On July 2, 1863, the lines of the Battle of Gettysburg, now in its second day, were drawn in two sweeping parallel arcs. The Confederate and Union armies faced each other a mile apart. The Union forces extending along Cemetery Ridge to Culp’s Hill, formed the shape of a fish-hook, and the Confederate forces were spread along Seminary Ridge.
General Robert E. Lee ordered General James Longstreet to attack the Union’s southern flank, aiming for the hills at the southernmost end of Cemetery Ridge. These hills, known as the Little Round Top and Big Round Top had been left unoccupied, and would have afforded the Confederates a good vantage point from which to ravage the Union line.
General Longstreet, disagreeing with Lee’s orders, and hoping that the cavalry under the command of General J.E.B. Stuart would soon come up with the army to participate in the attack, was slow to advance on the hills.
Although Longstreet’s soldiers broke through to the base of the Little Round Top, Union General G. K. Warren perceived the Confederate plan in time to rouse his men to take the strategic hill, fending off the Confederate attack.
General Lee had also commanded General R.S. Ewell to attack the northernmost flank of the Union Army. On one occasion Ewell’s troops took possession of a slope of Culp’s Hill, but the Union remained entrenched both there and on Cemetery Ridge, where General Meade was headquartered.
Author: NewMexiKen
Today, July 2
It’s the date on which the Continental Congress approved a resolution declaring independence (1776) — the Declaration of Independence stating the reasons was approved two days later.
It’s the date on which the second day of battle was fought at Gettysburg (1863).
It’s the date on which Charles J. Guiteau assassinated President James A. Garfield (1881).
It’s the date on which Thurgood Marshall was born (1908).
It’s the date on which the Air Force says a weather balloon crashed near Roswell, New Mexico (1947).
It’s the date on which Ernest Hemingway committed suicide at his home in Ketchum, Idaho (1961).
It’s the day Luci Baines Johnson, the younger daughter of President Lyndon Johnson, turns 58.
Larry David turns 58 today as well.
Lindsay Lohan is 19.
Coke Zero
Basically, Coke Zero starts with the cola formula of Coke Classic and uses aspartame and acesulfame potassium as the sweetener instead of sugar. Sounds like a sure winner to me.
Diet Coke, the world’s No. 1 diet cola, uses a formula more similar to New Coke (remember that wrong turn?), which is really old forgotten Coke since they trash-canned New Coke nearly two decades ago.
Which raises the question, why has it taken Coke so long to make a diet version of Coke Classic? Who’s making the decisions at Coke … a California jury?
Trying to understand Coke logic means getting into the mind of corporate America, and you don’t want to go there. If you’re a Classic Coke fan and looking for a diet drink, just be happy they’ve stumbled on Coke Zero. Don’t ask questions.
Coke Zero has no bitter aftertaste that some drinkers find with diet colas. Some taste-testers noticed a distinctly cinnamon tinge to Coke Zero, but frankly, it tasted like a regular Coke to me.
Ken Hoffman, Houston Chronicle
Muy seco
Single digit humidity again today in Albuquerque. You’d think it was a desert or something.
Best line of the day, so far
“Bush called on Americans to sacrifice ‘during this difficult time between American Idol seasons.'”
Today, July 1
Olivia de Havilland is 89 today. Miss de Havilland was nominated for an acting Oscar five times, winning for To Each His Own and The Heiress. She lost the best supporting actress Oscar for Gone With the Wind to Hattie McDaniel.
Deborah Harry of Blondie is 60.
Dan Aykroyd is 53.
Diana, Princess of Wales, would have been 44 today.
NewMexiKen
242,764 visits to NewMexiKen in the first six months of 2005; 45,049 in June.
Most visitors arrive at NewMexiKen via Google and Ron Howard’s brother still acounts for more than 4% of the searches.
There were visits from 124 countries during June.
Gettysburg
The largest and arguably most significant military engagement in North American history began in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on this date in 1863.
In a daring venture, Confederate general Robert E. Lee moved his Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania in June, hoping for a decisive victory on Union soil. Trying to catch up, the Union Army of the Potomac, under new commander George Meade, moved north and west toward the Confederates, who were widely dispersed. Learning the Union Army was on the move, Lee began to consolidate his forces.
On June 30, Union cavalry led by John Buford skirmished with a small Confederate contingent just west of Gettysburg. Buford, realizing that the field provided good defensive ground, determined to hold the Confederates until the main body of the army came up.
On July 1, a larger Confederate force moved east toward Gettysburg and met resistance from Buford’s dismounted cavalry, soon joined by the First Corps. The battle ebbed and flowed during the day as troops from both sides moved to the action. Ultimately, Confederate forces arriving from the north were able to flank the Union troops and force them through the town. The Confederates failed to keep the initiative, however, and the Union was able to dig in on the ridge south and east — Cemetery Ridge.
Fifteen thousand Americans were casualties that day.
The Week Quiz
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NewMexiKen scored eight correct out of ten this week.
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Freedom
I told an old joke at dinner.
The story goes that shortly after the end of World War II, an American soldier and a Russian soldier were patrolling the demarcation line between two sectors in Berlin. Every day they would walk up and down, up and down separated by a line. Eventually the two got to talking. One day the Russian said the American, “I don’t understand what is this ‘freedom’ business you Americans are always going on about. What use is ‘freedom’?”“I can explain,” replied the American soldier. “When I’m demobilized and go home, I can walk up to the gate of the White House and shout ‘Truman is an IDIOT’ — and no one will do anything to me. That’s freedom.”
“Well,” the Russian replied, “if that is all there is to freedom, then we have freedom in the USSR too. When I go home, I can go up to the gates of the Kremlin and shout ‘Truman is an idiot’ and no one will do anything to me either”
“Is that still true?” a voice asked. Images flashed by: today’s White House. Surrounded by barriers to keep the public at a distance. Anxious guards who hustle the President away any time a small plane takes a wrong turn. An administration that will do anything to insulate itself from criticism.
“Of course it’s still true,” I reassured the children. “I can go right up to the White House today and shout ‘Truman is an idiot’ and no one will do anything to me, either.”
Michael Froomkin, Discourse.net
Interesting, very interesting
In a sign of the continuing partisan division of the nation, more than two-in-five (42%) voters say that, if it is found that President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should hold him accountable through impeachment. While half (50%) of respondents do not hold this view, supporters of impeachment outweigh opponents in some parts of the country.
Among those living in the Western states, a 52% majority favors Congress using the impeachment mechanism while just 41% are opposed; in Eastern states, 49% are in favor and 45% opposed. In the South, meanwhile, impeachment is opposed by three-in-five voters (60%) and supported by just one-in-three (34%); in the Central/Great Lakes region, 52% are opposed and 38% in favor.
Impeachment is overwhelmingly rejected in the Red States—just 36% say they agree Congress should use it if the President is found to have lied on Iraq, while 55% reject this view; in the “Blue States” that voted for Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry in 2004, meanwhile, a plurality of 48% favors such proceedings while 45% are opposed.
Poll taken June 27-29.
30
Number of places nationwide with “liberty” in their name. The most populous one is Liberty, Mo. (27,982). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.
Eleven places have “independence” in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Mo., with 112,079 residents.
Five places adopted the name “freedom.” Freedom, Calif., with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these.
There is one place named “patriot” — Patriot, Ind., with a population of 196.
And what could be more fitting than spending the Fourth of July in a place called “America”? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, population 22,876.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
The war of reunification
We also ought to recognize that we made mistakes. The way you fix mistakes is you recognize them and you fix them. We’ve made them. Every war, including the battle for reunification—the war of reunification of our nation, mistakes were made.
Senator John McCain on the June 28 edition of Hardball
Which war was the “war of reunification”? The Civil War one supposes. McCain must see southern votes between here and 2008.
Pointer via The Daily Howler.
Pets
NewMexiKen doesn’t have any pets and, though I like some dogs, I find this pretty much sums up my feelings about cats.
Thanks to Functional Ambivalent for the link.
America’s largest cities
According to the Census, these nine American cities had more than one million residents on July 1, 2004:
New York — 8.1 million
Los Angeles — 3.8 million
Chicago — 2.9 million
Houston — 2.0 million
Philadelphia — 1.5 million
Phoenix — 1.4 million
San Diego — 1.3 million
San Antonio — 1.2 million
Dallas — 1.2 million
Duke City newcomers
Albuquerque added 10,916 people between July 1, 2003, and July 1, 2004, according to the Bureau of the Census. That made it the 11th largest growing city in the U.S. during that time.
Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Las Vegas and Fort Worth were the top five.
Albuquerque had 484,246 residents a year ago according to the Census estimate. It ranks as the 33rd largest American city.
Albuquerque suburb Rio Rancho grew to almost 62,000 residents by this time last year. It was New Mexico’s fastest growing community; up nearly 5% over 2003.
Top Ten Surprises In President Bush’s Prime-Time Address
From Letterman:
10. Claimed he had plan to win war, then switched on the bat signal
9. Kept talking about how Scientology changed his life
8. Ten minutes of policy, 20 minutes of Karaoke
7. Imploring all Americans to support Joey McIntyre in the next episode of “Dancing with the Stars”
6. It was basically a 50-minute infomercial for new George Bush grill
5. Spent 15 minutes looking at himself in the monitor
4. Most of speech was devoted to his fourth of July deviled egg recipe
3. Revealed he’ll soon be giving uncensored weekly addresses on sirius satellite radio
2. Midway through, he got engaged to Tom Cruise
1. Finished up by asking if Kerry still wanted the gig
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”
There’s been a lot of chatter about Steve Jobs’ commencement address at Stanford since he delivered it a couple of weeks ago. NewMexiKen finally got around to reading it today. It really is rather remarkable and I suggest you find a few minutes to read what he had to say.
Spain Legalizes Same-Sex Marriages
Joining The Netherlands and Belgium. Canada is expected to approve same-sex marriages by the end of July.
See report from The New York Times.
Smoke ’em if you got ’em
From a report in the Los Angeles Times:
Doing time in a California state prison won’t be quite the same beginning Friday. All inmates, once given tobacco and matches along with their prison blues and toothbrush, will now be forbidden to smoke. …
Judging from the experience of other states — and reports from a few California prisons that are already smoke-free — health costs will go down. But their experience also shows that forcing inmates to kick the habit has downsides. …
When Maine banned smoking in prison in 2000, assaults quadrupled.
Second-hand smoke
Central New Mexico today has a significant haze of smoke from the Arizona wildfires. I don’t mean significant like a European airport, but enough to smell and more than enough to cause a blue haze for hundreds of miles.
One hundred years ago today
Those who have seen Field of Dreams or read the book on which it was based, Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella, will remember the character “Moonlight” Graham, played by Burt Lancaster in the film.
Archibald Wright Graham (1876-1965) was an actual player, and a doctor. Graham played in one game for the New York Giants on June 29, 1905 (in the movie it was the last game of the season in 1929). Graham played two innings in the field but never batted in the major leagues; he was on deck when his one game ended.
Bureaucrats and Indians
Columnist John Tierney writes about Bureaucrats and Indians in The New York Times. He begins:
The Crow Indians rode with Custer at Little Bighorn, but they have since reconsidered. On the anniversary of the battle Saturday, they cheered during a re-enactment when Indians drove a stake through his fringed jacket and carved out the heart of the soldier going by the name of Yellow-Hair in Blue Coat Who Kills Babies, Old Men and Old Women.
Their revised opinion is understandable considering what has happened to them since that battle to get their valley back from rival tribes. Today it’s a Crow reservation with enough land and mineral resources to make each tribe member a millionaire, yet nearly a third live below the poverty level, and the unemployment rate has reached 85 percent.
Nasty Nellie
Now in her early 40s, [Alison] Arngrim said she’s nothing like the character [Nellie Oleson] and that she and [Melissa] Gilbert are best of friends.
Off the screen, Arngrim spends much of her time making people laugh (not cry) and fighting for the things she believes in, especially children’s rights. …
Arngrim is also a stand-up comedian; her solo show is called “Confessions of a Prairie Bitch.”