7/3/2026

 Friday, July 3, 2026

1849 French forces entered Rome to restore Pope Pius IX to power, providing a major obstacle to Italian unification

1863 Battle of Gettysburg, the largest battle ever fought on the American continent, ended in a major victory for the Union during the Civil War

1890 King Leopold II gave Congo, previously a private possession, to Belgium 

1930 US Veterans Administration was created

1988 US Vincennes in the Strait of Hormuz shot an Iranian Airbus A300, killing 290

2025  The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was passed by the House of Representatives in a 218–214 vote and was signed into law by Donald Trump the following day.

In bed at 9:30, half-awake at 4, up at 5; 0520 202.8 138/77/65 132; 67/81/66, cloudy, thunderstorms expected around 6.

Morning meds at 9:30 a.m., and Eliquis at 7 a.m. and p.m.  Trulicity injection at 1L05 p.m.

A thought from my journal two years ago:

American "exceptionalism:"  Is America really essentially different from all other countries, subject to different rules?  Does America have 'absolute immunity' from the rules that apply to other nations because of our special status in the world?  Does our government through the CIA or our military get to choose the governments we want to rule other nations, nations like Chili, Vietnam, Guatamala, El Salvador, Cuba, Iraq or Iran?  Anne Appelbaum asks in today's The Atlantic: "What kind of  country elects a criminal and an insurrectionist as its president?"  How's that for our 'exceptionalism'?  What kind of country re-elects "W" after his false claims of WMD and invasion of Iraq?  What kind of country gives Trump millions of more votes after seeing his first term in office, increasing his share of the vote from 46% to 48%?  

     

And it got only worse in 2024, when he took 49.81% of the popular vote, almost a majority.  What does this suggest about our country, our people, our real values, about "one nation, under God"?

Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan.  I started reading this novel last night.  It was published less than a year ago and received generally favorable reviews and a number of rave reviews.  I bought it on Kindle based on watching Ann Patchett's rave review on PBS's NewsHour.  I seem to have developed a bit of a crush on Ann Patchett, though I haven't read any of her many books.  

Miesfeld Meat Market.  I drove up to Sheboygan this morning to buy some no-salt bratwurst.  Each link contains only 45 mg. of sodium.  We won't eat them until tomorrow, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they taste like real bratwursts.   The market is pretty remarkable - huge  and packed with customers.  All from the Sheboygan area?  Some from I-43 holiday traffic?  I passed the huge data center being constructed north and west of Port Washington and could hardly believe my eyes.  It's much larger than I had imagined.  I find it a little scary - the idea of those gargantuan buildings being filled with interacting computers.  😨