Exploring Iowa in 1844

Captain James Allen (1806-1846) graduated from West Point in the same year as Robert E. Lee.  Trained as an engineer, Allen was posted at Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan Territory.  In 1832, he was part of an expedition along the upper reaches of the Mississippi River.  Attached to the First Dragoons, he saw duty throughout the west, from St. Louis to Chicago to Fort Leavenworth.  In 1842, he was posted in Iowa, Captain of Company I.  In 1843, he established and commanded Fort Des Moines.  The following year, he set out to explore north and west.

The details of his 2-month expedition (August to October 1844) are available here.  Often, such documents are mostly an account of daily tasks, the lay of the land, notable flora and fauna, and the occasional bit of excitement.  This one certainly has most of these but lacks the excitement.  Indeed, the most exciting parts are when the men are stuck in the mud during a heavy rain or one of the wagons breakdown.  On several occasions, the column - Allen's command consisted of approximately 70 men - encountered Souix warriors, but nothing came of it.  The Souix monitored the soldiers but there were no hostilities.  Allen's account was submitted to the House of Representatives in March of 1846.

There are multiple maps and even an additional account of the expedition from an anonymous soldier in his command.  Having lived in Iowa for many years, it is interesting to see it as a wilderness to be explored.

In 1844, Joseph Smith - founder of the Mormon Religion - was murdered in Illinois and his followers fled.  Many were encamped in Iowa with plans to migrate further west.  In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico.  Troops were needed.  Captain James Allen recruited 500 Mormons from among those in Iowa; thus the Mormon Battalion was formed.  The battalion set out from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to rendezvous with the Army of the West in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  N.B. Neither Iowa nor Kansas were states yet.  Lt. Col. Allen fell ill and was unable to depart with his troops, remaining at Fort Leavenworth with the intention of catching up later.  He died on August 23, 1846.

Iowa became the 29th State on December 28, 1846.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)

It is 1792 and the Reign of Terror has begun in Paris, but a daring Englishman has undertaken the task of rescuing as many French nobles from Madame Guillotine as he can.  In the open, Baronett Percy Blakeny (Anthony Andrews) is a dull-witted fop who attends the best parties in Paris.  Behind the scenes, he is the Scarlet Pimpernel, the leader of a small band who save as many as they can.  While playing the fop, he meets the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, Marguerite (Jane Seymour) and falls instantly in love.  However, there is another who seeks her affections, a functionary in the new French government, Chauvelin (Ian McKellen).  Marguerite senses that Percy is not the dandy that he plays, but she doesn't know his secret.  She falls for him and the two are wed.  Bliss in reach, Percy learns something of Marguerite that threatens his marriage and his mission.  Worse, her former flame, Chauvelin, has been tasked with finding the Scarlet Pimpernel!

Anthony Andrews steals the show with his portrayal of the Scarlet Pimpernel.  His focus on the trivial combined with his snooty delivery paints a picture of a wealthy self-centered twit.  I was reminded of his character from Brideshead Revisited.  His claim of being a poet is laughable.  He is such an obnoxious noble that it is no wonder that he was never suspected as the daring and elusive Pimpernel.  "Sink me," is his repeated expression, one I've heard nowhere else but proves quite fitting to the character.  He brings humor to a somber story.  Oddly, the Scarlet Pimpernel, written in 1905, became a blueprint for other wealthy do-gooders who donned a disguise to fight evil: Zorro (1919), the Shadow (1931), and Batman (1939) to name a few.

Jane Seymour is good in her role but has little to do.  Marguerite is subject to the tides of fate, a pawn of Chauvelin and a potential threat to Percy.  It did appear to be her own fault in that she explain how she was implicated in the death of a noble family when it was clearly bothering her husband.

Ian McKellen is not well-served by the script.  He is easily foiled by the Pimpernel.  His one apparent success turns to his greatest failure.  A more challenging adversary would have been better.

I was quite surprised to see Julian Fellowes - creator of Downton Abbey - as the Prince Regent!  I didn't realize he was an actor.  Yes, he has a long list of credits, many in films that I have seen.  Cool.

Overall, a great period piece with good costumes, excellent acting, and an entertaining story.  Great popcorn fun and recommended.

A Ridiculous Comparison

From Michael Beschloss on NBC to an article in The Hill, historians are likening Joe Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race to George Washington's retirement after his 2nd term.  That's utter nonsense and any honest historian knows it.  It is this sort of drivel that has ruined the reputation of higher education.  George Washington could have been king!  He could have served as president for life.  He did neither.  Despite being in a position to dictate the future of the now free colonies, he stepped aside.  Unanimously chosen to serve as the first president, he accepted the burden.  When he retired again, he said to John Adams - the 2nd president - "I am fairly out, and you are fairly in.  See which of us will be the happiest."  He did not covet power, which is his greatness.

Biden withdrew because his party demanded it.  Campaign donations had dried up after his horrendous debate performance.  It would be better to compare him to Lyndon Johnson, who withdrew on account of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam.  Viewed as an American defeat, it was the straw that broke the camel's back.  LBJ was divisive yet effective.  Despite his overwhelming victory for re-election in 1964, he saw his odds of winning in 68 as long.  Yeah, that sounds a lot more like Joe Biden.  Biden's mental decline has been obvious throughout his presidency even as the media and his party have sought to hide it.  The debate wrecked that strategy.  His odds of winning in November were approaching nil.  The party needed to make a change or Trump would return.

Less partisan historians in the future will see that Joe Biden was a figurehead, an ambitious politician who achieved the presidency after his capacity to fill that role had faded.  He will be compared with Woodrow Wilson, who spent the end of his presidency as an invalid on account of a stroke.  Jill Biden will be compared to Edith Wilson; first ladies who sought to hide their husband's ailments from the public and perhaps exercise power in their stead.

BLM is Right!

Black Lives Matter has observed that their preferred candidate, Joe Biden, who won the nomination in a democratic process throughout the states, has now been replaced by Kamala Harris only 24 hours after Biden withdrew.  Where is the democratic process in that?  If a Democratic stalwart such as BLM openly points at the clearly undemocratic transition from Biden to Harris, it must be a valid argument.

Of course, BLM needn't worry.  The odds are that Kamala's poll numbers will sink as low, if not lower, than Joe Biden's.  Those delegates that she has 'secured' will suddenly become free to vote for other contenders.  Unless Kamala is polling strongly against Trump, the real nominee will be chosen at the convention.  The amount of democracy involved in the choice of the true nominee may not be much more than the level that was used to select Kamala, but the spin will be much better.

President Biden Explains

On Sunday, President Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential Campaign.  Today, he addressed the American people to explain why.  First off, it's been his greatest honor to serve as president.  In fact, he holds that his performance in the job clearly merited a second term.  On the other hand, democracy is at stake!  As such, he is handing the baton to a younger generation, namely Vice President Kamala Harris.  It is up to the American people to preserve democracy, honesty, justice, and unity by voting for VP Harris.

President Biden explained nothing.  He could not admit to deteriorating health without thereby justifying his removal by the 25th Amendment.  He indirectly admitted that he dropped out because he was likely to lose, and 'Democracy' is too important to risk.  I'm sure all those primary voters who voted for Joe would have instead voted for Kamala, right?  Joe was ousted by his own party, but he can't say that either.  Though the speech was only 11 minutes and the teleprompter clearly reflected in the window behind him, he still had trouble getting through it.  Who is really calling the shots?

"A republic, if you can keep it."

A republic is not a democracy.  The speechwriter either doesn't know that or thought the two are interchangeable.  The republic has already suffered some serious damage and the Democrats champion further demolition with talk of ending the electoral college, censoring 'hate' speech, letting non-citizens vote, including non-residents in census, expansion of the federal government to the detriment of state and local governments, etc.

Who's Going to Tell Joe?

Richard Nixon announced his resignation live.  LBJ announced his decision not to run for re-election in a presidential address.  Joe Biden posted a letter.  Really?  Supposedly, some of the White House staff learned that the president was withdrawing via X (Twitter).  The obvious decline of Joe Biden could no longer be hidden or excused after his trouncing in the June debate.  The move in his party to remove Biden grew until he finally agreed that he should step aside.  Or did he?  If he agreed, one would expect him to have given a national address.  But now, it's a fait accompli.  The speech writers are working on his eventual public address.

Cynics hold that this was always in the cards.  Vivek Ramaswamy argued in the early primaries that Joe Biden would not be the nominee.  Lucky guess?  Doubtful.  Joe Biden stayed on the ballot and hid in the basement just long enough to secure the nomination.  Now, the party elites can pick his successor.  It has long been clear that the party doesn't trust its voters, which is why superdelegates exist.  Had Biden not been in the primaries, RFK Jr. might have won the nomination.  That was so unacceptable that the party has driven him to run as an Independent.

Will it be VP Harris?  Seeing as she was the first candidate to be eliminated in the 2020 primaries, she looks to be a weak choice.  But the Biden-Harris campaign war chest can only be spent if she is the nominee.  Will the Democratic Convention select her?  With Biden out, his delegates are probably free to pick whomever they like.  Gavin Newsom?  Gretchen Whitmer?  Josh Shapiro?  Pete Buttigieg?  Will these politicians try to sway the nation, or will they just shake hands in the smoke-filled rooms?  Just like old times.

The New Conspiracy

Throughout my life, the JFK Assassination has been the subject of speculation and conspiracies.  Over the years, I have bought into some of the conspiracies, discarded them, accepted the Warren Commission's conclusions, and finally shrugged with apathy.  Of course, that happened before I was born.

The shot at Trump a week ago has already spawned speculation and conspiracies.  There is a claim that there were 2 shooters: Thomas Crooks and a man on the water tower.  The photo of the 'man' on the water tower has the same sharp picture quality of most UFO sightings.  Another fellow states that the rifle reports sound different, indicating different guns and/or different locations.  The plentiful reports that Crooks was observed acting suspiciously before the event and spotted on the roof with a rifle well before he fired looks really bad for the Secret Service.  During one press conference, a police officer admitted that the shooter was confronted on the roof, but the officer retreated when the rifle was aimed at him.  What?!  How did that not lead to the immediate evacuation of President Trump?

Then we have the conspiracies.  Some claim Trump arranged the shooting to gain sympathy.  Really?  Others say his ear was cut by glass from a shattered teleprompter.  There is even a theory that the massive computer crash of yesterday was a CIA op to allow them to wipe out evidence that would show they planned the assassination attempt.  Right.  Any regular reader of this blog is aware that I have a low opinion of government and the following quote probably explains the security blunders from last week.

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Robert J. Hanlon

After hundreds of events over a period of many years, people get lazy.  Nothing ever happens.  Look how often TSA fails.  How long have people claimed that terrorist are flooding over the southern border (I am among them) and yet no big terrorist attacks.  See.  It doesn't make a difference.  Apathy sets in.  A year ago, maybe just one thing was missed before a rally, but now lots of things are overlooked.

Since Trump survived, this incident won't rise to the level of the JFK Assassination, but it will be the focus of conspiracy theories for the next several years.

Firewalker (1986)

Max (Chuck Norris) and Leo (Louis Gossett Jr.) are treasure hunters who have been on a great many adventures but have little to show for it.  After escaping their latest peril of being staked out in the desert, the pair are having a drink when a beautiful woman (Melody Anderson) arrives.  She claims to have visions and knows where to find a lost Aztec treasure.  First, they consult with a Shaman, Tall Eagle (Will Sampson), in Arizona who might have some clues of where to look.  The trio find their way to a cave where they fight native American warriors.  However, they recover a golden knife with a gem-encrusted hilt.  Seemingly in a trance, Patricia stabs the knife into a map of Central America, impaling the country of San Miguel.  Off to San Miguel, they trek into the jungle in search of a temple that matches a cave painting they saw in Arizona.  Along they way, they are repeatedly harassed by The Coyote (Sonny Landham), a one-eyed villain with inexplicable powers.  Will they find a treasure hoard or is this just another of their fruitless treasure hunts?

Chuck Norris and Louis Gossett Jr. have good chemistry in this buddy adventure.  Their banter is light and funny, an unusual switch for Norris.  This was his attempt at a comedy.  He does it better than I would expect but it still feels off thanks to his history as an emotionless tough guy.  Norris described the movie as a little bit Romancing the Stone and Raiders of the Lost Arc mixed with the comedy of Crocodile Dundee and the buddy action of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  That's a tall order.  This is nowhere near as good as any of those films, but it is still entertaining.

Good popcorn fun!

Political Incitement

In 2011, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot while attending a rally.  In the immediate aftermath, fingers were pointed at the rhetoric of Sarah Palin.  In a campaign ad aimed at defeating Democrats in the state of Arizona, a crosshair was used for targeting various districts, Giffords' among them.  Clearly, this was Palin calling upon some 'patriot' to gun down the opposition.  Thus, for several months following the shooting, the mainstream media became language police.  Terms like target, tackle, fight, battleground, and the like became unacceptable.  Why?  Because crazy people will take it seriously.  As Giffords was a Democrat, the Republicans were blamed, most especially Republican Sarah Palin.

Let's fast forward to today.  Donald Trump has been vilified by the media as the next coming of Hitler, as a would-be fascist dictator.  After the recent presidential debate, Biden himself said it was time "to put Trump in a bullseye."  The fiery rhetoric against Trump makes Palin's ad campaign from 2011 pale in comparison.  Some pundits have predicted that there would be an assassination attempt on Trump.  It is a common trope that anyone who could time travel would be obligated to kill Hitler.  Well, everyone on the left is claiming that Trump will be as bad as Hitler, so obviously it is reasonable - required even - that he be prevented from becoming president, by whatever means are necessary.  Right?

Though we know nothing of the shooter at this point, it is virtually guaranteed that he will be similar to Jared Loughner, James Hodgkins (shot Republican Congressmen at a baseball practice), or John Hinckley Jr. (shot President Reagan).  Another crazy person who responded to the not so subtle messaging that this or that politician is a threat to the country.

If Sarah Palin's ads were political incitement against Gabby Giffords, then the fiery rhetoric of Democrats at all levels is also political incitement.  Let's dial back the accusations of fascism.  Of course, the Democrats are on the losing side as far as inflation, the border, law & order, and foreign wars.

Inside Out 2 (2024)

Riley (Kensington Tallman) has just finished middle school and is headed to high school.  Also, puberty has just struck!  Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear, Anger, Sadness, and Disgust are satisfied with the personality that they have forged, but then new emotions arrive in the control room!  Anxiety (Maya Hawke) immediately takes control and banishes the old emotions to the back of the mind.  Riley's life goes into a tailspin as she tries to impress her future teammates on the hockey team, often at the expense of her longtime friends, Bree and Grace.  In addition to Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment enter the control room.  Yes, it is a tough time for Riley.  Can Joy and the old emotions restore Riley's old personality, or will the happy girl become an emotional wreck who hurts her friends to become popular?

Generally a good movie though the hyper-competitiveness felt more like a bunch of boys than girls.  Maybe that's just me.  It is also strange that the various emotions have emotions, most noticeable in the lead emotions: Joy and Anxiety.

Good popcorn fun.

The Beekeeper (2024)

Adam Clay (Jason Statham) is a beekeeper in Massachusetts.  He rents a barn on the property of Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad).  It is clear that Clay has gotten close to very few people and Eloise is one of them.  Thus, when Eloise is robbed of everything by some online scammers, Clay immediately sets out for vengeance.  It turns out that the mild-mannered beekeeper has a violent history that makes him extremely dangerous.  In fact, ludicrously so.  Yes, the movie quickly crosses the line into fantasy where no amount of FBI agents, Secret Service Agents, SWAT teams, or former Special Forces can stand up to him.

The Beekeepers is an agency (?) outside of the government with the job of protecting the hive, that is the American polity.  That sounds like an incredibly bad idea.  When Clay is forced to face his replacement, there is no subtlety.  The Beekeepers care little of collateral damage.  Nor do they care about stealth.  Every agency has a picture of Clay early in the movie.

The action is entertaining, but the plot is beyond belief.  Why did Jeremy Irons agree to star in this?  Ever since he did Dungeons & Dragons (2000), it feels like he'll take any role.  It also looks like the villain was based on Hunter Biden!  The son of the president does shady deals to make buckets of money and also does cocaine in the presidential residence.

Mediocre.  Skip.