Memorial Day
Each year on the final day of May, Americans celebrate what was originally known as Decoration Day. It originated on May 5, 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan, who represented an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, proclaimed the following: “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”
As the years passed and America found itself in one war after another, Decoration Day became a day to remember and pay tribute to all members of the American military who sacrificed their lives in all wars including the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
In the ensuing years after Gen. Logan made his proclamation, Americans continued to celebrate Decoration Day on May 30 each year until 1968, when Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, designating the final Monday in May as Memorial Day, to give all federal employees a long weekend. The law went into effect in 1971, when the same law established Memorial Day as a federal holiday.
Tomorrow is an important holiday because the courage of the men and women it honors has no bounds. Happy Memorial Day!
It’s Rant Time
I love animals – all kinds of them. Now I’m talking about animals that walk and definitely not the ones that slither. But of all the animal species out there, I am particularly partial to dogs.
From the time I was 6 years old (That was a long time ago!), I’ve had at least one dog living under the same roof with me, and I’ve loved every one of them unconditionally and wept unashamedly every time one of them had to be put down. True dog lovers will agree with the foregoing statement because they know how much love a dog can impart (undying devotion) while asking for so little (food, water, and play).
All this being said, whenever I hear or read about cruelty to any and all animals (but especially to dogs), I become enraged, appalled, and depressed at the same time. I simply cannot begin to understand how any human being can mistreat a four-legged creature. Therefore, I am sure you can imagine my reaction (maybe not) when I heard the following story from nearby Shadyside, Ohio.
Last Wednesday members of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Belmont County Animal Rescue League (BCARL) rescued more than 90 dogs from an abandoned trailer in Shadyside. The dogs ranged in age from adults to puppies that looked as if their eyes hadn’t been open for very long. The rescuers said the dogs were confined to one small, dark room without any food or water. Some of the dogs were deceased, and many were in dire need of medical attention after living in such squalor.
Because there was very little ventilation where the dogs were, the animals were deprived fresh air, and were forced to breathe in dangerous levels of ammonia from the urine present. One BCARL member said the ammonia levels far exceeded the safe range.
It took the workers 14 hours to extricate all the dogs to safety, but the extent of the damage done to them was not available at this writing.
Now here’s my question: What kind of a human monster would subject animals to this kind of horror? Such incredibly inhumane behavior is beyond my realm of comprehension. I know there are probably some people reading this who may think to themselves that we’re dealing only with dogs here. And quite frankly I have absolutely no use for those people, as I am sure they in turn have no use for me. However it’s terrifying to think the people who would torture animals will often get away with it. It just makes me sick, and I hope the authorities will find the responsible party or parties and prosecute him or her or them to the fullest extent of the law.
Here’s a final word to all the dog lovers reading this: Take a minute right now to hug your dog or dogs. It or they will love it.
Say It Ain’t So!
If you haven’t seen this, you won’t believe it, and if you have seen it, it’s worth watching again. I have been watching baseball for a long time, and this play in a recent game between the Pirates and the Cubs is so unbelievably bad that its hysterically funny. Even the Bad News Bears are better than this.
Ponder This:
Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
~Anonymous
