Hobo Jungle

[sarge]

If either of you come up to Gettysburg, let me know. I'm close-by.

I haven't seen Saratoga for 40 years, and it doesn't seem to have changed much. Very peaceful place to contemplate, for here was another example of "brother vs. brother". My family had people on both sides of this one so very much a place for contemplation.

Of all the heroes and near-gods created by the Americans, there was one very much neglected and one of my favourites. He was a fat bookseller from Boston named Henry Knox. He was a master artillerist, self-taught as I remember, and the primary responsible for moving a collection of some 60 guns removed from Ft Ticonderoga on Lake Shampoo around the bottom of the lake and east over the Berkshires and into Boston, including some very sizeable siege tubes. It was one helluva feat of logistics for that era. If you ever drive the Mass Pike and notice the terrain through the Berkshires, you'd be very impressed they pulled it off.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

If you ever make it back up here to Gettysburg, make sure you go to the Eisenhower Farm.

Might also visit the house in town, too. It's part of the Gettysburg College campus. Spent 4 years there and still never got to visit 1/2 the stuff in the 'Burg.

[sarge]

Regarding the Interstate System, probably the biggest inspiration in Eisenhower's mind was the Transcontinental Truck Convoy the Army tried in 1919, all motorised with the current crop of Army trucks and a Renault tank. They left from Milepost 0 in DC with great ceremony on 7JUL and made Sacramento on 06SEP. Eisenhower was a tank officer at then Camp Meade and made the trip.

Four-lane roads as an aid to logistics was certainly very attractive to anyone who made that trip. His impressions are recorded in his book, "At Ease; Stories I tell to Friends".

He also was witness to the best and worst of both the Autostrada and Autobahn, although he would have been aware of the proposals (like GM's shown at the World's Fair) for this country that were actually planned but not executed because of the War. He was certainly acutely aware of the limitations, especially in war conditions, with his experiences leading up to things like the stopping of Patton, the Red Ball Express, &c.

The man was a lot sharper than people might give him credit for being. I have him on my "successful presidents" list.

[rogruth]

For some reason General MacArthur seemed to get more praise than Eisenhower.Probably just a better showman
with a large amount of flamboyance.
If I remember correctly,MacArthur was not even in the U.S.Army at the onset of WW II.He was a big shot of some
kind in the Philippine Islands. What little reading I have done on this subject leads me to believe that Eisenhower
was a much more informed and driven military person.

I must say that I was only seven years old at the start and twelve when the war ended. My school teachers,even in
high school, seemed to be intent on teaching us about world events and our place in them.I don't think we were as
mislead then as some are now.

After all of this,I agree that Eisenhower is underated.

[v8vega]

Stalking, Snooping, and Spying, via Zillow
You can look up anyones house if you know their address, you get a good clear picture, you can zoom in, and move around, see all the house and yard, and neighbors houses.
It tells the current value, how many bedrooms and baths, the house and yard sq. ft. When it last sold and for how much so you know how long they have lived there.
You know what car they drive so the only thing you don't know is their bank and investment amounts.
The big church I go to has affluent neighborhoods all around it. I don't want my rich friends to look up my modest house and low house price neighborhood.
I doubt that any do but as more and more people realize they can people may start to do this.

[v8vega]

Massive Influx of Homeless in Colorado.
I'm hearing on the radio right now. Young adults with nothing to do, no money, Guess what.
Living their lives stoned, not really employable.
Might want to think twice about legalized Marijuana.

[webenda]

Stalking, Snooping, and Spying, via Zillow
You can look up anyones house if you know their address, you get a good clear picture, you can zoom in, and move around, see all the house and yard, and neighbors houses.
It tells the current value, how many bedrooms and baths, the house and yard sq. ft. When it last sold and for how much so you know how long they have lived there.
You know what car they drive so the only thing you don't know is their bank and investment amounts.
The big church I go to has affluent neighborhoods all around it. I don't want my rich friends to look up my modest house and low house price neighborhood.
I doubt that any do but as more and more people realize they can people may start to do this.

Wow! Thank you for the Zillow information Dennis. I looked up our houses. Fascinating what Zillow knows about us and all our neighbors. I can see what my neighbors paid for their houses now.
I looked us up and see we both live in ranch style houses, yours is even painted "Ranch House Red." I won't say what Zillow estimates your value at, but they have mine estimated at $54,806. There are advantages to owning a less expensive house, such as low mortgage, insurance and real-estate taxes (leaves more money for model trains.) And as far as your friends at church go, God does not look at what we own, but what is in our hearts. (Luke 21:1-4)

[sarge]

For some reason General MacArthur seemed to get more praise than Eisenhower.Probably just a better showman
with a large amount of flamboyance.
If I remember correctly,MacArthur was not even in the U.S.Army at the onset of WW II.He was a big shot of some
kind in the Philippine Islands. What little reading I have done on this subject leads me to believe that Eisenhower
was a much more informed and driven military person...

...After all of this,I agree that Eisenhower is underated.

It's funny you mention it. There were some odd ducks amongst the Allied leadership, Patton, Montgomery, and MacArthur. The more I swallowed a bit and researched Patton and Montgomery, the more I liked them. They were both totally dedicated to their craft, their people, their country, and very little else. Both were incredibly immature, insecure, and socially impossible; in short eccentric as hell. God, they were good and neither lost sight of that "Duty, Honour, Country" bit (that West Point uses as a motto so appropriately). After the war both were totally useless in the postwar environment. I'm glad they were around when the war was on, though.

MacArthur? Unlike the other two, the more I researched MacArthur, the more I disliked the SOB. He never lead from anything remotely like the front, he was more responsible for the Filipino disaster on Dec 7/8 than Short and Kimmel were for Pearl, yet he escaped censure. He was responsible for the deaths of veterans and their families during the dispersal of the Bonus March, and the list goes on. Even those stupid Filipino Field Marshall's scrambled-eggs on his hat speak volumes. Like Mountbatten, everywhere he went people died in droves and his glory increased. Duty, Honour, Country meant nothing next to Self (for either of them).

[J. S. Bach]

...snip...
There were some odd ducks amongst the Allied leadership,
...snip...

I suspect that the same could be said for "the other side" as well.

[sarge]

Could be, but the personalities never really intrigued me. Professional military thought from products of professional military cultures don't seem to come out far from rationally excellent and pretty flawless.

Those that came from the democracies are anachronistic from the beginning. They almost seem to give up being able to even remotely connect with the cultures they defend, so they make much more interesting personalities to explore. Of the four mentioned, all very flawed with two very high in my esteem and two quite contemptible. The difference is found in those three words on the gate at West Point. All were incredible egos and self-centric, but two channeled those huge egos to Duty, and two did not. Simple miniscule difference that is all the difference in the world.

[Mitch]

Quote from George C. Scott as Patton from my favorite movie of all time.

"I have no political ambitions after the war. All I want is to command an Army in combat"!

[healey36]

Marshall and Brooke were the two guys that intrigued me the most...both got side-tracked into the critical Chief of Staff and CIGS roles when they'd have preferred combat postings. They're the ones who drove it forward, made most of the toughest decisions and got little credit for it. Marshall went on to be Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. Brooke retired from the Army after the war and became an ornithologist...I think he made the best choice.

[v8vega]

.
My Border Collie Cooper was badly injured by a neighbors Pit Bull last December. A few months ago another neighbors small dog was nearly killed by the same Pit Bull, mine would have been killed too in a few seconds more. Numerous calls to the dog catcher and nothing happened. My neighbor Pablo and I went to the Dept. of Animal Care and Control twice and spoke to the head man. The dog catcher did come out and talk to the guy but still nothing happened. Because we complained today we went to a hearing in downtown Los angeles. We drove 10 miles to the Metro Red Line subway into LA another 15 or 20 miles. They have a huge parking lot but all spaces were for some prepaid permit so we had to park on a residential street. Democrats want you to take public transportation but its nearly impossible to find out how, when, or where its going. My friend had done this before so new sort of what to do thank goodness. This was the morning commute time so the train was full with people standing. I have never taken the subway before. Downtown LA is a nightmare to drive if your not familiar and expensive parking, probably get a ticket or lost.
The hearing ended probably 50/50 as to if we will get any satisfaction. The guy showed up, I was hoping he wouldn't. After I was home I thought of a summery I wish I had said.
So far two 2 hour trips to the dog catcher plus over half a day today.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

.
My Border Collie Cooper was badly injured by a neighbors Pit Bull last December. A few months ago another neighbors small dog was nearly killed by the same Pit Bull, mine would have been killed too in a few seconds more. Numerous calls to the dog catcher and nothing happened. My neighbor Pablo and I went to the Dept. of Animal Care and Control twice and spoke to the head man. The dog catcher did come out and talk to the guy but still nothing happened. Because we complained today we went to a hearing in downtown Los angeles....
The hearing ended probably 50/50 as to if we will get any satisfaction. The guy showed up, I was hoping he wouldn't. After I was home I thought of a summery I wish I had said.
So far two 2 hour trips to the dog catcher plus over half a day today.

Sue his ass- put him on Judge Judy. What's next - children being mauled? Jeeze. I'm serious.

[v8vega]

My neighbor has a lawyer friend and we are working on suing him. Cost me $668 and my friend $2,000. If anything ever happens I'll post, it will be awhile.