General Custer

Recently I was down in Monroe, MI and took some pics of the statue of Gen. George Armstrong Custer. Custer has long been a hero of mine. His flamboyant style, reckless bravery, and the fact that he hails from my home state are all factors in my admiration of him. Yes, he miscalculated and was killed along with his entire command at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, but was instrumental in the Union victory at Gettysburg.
Although he was not a gifted student at West Point, he never the less was appointed to the rank of second lieutenant at the outbreak of the Civil War, and was attached to the Second Cavalry during the Battle of Bull Run. During the Peninsular Campaign, he was reassigned to the 5th Cavalry where he got his first chance to lead four companies of the 4th Michigan Infantry in a successful attack across the Chickahominy River. Although a minor skirmish, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac, was made aware of it and personally congratulated Custer. McClellan took a liking to Custer, and he was attached to his staff as an aide-de-camp. Custer then began to network with fellow officers of higher rank and embarked on a campaign to secure higher rank and eventually attained his own command. Although he had a penchant for over elaborate, showy uniforms, Custer won the respect of his men for his willingness to lead his men at the front of cavalry charges, never hanging back to avoid being wounded as other officers did.
At 23, Custer was promoted to Brigadier General.
Although many feel that Custer was reckless, meticulous planning preceeded each action that he led. As Marguerite Merrington explains in The Custer Story in Letters, "George Custer meticulously scouted every battlefield, gauged the enemie's weak points and strengths, ascertained the best line of attack and only after he was satisfied was the 'Custer Dash' with a Michigan yell focused with complete surprise on the enemy in routing them every time."
At Gettysburg, Custer and the first Michigan Cavalry thwarted an attack on the rear of the Union Army led by J.E.B. Stuart, breaking the back of the Confederate assualt.
Near the end of the war, Custer blocked the retreat of Robert E. Lee near Appomattox Court House, and received the first flag of truce from the Confederate forces.

The facts of the Battle of the Little Big Horn have been widely explored, and yes, Custer recklessly split his forces while facing an enemy that outnumbered him by at least two to one. I have to wonder if in the fog of war Custer's scouts provided him with faulty intellegence. In this day and age it is popular to view Custer's life through the lens of this one engagement without giving him credit for his deeds in the Civil War.

In his biography of Custer Son of the Morning Star , Evan Cornell wrote: "These days it is stylish to denigrate the general, whose stock sells for nothing. Nineteenth-century Americans thought differently. At that time he was a cavalier without fear and beyond reproach."

Mackinac Island, MI

Two weeks ago my wife Chris and I went to Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw ) Island to run in the Great Turtle Half Marathon and 5.7 mile Race . We participated in the 5.7 mile race. It was a nice time and we did a little sight seeing (and of course bought some of the delicious fudge that the island is famous for).

This is Fort Mackinaw. It was built by the British in 1780 to protect the lucrative fur trade route of the straits. In front is a statue of Father Jacques Marquette, whose arrival predated the British presence on the island by over 100 years. Native Americans are believed to have settled the island around 900 AD. the Ojibwa tribe considered this place to be the home of the Great Spirit ( Gitche Manitou). Motor vehicles of any kind are not allowed so your only choices are foot, bicycle, or horse drawn carriage. This is St. Anne's Catholic Church.

This is Round Island, which forms the "tail" of the Great Turtle.

Post race celebration.

On the way back, we passed the channel buoy, you can see the fort on the island. You can also see the Round Island Lighthouse.

I went topside for the ride back. It was wonderfully bracing. Cold air 30 mph winds, 8 foot seas and plenty of spray. It made me miss my Coast Guard days. Chris thought I was crazy.

The recently retired USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB 83). My home for much of 1981. Now a museum. Sadly, she was closed for the season two weeks earlier. To stand on her decks once more...

Pure Michigan

Labor day weekend spent at home enjoying the sights and sounds of the lake that I live on. Swans ducks and Canada geese were all in attendance as my wife Chris, son Derek and I relaxed and enjoyed the evening with our two dogs Bert (big stupid one) and Chet (serial carpet peeing, barks then runs and hides, infinitely irritating and all around pain in the butt).

Casting off from the backyard

Out on the Lake

Chris and " little Chettie"

Some ducks

Bert spys some swans with their half grown youngsters

They are irritated by our boat, and the fact that we have no food

Chester tries not to wet himself as we approach the swans

As we head home, the sun sets.

Big Three Bridge Loan

Normally, I do not like to comment on politics in this blog. Although I comment on political posts at other blogs, it really is not the reason that I started blogging.
So this post will be a rare deviation from the norm.
I am really starting to get fed up with the grand standing in the House and especially the Republican members of the Senate regarding these loans. They are literally a pittance when compared to the TARP funds that Congress has approved for the likes of AIG and the large banks.
Regardless of what you think of GM, Ford, or Chrysler's products, they are the main economic engine of the state of Michigan. We need this money from Washington ( I would like to point out that Michigan is a donor state to the Federal government. In 2005, Michigan got $0.92 for every dollar sent to Washington, while Alabama gets $1.66 H/T O'Tim).
These funds are not a "bailout". Even if these companies eventually do go out of business, the Federal Government will still get their money back as they will be first in line if a bankruptcy occurs, so there is no risk to the American Taxpayer.
I am now, and have always been, a "we're all in this together" type of person. Michigan has been neglected for years and years by the Federal government and it is time for that to stop.
The "Red States" of the south and west are always carping about paying taxes to Washington but by and large benefit from funds received from "Blue States" Like Michigan, California, New York" and others. Seventeen states pay more into Federal taxes than they get back in the form of Federal spending. They are all "Blue States" with the notable exception of Texas (whuch got $0.94 in 2005).
I will not go into all of the tax breaks that the foriegn auto companies got to locate their plants in non-union states in the south, both Federal and State.
If you agree with me that this is inherently unfair, especially in these extremely trying economic times for Michigan, Ohio, and other states, please write, call, of email your Senator and express your opinion.

I also encourage you to visit this website www.boycottalabamanow.com.

Here is the text of an email that I wrote to Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama:

Senator Shelby;

I am a resident of Michigan. Our state has been in recession since 2002. Although I am employed, many of our people are having trouble finding employment and if you insist on driving General Motors and Chrysler out of business, our unemployment rate could reach 15% or more.That's a depression.

Our state is struggling really bad, and we are all doing the best we can up here. When Wall Street had a crisis, you and others handed them 700 billion dollars. If you divide that up 50 ways, you get 14 billion. Okay, fine. Just give Michigan the money that we sent to Washington to keep our main economic engine alive and stop the grand standing. We are asking for a LOAN. This money will be paid back. I find the hypocracy of Washington politicians telling us that we overpromised workers and retirees ridiculous when your party has gone on a spending spree like a bunch of drunken sailors over the last eight years.I did not see one Wall St. CEO getting humiliated by congress for days on end when they got 50 times the amount of money from the government. You all just handed it over to them and they won't even lend it to anyone. They are using it at luxury resorts and to buy each other's bank, and not to stop the forclosure crisis.

I was disgusted to see how our business leaders were treated by you and others. It will be a cold day in hell before I ever set foot in your filthy swamp of a state. I will never buy anything that is produced by your state. I don't know why you feel that it is the right thing to do to attack a state that has never done anything to Alabama, but if trade war and boycott is what you want, then so be it.

Just remember, there may be a day when Michigan is in a position to help Alabama during a hurricane or some such disaster. I will say "let them suffer, they are not worth the dirt on my shoes".
You need to stop this opposition and not kick a fellow state that is down. We are in desperate need or we would never go through the humiliation you and others are subjecting us to. It is just plain sadistic.

Even President Bush has said that we must not let the American Auto industry die. He is the head of your party. Listen to him.If you do not, Michigan will never forget the mortal blow that you will inflict on us.
I don't know why I am bothering to write this. Someone as arrogant as yourself probably thinks that the "little people" like me don't count. We have seen how you and your corrupt ilk hold the common man in contempt.

Just remember, some day it could be Alabama on the ropes. When that happens, I will personally tell you to go to hell.

Very Truly Yours Tim Gasco, Lifelong Michigan resident and veteran

Greenfield Villiage

A couple of weeks ago I went to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI with the family. This "living museum" was created in the late 1920's by Henry Ford to encourage innovation and invention. It's an interesting place that has among other things the Wright Bros. bicycle shop and Thomas Edison's laboratory and workshop. It showcases the techniques and inventions of the late 19th and early 20th century. The glassblowing shop (above) is always one of my favorite demonstrations. Here are a few more photos:

This is the display case in the Wright Brothers bicycle shop. Note the early inner tubes and wrenches.

This is the "Invention Factory", Thomas Edison's workshop. One of the fascinating things for me is how all of the lathes, drill presses, and other machine tools throughout the workshop, and the entire village were steam powered. They would have a big boiler that would power a piston, that would turn a flywheel, which by the use of large belts, would turn a drive shaft that would run along the ceiling of the room. Belts connected to each machine would then be connected to this drive shaft . Later, these were converted to electric motors. Amazingly, these devices, apart from the mode of power, are easily recognizable as the ancestors of today's machine tools.

This is Thomas Edison's lab. At a this bench, he worked on the chemical composition for the filament in his electric light bulb. I have many other photos, but there just is not enough space here to show as many as I would like.

I'm currently in Washington, DC with my son seeing the sights, so expect several posts coming soon. Before I start on that, I wanted to share these. I downloaded them large size, so that you can see excellent detail if you click on them.