Lincoln's Birthday and stuffs

 Today is the 2nd day of the 7th week, the 12th day of the 2nd month, the 43rd day of 2024, and:

• Clean Out Your Computer Day - inside and out
• Cream Bun Day
• Hug Day
• International Darwin Day - celebrating the most well known advocate for the theory of evolution on his birthday 214 years ago
• International Epilepsy Day
• Lincoln's Birthday
• NAACP Day
• National Football Hangover Day - always the Monday after the Super Bowl is played
• National Freedom to Marry Day
• National Lost Penny Day
• National Plum Pudding Day
• National Poop Day
• Oatmeal Monday [AKA Meal Monday] 
• Oglethorpe Day -  [AKA Georgia Day] commemorating his arrival in what was to become Savannah, Georgia in 1733
• Paul Bunyan Day - born in Bangor, Maine this day in 1834
• Red Hand Day - the international campaign to stop the use of children as soldiers 
• Safety Pup Day
• Shrove Monday
• and Voyager 1 is 22h 34m 27s of light travel time from Earth

Quote of the day:

" I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong. "

~ Abraham Lincoln, the 16th POTUS

I wonder what they are teaching in the schools these days, especially today.  Of course, back in the day, this was a federal holiday and schools were closed

These days I find myself thinking about that raucous election back in 1860 where voters were choosing between four candidates.  The Democrats were in such disarray, the party split and there were two candidates from that party! 

The other candidates who ran - John C Breckinridge [Southern Democrat], John Bell [Constitutional Union], and Stephen A Douglas [Democrat] - did not contest the elections results or claim the election was rigged.  

But when the results were announced, seven Southern states decided they wouldn't abide by the election and attempted to secede from the union.  Breckinridge initially tried to work out a compromise, but when succession was fact, joined the Confederate Army.  Bell openly advocated resistance and classified himself as a rebel.  Douglas [who came in 2nd in the popular vote, but last in the electoral vote]  denounced secession as criminal and worked tirelessly to keep the territories in the Union.  

Call it the Civil War, the War Between the States, or the War of Northern Aggression [all depending on where you live and how you feel about the reasons the war was fought], what followed was four years of complete misery for every single part of the country.  Nowadays?  with world powers just salivating at the idea of taking the stage, anyone talking about armed insurrection in this day and age is at best irresponsible.  And maybe, just maybe, the media should be concentrating on these very real issues and dangers instead of attempting to undermine POTUS on the basis of his age while ignoring the clear signs of dementia the other guy [who is only 3 1/2 years younger] is showing?  

As usual, I am spending time today checking out the ads, which when the Ravens aren't in it, is really my only interest in the Super Bowl - altho I was very amused by the meltdown over the NFL showing that Taylor Swift was there watching her sweetie.  I even know folks who eschewed watching this year for the first time in years because they didn't want to see shots of her in the stands.  Don't know how being a football fan makes her a CIA psyop, but there you have it

NOTE:  starting even a mild exercise regime can cause muscle stiffness and soreness, seeming to aggravate all aches and pains.  And I have to keep this up for 128 days until I see results [remember I said it would take until Juneteenth before progress would be visible]?  Talk about delayed gratification!

AND

Triscuit is, of course, completely unconcerned with any of these musings.  Nor is she particularly interested in the fact that another work week is here.  As always, she is able to relax, not even the fact that it is Monday ruffling her fur.

Not for the first time, I find I envy her equanimity.