25: Canada

25 Years ago (September 11, 2001) during the Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in the Field in Pennsylvania Canada stood with the United States in many ways.

(Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada with 38 Airliners, totaling 6,122 Passengers and 473 Crew, as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon on 9-11-01.)

Not only did the Canadian Military help protect American Airspace under NORAD, but Canadian Airports took in Hundreds of Planes with Tens of Thousands of Passengers including Thousands of Americans that were headed towards the United States from Europe and Asia.

It was called Operation Yellow Ribbon (French: Opération ruban jaune.)

After the US FAA closed all of American Airspace at 9:45 Eastern Time Transport Canada enacted Operation Yellow Ribbon under SitCen.

The SitCen is Transport Canada's Emergency Operations Centre (EOC.)

As Personnel staffed the SitCen, key Organizations such as Nav Canada, the Department of National Defence, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), and Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) were also involved in SitCen Operations.

After learning that the FAA had closed down U.S. Airspace, David Collenette, the Canadian Transport Minister, gave orders that Canadian Airports be open only for outgoing Police, Military, and Humanitarian Flights, and incoming U.S. Bound International Flights that were passed the “point of no return” over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  

This was the first unplanned closure of Canadian Airspace.

SitCen focused on keeping in contact with every plane (to make sure there were no more Hijacked Planes), where to land all the Aircraft and how to deplane, screen and clear Tens of Thousands of Passengers through Canadian Immigration and Customs.

Planes were entering Canadian Airspace at a rate of 2 Planes every Minute.

238 Planes with 45,000 Passengers and Crew en-route to the United States were re-routed to 17 Canadian Airports.

Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada is the first North American Airport on the Transatlantic Flight Route.

Gander Airport took in 38 Wide-Body Airplanes with 6,122 Passengers and Crew.

The Total Population of Gander at the time was 9,000 People and there were only 500 Hotel Rooms in the City.

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien stated that in the span of a few hours the Population of Gander jumped by more than 50%.

The People of Gander opened Schools, Community Centers and their Own Homes to house these Stranded People (including American.)

The People of Gander also donated Food, Clothes, Bedding, etc, to them.

Here are the other Canadian Airports that also took in American-Bound Airplanes:

Halifax International Airport in Nova Scotia handled 45 Flights

St. John's International Airport in Newfoundland handled 27 Flights

Winnipeg International Airport in Manitoba handled 15 Flights

Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario handled 14 Flights

Calgary International Airport in Alberta handled 13 Flights

Greater Moncton International Airport in New Brunswick handled 10 Flights

Montréal–Mirabel International Airport in Quebec handled 10 Flights

Stephenville International Airport in Newfoundland handled 13 Flights

Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay in Newfoundland handled 7 Flights

Montréal-Dorval International Airport in Quebec handled 7 Flights

Edmonton International Airport in Alberta handled 6 Flights

Hamilton International Airport in Ontario handled 4 Flights

Whitehorse International Airport in Yukon handled 2 Flights

Deer Lake Airport in Newfoundland handled 1 Flight

Yellowknife Airport in the Northwest Territories handled 2 Flights

Vancouver International Airport in British Columbia (the only major Canadian Airport on the West Coast capable of handling the large Aircraft used for Transpacific Flights took in 34 Planes with 8,500 Passengers and Crew.

After the Planes were diverted and landed and the Passengers and Crew were deplaned and went through Canadian Immigration and Customs the Canadians then had to house and feed all 45,000 Men, Women and Children.

Federal, Provincial, Territorial and Local Canadian Governments worked with Canadian Citizens to feed and house all 45,000 People for 5  days until they could go into the United States,

Operation Yellow Ribbon was the largest Emergency Operation in Civilian Aircraft History.

Canada did not have to endanger their own Citizens by allowing these Planes and People into their Country on 9-11.

They did it because they are a good, kind and caring People.

25 years later we should remember what the Canadians did for us Americans.

Welland Canal

The Welland Canal

The Welland Canal is a Ship Canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway.

The Canal was opened in 1829 and was last reconstructed in 1932 to allow for larger Cargo Ships to pass through it.

The Canal goes through the Niagara Peninsula and was built because the Niagara River (the only natural waterway connecting the Lakes) is unnavigable due to Niagara Falls.

The Canal goes from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.

3,000 Ships (carrying 40 Million Tons or 88 Billion Pounds) pass through the Welland Canal every year.

The Canal allowed goods from American Ports in the Great Lakes (Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee and Chicago) to travel to the Port of Montreal where they were loaded onto Ocean-Going Ships to go across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.

Lake Ontario (one of the 5 Great Lakes and named after the Iroquoian Native Tribe living in the area since 1639) was renamed to Lake America by US President Trump in August 2026.

Canada continues to only recognize the name it has used for 387 years: Lake Ontario.

Canada holds the cards in this dispute because they are refusing to allow any Cargo Ship (American, Canadian or Foreign) that uses the unrecognized name “Lake America” on their International Cargo Shipping Documents to use the Welland Canal.

That means American Shipping  - especially items and products that go through the Mid-West - is being stopped which means even more higher prices for Ordinary Americans (on top of the higher prices we pay in the form of Tariffs on Canadian Goods also recently imposed by President Trump.)

110: NPS

 

110 years ago today (August 25, 1916), U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed what has become known as the “Organic Act.” This Act created what we know as the National Park Service (NPS).

The new Agency was tasked with a very important, and challenging, Mission Statement. It reads, in part, that the NPS is:

“...to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

The NPS employs approximately 20,000 people in 425 individual units covering over 85 Million Acres in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories.

As of 2022, they had more than 279,000 Volunteers.

The NPS received 327 Million Visitors in 2023.

Incident

While driving to my mailbox, on the way to get BBQ, yesterday (August 15^th) I had an incident with one of the Homeless Guys who live near the mailboxes.

He was backing his truck and trailer right towards me and nearly hit me.

He then got out of his truck and started yelling at me - placing his hand on my open window and into my Jeep.

I tried to call the Town Police but the call dropped since there was no service.

I didn't know how much madder the Guy would get so I drove between his truck and trailer and the ditch, got my mail and left.

Since it’s Friday the Town Hall where the Police are is closed so I drove to the next Town and called the Non-Emergency Police Number to report the incident.

The Woman said the Town Police weren’t on duty and transferred me to the State Police.

The State Police told me to call the Non-Emergency Police number again and have them give a message to the Town Chief since it wasn’t an emergency.

I called the Non-Emergency number again and told the woman what the State Police told me.

She took my name, birthday and phone number and said someone would call me whenever the Police came back on duty.

Welcome to my Town where the Town Police aren’t 24/7 and the State Police are an hour away.

Note: The Homeless who live there regularly block the road with their large trucks and trailers so even our Mail Carrier has trouble getting to the mailboxes

I still haven't heard back from the Town Police about yesterday's incident.

It's not the first time the Town Police have done nothing.

Several years ago I came home to find random people on my property and they wouldn't leave.

I called the Town Police and was told they weren't on duty so they transferred me to the State Police who came an hour an a half later (by that time the people had left.)

Then a year or two after that the Town Highway Head (now Former Head) came onto my property and was yelling and swearing at me.

I told him to leave and he wouldn't.

I called the Town Police and the Police Chief (who is also the Chief of another Town) spoke to me by phone and said nothing could be done until it was the 3rd incident.

I asked him how can I prove it is a 3rd incident if there is no official record of a 1st and 2nd incident.

He didn't like me questioning his "intelligence."

For that one I sent a letter (certified so I knew everyone received it) to the Town Police and the Town Selectboard detailing both the incident and the lack of police support.

I will do the same this time.

Send a certified letter detailing the incident with the Homeless Guy and the lack of Town Police support.

This really is a place where you have to do everything yourself since those who are there to "serve and protect" are never on duty to serve or protect.

60: Tower

60 years ago today (August 1, 1966) The University of Texas Tower Shooting occurred in Austin, Texas.

(Charles Whitman, his Mother Margaret and his Wife Kathy)

Charles Whitman, a 25 year old Eagle Scout and Former Marine from 1959-1964 who was stationed at the US Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba  and earned the Sharpshooter’s Badge, first killed his 43 year old Mother, Margaret, by stabbing her in the heart at 12 am on August 1^st.

He then went to his home and stabbed his 23 year old Wife, Kathy, five times until she died – around 3 am on August 1^st.

Whitman then wrote his Suicide Note and at 11:48 am went to the Main Building (known as the Tower) at the University of Texas (UT) in Austin.

He then started randomly shooting at the People down below.

Whitman murdered 15 People and wounded another 31 People in the 96 minutes before he was killed by the Austin Police.

(Charlotte Darehshori takes refuge behind a flagpole as an injured student, Devereaux Huffman, lies beside a hedge)

Here are those who were murdered by Whitman at UT:

Edna Elizabeth Townsley (51). Receptionist. Bludgeoned into unconsciousness with the butt of Whitman's rifle, then shot in the head. Townsley died of her injuries two hours after Whitman's death.

Mark Jerome Gabour (16). Tourist. Shot in the head by Whitman as he attempted to navigate the makeshift barricade Whitman had constructed to the 28th floor.

Marguerite M. Lamport (56). Tourist. Shot by Whitman as she ascended the stairwell to the 28th floor. She was pronounced dead on arrival at Brackenridge Hospital.

Baby Boy Wilson. Unborn child of 18-year-old Claire Wilson—the first person shot from the UT Tower.

Thomas Frederick Eckman (18). Freshman student and fiancé of Claire Wilson. Eckman was shot through the chest seconds after Wilson was hit. He died almost immediately.

Dr. Robert Hamilton Boyer (33). Mathematician. Boyer may have been the third person shot from the tower; he was struck in the lower back. He was days away from relocating to England, where he had secured a teaching post at the University of Liverpool.

Karen Joan Griffith (17). A Lanier High School student and one of Kathleen Whitman's biology class students. Griffith received a shot in the shoulder and chest which pierced her right lung; she died seven days later.

Thomas Ray Karr (24). Senior student. Karr was shot in the spine as he walked to his apartment following a Spanish exam, reportedly as he attempted to assist Griffith. He died in a hospital emergency room at 1:10 p.m.

David Hubert Gunby (23). Engineering student. Gunby was shot in the upper left arm, the bullet entering his abdomen and severing his small intestine at approximately 11:55 a.m. During surgery, it was discovered that Gunby had only one functioning kidney, which had now been severely damaged; he was in great pain for the rest of his life. In November 2001, he died at age 58 one week after discontinuing dialysis resulting from his health having deteriorated to the degree of his becoming largely bedridden via kidney disease. His death was officially ruled a homicide.

Thomas Aquinas Ashton (22). Student and Peace Corps Volunteer. Ashton was killed while walking to meet three fellow Peace Corps Volunteers at the Student Union. He was shot once in the chest.

Paul Bolton Sonntag (18). High school graduate. Sonntag and his girlfriend, Claudia Rutt, took refuge behind a construction barricade on Guadalupe Street upon hearing gunfire from the UT Tower. When Sonntag abruptly stood, Whitman shot him in the mouth, killing him instantly.

Claudia Marilyn Rutt (18). High School Graduate and ballet dancer. Rutt was shot in the chest seconds after seeing her boyfriend shot through the mouth and attempting to go to his aid; she died several hours later.

Harry Walchuk (38). Walchuk was a PhD Student and Father of six Children. He was shot once in the chest on Guadalupe Street while leaving a magazine store.

Officer Billy Paul Speed (23). Austin Police officer. Patrolman Speed was shot through a gap in the masonry between decorative balusters on the South Mall at 12:08 p.m. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Brackenridge Hospital.

Roy Dell Schmidt (29). Electrician. Schmidt had taken cover with several other People behind his vehicle some 500 yards from the tower. Approximately 30 minutes after Whitman had begun shooting, Schmidt stood in the belief he was out of range and was almost immediately shot in the abdomen. He was the fatality farthest from the tower.

(The stone monument unveiled at the Tower Garden on the fiftieth Anniversary of the University of Texas tower shooting.)

At the time it was the deadliest Mass Shooting in the United States (a record it held until 1984.

Since Charles Whitman was a Veteran he was buried with Full Military Honors on August 5, 1966.

His body was exhumed a few days later for the Criminal Investigation.

His Brain was kept for further study by the M.D, Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

The Observation Deck of the Tower was closed until 1968 and then closed again from 1974-1999 after the Suicides of 4 Students.

The Shooting also helped lead to SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) Teams being created across the Country.

Deodorant

Be The Deodorant

There's nothing like riding ......

a crowded Subway in New York City on a hot and humid August day.

a crowded Metro Car in Moscow, Russia with all its odd smells.

being in a crowded street in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and smelling all the awful smells before a person even gets close to you.

having a creepy smelly Old Kuwaiti Guy sit on you at the Airport in Kuwait City, Kuwait.

being on a crowded bus in Wiesbaden, Germany with people who wear socks with their sandals but not deodorant.

being on a crowded Metro Car in Paris, France where you can only smell cologne and perfume instead of fresh air.

being in a crowded Trolleybus in Yaroslavl, Russia on a hot and humid Summer Day and having to push through so many people from the window to the door to leave.

I have experienced it all and much more.

In a world of Heat Waves and Bad Smells be the Deodorant.

Ice Cream States

 

Extra Smoke

 

Pet Food Pantry

 

If you need help feeding your Pet there are many Humane Societies and Rescues that help across the United States too.

If you don’t need help feeding your Pet across the United States then please consider donating: food or money to one of these groups so they can help others.

For info across the US:

https://genwags.com/pet-food-banks-pantries/

250: US Remembers

Americans Celebrate 250 Years of Independence today across the United States

Visiting History

Visiting History

I’ve been to many Battlefields and Museums.

Since today is Independence Day, I will focus on the places I’ve been to related to the Revolutionary War (1775-1783.)

I’ve Been to and Seen:

Lexington, Massachusetts and Concord, Massachusetts (The Shot Heard Around the World.)

Boston (The Boston Tea Party, The Siege of Boston and 1 if by Land 2 if by Sea.)

Fort Ticonderoga, New York (The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the Siege of Fort Ticonderoga.)

Long Island (The Battle of Long Island.)

Trenton, New Jersey (The Battle of Trenton.)

Bennington, Vermont (The Battle of Bennington.)

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (Where George Washington and the Continental Army Wintered.)

Saratoga, New York (The Battle of Saratoga – the Turning Point of the War.)

Savannah, Georgia (The Battle of Savannah and the Siege of Savannah.)

Charleston, South Carolina (The Siege of Charleston.)

Yorktown, Virginia (The Siege of Yorktown, the British Surrender.)

Philadelphia Pennsylvania (Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.)

Paris, France (where The Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolution was signed between the United States and the United Kingdom.)

When I was a Kid I went to Re-Enactments and met many of the Reenactors (on and off the Battlefield.)

11: Marriage

11 years ago today (June 26, 2015) the US Supreme Court made Gay Marriage legal throughout most of the United States.

Gay Marriage remains illegal on some Indian Reservations and the US Territory of American Samoa.

Massachusetts became the first US State or Territory to allow Gay Marriage in 2004.

68% of American Adults approve of Gay Marriage.

Homosexuality was first decriminalized in 1962 with Illinois becoming the first US State or Territory and last decriminalized (by the US Supreme Court) in 2003 in Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

However, there is currently a new Lavender Scare causing Unnecessary Mass Moral Panic across the United States (the same way it did in the 1940s-1970s.)

Many US States (such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Alabama, Indiana, Arizona, South Dakota, Iowa, Montana, Arkansas, Tennessee, etc.)  currently have or are working on making Anti-Homosexuality Laws where they can including: Education, Sports, “Don’t Say Gay”, Pride Parade Bans, Gay Book Bans, Boycotts,  etc.

The US Federal Government is also looking into doing away with Gay Marriage and many other Federal Homosexual Protections.

Politicians and Groups of People across the United States are trying to cause panic and fear against Homosexuals so attention is deflected from the real issues and so People have a Scapegoat to blame all their problems on.

I’m not Gay, but I support Gay Rights and Gay Marriage because I am Straight, but not Narrow (Minded.)

 

 

Lavender Scare

Lavender Scare

The US Government (which Occupied West Germany and Parts of Austria) after World War 2 decided to add parts of West Germany’s Paragraph 175 into Official Practice with the Lavender Scare.

In 1947 President Truman signed Executive Order 9835. Known as the Loyalty Order it sought to weed-out Communists and Homosexuals from the US Federal Government (Mainly the State Department) and the US Military.

From 1947-1953 3 Million People were investigated and 300 were fired from their jobs or Discharged from the US Military.

In 1953 President Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450 (which expanded The Loyalty Order and banned Homosexuals from applying for work throughout the whole US Federal Government and for serving in the US Military.)

US Senator Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn helped bring about the Mass Hysteria and Witch Hunts when they brought Investigations and Charges against many Homosexuals and Suspected-Homosexuals from 1947-1954.

McCarthy was Censured for his abuse of Power in 1954. He died of Alcoholism in 1957.

Cohn was disbarred in 1986 for Unethical Conduct. He died of AIDS in 1986.

From 1947-1973 10,000 Federal Employees were fired for being Homosexual (and unknown number of Job Applicants were also investigated and not hired for being Homosexual.)

From 1940-2011 over 100,000 Homosexuals were kicked-out of the US Military (including 14,000 during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Era from 1993 to 2011.)

Those fired or not even hired for being Homosexual didn’t just lose a job, but the US Government sent their records to their State for further investigation (Homosexuality was also illegal in most States until a few started Decriminalizing it in 1961 and it became legal nationwide in 2003) as well as to any Place looking for a reference to hire these people.

In 1975 the US Federal Government agreed to hire Homosexuals on a “case-by-case basis.”

In 1977 the State Department ended its ban on Homosexuals working for them.

Homosexuals have been able to serve openly in the US Military since 2011.

Same-Sex Marriage became legal nationwide in the US in 2015 (except for some Indian Reservations and the US Territory of American Samoa.)

Executive Order 9835 and Executive Order 10450 were repealed in 2017, when President Obama signed Executive Order 13764.

Again, the US’ Lavender Scare and the Official Anti-Homosexual Federal Laws were created after seeing how Kaiser Germany, the Weimer Republic, Nazi Germany, West Germany and the United Germany used Paragraph 175.

There is currently a new Lavender Scare causing Unnecessary Mass Moral Panic across the United States (the same way it did in the 1940s-1970s.)

Currently, the US States of Alabama, Texas and Florida have Official Anti-Homosexual Laws.

Many other US States are also looking into creating their own Anti-Homosexual Laws.

The US Federal Government is also looking into doing away with Gay Marriage and many other Federal Homosexual Protections.

Politicians and Groups of People across the United States are trying to cause panic and fear against Homosexuals so attention is deflected from the real issues and so People have a Scapegoat to blame all their problems on.

Loving Day

Today (June 12th) is Loving Day in the US.

(Mildred and Richard Loving in 1967.)

It remembers the 1967 US Supreme Court Decision that Anti-Miscegenation Laws (laws that criminalize relationships and marriage of Interracial Couples) are unconstitutional.

The case was brought on by Mildred Delores Loving (née Jeter) and Richard Perry Loving.

Mildred Loving was born on July 22, 1939 in Central Point, Virginia.  She was half African-American and half Native-American.

Richard Perry was born on October 29, 1933 in Central Point, Virginia. He was White.

Central Point, Virginia (like the rest of the American South) had Jim Crow Laws that made it legal to openly discriminate against Non-Whites.

Virginia's “One-Drop Rule” codified in Law in 1924 as the Racial Integrity Act, required all Residents to be classified as "White" or "Colored", refusing to use People's longstanding identification as Indian among several Tribes in the state so Mildred Jeter was considered Colored by the State of Virginia.

Virginia also had Anti-Miscegenation Laws that made it illegal for a White Person and a Non-White Person to have a Sexual Relationship and to Marry each other.

In 1958, when Mildred was 18 she became Pregnant and they decided to marry in June 1958 and traveled to Washington, D.C., to do so (due to Virginia’s Anti-Miscegenation Laws.)

The Lovings continued to live in Central Point, Virginia and were arrested by the County Sheriff for "cohabiting as Man and Wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth."

They pled Guilty and were convicted by the Caroline County Circuit Court on January 6, 1959. They were sentenced to 1 year in Prison, suspended for 25 years on the condition that they leave Virginia. They moved to Washington, D.C.

They were frustrated by their inability to travel together to visit their families in Virginia, and by social isolation and financial difficulties in Washington, D.C.

In 1964, after their youngest Son was hit by a car in the busy streets, they decided they needed to move back to their hometown, and they filed suit to vacate the judgment against them so they would be allowed to return home to Virginia.

In 1964, Mildred Loving wrote in protest to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. RFK referred her to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU filed a motion on the Lovings' behalf to vacate the Judgment and set aside the sentence, on the grounds that the statutes violated the Fourteenth Amendment. This began a series of lawsuits and the case ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court.

The Case, Loving v. Virginia, was decided unanimously in the Lovings' favor on June 12, 1967.

The Court overturned their Convictions, dismissing Virginia's argument that the law was not discriminatory because it applied equally to and provided identical penalties for both White and Black persons.

The Supreme Court ruled that the Anti-Miscegenation Statute violated both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Lovings returned to Virginia after the Supreme Court decision where they lived for the rest oof their lives.

On June 29, 1975, a Drunk Driver struck the Lovings' car in Caroline County, Virginia. Richard was killed in the crash, at age 41. Mildred lost her right eye.

Mildred died of Pneumonia on May 2, 2008 at the age of 68.

 

Anti-Miscegenation Laws In the United States:

Repealed before 1887:

Illinois: From 1829 until 1874

Iowa: From 1839 until 1851

Kansas: From 1855 until 1859

Maine: From 1821 until 1883

Massachusetts: From 1705 until 1843

Michigan: From 1838 until 1883

New Mexico: From 1857 until 1866

Ohio: From 1861 until 1887

Pennsylvania: From 1725 until 1780

Rhode Island: From 1798 until 1881

Washington: From 1855 until 1868

 

 Repealed before 1967:

Arizona: From 1865 until 1962

California: From 1850 until 1948

Colorado: From 1864 until 1957

Idaho: From 1864 until 1959

Indiana: From 1818 until 1965

Maryland: From 1692 until 1967

Montana: From 1909 until 1953

Nebraska: From 1855 until 1963

Nevada: From 1861 until 1959

North Dakota: From 1909 until 1955

Oregon: From 1862 until 1951

South Dakota; From 1909 until 1957

Utah: From 1852 until 1963

Wyoming: From 1913 until 1965

 

 Repealed Because of the 1967 Loving Case:

Alabama: From 1822 until 1967 (2000 by Law)

Arkansas: From 1838 until 1967 (1973 by Law)

Delaware: From 1807 until 1967 (1986 by Law)

Florida: From 1832 until 1967 (1968 by Law)

Georgia: From 1750 until 1967 (1972 by Law)

Kentucky: From 1792 until 1967 (1974 by Law)

Louisiana: From 1724 until 1967 (1975 by Law)

Mississippi: From 1822 until 1967 (1987 by Law)

Missouri: From 1835 until 1967 (1969 by Law)

North Carolina: From 1715 until 1967 (1973 by Law)

Oklahoma: From 1897 until 1967 (1969 by Law)

South Carolina: From 1717 until 1967 (1972 by Law)

Tennessee: From 1741 until 1967 (1978 by Law)

Texas: From 1837 until 1967 (1969 by Law)

Virginia: From 1691 until 1967 (1968 by Law)

West Virginia; From 1863 until 1967 (1969 by Law)

 

The Following States Never had Miscegenation Laws:

Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire

Tipping

 

Let’s be clear on something: A Restaurant or Business CAN pay their Employees MORE in Salary than the Federal or State Minium Wage.

Restaurants and Businesses DO NOT want to pay their Employees more in Salary than the Federal or State Minium Wage.

The Restaurants and Businesses want to keep more money for themselves and try to shame its Customers into making up the difference.

I DO believe in Tipping.

I DO NOT believe in Tipping everywhere I go where I do the work myself (Stores, Self-Checkouts, etc.)

I DO NOT believe in being the Person who has to make sure the Employee can make ends meet (that is the job of the Restaurant or Business and even the State and Federal Governments.)

Shaming Customers only wants you lose Customers (and their money.)

Note: I worked as a Dishwasher when I was in 10^th Grade and we never got any of the Tips (and since I was a Minor I made less money than the Adult Dishwashers doing the same job as Me.)

Price Of Beef

The US Federal Government’s Minimum Wage is $7.25 an hour.

19 States have their Minium Wage tied to the Federal Government’s Minium Wage:

Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.

The US Federal Government allows Tipped Position Employees to make just $2.13 an hour.

The US Federal Government allows Business to pay the Disabled $2.17 an hour.

The Average Price of 1 pound of Ground Beef across the United States currently costs $8.15.

That means that Ordinary Americans in the 19 States where they make only $7.25 an hour (before Taxes) have to work at least 1 hour and 30 minutes to be able to buy 1 pound of Ground Beef (maybe a little longer depending on the State’s Sales Tax.)

Those who work for Tips as well the Disabled have to work much longer just to be able to buy the same 1 pound of Ground Beef.

Of course this doesn’t include the high cost (and constantly rising) for other Foods like: Vegetables, Fruits, Bread, Dairy, Fish, Pork, Chicken, Steaks, Soda, etc. but it does show a bad trend for Ordinary Americans in 2026.

Add to all of this the high cost (and constantly rising) for; Home Electricity, Home Water, Home Heating, Clothing, Gas, Diesel, Rent, Mortgage, Car Insurance, Home Insurance, Property Taxes, School Taxes, Health Care Costs, etc. and there are literally not enough hours in a day for Millions upon Millions of Ordinary Americans to work Full-Time and still be able to afford the Basics.

Note: In 2025, the Average Price of 1 pound of Ground Beef across the United States cost $6.19.

US AC

 

Flag In

Flag In.

Soldiers placed American Flags across 250,000 Graves at Arlington National Cemetery and 13,500 Graves at the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery for Memorial Day (this Monday – May 25^th.)

Holiday Travel

45 Million Americans are expected to travel from this Thursday (May 21st) until this Monday (May 25th.)

39 Million will travel by road.

6 Million will travel by plane.

Stay safe and have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!