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The Human Zoo/August 26, 2011
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
Notes from around The Human Experience...
THE FAT LADY IS WARMING UP: Reports from Libya tend to indicate that leader Col. Muammar Gadaffi is about to be released from the burdens associated with running a dictatorship.
Somebody Pass Us A Tissue: While we're big freedom lovers here at the Writer's Shack, and Gadaffi's departure will be good riddance, of course, you have to admit this is a fairly poignant moment. After all, Gadaffi is the only Libyan dictator most of us have ever known, and the shock has to be similar to that Americans of a certain age felt when Franklin Roosevelt died.
Back To The Future: Sure, Gadaffi isn't a Communist in classic Soviet Union/Iron Curtain mold, and Lord knows there were never any classic battles at the Olympic Games between the USA and Team Libya, but Gadaffi's still a wonderful throwback to the good old days of Us vs. Them.
Dry, Technical Matter: A couple of things have always intrigued us about Gadaffi over the years. One, he's always been a Colonel. You would've thought he would have at least bumped himself up to Brigadier General or something.
Two, we suspect no one really knows how to spell his name. The spelling we use is also used by the BBC and assorted American news outlets, but the Libyan Olympic Committe, which probably isn't too busy right now, spells it Gathafi and you can even find it spelled starting with a Q if you look hard enough.
Lifestyles Of The Rich And Exiled: We certainly don't want Gadaffi to run off somewhere where he can live off the billions of dollars he pilfered from the Libyan treasury over the decades, but it is intriguing that he can't be found now. He could be dead, sure, or he could be in hiding or maybe he's already fled the country, though there probably aren't a whole lot of places he can go right now.
Now Here This: Though he can't be bothered to make personal appearances right now, Gadaffi did release an audio message.
Win One For The Gipper: Gadaffi, unable to offer anything of substance, like weapons or troops or leadership, has taken to issuing scathing rhetoric:
The hour of martyrdom and victory has arrived!
Yikes! This will probably cause all rebel efforts to cease immediately, if not sooner:
To hell with NATO! Advance everywhere until the enemy is defeated!
Well, He Does Have A Point: They have no morals! They are animals!
Thank You In Advance: Defeat them as soon as possible!
The Fairer Sex: Qadaffi has also encouraged women to get involved, cautioning, however, that they should limit their contributions to whatever combat activities can be accomplished from the home.
Muammar, History On Line Two: Still to be determined, of course, is Gadaffi's place on the roster of History's great dictators. Certainly, he doesn't have the street cred in genocide that Hitler had, or in killing his own people like Mao or Stalin or Saddam, but he does deserve props for sponsoring terrorism.
Also, and this is sufficient to gain Gadaffi admittance into the upper ranks, he is universally known by one name.
Fly In The Ointment: The biggest flaw in his game was that he was never able to get Libya off the schneid athletically. Athletics, of course, are great ways for dictators to show off how superior the motherland is, but Libya has never won an Olympic medal, much less dominated in anything.
HERE, HAVE SOME COFFEE AND DONUTS: The first Lutheran denomination in the United States is formed in Philadelphia on this date in 1748. Originally known as the Pennsylvania Ministerium, it eventually evolved into what is now the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Going...Going...Almost Gone: Owen Wilson of the Pittsburgh Pirates establishes a new major league record hitting his 32nd triple of the season on this date in 1912. Taking advantage of a Forbes Field outfield that included most of western Pennsylvania, Wilson would finish the season with 36 triples, a record that still stands.
More Play Ball: On this date in 1926, in a game between the Washington Senators and the Chicago White Sox, Walter Johnson (408 wins) and Red Faber (197 wins) are the starting pitchers, establishing a major league record for most combined career wins by starting pitchers in a game.
The record would stand until 1986, when Don Sutton of the California Angels and Tom Seaver of the Chicago White Sox and then the Boston Red Sox, would break the record twice, on June 9 and then on July 27.
A Warm, Personal Remembrance/Diesel Boats Forever: We were at the July 27 game. We were in the Navy, farting around on the old USS Blueback (SS 581), then stationed in San Diego, and along with a buddy, made the drive up to Anaheim Stadium. The Angels won 3-0, and both Sutton and Seaver went six innings.
Uh-Oh: Our mind's starting to go though. Through the lens of time we would've sworn this game was on Father's Day, but it wasn't. As it turns out we're not completely demented because we were at the Big A on Father's Day in 1986, when the Royals beat the Angels 7-6.
Long Live The, Er, Never Mind: The Catholics elect Albino Luciani pope on this date in 1978. As Pope John Paul I, he would serve for 33 days, being found dead in his bed on September 29.
Thought For The Day: He was not so unreasonable - usually - as to demand both freedom and the fruits of popular slavery. - Sinclair Lewis, Arrowsmith
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: Yesterday's trivia question was rhetorical.
Today's Stumper: At just few days shy of 42 years, Muammar Gadaffi is the longest current non-royal ruler of a country, and has the fourth-longest tenure of any dictator since 1900. What three dictators served longer? - Answer next time!
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