The Daily Dose/October 1, 2021
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Editors Note: save for some minor factual corrections, today’s column runs as it did two years ago today.
THE TIMES THEY WERE A-CHANGIN’: Today is the 59th anniversary of James Meredith becoming the first black to attend the University of Mississippi and he figures prominently in today’s column. Meredith is, obviously, the subject of this item, and the occasion is referenced in On This Date and Meredith has today’s Some Philosophy Crap selection as well. By any measure, it is a momentous day in American history, and it came only 97 years after the end of the Civil War.
Quote That Sucker: In an interview later in his life, Meredith had this to say:
Nothing could be more insulting to me than the concept of civil rights. It means perpetual second-class citizenship for me and my kind.
Why this quote is not on its way to living down the ages is beyond us because it should be embraced by blacks, whites, reds and greens. It cuts right to the heart of what the American experience should be about: a society where the only identity that matters is that of American.
Fly In The Ointment: Should be about, but isn’t. America has always made everyone except white males work like hell for every gain. Even today, 156 years after the Civil War, we relegate non-whites to second-class status by insisting that American identities be hyphenated.
This is wrong. Sure, all of us come from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. Personally, half of our blood is as Mexican as a siesta with the other half as English as baked beans on toast. We don’t think of ourselves as anything other than American. And unless you are directly descended from the Indians that originally patrolled these lands, you are descended from someone who came from somewhere else.
USA! USA! But we are all American. To oblige some to further identify themselves by hyphenating their American identity is insulting and until we stop degrading our fellow citizens like this we will always be a racist country.
Some Philosophy Crap: Friends, we rise as a society and we fall as a society. As long as we mandate people refer to themselves as African-Americans or Asian-Americans – or anything other than American – we will always relegate those so required to second-class citizenship.
America The Beautiful: And as long as we keep doing that we will always be a second-class nation.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow gets some good sleep. Today’s Diary.
A patented Sparrow Rollover probably could’ve yielded two or three more hours, but that would’ve thrown matters off and the cat was pleading for her morning canned yummy ration anyway, so we got up and put a pot of coffee going.
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On This Date
The long march to today.
In 1962 – James Meredith, escorted by federal marshalls, becomes the first black to attend the University of Mississippi. The attendant rioting killed two people and injured over 300, including over 150 US Marshals. Meredith was welcomed immediately, with students in the dorm room above him bouncing basketballs all night and they allowed him privacy when using the dining hall. Meredith, an Air Force veteran, had previously attended Jackson State and graduated from Ole Miss the following year with a political science degree and he later earned a law degree from Columbia. Now 88, Meredith lives in Jackson, Mississippi.
In 1933 – Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees makes his final major league pitching appearance, throwing a complete game in a 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox. Ruth gave up twelve hits and walked three and finished his career with a 94-46 record and a 2.88 ERA in 163 games and 147 starts, totals which include 107 complete games and 17 shutouts. Ruth had won his first game with the Red Sox in 1914 and still holds the World Series record for most innings pitched in a game (14, Game 2, 1916, vs Brooklyn).
In 1977 – Meco is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Stars Wars Theme/Cantina Band. It was the first of five Top 40 hits for Meco and remains his only #1 song. Despite its title, the song was not part of the Star Wars soundtrack, being written by Meco after he’d seen the movie a few times. Meco was born Meco Monardo in Pennsylvania in 1939 and served in the US Army after attending West Point. The song also went to #1 in Canada and peaked at #7 in Great Britain.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Nothing could be more insulting to me than the concept of civil rights. It means perpetual second-class citizenship for me and my kind.
James Meredith
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Ned Williamson of the Chicago White Stockings – now the Cubs – held the major league single-season home record before Babe Ruth, hitting 27 home runs in 1884.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was the most games Babe Ruth won in a single major league season? – Answer next time!
