated in the election of 1828 by Jackson, but this really begins for him another illustrious career. In 1830 he is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts where he will serve for the rest of his life. The next year he publishes a book of his own poetry, the only President who was also a published poet.

               His real passion was anti-slavery. The south at this time was trying to keep anti-slavery petitions from being read in Congress, the "gag" rules. Adams became a bitter opponent of the gag rules and came up with many ingenious ways to get around them. One southerner said of Adams that he is the "the acutest, the astutest, the archest enemy of southern slavery that ever existed".

               His opposition to slavery was probably best manifested in his defense of the slaves who took over the ship Amistad in 1839-40.  In a speech before the Supreme Court he argued brilliantly for the legal rights of the mutineers, and won the case for them. In the movie he was played by Anthony Hopkins. I contend that the greater the historical character, the more important actor they choose to portray him, and they come much bigger than Hopkins.

            While in Congress he became one America's strongest advocates for science. When a British scientist James Smithson bequeathed a large sum of money to the United States for the advancement of science, Adams was instrumental in getting the money used to found the Smithsonian Institution. He also pushed for and was the leading figure behind the founding of the United States naval observatory, the oldest scientific institution in the country. 

                  He was an outspoken opponent of the war with Mexico, seeing it as aggressive and that its main intent was to expand the territory open to slavery. In fact, Adams was really the last casualty of the Mexican War. On February 21, 1848, the Congress was debating pensions for officers who had served in the war. Adams was firmly opposed. The rest of the House resounded in Ayes, Adams rose from his chair to say "NO!" As the Speaker addressed him, he collapsed on the floor. He was carried to the Speaker's Office, where he died two days later of a massive coronary. His last words were, “This is the end of earth, but I am composed.”

                Thomas Hart Benton– a long time opponent–  said of him: “Death found him at the post of duty; and where else could it have found him.” He was 80 years old. Indeed. Fighting for his principles to the end.

I titled this blog, "today is history", meaning that looking around today, you can see the effects of the past. Not just the recent past the distant past. These two maps illustrate my point.

This is a map of the distribution of blacks in this country before the Civil War, 1850. Most of them were slaves.

Compare that to this map from the year 2000, black population distribution. 

Hmmm. Change the dates and you could hardly tell the difference. In many ways, we are still living in the pre Civil War United States.

I was sent this website with a question mark. I want to do some serious historical criticism of this website. It illustrates the absurdity to which cherry picking history can lead. I can't answer all of them, but enough to show that they are pulling their citations very selectively, and sometimes without any thought. My comments are in red.

40 Outrageous Facts Most People Don't Know

1. The IRS is not a U.S. Government Agency. It is an Agency of the IMF. (Diversified Metal Products v. IRS et al. CV-93-405E-EJE U.S.D.C.D.I., Public Law 94-564, Senate Report 94-1148 pg. 5967, Reorganization Plan No. 26, Public Law 102-391.)

2. The IMF is an Agency of the UN. (Blacks Law Dictionary 6th Ed. Pg. 816)

3. The U.S. Has not had a Treasury since 1921. (41 Stat. Ch.214 pg. 654)

(They need to read this Statute a bit more closely. It does not abolish the Treasury. What it does is give the Secretary of the Treasury the power to discontinue subtreasury departments. In its own words: "The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to transfer any or all of the duties and functions performed or authorized to be performed by the assistant treasurers above enumerated, or their offices, to the Treasurer of the United States or the mints or assay offices of the United States, " Doesn't say anything about abolishing the office of Treasurer, or his department.)

4. The U.S. Treasury is now the IMF. (Presidential Documents Volume 29-No.4 pg. 113, 22 U.S.C. 285-288)

(See above)

5. The United States does not have any employees because there is no longer a United States. No more reorganizations. After over 200 years of operating under bankruptcy its finally over. (Executive Order 12803) Do not personate one of the creditors or share holders or you will go to Prison.18 U.S.C. 914

(The executive order in question here was done by George Bush, it authorizes federal agencies to sell federal infrastructure. I can't quite see how that order dissolves the U.S. and they don't explain)

6. The FCC, CIA, FBI, NASA and all of the other alphabet gangs were never part of the United States government. Even though the "US Government" held shares of stock in the various Agencies. (U.S. V. Strang , 254 US 491, Lewis v. US, 680 F.2d, 1239)

7. Social Security Numbers are issued by the UN through the IMF. The Application for a Social Security Number is the SS5 form. The Department of the Treasury (IMF) issues the SS5 not the Social Security Administration. The new SS5 forms do not state who or what publishes them, the earlier SS5 forms state that they are Department of the Treasury forms. You can get a copy of the SS5 you filled out by sending form SSA-L996 to the SS Administration. (20 CFR chapter 111, subpart B 42 2.103 (b) (2) (2) Read the cites above)

8. There are no Judicial courts in America and there has not been since 1789. Judges do not enforce Statutes and Codes. Executive Administrators enforce Statutes and Codes. (FRC v. GE 281 US 464, Keller v. PE 261 US 428, 1 Stat. 138-178)

9. There have not been any Judges in America since 1789. There have just been Administrators. (FRC v. GE 281 US 464, Keller v. PE 261 US 428 1Stat. 138-178)

(My own interpretation of 8 and 9 are that these people do not really understand the Constitution. One of their sites states that "Judges do not enforce statutes and codes. Executive Administrators enforce Statutes and Codes." Well duh!! That is called separation of powers. Our Constitution never gave judges the power to enforce laws. That is what the executive department does. Congress makes laws. The Executive enforces the laws. Courts merely rule on the laws if they are challenged. These people don't know their own Constitution.)

10. According to the GATT you must have a Social Security number. House Report (103-826)

(I am trying still to figure out how House Report (103-826), entitled the URUGUAY ROUND AGREEMENTS ACT, has anything to do with Social Security Numbers. I read the whole thing.)

11. We have One World Government, One World Law and a One World Monetary System.

12. The UN is a One World Super Government. 

13. No one on this planet has ever been free. This planet is a Slave Colony. There has always been a One World Government. It is just that now it is much better organized and has changed its name as of 1945 to the United Nations. 

(11, 12, and 13 sound like some out of the Illuminati conspiracy theories. This one world government has never really been very good at maintaining order.)

14. New York City is defined in the Federal Regulations as the United Nations. Rudolph Gulliani stated on C-Span that "New York City was the capital of the World" and he was correct. (20 CFR chapter 111, subpart B 422.103 (b) (2) (2)

(I doubt Mr. Gulliani was referring to the U.N. But anyway, the citation they list here has nothing to do with NYC. It is a statement of the working of the Social Security System. These people have a habit of citing long impressive looking documents, which often have nothing to do with their arguments.

15. Social Security is not insurance or a contract, nor is there a Trust Fund. (Helvering v. Davis 301 US 619, Steward Co. V. Davis 301 US 548.)

16. Your Social Security check comes directly from the IMF which is an Agency of the UN. (Look at it if you receive one. It should have written on the top left United States Treasury.)

(Yeah, mine says United States Treasury. And the point here is...?)

17. You own no property, slaves can't own property. Read the Deed to the property that you think is yours. You are listed as a Tenant. (Senate Document 43, 73rd Congress 1st Session)

(A document listed here from the 73rd Congress, which met from March 1933 to January 1935, First FDR term. Most likely I am listed as a tenant because I don't own the property yet, the bank does. If I ever pay off my mortgage, I will no longer be a tenant.)

18. The most powerful court in America is not the United States Supreme Court but, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. (42 Pa.C.S.A. 502)

 From the Constitution of Pennsylvania. "The Supreme Court shall have and exercise the powers vested
in it by the Constitution of Pennsylvania, including the power
generally to minister justice to all persons and to exercise the
powers of the court, as fully and amply, to all intents and
purposes, as the justices of the Court of King's Bench, Common
Pleas and Exchequer, at Westminster, or any of them, could or
might do on May 22, 1722. The Supreme Court shall also have and
exercise the following powers:
(1) All powers necessary or appropriate in aid of its
original and appellate jurisdiction which are agreeable to
the usages and principles of law.
(2) The powers vested in it by statute, including the
provisions of this title." Those are the only powers I could find, though you will notice the date 1722. Nothing about it being the superior court of the land.
19. The Revolutionary War was a fraud. See (22, 23 and 24)

20. The King of England financially backed both sides of the Revolutionary war. (Treaty at Versailles July 16, 1782, Treaty of Peace 8 Stat 80)

...and as history repeats itself, Prescott Bush, father of George HW Bush and grandfather of George W. Bush, funded both sides of World War II.  The Bush family have been traitors to the American citizens for decades. 

(This one is dead wrong. They are using as evidence of the King of England supporting both sides in the Revolution the Treaty of Versailles of 1782. The title of this treaty is "

Contract Between the King and the Thirteen United States of North America,

In this treaty, the United States promises to repay loans they have received from the King during the Revolution. If you read even a bit closely you realize that the treaty is not talking about King George of England, but the King of France. The French were on our side during the Revolution. You don't have to read too far to see that all sums are in livres, the money of France.This one they just didn't know their history at all.)

21. You can not use the Constitution to defend yourself because you are not a party to it. (Padelford Fay & Co. v. The Mayor and Alderman of The City of Savannah 14 Georgia 438, 520)

22. America is a British Colony. (THE UNITED STATES IS A CORPORATION, NOT A LAND MASS AND IT EXISTED BEFORE THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND THE BRITISH TROOPS DID NOT LEAVE UNTIL 1796.) Respublica v. Sweers 1 Dallas 43, Treaty of Commerce 8 Stat 116, TheSociety for Propagating the Gospel, &c. V. New Haven 8 Wheat 464, Treaty of Peace 8 Stat 80, IRS Publication 6209, Articles of Association October 20, 1774.)

(We are still a British colony? According to the Peace Treaty of 1783 "Acknowledging the United States (viz. the Colonies) to be free, sovereign and independent states, and that the British Crown and all heirs and successors relinquish claims to the Government, property, and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof". Sounds pretty final to me.)

(Generally agreed by historians that the last troops left in 1783. I have no idea where they came up with 1796. The United States at that time included territory that extended to the Mississippi River. There were still British troops on the American continent into the mid 19th century. One must always be careful to distinguish what you are talking about when you designate a country.)

23. Britain is owned by the Vatican. (Treaty of 1213)

(I wonder what King Henry 8th had to say about this treaty!! 1213?)

24. The Pope can abolish any law in the United States. (Elements of Ecclesiastical Law Vol.1 53-54)

25. A 1040 form is for tribute paid to Britain. (IRS Publication 6209)

26. The Pope claims to own the entire planet through the laws of conquest and discovery. (Papal Bulls of 1455 and 1493)

27. The Pope has ordered the genocide and enslavement of millions of people.(Papal Bulls of 1455 and 1493)

28. The Pope's laws are obligatory on everyone. (Bened. XIV., De Syn. Dioec, lib, ix., c. vii., n. 4. Prati, 1844)(Syllabus, prop 28, 29, 44)

(Articles 24, 27, 28. Papal bulls of 1455 and 1493. The Pope can say whatever he likes, but his word does not carry legal weight outside the Vatican. I think that the term "Papal Bull" is wonderfully ironic."

29. We are slaves and own absolutely nothing not even what we think are our children. (Tillman v. Roberts 108 So. 62, Van Koten v. Van Koten 154 N.E. 146, Senate Document 43 & 73rd Congress 1st Session, Wynehammer v. People 13 N.Y. REP 378, 481)

30. Military Dictator George Washington divided the States (Estates) into Districts. (Messages and papers of the Presidents Vo 1, pg 99. Websters 1828 dictionary for definition of Estate.)

(There was much discussion at this time about how the states should be related to the Federal government. Alexander Hamilton did indeed want to abolish the states and form them into districts. State sentiment was too strong, however, and the states survived, in strength, witness the Civil War.)

31. " The People" does not include you and me. (Barron v. Mayor & City Council of Baltimore. 32 U.S. 243)

(Looking at this court case, I can't quite see how they arrived at this conclusion. John Marshall ruled in 1833 that the freedoms in the Bill of Rights did not have to be applied by State governments. In other words, the States could violate your fundamental rights. But rulings in the 20th century, using the 14th amendment, have pretty much over ruled Marshall's original ruling. This is a perfect example of how the writers of this essay ignore the fact that rulings made in 1833 might not apply any more today. They seem to have no understanding of the legal process.)

32. The United States Government was not founded upon Christianity. (Treaty of Tripoli 8 Stat 154.)

(Actually their citation here is correct, for once. It was written during the term of John Adams. The treaty states: "ARTICLE 11. As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen,-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries." 

33. It is not the duty of the police to protect you. Their job is to protect the Corporation and arrest code breakers. Sapp v. Tallahasee, 348 So. 2nd. 363, Reiff v. City of Philadelphia, 477 F.Supp. 1262, Lynch v. N.C. Dept of Justice 376 S.E. 2nd. 247.

34. Everything in the "United States" is For Sale: roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, water, prisons airports etc. I wonder who bought Klamath lake. Did anyone take the time to check? (Executive Order 12803)

(An executive order by George Bush, aimed at helping ease budgetary deficits by selling public property.)

35. We are Human capital. (Executive Order 13037)

36. The UN has financed the operations of the United States government for over 50 years and now owns every man, women and child in America. The UN also holds all of the Land in America in Fee Simple. 

(You will notice that they have not source document for this one. Probably means that there isn't one.)

37. The good news is we don't have to fulfill "our" fictitious obligations. You can discharge a fictitious obligation with another's fictitious obligation.

38. The depression and World War II were a total farce. The United States and various other companies were making loans to others all over the World during the Depression. The building of Germanys infrastructure in the 1930's including the Railroads was financed by the United States. That way those who call themselves "Kings," "Prime Ministers," and "Furor."etc could sit back and play a game of chess using real people. Think of all of the Americans, Germans etc. who gave their lives thinking they were defending their Countries which didn't even exist. The millions of innocent people who died for nothing. Isn't it obvious why Switzerland is never involved in these fiascoes? That is where the "Bank of International Settlements"is located.Wars are manufactured to keep your eye off the ball. You have to have an enemy to keep the illusion of "Government" in place. 

("Furor"?? An unintentional, wonderful pun. Shows their ignorance, however. This argument was used during the 1920's to explain World War I.)

39. The "United States" did not declare Independence from Great Britian or King George. 

(This is technically true. is technically true. There was no United States in 1776. The document reads, "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America". Notice that the word "united" is an adjective not a title.

40. The etymology of government means to control the mind. From Latinised Greek gubernatio "management, government", from Ancient Greek κυβερνισμός, κυβέρνησις (kybernismos, kybernesis) "steering, pilotage, guiding", from κυβερνάω (kybernao) "to steer, to drive, to guide, to act as a pilot" plus Latin mente "mind".

(The ancient Greek does indeed mean, "I steer the mind". They got one right. The point is...?)

Some events in history have become lost in the mists of time. For example, we know very well the words of the first telephone connection. Alexander Graham Bell was working on transmitting his voice through his first phone, but was having difficulty contacting his assistant in an adjoining room.

The story is famous. Mr Bell describes it in his journal of  March 10, 1876:  

Bell's journal, now at the Library of Congress, contains the following entry for March 10, 1876:

"I then shouted into M [the mouthpiece] the following sentence: "Mr. Watson, come here -- I want to see you." 

What has become lost to history is what Bell then heard in the ear piece of the phone. Rather indistinct, but still understandable, he heard Watson's voice saying: "I sorry but Mr. Watson can't come the phone right now. If you will leave your name and a message, he will get back to you at his earliest convenience."

August 16: Not a good day for entertainment and literature history.
On this day in:

1886: Ned Buntline, inventor of the dime novel western, that created Buffalo Bill, dies.

1949: Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind, dies from being hit by a car.

1956: Bela Lugosi, famed portrayer of Dracula in movies, dies.

BUT, biggest of all

1948: George Herman "Babe" Ruth dies at age 53.

Or if you are not a baseball fan,
On this day in 1977, the King died.

Hats and history.

One of the interesting things about history is how sometimes very little things can have a vast impact on history. Take, for instance, men's hat styles. In the mid 19th century, up into the 1840's beaver skin hats were the rage in Europe and America among wealthier men.

They were supplied with these hats by fur trappers who found an abundance of the furry little animals in the American west, but particularly in the Oregon territory. Unfortunately for American trappers, the British Hudson Bay fur company pretty much monopolized the best trapping lands, i.e. Oregon. This meant that they not only kept out rival traders, but also American settlers who were increasingly looking towards the Oregon country as prime settlement territory. They found themselves closed out by the Hudson Bay Company.

Then something interesting happened. As a result of the Opium Wars in China, that country was forced to open its doors to western traders. And one of the things these traders discovered right away, was silk. There was already some problem with the beaver trade because the animals were being over trapped, but the real change was the introduction of silk hats into Europe and America.

They quickly became the rage, and the fur trade collapsed. The Hudson Bay Company could no longer profitably trap the Oregon country and they pulled back, nearly bankrupt. The result was an almost immediate influx of American settlers into Oregon, think Oregon Trail.

                                                 (Mitchell Pass, where I grew up!!)

So, it was a change in men's hat styles that led to the settlement of Oregon and the later addition of that territory to our country. From such small things is history made.

Just a short note about my earlier post concerning the swastika. Several people have asked about the swastika inside of a star of David in the Hindu symbol. The star of David is also derived from astronomical observations from very early.

Is this literary interpretation run amok, or real history?
In 1900, William McKinley was running for a second term against William Jennings Bryan, from my home state of Nebraska. One of the key issues was the debate of gold v. silver as the standard for our currency. McKinley was for the gold standard, Bryan for unlimited coinage of silver. A key argument was that gold benefited mainly businessmen, bankers and manufacturers, while silver benefited the common farmer and laborer.

That same year a book appeared which quickly became a big seller, but which some historians now say was political commentary on the election. The book:

The author, L. Frank Baum, had been a newspaper editor in South Dakota. He was a strong advocate of women's suffrage and wrote articles defending the American Indians. Other than that, his political views are rather vague.

Anyway, the literary interpretations go something like this. "Since the 1960s historians and economists have explored the bimetallism symbolism in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz/ The original 1900 book centers on a yellow brick road (gold), traversed by magical silver slippers (the 1939 movie changed them to ruby slippers), as Dorothy leads a political coalition of farmers (Scarecrow), workers (Tin Woodman) and politicians (Cowardly Lion) to petition the President (Wizard) in the capital city of Oz (the abbreviation for ounce, a common unit of measure for precious metal). The real enemy of the little people (Munchkins) is the giant corporation or Trust (Wicked Witch of the West), whom Dorothy dissolves, just as the progressives of the era tried to dissolve the corporate trusts."

         Not noted, in this quote is the fact that the heroine of the book is a young woman, consistent with Baum's views on women's rights. She leads the group and destroys the Wicked Witch in the end.

When asked once if his books contained political symbolism, Baum replied, "I write books for the entertainment of children."

Good history, or just literary interpretation gone too far? I have no opinion.

For my first post, I want to show how the distant past, in areas that we often find unrelated to history can influence the present. In one of my discussions earlier this week, we were discussing the Nazis of Germany and the swastika came up. Where did it come from? Someone pointed out that the Nazis were not the first to use this symbol, but that it appears many places in the world and at many different times.

A very plausible explanation for this is the comet Encke. Comet Encke or Encke's Comet  is a periodic comet that completes an orbit of the Sunonce every three years — the shortest period of any known comet. It was first recorded by Pierre Méchain in 1786, but it was not recognized as a periodic comet until 1819 when its orbit was computed by Johann Franz Encke; like Halley's Comet, it is unusual in being named after the calculator of its orbit rather than its discoverer.

Its main characteristic is that its tail seems to have been disintegrating for a long time, creating a comet that looks like this:

Notice that the tail is really four arms that radiate out from the core.

When viewed head on, the comet looks like this:

In addition, the comet then rotates from time to time, creating tails that look like this:

Comets were often seen as omens or signs, and this comet, being rather unusual, would have attracted lots of attention from early astronomers.

As it would be seen around the world, it is natural that it would begin appearing in the art of civilizations.
This is how it appears to some civilizations.

So you can see, the German Nazis weren't the first to use this symbol.

What is History?

This will be my first posting on this blog. My purpose is to talk about historical events and people in ways that are not often covered in educational history courses. I am finding as I dig into history more deeply than my studies have shown, that history is a long continuum where the past and the present often flow together.
Enjoy