Comments Posted By Indigo Red
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CUSTER'S BAD REP DESERVED -- SORT OF
Another fine piece on Custer, Rick. I have read each Custer/LBH post of the past and look forward to the next. As you say, Custer will be written about long after we are dead and I would add long after Michael Jackson is forgotten.
Comment Posted By Indigo Red On 26.06.2009 @ 21:08
It's moot now. Obama was re-sworn tonight at 7:35 pm EST in the WH Map Room. The relevant persons wanted no question as to who is the lawful president and to establish that following Constitutional requirements are important.
Now, about that Birth Certificate...
Comment Posted By Indigo Red On 21.01.2009 @ 22:52
RELUCTANTLY - COMMENTS OPEN AGAIN
Okay, Rick. You have opened the flood gates of derision and invited all to "[d]eliver unto me your worst..." But, since no one seems to be willing to cast that first really hard hitting stone so far, I'll cast first.
You write, "So, if you’re vocabulary is so limited that every other word must be an obscenity,..."
Are you kidding me? "...you’re vocabulary..." Surely you know the word should have been your not the contracted you are. Rookie mistake and don't let it happen again.
Heh - I am suitably chastised. Thank you.
ed.
Comment Posted By Indigo Red On 26.10.2008 @ 15:44
THE MORAL COWARDICE OF SARAH PALIN
It's probably the height of hubris to say I know what terrorism is and it's not at all difficult to understand. Terrorism the philosophy and act of instilling intense, overpowering fear which is called terror.
Terrorism does need to involve murder or violence of any kind. The practioner of fear need only know what the target group is afraid of and promise delivery. If the promise isn't enough, then escalate to the actual from the virtual.
The purpose of terrorism is to make folks so afraid they will change their behavior if only to avoid the percieved feared thing or idea. If abortion clinics are bombed night and day, them I'm afarid to go to abortion clinics at any time, and abortion clinics shut down. If financial centers are bombed, then I'm afarid to use financial institutions.
That's the elementary theory. It just doesn't work in the long run. There has never been a successful terror campaign nor a successful anti-terror campaign. Periods of terrorism have come and gone. And that's precisely what happens - terrorism just goes away, no winners, no losers, just destroyed property and destroyed lives.
"It was terrorism yesterday, it is terrorism today, and it will be terrorism tomorrow." With this statement, I'm in agreement with Rick. Redefining attempts to instill intense, overpoweing fear is always terrorism no matter who does it. And the action is always wrong. It's just that sometimes, it is right to do the wrong thing. I am in inveterate supporter of the American Revolution, but when I look seriously at the reasons for revolution, I find them rather flimsy and downright idiotic. But, revolution (the wrong thing) was the right choice.
Terrorism is always a choice. The terrorist should also be prepared to be terrified in return with the threat of death, capture, prosecution, and any form of public humiliation the establishment deems appropriate.
Comment Posted By Indigo Red On 26.10.2008 @ 16:24
A SHORT, BUT PIQUANT NOTE, ON KNUCKLEDRAGGERS
I had been blogging for about two years and felt the same way. Then I had the bejeezes scared out of me when confronted with the fact that people were actually reading what I wrote, quoting me, linking to my posts, and generally thinking I know what the hell I'm talking about. A sane man might have quit, but that's just not me.
Comment Posted By Indigo Red On 15.10.2008 @ 22:29
THE BATTLE OF GREASY GRASS CREEK
The time of the battle is confused. The three primary tribes at the Greasy Grass, Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho were just stirring from sleep and finishing breakfast. However, since they had spent the night dancing they probably had slept later than usual, besides it was a weekend. The young boys were still with the horses for their morning feeding and watering. The time was before the sun was high in the sky, probably sometime between 10 and 11AM.
Custer's men had stopped earlier for a break from several hours of riding. The General gave permission for fires to brew coffee as he was aware the hostiles already knew he was there. Since leaving the fort, the band had been ordered to remain silent. But now, Custer was convinced the hostiles knew he was there, and on the previous evening Custer allowed the band to play a few songs. Custer reqested the last song, the Doxology.
Custer and his officers indicate the time was about 6AM, but also say that sunrise was 3 hours off. That would place the coffee break about 3-4AM by modern reckoning. There were no time zones yet and Custer's watch was set to HQ time in Chicago which was roughly the same as Washington DC time.
Between the early morning break and the approach to the encampment, a crate was dropped from a mule in the supply train following the Cavalry. A few Indian boys out playing, watched the supply train pass and saw the crate fall. They went to see the dropped contents and while there a trooper returned for the cargo, fired on the boys, who then ran off. One of the boys, ran to his grandfather, Sitting Bull, telling of the soldiers. The village was now very aware of the soldiers. However, they did not know Yellow Hair was present, not until after the battle and even then were doubtful because of the short hair.
In the painting at the top of the post, Custer is shown in his buckskin pants. But, on this day, he wore the cavalry blue uniform breeches and a red flannel shirt. Just before continuing along the ridgeline, Custer had changed his blue shirt for the red flannel. He thought it important to be visible to his men during battle, hence his flamboyent style. One of Custer's brothers wore full buckskins as did one of his officers who also wore his hair long. Custer had made a show of cutting his hair very short before departure because his wife was afraid he would be scalped. He was not. Custer is depicted firing single action revolvers. At Little Big Horn, he was using state-of-the-art Webley double-action revolvers; the hammer didn't need to be manually cocked before firing. Custer only needed to pull the trigger until the loads were exhausted.
Reno did attack the south end of the village, but was met with stiff resistence. He ordered retreat to the birch trees, but his men were chased from there. Reno skidaddled leaving his men leaderless. Without orders, Reno's men retreated across the river as best they could and up the hill in a confused run after Reno. Benteen, arriving at the hilltop some time later, took effective command because Reno was mentally incapacitated and remained so for the many hours until Terry's men arrived.
Meanwhile, Custer was unable to find a fording location until his command was four miles down river. He led his men single file down Medicine Coulee into the shallow river across from a stand of trees. In the middle of the stream, Custer stopped. He was shot from the saddle with a bullit in the left breast. His younger brother helped put the General back on his horse and tried to retreat up the crowded coulee. The troop, however, had to continue down to the stream in order to turn around for the retreat. This took several minutes for the word to pass to stop coming down the coulee.
Once the command had reversed course, the Indians had already forced Reno to 'Reno Hill' and had regrouped to attack Custer at the far end of the encampment. The command continued on a confused and disconcerted retreat up the hill. Many troopers - raw recruits mostly, not the battle hardened 7th Cav troopers of legend - dropped their carbines and surrendered. The Indians weren't taking prisoners that day. Many other soldiers shot each other in suicide pacts, much to the dismay of the Indians.
The 7th Cav command never reached the top of the hill, but just below the crest. From there they made their stand. Two major charges were made by the Indians, one led by Gall and the second by Crazy Horse. During these attacks, Gen Custer was propped up by a horse carcass, but was able to fire his Webleys. By this time, the brothers of Custer were in command of the small detachment at Custer Hill. Custer was shot once more through the temple. Many believe he shot himself, but many Indians say he was killed by an Indian whose name escapes me at the moment (it wasn't Gall; the Indians didn't even believe his claim.) The battle was over very quickly - in the time it takes a man to eat a meal, the Indians said.
The relationship between General Terry and Custer is confused, also. Terry was a regular ranking General, while Custer was a Lt Colonel while in garrison. Custer was given a brevet rank of General during the Civil War and that rank applied when serving in the field after the War. Although Terry gave Col. Custer his orders in garrison, General Custer ranked Terry in the field. Terry knew full well that Custer had the ranking authority to do as he pleased once they left the fort. He left Custer with the instruction to do what he thought best if he encountered the 'hostiles'. Custer was well within even Terry's orders to attack the village when he did, as he feared the Indians would decamp and disappear for another season. Which is, in fact, what happened after the battle.
Of course, neither the version presented by Rick Moran nor myself can be conclusively proven. I am sure that Rick has spent many idle hours reading the Custer material as I have and I recognize his story has merit. But, quite naturally, I prefer mine. The story will never be ended.
The evidence for the "suicide pacts" has been largely discredited I think. The most recent survey of the firing by soldiers - the most extensive to date - concluded that "Custer's last Stand" was actually a running battle from the Coulee to last stand hill - and precious little time there would have been for troopers to stop and kill each other. Prisoners? First I've heard of it.
The death of Custer has about 4 different tellings by native Americans - not surprising. Eyewitness accounts of anything are usually unreliable. But Custer was with that last group of about 40 troopers who were more likely picked off one by one by indians using captured rifles from Reno's ill fated skirmish until there were about a dozen men left at which point they were rushed by several hundred Lakota.
ed.
Comment Posted By Indigo Red On 25.06.2008 @ 22:59
Just what are the Chinese doing with the 500,000 cats in the cities? The caption on the photo above reads: "Terrified cats crammed tightly into cages are hauled off to a meat market in Guangzhou."
As highlighted in my post, Cats Slaughtered for Beijing Olympic Games, "There has been an explosion of restaurants in Beijing serving cat meat. Hundreds of cats are being shipped to Guangzhou in southern China. Restaurants there are well known for serving the meat of cats, dogs, snakes, and tigers." It's in the Daily Mail, too.
With the extermination of cats, Chinese cities are now seeing an extreme increase in the rodent population.
Comment Posted By Indigo Red On 9.03.2008 @ 23:36
MY TOP TEN MOVIE LINES OF ALL TIME
"And remember, folks. Be good to your parents. They were good to you."
(Mel Brookes, High Anxiety)"Hey, hey, hey. Don't be mean. We don't have to be mean because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are."
(Peter Weller, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension)"What we got here is... failure to communicate."
(Strother Martin, Cool Hand Luke)From The Quiet Man:
"He'll regret it till his dying day, if ever he lives that long."
(Victor McLaglen)"There'll be no locks or bolts between us, Mary Kate... except those in your own mercenary little heart!"
(John Wayne)"Sir!... Sir!... Here's a good stick, to beat the lovely lady."
(May Craig)"Mr. Wizard. Get me the hell out of here."
(Keanu Reeves, The Matrix)From Tombstone:
"It's true, you are a good woman. Then again, you may be the antichrist."
(Val Kilmer)"[T]he law is comin'! You tell 'em I'm comin' . . . and Hell's comin' with me! You hear?! Hell's comin' with me!"
(Kurt Russell)"We're on a mission from God."
(Dan Aykroid, The Blues Brothers)"Never give up. Never surrender."
(Tim Allen, Galaxy Quest)"It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man."
Comment Posted By Indigo Red On 17.08.2007 @ 22:42
(Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven)
