The Daily Dose/May 5, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
GOOD GOD…ALREADY WITH THE DRY, TECHNICAL MATTER: Inspiration for this item came from today’s quote in Some Philosophy Crap. It’s from Volume X of Will Durant’s The Story of Civilization, which covers Rousseau and 18th-century Europe.
Europe was ready for a gospel that would exalt feeling above thought.
USA! USA!: This quote – accurate since time immemorial – brilliantly and succinctly summarizes America right now, because collectively we Americans now prefer reacting to feelings rather than knowledge. Our opinion is that it can be traced back to the Reagan Administration, because Reagan was the most managed president to date, with everything becoming subject to spin and message control. Though new at the time, it quickly became the standard and today infiltrates and hamstrings every aspect of American life.
Fly In The Ointment: No one talks from the heart anymore, and as a result we Americans can no longer handle an opposing viewpoint. There was a time when we could, a time when a differing opinion did not result in disagreement, and sometimes rancor and bitterness, but that time has passed.
Dry, Technical Matter: As a result, when Donald Trump announced for the presidency in 2015, he found a base ready to react with feelings to his ignorant blather rather than knowledge. Because had both you and me – we the people – and the media thought about it, Trump wouldn’t even have made it to the primaries. He would’ve been dismissed as the lying, blatherskite he is.
Almost The Bottom Line: Now America is in the second term of being governed by a man with zero moral or intellectual substance. We’ve been subjected to idiocies like Canada as the 51st state, tariffs that we ended up paying, and the illegal and immoral war in Iran. All because Donald Trump made enough voters feel good about themselves as he spewed his nonsense every day.
The Bottom Line: We deserve better than this. We deserve a government that is intelligently and competently governed, but America is not demanding that right now. Trump is what we’ve settled for.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow is unable to solve a knotty problem. Today’s Diary.
…we thought…we’ll just check him out of their system for the actual dates of the initial stay, adjusting the dates accordingly…Wrongo…Their system wouldn’t let me do that…So – in finest nite audit tradition – the matter was referred to day shift for final disposition.
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1961 – Alan Shepard, riding on Freedom 7, becomes the first American to travel in space. Shepard was launched from Cape Canaveral at 9:34 am and he landed 263 nautical miles away in the Atlantic Ocean 15 minutes later, after having attained a maximum altitude of 116 nautical miles. Shepard later walked on the Moon as commander of Apollo 14, and a nautical mile is roughly 6,000 feet.
In 1908 – Stone Street, ridden by Arthur Pickens, wins the Kentucky Derby, defeating Sir Cleges by three lengths. It was the only Triple Crown race victory for Pickens, who in 1916 would win two-thirds of the Canadian Triple Crown, the King’s Plate and the Breeder’s Stakes. Stone Street went off at 24-1 and paid $123.60 to win, and his time, on a muddy track, of 2:15.20 remains the slowest Kentucky Derby time ever.
In 1962 – The Shirelles are at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of three consecutive weeks with Soldier Boy. It was the fifth of six Top 10 hits for the group, and was their second and final #1 song. The song also went #1 in New Zealand and Canada, peaked at #23 in Great Britain, at #3 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 10th-biggest song of the year.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Europe was ready for a gospel that would exalt feeling above thought.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol. X: Rousseau and Revolution
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
Grand Funk’s first #1 song on the Hot 100 was We’re an American Band, which spent one week at the top in 1973.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who was the first human to fly in space? – Answer next time!
