Presidents Day: Weird Presidents and Fun Trivia

President John F. Kennedy

Updates with new links added! From Denny:  Presidents' Day comes and goes in a flash.  Some years it's wildly popular generating interesting articles and other years, well, no one cares.  Seems like this year is one of those off years for interest, especially with the winter Olympics in full swing in Sochi, Russia, garnering so much attention.

Poking around online I found some amusing - and downright weird - facts about the U. S. Presidents you may not know - just when you thought you heard it all.  Yeah, trivia kings and queens live at our house.

President John F. Kennedy, known for a great education and his wealth, had an annoying father to say the least.  In his application to study at Harvard, it was, well, just plain "unimpressive by today's standards."  His father, Joseph, was a Harvard alum.  What did he say to help his son get into the university?  Wouldn't you think a father would try to be helpful to get his son accepted?

Joseph Kennedy's recommendation said of his son, who later became a popular President, Jack "was careless and lacks application."  Are you kidding me?  Of course, what do you expect from a bootlegging crook?  Here's a factoid:  Joseph Kennedy, as U. S. ambassador to Britain, also wanted to allow Britain to be destroyed in WWII as he considered them to be total losers, unable to withstand the German onslaught.  Joseph Kennedy preferred for America to make a deal with the devil:  Hitler.  So, obviously, this guy didn't know how to size up a situation - or a person - accurately...

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NSA Protest, The Day We Fight Back: Greed Cartel Be Wary of the Three R's

The seal of the U.S. National Security Agency. The first use was in September 1966, replacing an older seal which was used briefly. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From Denny:  What the last eight months of revelations about the wholesale spying and collections wrongdoing of the NSA, the Pentagon, Congress, Wall Street, our federal judicial system - in the form of the harsh and devious DOJ, the rubber-stamping secret FISA Court, the weak Supreme Court that appointed said rubber-stamping secret FISA Court, the expansion of odiousness from this Obama White House of President Bush 43's start-up programs have brought to light is the callous disregard for the American people, even the people of the world.  Congress and now this White House are peopled by billionaires and millionaires - too many profiting from defense contracts - making decisions that will impact regular people for generations...

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Poke some fun and register your protest at the NSA spying on you and selling all your private information. Design available on more products and cool t-shirts and hoodies.

President Obama: Can I Please Use My Drone to Kill a U. S. Citizen Overseas?

In this Jan. 31, 2010 file photo an unmanned U.S. Predator drone flies over Kandahar Air Field,
southern Afghanistan, on a moon-lit night.  (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

From Denny:  Are you ready for the latest weird out of this White House that popped like an ugly zit today?  

Apparently, according to "them" (intelligence community [IC], Pentagon, White House), there is a U. S. citizen who is a member of Al-Qaeda.  They claim he is planning attacks on U. S. targets overseas and they want to kill him using a drone.

Enter President Obama's supposed new stricter targeting guidelines the government claims are hobbling their efforts to kill said U. S. citizen who they claim is a terrorist.  Now, mind you, has the guy had a trial?  Nope...

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Check Out Colbert Report Features Indie Band Lake Street Dive

Holiday Cheer 2012: Lake Street Dive (Photo credit: wfuv)

3 videos - and interview with band members.

From Denny:  While Al-Qaeda whines about how other terrorist groups [in addition to them] are fighting each other in Syria and behaving badly, the Colbert Bump is in full swing back here in America.

Oh, come on, Sec. of State Kerry and President Obama, just sit back and wait for all those terrorists coalescing in Syria to thrash it out until there are fewer groups.  Then you send in the drones.  Let these guys do your work for you.

Look at it this way:  Stupid is as stupid does.  Terrorist groups continue to mass in Syria.  Well, we sure know where to find them.  It will be like shooting fish in a barrel.  At least the IC should be tagging and identifying these now easy to find terrorists.

Meanwhile, rather than write yet another political post and yell at the TV news tonight, our house switched over to Colbert Report and found this awesome indie music group.  These folks will definitely benefit from the Colbert Bump.  But, you know what, they have game - and lots of it.


Lake Street Dive talked about how The Beatles, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan were strong influences.  They met in Boston at music school where they were all studying jazz, hoping to become jazz musicians.  Eventually, they took their advanced training and musical influences from favorite music they listened to while on the road and melded it into this awesome blend.  To my Louisiana ear their music sounds like a modernized jazz rock.  It's the best.  If you haven't heard them until now, then sit back, relax and enjoy the experience.  Sure made my day!  Lake Street Dive would so fit in down here in Louisiana.

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Fat Tuesday Beast, a design sure to bring smiles during carnival season! By Louisiana artist Denny Lyon. Design available in many products.