3 January 2008 - Interesting day...now and historically
So today the Iowa Caucuses are taking place.....yawn.
Can you name for me another election year event that has less impact on the process of picking a president as it relates to the attention that it gets?
Actually, if Iowa held a PRIMARY this would be a decent indication to the idiots on the coasts what the rest of us think. But some odd sort of Hawkeye tradition, the Iowa Caucuses take up more time and because of that, fewer people participate. That is what makes the results from Iowa less important.
On Monday, the New Hampshire Primary takes place and people will take their cues from a small, odd New England state instead of the midwest. And let's face it, the best place to get the real pulse of America is in the middle. Whether in the Midwest, the Southeast, Southwest, Great Plains or Rocky Mountain states, the thoughts of the bulk of Americans is different than what we get from the major news media groups based in New York, Washington, Atlanta, or...God forbid, Los Angeles.
Those folks don't get the rest of us, so they look down their noses at us. They want to reach down from their ivory towers and tussle our hair and say, "Aw, how cute." That is how those folks view the rest of us. Read Bernie Goldberg's "Bias" or "Arrogance" for more details. In fact, Bernie asserts that news organizations would be better at serving their audience if they were based in places like Mitchell, South Dakota. Think about that for a moment. Can you picture Katie Couric doing the CBS Evening News from inside the Mitchell Corn Palace? (Fun to think about, isn't it.)
So, when the day ends, and the results from the Iowa Caucuses are in.....whatever.
The next time we will be seeing the news teams invading Iowa is when corn prices go through the roof due to the misguided efforts to use it for ethanol and not chicken and cattle feed.
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Alright, this day in history.
Leonardo da Vinci tests a flying machine in 1496. Didn't work. But many of his concepts were lated used in powered flight.
Also not successful in aviation on January 3rd, Greg Boyington was shot down in his F4U Corsair on this date in 1944. Of course, Boyington was quite successful before this date. In fact, he was presumed dead and awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously. Only to later get it when he was released from the Japanese prisoner of war camp.
The first television incarnation of "Dragnet" debuted on NBC on this date in 1951. Just a fact.
Cuba probably doesn't think much of this date in history, or maybe they do. In 1961, the USA severed diplomatic relations with Cuba. A year later, Pope John XXIII excommunicated Fidel Castro.
Baseball fans probably don't think much of January 3rd, especially back in 1973 when George Steinbrenner purchased the New York Yankees from CBS.
And a little better news, it was on this date in 1959 that Alaska became the 49th state.
Comment as you see fit. Thank you for reading!
