Random Friday Thoughts — August 23, 2024

I always appreciate you taking the time out of your Friday (or weekend) to check out my random thoughts. Writing is fun and therapy for me.

For now, this is the last one for a while. I have a very busy late summer and fall coming up. There will be other entries, just not random thoughts.

Today’s “Random Friday Thoughts” have a running theme.

SO CLOSE TO 100!

October 1st is just around the corner.

My idol, President Jimmy Carter is now just over a month away from his 100th birthday!

He’s already the oldest living former president and the oldest lived president.

But, this would be an incredible milestone considering he entered end of life home hospice in February 2023!

Recently, he told his family he wants to live long enough to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris for president!

Also, he’s asked his long-time friend, President Joe Biden to deliver his eulogy when the time comes.

Carter did the same for his 1976 rival in the presidential election, President Gerald Ford, when Ford died in late December 2006.

BE BETTER

It’s one thing if you must attack and mock politicians, they’re grown-ups and they chose a public forum. Sadly, it comes with the territory.

However, kids are off limits. America — it might be hard for some, but be better!

DON’T MESS WITH CELINE!

It’s not uncommon for music acts to call out politician for unauthorized use of their music. For some, you might even go so far as saying that’s especially true if the musicians support the other party.

Recently, Celine Dion and her team distanced themselves from the Trump/Vance campaign.

But, what slayed me in this response was the last line “… AND REALLY, THAT SONG?”

Some of the others that have asked Trump not to use their music or have sued him: Adele, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Isaac Hayes, Phil Collins, Prince, and Queen.

And, on the other side of the aisle: Sam & Dave called out Barack Obama in 2008 and Sting did the same to Al Gore in 2000 (he’s also called out Republicans, too).

In honor of Celine…

LINCOLN — PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1860

While Abraham Lincoln won the presidency in 1860, he only received 2.1% of the vote in the slaves states of the South!

Lincoln was NOT even on the ballot in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina (elections weren’t even held here and the electoral votes were given to Vice President John Breckenridge), Tennessee and Texas.

SHOOTING PRESIDENTS

While it was almost a year before I was born, I’ve read enough about President John F. Kennedy to know the stories of some school classrooms erupting in joy on the announcement of his shooting.

From Jon Meacham’s incredible book came these stories:

When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, “The Texas Republic” wrote, “It is certainly a matter of congratulations that Lincoln is dead because the world is happily rid of a monster that disgraced the form of humanity.”

And, Columbia, South Carolina diarist Emma LaConte wrote, “Hurrah! Old Abe Lincoln has been assassinated! It may be wrong to be so jubilant, but I just can’t help it. After the heaviness and gloom… this blow to our enemies comes like a gleam of light. We have suffered till we feel savage. Could there have been a fitter death for such a man?”

That disgraceful woman (I wanted to call her some that sounds similar to her name, but that’d be rude) went on to add, “Andy Jackson will succeed him — the rail-splitter will be succeeded by the drunken ass. Such are the successors of Washington and Jefferson — such are to rule the South.”

THE “REAL” LINCOLN???

We know the sixteenth president as a married man and father. But, was there more to Lincoln?

There have always been rumors about his private life. Two new works are now are diving into that.

Cole Escola, who plays Mary Todd Lincoln, took his sold out Off-Broadway play “OH MARY!” to Broadway and is breaking records. It explores Lincoln’s bisexuality.

And, that’s also the topic of director Shaun Peterson’s new documentary called “Lover of Men”.

In his 2022 book, “And There Was Light”, Jon Meacham told the story of Lincoln moving to a new city and sleeping in the bed with another man for a period of time. (Yes, it could have been totally innocent!).

And, this wasn’t the only time — others have written that some of those bed-sharing moments lasted several years!

Finally, back to Meacham, he shared the story of Lincoln spending a hot and humid summer getaway with his assistant and private secretary John Hay.

As Hay dozed off, Lincoln read him Shakespeare. Um, okay!

And, look at the body language with Lincoln and his closest aides. Can you tell which one might be Hay? Maybe the one leaning with his arm/hand on Lincoln?

“RICHARD M. NIXON”

While I was child, I didn’t know or think much about President Nixon. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve read quite a bit about the former leader.

And, while he was deplorable, I’m intrigued with him and he’s one of the people (living or dead), I would’ve wanted to meet and spend time with to understand.

Here are some interesting things that Elizabeth Drew wrote about him in her 2007 biography in “The American Presidents Series”:

In the 1968 presidential election, Nixon (43.4%) barely defeated Democrat Hubert Humphrey (42.7%) in the popular vote and that was mainly because racist George Wallace siphoned 13.5% of the vote away from Nixon and Humphrey.

Drew summed it up with “Nixon had transformed the party of Abraham Lincoln into the party that welcomed racists and despisers of big government, setting into motion a Republican conservative ascendancy.”

Nixon, who was regularly drunk at night, preferred martinis. However, at dinner parties, he’d be served fine wines, while waiters gave his guests “lower quality” wines with the labels hidden behind a napkin!

ONE INTERESTING AGE NOTE

This summer, President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race at 81-years-old. His Republican opponent Donald Trump is 78.

I’m currently reading “A Time To Heal” by former President Gerald Ford.

When President Nixon resigned and Ford became president, he was debating between George H. W. Bush and Nelson Rockefeller for his vice president.

While he chose Rockefeller, one of the things that was holding him back was his age — Rockefeller was 66!

GOTTA LOVE THOSE GOLDENS

Before becoming president, the Fords had a golden retriever named Brown Sugar. After she died, they had another one named just Sugar. Once she crossed the rainbow bridge, they didn’t have another golden until they got Liberty in late 1974.

She would have puppies the following year!

“JACKIE ETHEL JOAN: WOMEN OF CAMELOT”

Of the Kennedy wives, Jackie had the most publicity.

J. Randy Taraborrelli’s 2000 biography of the wives of the John Fitzgerald, Bobby, and Ted Kennedy was an interesting read.

Here are a few things I found interesting from the book:

George Smathers, a U.S. Senator from Florida and a friend of President Kennedy, said “I’ve shaken hands with eleven presidents in my lifetime, and the only two who were one hundred percent totally faithful to their wives were Harry Truman and Richard Nixon. Those were the only two.”

After President Kennedy’s assassination, Jackie lived in Washington D.C. and was unhappy. She decided to move to New York City in the fall of 1964. While house-hunting there, she dined out at Le Pavilion, an upscale restaurant in Manhattan with Bobby and Ethel and a large group of friends.

• The dinner sounded amazing: After starting with champagne, they had caviar, navarin d’agneau (lamb stew) served with red wine, and for dessert chocolat souffle, followed by cafe filtre, and more champagne. Wow, that sounds like a perfect meal!

In early 1968, as Jackie was preparing to marry Aristotle Onassis, Ethel and Joan visited her in New York City.

Her Greek chef, Niko, made a feast of “Greek salad with tomatoes, peeled onions, cucumber, and bunch roka (Greek watercress)”. This was followed by a “Greek vegetable casserole with eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, and green peppers” and for dessert, “kouradiedes (Greek cookies) and Greek cheesecake with feta, ricotta, and Swiss cheeses.”

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony