10/10/2026

 Tuesday, November 10, 2026

1775 U.S. Marine Corps was founded

1793 'Fête de la Raison' in France: Catholic churches, including the Notre Dame Cathedral, are ceremoniously de-Christianized and transformed into Temples of Reason 

1940 Walt Disney began serving as an informer to the FBI; his job was to report back information on Hollywood subversives.

1951 1st long-distance telephone call without operator assistance

1954 "Marine Corps War Memorial" was unveiled in Arlington County, Virginia, dedicated to US Marines who died in defense of the US since 1775 (inspired by the 1945 Iwo Jima photo of servicemen raising the US flag)

1969 "Sesame Street" premiered on PBS TV

2012 The final US presidential election results were declared after Barack Obama won Florida to defeat Mitt Romney 332-206 in Electoral College votes

2025  Donald Trump granted pardons to 77 people, including political allies who are accused of electoral fraud-related charges from the 2020 presidential election, including several who have pled guilty

2025. The Senate voted 60–40 to end the 41-day government shutdown and extend funding for the U.S. government until January 30, 2026, sending the bill to the House of Representatives for a vote. 

In bed at 9:30, up at 5:30; 0545 203.4 118/74/70 120; 48/36/61/43, sunny

Morning meds at 6:45 a.m.   Entresto at 6:50 a.m. and p.m.

Some thoughts from last year's journal on my Marine history.

Today is the 249th  250th 251st Marine Corps Birthday, a time for Birthday Balls and Birthday Dinners (or "messes") at Marine Corps stations around the world.  I don't know for certain, but I don't think any of the Marines' sister services celebrate their founding as the Marines do.  It's truly a big deal for Marines, as the photo I printed on the first page of these notes suggests.  I have deeply mixed feelings about my time in the Marines.  I am embarrassed, ashamed, and guilty about my service in Vietnam.  I am embarrassed by how stupid, naive, ignorant, and gullible I was in those days.  I am ashamed and guilty for what we did over there, the loss of millions of lives, the terrorizing and crippling of so many others.  What does it say of my moral and ethical sensitivity that I so casually and obediently participated in that lethal endeavor?  That I so casually made Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, and Dean Rusk my moral and ethical decision-makers? What does it say of my moral and ethical education, more concerned about masturbation and premarital sex, 'impure thoughts and impure deeds' than with capitalism, imperialism, and nationalism?  Pray, pay, and obey - what was expected of good Catholics, and the "obey" part covered a lot of sinful territory.  On the other hand, I spent a total of 8 years in the military, 4 in the Naval Reserve as a midshipman, and 4 on active duty as a Marine officer.  I worked with many good men during those years.  They were not born or natural killers.  They were very much like me: trusting, patriotic, loyal, good citizens doing their duty.  We, like millions of our neighbors, were all caught up in our sense of duty, patriotism, and good citizenship and we deferred to our leaders.  Good soldiers, good Marines, troopers.  I think of Ron Kendall, Ray Mendoza, Bob Hillary, Bill Space, Pete Peterson, 'Moon' Mullen, Pete Powell, Frank Peterson, Phil Swaim, John Boyan, Dick Coffman, Tom Devitt, Jerry Nugent, Pat Townsend, and so many others, fellow Marines, good people, decent human beings.  I think of Larry Anderson, to whom I sent a "Happy birthday, Jarhead" greeting today.  I wonder what role I may have played in his joining the Marine Corps after graduation from MULS.  Happy birthday to all of them.  

New golden stature of Trump on the National Mall, The Foot Soldier

My FB posting:

Last year on this date, I posted this: "Today is the 250th Marine Corps Birthday, and Marines around the world will mark the occasion in various traditional and respectful ways depending on their locations and their missions.  I still think sadly of my friend in Vietnam, Bill "Moon" Mullen, and of this family.  I learned of his being shot down over Laos after I had been transferred from Vietnam to a Marine base on Okinawa.   Remembering it, I  re-experience the feeling of numbness I had when learning of it.   Our government lied to his wife and children about where he was shot down, because it wasn't admitting that we were bombing Laos and Cambodia as well as North and South Vietnam.  I remember my loss of innocence about being repeatedly lied to by our government during that time, which led to a lifelong skepticism, indeed cynicism, about what we are told by the politicians and bureaucrats who control our government.  Just as I can't believe what I am told by our own government, I am just as skeptical, indeed cynical, about information from other governments, including those involved in the Ukraine/Russia conflict and the Israel/Hamas conflict.  It is truly said that the first casualty of war is always Truth, and that applies whether we are being provided information by our friends or our enemies.  All governments lie to us, repeatedly and regularly.  Our current government, of course, is establishing the gold standard in this regard.  We need to be at least skeptical, if not cynical, especially about information provided by those engaged in warfare."

I'm thinking the same thoughts today, especially about our current government establishing the gold standard for lying to its citizens.  I'm thinking of my fellow Marine, "Moon" Mullen, and his children too.  Moon's name is now on the Vietnam Wall, and his widow, Barbara, is now buried at Arlington National Cemetery at his gravesite, which is only honorary for him because his remains have never been recovered.  I think too of our current Commander-in-Chief, who had someone else, probably a Black or Hispanic kid, sent to Vietnam in his place, because of his "bone spurs.'  I wonder if the young man who was drafted in his place ended up with his name on the Wall, one of the 58,281 names inscribed there.  I think too of our current Secretary of Defense and the 2,067,700 men and women who served under his command.  865 American service members wounded. At least 21 killed in Trump's and Hegseth's unnecessary war. Trump says we haven’t lost anyone, calls it a win and brags about making "a fortune" on Venezuela. oil.  Words fail me in trying to characterize these guys.   Words fail me in thinking of how low our country has fallen during my lifetime.  Let's hope that last week's election signals a turnaround, but this old Marine struggles with his leftover cynicism. 

Visit to the VA.  Dr. Cheng at 8, and NP Kali Kisro at 9:30.  I had enjoyable chats with both and saw much of the C-scan of my thoracic spine with Dr. Cheng, seeing the stenosis in my T-9 vertebra, which is probably causing the nasty pain in my right flank.  He prescribed a mild NSAID and advised me not to take it with my morning meds (aspirin).  Kali put through the general surgery consult to see whether surgery for my bladder extending into an intestinal hernia seems desirable.

Wow.  We were blessed with fantastic October weather in Wisconsin. It was the 4th warmest October on record for the state. Much of the state was 6-8° above normal.  It was also one of the state’s sunniest Octobers on record.  My favorite month in Wisconsin.

A Horrible Hunch.  My hunch is that, just as the Nazis frantically strove to kill as many Jews as possible when they knew that they had lost the war, continuing to cram freight trains with their human cargo destined for the extermination camps, the Trump regime, under the leadership of both Trump and Stephen Miller, will accelerate the capture, detainment, and deportation of immigrants.  It will not get better after last week's election; it will get worse because they see their time coming to an end.  Get 'em while we can.

Signs of what to expect over the next two years.  Trump picked Stephen "Sieg Heil" Miller as Chief of Staff.  House of Representatives Republicans picked Jim Jordan as minority leader in the next Congress.