Home
The Daily Dose/February 19, 2010
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
Notes from around the Human Experience...
WHAT'S THIS, COMMENTARY ON SOMETHING TIMELY THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY ARE INTERESTED IN? Tiger Woods is breaking his silence today on the fiasco that has become his life. He will get up in front of a couple of dozen hand selected and read a couple of paragraphs. A single camera will provide coverage for the members of the media gathered nearby, and for the rest of the world.
What? No Rugby Coverage? Or 16th Century Martyr Retrospectives? What Tiger should really say is:
Look, what I do behind closed doors is my business, even if it's with an awful lot of women. Unless it's with a dead women or a live boy it is not your business or anybody else's business. I will be back in time for The Masters. Thank you.
This Is Rich: What's really funny is how some golfers are reacting to this, getting peeved at Woods for stealing their thunder by making his statement on day three of whatever golf tournament is being played this weekend, a tournament whose biggest news is that Woods isn't playing in it.
Quotebook: PGA veteran Ernie Els, who nobody really cares about unless he's in the same foursome as Tiger Woods anyway, had this to say:
"It's selfish. You can write that. I feel sorry for the sponsor. Mondays are a good day to make statements, not Friday. This takes a lot away from the golf tournament."
Dude, Listen Up: Ernie, frankly, nobody really cares about the Nabisco Bean Dip Open, or whatever the hell it is you're playing in today - if Tiger isn't playing. Nobody knew what was being played this weekend until Tiger announced he was going to make an announcement.
For The Record: The Accenture Match Play Championship Not Featuring Tiger Woods is the tournament being played this weekend. In Tucson.
GOING BACK, AWAY BACK: England and the Netherlands wrap up the Anglo-Dutch War III with the signing of the Peace of Westminster pact in London on this date in 1674.
England was more or less forced to sign the pact because Parliament, not too keen on this war to begin with, found out Charles II was in league with Louis XIV of France to make England Catholic and refused to chip in anymore money.
Dry, Technical Matter: Despite more or less losing this war, England gets control of New York City back from the Dutch, who had regained it from the British the year before.
Order In The Court: Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason on this date in 1807.
Big Picture Me Here: The charges stemmed from a plan by Burr to steal land from the Louisiana Purchase to form his own country, a plan that we betrayed when the US General in charge of the US Army in New Orleans - a General Wilkinson who was also spying for the Spaniards whom Burr was also corresponding with - tattled on Burr to President Thomas Jefferson.
All Right, Bring On The Dry, Technical Matter: The only evidence against Burr was a letter supposedly written by Burr but which was actually in General Wilkinson's hand, which he explained as actually being a copy of the original letter which, tragically, had been lost.
FunFact: Article III, Section III of the Constitution, US 1.0 is very clear on the matter, stating, in part that:
No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.
Since Burr wasn't confessing, and two witnesses to the same overt act were not produced, Burr was acquitted in September.
Can't We Talk About The Olympics Or Something? Burr's trial provided a couple of other interesting aspects.
First, Chief Justice John Marshall, who was presiding over the trial, was being hounded by President Thomas Jefferson, who dearly wanted to see his former vice-president convicted.
Fly In The Ointment: The problem was, the Constitution provides a very specific definition of treason. Don't take our word for it, though. Not for the first time, Article III, Section III, is very clear on the matter, defining treason as:
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.
Marshall would not be bullied and ruled that since Burr had not conducted war against the United States he had not committed treason.
Mr. Nixon, History On Line Two: Jefferson even got involved in the festivities, claiming executive privilege - though that term had not yet come into use - when Burr's attorney's attempted to have Marshall subpoena several of Jefferson's private letters concerning Burr.
You Don't Have To Get Snitty About It: Jefferson graciously declined, saying it was up to him to decide:
"what papers coming to him as President, the public interests permit to be communicated [and] to whom.”
Marshall, however, wasn't buying that, and while he didn't require Jefferson to turn over everything requested, he did, very strongly, maintain the judiciary's right to do so, saying:
"...the President of the United States may be … required to produce any paper in his possession...the occasion for demanding it ought, in such a case, [to] be very strong, and to be fully shown to the court before its production could be insisted on."
Now Hear This: Thomas Edison patents the phonograph on this date in 1878. It would remain the most common form of playing recorded sound for over 100 years.
Thought For The Day: "In the past even I was afraid of my own greatness, therefore I could not stand in front of mirrors." - Aaron Burr, Third Vice-President of the United States, murderer of the first Treasury Secretary of the United States and acquitted traitor. His was not a dull life.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: Bill Sharman, Lenny Wilkins and John Wooden are the three men enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both players and coaches. - Congratulations, again!, to Antoine for having the correct answer on our message boards!
Today's Stumper: Burr's trial wasn't the first time someone had gone to trial based on the fervor of President Thomas Jefferson. As Jefferson's vice-president Burr presided over the trial of what Supreme Court justice because Jefferson wanted him removed from office? - Answer next time!
Comments? Recipes? Complaints? Email the Writer's Shack here!
Home |
|