E Deploribus Unum.

Today's Tids Issue 3,780

For the Flyovers:

Only 21 days til Valentines Day! Just three short weeks to get the old hearts a pumpkin’, to ready the system for the magnetism of eyes that reach inside your soul. Visions of little red hearts dance upon gossamer flowers.

I have to take back my continuous negativity over the choice of Scott Spicer as Trump Press Secretary. He hit the reset button yesterday and was generally well received by all the press in a 78 minute, data packed session. Even left leaning MSNBC reporter, Andrea Mitchell said he was substantive and responsible, all with a bit of an appreciative smile on her face. I wasn’t alone in my early dismay, about the pit-bull like Spicer. A former very good Press Secretary and rational thinker, Dana Perino, said she was equally bewildered at her old friend, a communicator highly respected in their world of news munching. Yesterday a smiling Spicer engaged his audience pleasantly, but what was most impressive was the amount of solid information he seemed to have at his finger tips. So maybe there is hope for lucid press relations – at least with the guy responsible for it on a daily basis.

A reader who found himself “behind” in his Tid’s reading, wrote to tell me that he characterizes himself as TidsAss”.

I’m sorry for being so crass. Ashley Judd made me do it.

The greatest threat to radical Islam are modern moderate Muslims.

The Question:

What are considered the top five Super Bowl Halftime shows? Bonus: Who was James V. Marshall?

The Headlines:

--Chinese ECommerce Giant Alibaba Revenue Soars; IBM Earnings Are Stronger Than Estimated; US Stocks Up Solid At Opening.

--Trump To Sign Orders reviving Pipeline Project.

--GOP Senators: Let The States Keep ObamaCare; More To Come..

--Senate Democrats Set To Unveil Giant Infrastructure Rebuild Plan; News Expected To Set Off “Not Invented Here” War..

--British Supreme Court Rules That Brexit Break Can’t began Without Parliament; Puts Teresa May’s Withdrawal Plans On Hold.

--In final Move Before Leaving Obama Gives Palestine $221 Million.

--SNL Writer Suspended For Mocking 10 Year Old trump Son Baron; Monica Lewinsky and Chelsea Clinton Come to his defense.

--Oscar Nominations Are In: Biggest Surprise – Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge; Most Nods La La Land; Diversity Comes Back; Biggest snubs – Tom Hanks, Amy Adams, Hugh Grant, Annette Benning

--Trump Continues To Indulge In Pettiness; Latest: Illegal Immigrants Inflated Popular Vote.

--McCain Says Elimination Of TPP Is Gift to China.

--San Fran East, Philadelphia, Bans Employers From Requiring Salary History For Job Applicants.

A  good conservative considers he or she. “As freely living my own life without imposing it on others.”

I don’t think the media realizes how much it characterize stories to their own viewpoints. Being selfish about their opinions just comes natural to them’

BTW, one of RI’s hidden treasures is Sweener’s chocolates in Wakefield and Garden City Cranston. Family owed and coddled for generations, there is most certainly a little of that family love in every scrumptious bite. What could be better for V-day!

I think we are in a new era of saying you’re sorry after the damage is done.

Yesterday in a small town around here, East Greenwich, the Vice Chairman of the Town Council made a small, I thought humorous joke, “A man must have organized the women’s march, because it certainly got the wives out of the house.” Of course the timing was bad considering the clamorous mood, as immediately organized crowds gathered, demanding time to voice their anger at a Town Meeting. How insulting, they said. Then you find that the leader of the organized mob, many of whom were form other towns, was a woman who taught at Brown University…and…was leader of the Town’s democratic opposition party. Say what – politics as usual! Yikes! BTW, the women who is professor at the venerable Brown U, bastion of liberalism, teaches a course on “Beauty Pageants”…where she describes 10 inch heels as “Stripper’s Shoes” How derogatory. How disgusting! Strippers Unite!

I wonder if she was ever a consultant to DT.

Newspapers use up a  lot of ink on weather report pages and TV listings.

Yesterday I promised to tell you more about the word Misogyny. The basic definition is: “A person who despises, dislikes, or is simply prejudiced against women.” Meriam Webster tells us the word is formed from the Greek roots Misein (To hate), and Gyne (Woman). (By the way, Misandry is “A hatred of men”.) The Urban Dictionary: 1. “To hate Woman, think less of them or show distrust, solely based on the gender; 2. A word modern feminists have hijacked so they can ignore any kind of evidence, facts or logic that doesn’t push their misogyny, misandry agenda.”  Anyhow, I read many pages of interpretations of this word including several long white papers from  extreme feminists including a well known writer in San Francisco. I have found that among women’s groups it has come to mean “Anything on earth that a man does.”

Maybe we can get back to love before Valentines day!

If all this anger continues, the population could decline drastically.

Opinions about The Donald, Department:

In listening to people of all walks of life, genders and races and whatever, this is what I hear : Donald Trump is hated because he beat the woman whose turn it was to win. He is hated because he is Republican regardless of the fact that Republicans think he is an interloper of no party affiliation. He is just hated. He is intensely disliked for general all around buffoonery. He disgusts people because of his character. Some haters and many dislikers hope his presidency works because that is better for America. Many haters hope his presidency fails miserably because it gives socialists a chance. And then there are people who just think hating anything (except Kale) is about as bad as it gets, and they just have hope. About half the population love him without reservation. E Deploribus Unum!

Over time, SNL’s hateful humor about the Prez could get tedious, especially if he accomplishes something.

The Parking Lot:

In today’s revisit to the original, we introduce you to the parallel family who came to Plymouth in 1621 and moved towards the settlement and development of town featured in the story. The story is below the end of Today’s morning mess.

The Answer:

According to somebody how think they know these things, #1 was Prince in 2007. Next was the 2013 performance of Beyonce. #3 was Michael Jackson in 1992. Next comes 2001 featuring Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, P-Diddy and Jessica Simpson. #5 is Kate Perry and Lenny Kravitz #^ is U2, #7 is Madonna doing something unnatural, #8 Paul McCartney, #9 Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers and #10 featured Aerosmith and others. Frankly, I think all of the shows look about the same and I find them hard to differentiate. If I had to pick two that seem to linger in my mind it would be The Rolling stones and The Who. I think they were in the top 15 Bonus: James V. Marshall is the lucky guy who found the gold nugget at Sutter’s Mill which spawned San Francisco and the Nanny state.

All that glitters can come back to haunt you.

The Parking Lot revisited:

1620, Plymouth England.

The Hicks family had been missing the boat for years. Robert and his wife Elizabeth stood on the dock that misty morning, faces drawn, shivering a bit, with aches in their hearts as they watched the Mayflower hoist it’s sails and leave for the world of new promises. Robert was doing alright financially, but he like his friends wanted to achieve religious freedom in that land across the dark ocean, a virgin place of bountiful green forests and clear cool lakes; a land without governmental tyranny.

  Splash! Elizabeth’s scream snapped him out of his serene journey. “What!” he exclaimed, his head spinning towards the commotion. Elizabeth just stood, open mouthed and speechless, pointing at the black, murky waters below the pier. He looked and saw son John, a smile on his face, looking down a circle of spreading ripples. “Where’s Ephraim?” shouted Robert as he ran to the side of the wooden deck.

  John pointed to the water, “I think he fell. Must have tripped.” John was still smiling though as Robert removed his heavy leather coat and dove in. Just as Robert’s hands knifed into the water, Ephraim’s head popped up and he was screaming, not for his life but at his brother John; yelling out every forbidden epithet he could muster. His taking God’s name in vain, and worse would get him into more trouble than John.”

  But, that’s the way it was with John Hicks. He knew how to create situations that got everybody into trouble, and walk away innocently. At twelve years old, he was a born flimflammer.

   Elizabeth rushed over as a drenched Robert pulled himself up; Ephraim was trying to pummel John, who was trying to talk Ephraim out of it. The four other children watched and seemed to enjoy the family show. Elizabeth hugged Robert, “It won’t be long until another ship sails. That’s what they told us. Be patient, Robert. God will love you.” He looked up at his two oldest boys, and wondered.

   Robert sailed on the Fortune in 1621, and Elizabeth and the children joined him at Plymouth Colony year later, arriving on The Anne in 1622.

Two things led to a rough start in the Plymouth colony for Ralph Hicks and his family of 10. First, Governor Bradford allotted land to all inhabitants within before the Hicks hoard arrived, so that Robert was given the allotment for a single man. The other problem was the Hicks hoard itself and in particular several sons, John and Ephraim chief among them, who irritated the hell out of the basically religious, hard working community.

  Robert and Elizabeth were good people, who wanted to contribute as equals with all others. But after several years of eking out sustenance on their limited land and trying to control the antics of ringleader John, Robert held a meeting with his boys about exploring the western limits of Plymouth colony which were today’s Warren and Tiverton RI. John of course would have no part of that kind of live In the wild life, and soon found a young woman to marry, and left for Weymouth. With that, it turns out, that the colony leaders began to look kindly upon with more favor towards the Hicks family. However, the idea of exploration and the prospects of opportunity had stimulated the imaginations of boys Ephraim, Richard, and the quiet but resourceful Samuel.

Before the Hicks boys were growing up and John and Ephaim were making names for themselves as certified nuisances; before Robert and his wife were beginning to plan for the trip to the new world of freedom, Captains John Smith and Thomas Hunt were exploring the regions around Cape Cod and paying for the trips by trading  with the local native people. On one trip, Smith, the leader of the two boat excursion had loaded up with hides, and was setting sail for England. He ordered Hunt to do the same, but that captain had another idea, and lured about 24 Nausets and Patuxets on board.  His men locked them below and he raised anchor, setting sail for Spain where he sold his bounty as slaves. One of the captors was a very intelligent Patuxet Sachem named Squanto.

   Catholic friars there interrupted Hunt ‘s misdoings and brought Squanto and the others to England where they learned the English ways and of course the language. A Captain Dermer befriended Squanto and helped him return to his Patuxet nation, now decimated by disease. Squanto became associated with Massasoit’s Wapanoags  which ultimately brought him to Plymouth.

  The Hicks boys, especially Ephraim and Samuel, became fascinated with this seemingly very intelligent local person. Squanto reacted better to the energetic boys than the townspeople. Never forgetting the simmering bitterness of his people against murdering and ruthless English, the Indian diplomat was beginning to find the association with the Boys and other young men of the colony helpful