Not every couple on vacation comes across a dead body, let alone a deep-frozen one. But this is precisely what happened on Thursday, September 19, 1991 in the Tyrolean Alps by Helmut and Erika Simon. They had just crossed the Hauslabjoch Pass, which would bring them down to Italy, when they noticed a body protruding from the ice. Reporting their find to the nearest mountain center, they proceeded on their trip, little knowing what would follow.
Tyrol Alps Stock Photo
The manager of the center notified both the Italian and Austrian police, as well as the mountain rescue chief for the area. The following day the Austrian police arrived at the Pass and began chiseling out the body, which lay in a natural hollow covered by the remains of a glacier. A suggestion that it was a man who had disappeared in 1941 was belied by the collection of ancient-looking objects found with the body, including skin clothing and an axe, apparently with an iron blade.
Stock Photo
Of course, wide speculation abounded from local mountaineers to experts in local folk-culture. Early estimates claimed the body’s age ranged from 500 to 3K years. The body was finally released from the ice on September 23 and sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Innsbruck, Austria. The corpse turned out to be of a man over 40 who had apparently died of exposure. Konrad Spindler, Professor of Archaeology at Innsbruck, believed the axe had a bronze rather than an iron blade, and speculated that the body was at least 4K years old.
Initial radio carbon tests on grass samples found with the body suggested an even earlier date – somewhere between 2,600 BC and 2,900 BC. Excavations at the site revealed an amazing repertoire of equipment carried by a prehistoric man going about his business: a pair of grass-lined leather shoes; a fur hood; a patchwork jacket made of deer fur; fur leggings; a leather apron; a woven-grass cloak; a thong with a stone pendant; a goat-fur rucksack; a net; a beaker made of birch bark; a bow; a copper axe with wooden handle; a fur quiver stuffed with 12 wooden arrow shafts; two arrows complete with flint arrowheads and an arrow repair kit; flint and bone tools; and a calf’s-leather pouch containing a fire-making kit.
Artifacts found with Otzi
It soon became clear that the iceman, dubbed “Otzi” by the press, was one of the greatest archaeological finds of the century. This brought about an undignified row between Italy and Austria as to ownership of Otzi’s body. Once the archaeological importance of the find had been appreciated, the press on both sides of the Alps trumpeted a battle of words over the frozen corpse.
It is difficult to determine border lines through the snowy terrain of the Alps but it was agreed, after a new survey specially commissioned to solve the problem, that the body was found just within the Italian side of the border. Eventually the authorities of the North Tyrol (Austrian) and South Tyrol (Italian) came to an agreement that Otzi could remain in Innsbruck until the scientific studies were completed.
Wild theories abounded, including one woman who claimed it was her husband’s body, who went missing in the 1970’s; and then there was a Viennese gay magazine that started a rumor that Otzi was the world’s oldest known passive homosexual, while his skin clothing surely revealed him to be a “leather queen.” The claim was also made that Otzi’s penis was missing. When Otzi’s genitals were examined in April 1993, his penis proved to be there after all, shrunk to about 5 centimeters – quite a creditable length after 5K years of deep-freezing.
These stories are, no doubt, only the small beginnings of a popular publishing industry on the iceman that will come to rival that on Tutankhmanu. The speculations of academics themselves have sometimes lacked restraint, even turning at times to the bizarre. With this kind of speculation coming from the academic world, it may only be a matter of time before a book is published claiming that Otzi was an alien who landed on the Alps in a spaceship!!!!
In 2008, I was living with HB and SIL in a house in Manassas, VA on a major roadway with a lot of traffic, although it was only a two-lane road. It was Christmas but it was unseasonably warm that year. HB and SIL were watching TV and, of course, I was sitting at my computer, which was directly in front of a window.
Our House in Manassas
All of a sudden, I heard a loud crash and looked up to see that an SUV had crashed into a tree across the street. It hit the tree and bounced back; I saw the driver’s door open and a man got out, with an obvious leg injury – he fell up against the SUV and kind of rolled down the side of it towards the front of the vehicle.
Representation from Net
By the time I got up and went to the door, I could no longer see him. Behind the house across the street was a large wooded area – there was a driveway running down the side of the house towards the back. We called 911 to report it and then we all trooped outside to look; a woman had pulled over into our driveway so we chatted with her while we waited.
Within 5 or 10 minutes, the cops arrived and began searching for the driver, who was nowhere to be found. They told us the SUV had just been stolen from someone down the street. I told them that he was obviously injured but that was all I knew. They searched and searched and searched, and finally determined that he must have gone down the driveway into the woods. So they sent a car around to the other side of the woods to search from that side. They even had a helicopter up looking for him.
Representation from Net
After about 45 minutes, another cop car pulled up with a canine unit. They brought the dog out and had him jump into the SUV to get the man’s scent. He jumped back down and went directly to the tree at the front of the SUV!
Representation from Net
Turns out, the guy had buried himself in the leaves and was there the whole time!!!! They had never even looked there!!! We also found out he was an illegal – sometimes I swore half of Manassas was made up of illegals, there were so many, including MS-13!
HB and SIL had already made their decision by then to move to Nebraska. She was pregnant with Piper and wouldn’t be able to work and SIL had been laid off from his job. I had not yet decided to join them but, in March of 2009, I also lost my job as General Manager at ResoleAmerica. I decided God was telling me it was time to go home!!!!
The magic lantern, or zoetrope, is little known today but it amazed and delighted audiences in Victorian drawing rooms. It also led, in the 20th century, to the invention of the slide projector and the cinema. In its final form, the zoetrope was a cylinder-shaped canopy of thin material suspended over a lamp. Vanes placed at the top caught the hot air rising from the lamp and made the cylinder rotate slowly.
On the sides of the canopy were thin panes of paper on which were painted pictures. As the cylinder revolved around the lamp, the light shone through the succession of pictures to give the illusion that the painted figures were moving — exactly the same principle as that behind modern motion pictures.
From Athanasius Kirchner’s “An Magna Lucis et Umbrae” of 1671
In 1868 Mr. W.B. Carpenter, the vice president of the Royal Society of London, stated with some confidence that the magic lantern had been invented by Michael Faraday, the famous pioneer of electricity as recently as 1836. He was certainly wrong, as one John Bate had already written about the zoetrope early in the 17th century. However, even Bate was merely describing a device long known elsewhere.
The principal of using heat to make small figures rotate is extremely ancient. In the Near East it goes back to Heron of Alexandria, who invented a toy with moving dancers in the 1st century AD. The Chinese version is even older, and far more advanced, as it involved the projection of images.
In 121 BC, a magician named Shao Ong staged a sort of seance for the Emperor Han Wu-ti, using moving images projected onto a screen. An earlier emperor, Han Gaozu, had a lamp in his possession in 207 BC that, when lit, showed the sparkling scales of turning dragons.
Around 180 AD the inventor Ting Huan created a “nine-storied hill censer,” which was apparently an extremely complicated multiple magic lantern. On it were strange birds and unusual animals, which turned around as the lamp burned.
By the 12th century AD, the most common form of zoetrope was the “horse-riding” or the “horse-pacing” lamp. After the lamp was lit a succession of prancing horses was projected onto the walls, moving as if they were alive. More sophisticated examples probably used lenses to produce stronger images. This was the type of magic lantern seen by early European visitors, and is undoubtedly provided the inspiration for the Jesuit priest of the China Mission Martin Martini (1614-1661). Martini presented the first lantern slides in Europe at Louvain, Belgium, in 1654, soon followed by other European scientists fascinated by the properties of light.
Much speculation has gone into discovering the origins of American football. Perhaps this was where the game originated…..in the 1st millenium B.C.? From “Ancient Inventions:”
“The most extraordinary sport of the ancient world was without doubt the sacred ball game of Central America and the southern United States. It was first played in about 1000 B.C. by the Olmecs, who lived along the Bay of Mexico, and by all the later great civilizations of the region.
From its very start, it was played by the most important members of society. The colossal Olmec heads — carved from basalt brought down from mountains 50 miles away and weighing up to 44 tons — show Olmec rulers wearing head coverings. A plausible explanation is that these are protective helmets (like those of modern football players) worn by the Olmecs when playing their sacred ball game.
Olmec Heads
The earliest ball courts were simple basins with earthen retaining walls, but by 1000 A.D., they had become far more elaborate. At Chichen Itza the parallel walls were 283 feet long, 100 feet apart and 27 feet high. In Aztec times, ball courts were shaped like a capital “I,” with temples at both ends and banks of seating along the sides. In the middle of the walls, which were usually 12 feet high, were set stone or wooden rings. The ball was a solid rubber sphere about 6 inches in diameter.
Detail from the 15th century Codex Magliabecciano, showing the Mexican ball game about to start. The rings, here shown outside the court, actually projected into it at right angles to the side walls.
To protect themselves against injuries from the heavy ball, the noble players (and a sprinkling of professionals) wore protective helmets, wide belts of hard wood and leather, hip pads, knee pads, and a single glove.
Representation of Protective Gear
After the ball was thrown into play, players had to pass it to their teammates using their hips, elbows, or legs, without letting it run into the other side’s end of the court, for this counted as a point against them. The excited crowd would bet on the outcome: according to a Spanish chronicler they would wager “gold, turquoises, slaves, rich mantles, even cornfields and houses.”
Star players were able to hit the ball up through the ring on the side of the court, thereby winning the game. The victorious side had the right to grab the clothes and jewelry of any spectators who couldn’t get away fast enough. That the game also had a religious significance is shown by the fact that omens were read from the movements of the ball and the nature of the victory.
Pre-Columbian art often depicts acts of decapitation as authors such as Christopher L. Moserhave pointed out. The practice is also known from the ball court game that was commonly played by all the Mesoamerican cultures prior to the arrival of the Spanish, from the Olmecs to the Aztecs. The game began to feature sacrificial elements when the Maya took it over from the Toltecs. Archaeologists had mostly dismissed these depictions as figurative, but recent evidence, including the discovery of a collection of decapitated human heads, has provided physical proof of its existence among Pre-Columbian cultures.
That the losing team may have paid the ultimate price for defeat is suggested by the sculptural reliefs found next to many ball courts, which show a ball player being decapitated as a sacrifice to the gods.
We have all now seen with our own eyes how our elected officials hide their shenanigans from the People. A clear example is the obscure hurricane bill passed under the public’s radar in 2015 that also conferred freedom from liability to Big Pharma (Glenn Beck). I gathered the following information via the Patriots For America blog back in 2014. This is going to be a long one, guys! Sorry – I tried to cut it down but….
I mentioned to Pat about there being an official process to revoke one’s United States citizenship, regain one’s own individual Sovereignty, and become strictly a State citizen. The process is very lengthy and complicated, of course – the instruction packet from SEDM (Sovereignty Education and Defense Ministry, a Christian-based group) is 17 pages long. You can only read it on-line if you are a member of the site (https://sedm.org/) but it was posted at PFA years ago, and I printed it out.
Two pictures from that document: – first page:
Last page:
Rechayahu Ben Harvey in 2014:
“There was a coup d’etat that occurred in 1871 in the United States. Both Senate and House of Republicans abandoned the de jure Constitution and seats of Congress for the United States of America, and joined the municipal corporate UNITED STATES, INC., giving the People the impression that their Country and Government had not made any major changes. It has been masquerading as the de jure “Nation” and “Country,” of United States of America to the American people and the world for over 150 years.”
UNITED STATES LLC – How the ACT of 1871 changed the US from a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC to a CORPORATION
“The Republic can be restored by returning to Common Law, but you must be ready to Constitutionally enforce it with Article I, Section 8, Clause 15. If not, back down and continue to be Sheeple for the next 150 years, for you have let all peaceful means slip away while you complain, petition, and seek assistance from traitors in the de facto Congress.
The people have been made submissive or dumbed down, and don’t recognize the authority that they have, that was given to them, in this founding document by the Founding Fathers–an authority no other country in the world has: 1776 Declaration of Independence.”
So, what is Article I, Section 8, Clause 15???
Article I, Section 8, Clause 15:
[The Congress shall have Power . . . ] “…to provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; . . .
The states as well as Congress may prescribe penalties for failure to obey the President’s call of the militia. They also have a concurrent power to aid the National Government by calls under their own authority, and in emergencies may use the militia to put down armed insurrection.1 The Federal Government may call out the militia in case of civil war; its authority to suppress rebellion is found in the power to suppress insurrection and to carry on war.2 The act of February 28, 1795,3 which delegated to the President the power to call out the militia, was held constitutional.4 A militiaman who refused to obey such a call was not employed in the service of the United States so as to be subject to the article of war, but was liable to be tried for disobedience of the act of 1795.5″
As with all legislation, this Act alone caused a cascade of secondary ramifications that have just gotten more convoluted, incomprehensible and corrupt with every year that passes.
Ben Harvey: “Even the most powerful and the most despotic government cannot hold a society together by sheer force; to that extent, there was a limited truth to the old belief that governments are produced by consent. Whatever corruption and tyranny that is being thrown at The People by this de facto government, it is with the People’s consent.”
The following was written in 2007 by Augustus Blackstone, Attorney, Spokane, WA:
1. The only remaining access to common (constitutional) law under original jurisdiction lies with the Admiralty Courts under “Savings to Suitors” through Rule 9(h). The political maggots had to leave this escape hatch, else they could legitimately be charged with treason.
2. Suits in Admiralty are under the exclusive original jurisdiction of the (Article 111) district courts of the United States of America….which is not the same thing as Article 1 (administrative) or Article IV (territorial) “United States District Courts”.
3. At present, there are only 13 judges vested with original jurisdiction Article 111 judicial authority and who are properly bound by original jurisdiction Article VI oath. They are the judges of the Court of International Trade and they have the authority to sit the bench in any case in any court anywhere in the United States of America. (The CIT is located in New York.)
4. Any case (state or federal) can be re-opened and/or removed to the Admiralty as a Libel in Review, Counterclaim, and Injunction under (common law remedies) “Savings to Suitors.” An original action in Admiralty can be brought in much the same way.
5. The Admiralty courts have exclusive jurisdiction of the property in Maritime Law. The State courts can have concurrent jurisdiction only over the personage of the parties. The entire subject of insurance (of any kind, including SSA) falls within the Maritime aspect of Contract (common) Law. Hence, the phrase “law of the contract.” Today, Maritime insurance touches every part of an average American’s life. Even the nation’s currency is Maritime insured.
6. Trust entities (“strawman,” etc.) are treated as corporation entities because they are artificial creatures without inherent conscience or sentient volition of their own. Corporation entities are treated in the Admiralty as “vessels” (for similar reasons). For Maritime insurance (contract) purposes, each “vessel” must not only have a hull (body) number, but each “vessel” must also be “personified” with a name (usually all caps spelling).
7. What most people think of as federal, state, and local “government” today is, in truth, nothing more than a bunch of affiliated (Maritime insured) corporation entities (“vessels”). Each entity (Justice Dept., Judicial Dept., Treasury Dept., United States, State of ______, IRS, SSA, FBI, etc.) has its own Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), which number cannot be obtained without certification of corporation “vessel” character/status (Form SS-4).
8. The most compelling evidence of proof of the corporation status, which can be obtained via public disclosure request (FOIA), is written verification of the FEIN assigned to a particular “government” agency/department.
9. The officers and crew of these corporation vessels, whether elected, appointed or hired, are nothing more than corporation “public policy” employees (without Public Law authority) and are, therefore, subject to removal/employment termination for any malfeasance, misfeasance or non-feasance, including false personification (of a Public Law officer).
10. The most compelling evidence of proof of the (corporation) “employee” status of any of today’s so-called “civil servants,” is written verification of their individual membership account in the (state) Public Employee’s Retirement System (PERS) or the Federal Employee’s Retirement System (FERS). You won’t be able to get any account balances or other more personal information, but verification of the existence or non-existence of the account is not “exempt” from disclosure under FOIA.
11. With this sort of evidence in hand, the issue (in court) then becomes: by what lawful authority do (or did) you, a mere employee of a mere corporation, exercise legitimate Public Law power to my detriment?
12. The procedures in Admiralty courts are not so dissimilar from those of other courts. It is mainly understanding the actual body of law being applied to the case without confusing it with what you think it ought to be. The de jure government of our nation is, for the most part, dormant. And it’s Offices are, for the most part, vacant. The de facto “government” and it’s employees can be brought to task only in the Admiralty courts (under Contract Law).
13. Admiralty jurisdiction has another aspect which, for various valid reasons, directly corresponds to Law Martial. It is that aspect (in a corrupted ‘quasi’ or
‘colorable’ form) which is currently in use by the federal corporation “vessels” most people tend to think of as federal, state and local “government.” There is a distinction to be made between a “criminal action” (Public Law exercise of the collective power of the People) and a “penal code violation” (exercise of federal corporation “public policy” authority). A Public Law crime requires an actual victim (corpus delicti). A federal corporation “(Public) policy” offense only requires an infraction violation of the corporation’s penal code. The easiest way to make the distinction between the two is: the punishment for a (real) crime makes no provision for amercement (bribe). The penalty for a federal corporation’s penal code violation typically includes time in the “vessel’s” brig/stockade or a “fine,” or both. Thus, the Maritime insurance/Contract Law becomes apparent.
14. It is a fundamental precept of English/American jurisprudence that “justice shall be administered without purchase.” In other words, “justice” is not for sale or hire. That is why those who advocate (practice law) on behalf of incompetent person, e.g., the insane, infants, etc., must do so pro bono and be appointed by the court on a case-by-case basis (which is how practitioners lawfully acquire the character/status of “officer of the court.”
15. That is also why those who advocate (practice law) for hire on behalf of a corporation entity must do so under “license” issued by and under the official Seal of the State(s)….which an attorney’s BAR card is not. The BAR card carries no more legal significance than a AAA membership card….which is not a “license” (to drive) issued by and under the official Seal of the State(s). The State BARs, without federal corporation “vessels” styled as “LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF _______” and/or “JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT.”
16. The BAR number assigned to each member is (or can be referred to as) a mixed war Letter of Marque (document) number, by which they are seemingly authorized to make inland raids and seizures (in the capacity of privateers) upon “enemies” of the (corporation) “state.” (Ref. the Trading With The Enemy Act).
17. When in the Admiralty courts, one must use the proper terms to properly identify the parties and their actions. The Maritime insured federal corporation vessel styled as “(insert TITLE/NAME)” operates inland under U.S. tax registry number (insert FEIN). The officers and crew thereof are Maritime insured “employees.” Get the idea?
The foregoing has very little directly to do with restoring and maintaining one’s individual sovereign character/status. It does, however, help one to understand the true nature of the game (and its rules) in which we find ourselves, and the remedies available.
If you thought other weddings you’ve been to had a lot of traditions, just wait until you attend your first military wedding. With a slew of unique customs, specific dress codes, and even requirements for invitation wording, there’s etiquette to navigate that you may not have seen before. Plus, different branches of the military have different variations of these traditions.
Like all nuptial ceremonies, military weddings are celebratory and meaningful events but with an added air of patriotism. They’re meant to honor anyone who has served or is currently serving in any branch of the U.S. military, including those enlisted, active and retired officers, and cadets at an academy. Incorporating long-standing traditions makes military weddings that much more special, and there’s a lot more guidance when it comes to making decisions about the venue, decorations, recessional song, and more.
Wondering what to expect at a military wedding? Below, learn all about the traditions, plus what to plan for and expect at a military wedding ceremony.
Seating Based on Military Status and Rank
During the ceremony, commanding officers should sit near the front, either with or directly behind the couple’s families. At the reception, military members should be seated by rank (captains with captains, sergeants with sergeants, etc.). Military personnel may also be seated together at a table of honor near the head table, or they can sit with the civilian guests if the couple prefers.
Each branch of service has specific seating guidelines, but overall, high-ranking officers (generals, captains) are given positions of the highest honor both at the ceremony and reception.
A Flag On Display
An American flag and the bride or groom’s unit standard are usually on display during the ceremony as a sign of respect. Protocol dictates that this should be displayed to the left of the officiant when viewed by the gathered guests. In addition to the flag, the couple may choose to incorporate other patriotic decorations and colors into their ceremony and reception.
The Rules of Grooming
If the groom chooses to be wed in full military uniform, they’ll need to adhere to the unique regulatory standards that each branch holds, including universal grooming standards, such as shaving. All men in uniform must be clean-shaven, and these same rules apply to any vets or retirees planning to don a uniform.
My friends, Marianne and Ski (his last name was Pankowsky but IDR his first name – we just called him Ski! The blue braid on his arm signifies that he was in the 3rd US Infantry)
If you’re a woman marrying a male retiree or vet with a sexy beard and want him to wear his uniform, he’s going to have to get rid of it again. I think we’re all aware that men can get pretty attached to their beards, so that may or may not require some negotiation. However, the opportunity to again wear a uniform that holds so much national and personal significance may be a major motivation.
Groomsmen in White Gloves
Any member of the wedding party in uniform who is carrying a saber or cutlass, whether an officer or enlisted personnel, must wear white gloves. This is typically required of military members for most ceremonial events. The groom and best man are exempt, however, as they will be handling the rings.
The Saber Arch Exit
If one or both of the newlyweds are commissioned officers, they may exit the ceremony beneath an archway of sabers held by other military members, known as the Arch of Sabers (or the Arch of Swords if they’re in the Navy or Marine Corps). If the partners are noncommissioned officers or enlisted personnel, they will instead use a variation known as the Arch of Rifles.
The arch serves as a pledge of loyalty to the couple by their military family and often ends with the final two military members lowering their sabers to prevent the couple from passing.
Traditionally, brides who aren’t in the military may be ceremonially tapped on the behind with a saber before the couple is allowed to pass—it’s considered a way to “welcome” them into the military family. Though less common than it used to be, it’s still practiced today, and brides can request to skip this part if they’re not comfortable with it.
Cake-Cutting With a Sword
The sword cake-cutting is perhaps one of the most recognizable military wedding traditions. If the bride or groom is an officer, they will use a ceremonial military sword to cut their wedding cake instead of a knife or cake server.
Marianne and Ski did cut their cake with a sword but I didn’t get pics of that one!
Traditionally, the military spouse presents the sword to their partner before they cut the cake. Then, customarily, the bride places a hand underneath the groom’s on the handle of the sword, and they cut through the cake together; however, this can be updated according to the couple’s preferences.
M & S with their parents outside the chapel
These are just a few of the traditions – read more:
Many, many years of investigation, analysis and speculation has been accomplished thru the ages. We now know how old Stonehenge is, where the stones came from, and how it was constructed, but none of this tells us who built it.
Older theories involving Saxons, Danes, Romans, Phoenicians, and even the Druids are obviously ruled out by the date of the monument. None of these groups was around in the Neolithic or Bronze Age of Britain.
Not surprisingly, much of the ink spilled over Stonehenge in centuries of debate has been concerning its purpose. Early antiquarians tended to see Stonehenge as a “monument,” without any specific use, although they did usually believe that it commemorated a particular event, such as Geoffrey of Monthouth’s theory that it was built in memory of the Bristons slaughtered by the Saxons.
From Aubrey and Stukeley’s time the idea of Stonehenge as a Druid temple dominated the literature, but as the Druids slipped from the scene so did the identification as a temple. The axis of Stonehenge is clearly on the midsummer sunrise/midwinter sunset line, with the sun-rise occurring over the avenue, leading to the conclusion that this was probably the more important astronomical feature.
Professor Gerald Hawkins’ theory of astronomical alignments at Stonehenge
It took an American Astronomer, Dr. Gerald Hawkins of Boston University, to break the silence. He surveyed the possible alignments presented by the monument, then fed the results into a computer to see if they had any astronomical significance. Setting the computer to cross-check the lines against a map of the heavens set at a date of 1500 B.C., he came up with a whole pattern of solar and lunar alignments (but none for the planets or stars) that he decided could not possibly be the result of chance.
Archaeologists today have returned to ideas of Stonehenge as a ceremonial center. The early wooden phase seems to have involved circles of timbers at the middle of the monument, with access tightly controlled by a wooden passageway and fencing. Even the entrances through the ditch had a forest of posts set into them, making it difficult just to walk in.
The later stone circles and horseshoe continue in the same vein, with access restricted by the stones themselves, and visibility of events at the center of the monument obscured for thsoe outside. The avenue seems quite clearly to be a processional way, when its course is followed. This runs in an arc around Stonehenge, going down into a dip.
America’s Stonehenge, Salem, NH
Only after continuing for some time out of sight of the monument does its course begin to climb again, at which point visitors saw the stone circle standing out proud against the skyline. Inside the circular sacred area defined by the bank and ditch they would have seen a crowd of worshippers, and occasional glimpses of those directing ceremonies from the center of the stones.
For those privileged few looking out from the heart of the monument, the high point of the year must have been the moment when the Sun rose over the avenue on midsummer morning. So perhaps it is not too wide of the mark to see Stonehenge as a Sun temple.
America’s house is home to more than just presidents and their families.
Sure it’s been the site of intense diplomatic meetings, grand parties, and important declarations, but the White House is notoriously haunted by some very famous ghosts.
Two grieving first ladies—Abigail Adams and Mary Todd Lincoln—held seances in the White House, hoping to speak with the spirits of their dead children. Opening that door to speak with the dead apparently allowed a sinister presence to take up residence in the presidential estate. Something has been tormenting presidents, their families, and their staff for more than 100 years.
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams, the wife of the second president, John Adams, did her own laundry when she lived in the White House, and there’s apparently still plenty of washing to be done. White House staffers have seen her ghost floating around the East Room with her arms holding an invisible load of laundry. Sometimes, they smell wet clothes or even the scene of lavender in the area.
Abraham Lincoln
The ghost of Honest Abe just can’t seem to move on following his 1865 assassination. There are numerous stories of Lincoln’s bearded ghost appearing to White House residents, staff, and visitors. A nude Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister,once emerged from the bathroom to see Lincoln sitting in his room during a visit in the 1940s.
Lincoln is said to lurk around the Yellow Oval Room and the Lincoln bedroom. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt spent a lot of time working in the Lincoln bedroom, and she apparently saw him often. Calvin Coolidge’s wife, Grace, reportedly caught Lincoln looking out of a window in the Lincoln Bedroom. One night, Lady Bird Johnson was watching a documentary about Lincoln’s death when she said she felt his spirit nearby.
Ronald Reagan’s dog, Rex, is believed to have seen Lincoln’s ghost as well. Apparently the dog would regularly stand at the door to the Lincoln bedroom and bark, and the president believed Rex could see Lincoln.
Andrew Jackson
The nation’s seventh president apparently still spends time in his old bedroom where he can be heard laughing. Mary Todd Lincoln often said she heard Jackson stomping and swearing. Perhaps his ghost is reliving the raucous 1829 inauguration party in which the White House was effectively trashed by thousands of celebrants exploring the estate.
Harry Truman
Harry Truman once joked, “My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there’s hardly any difference.” Was it Truman’s piano that the Bush twins, Barbara and Jenna, heard in their room after their father, George W. Bush, took office?
William Henry Harrison
Harrison, the ninth president, holds the record for holding the office of president for the least amount of time—just 31 days—but his ghost has been there way longer than that. Apparently, William Henry Harrison left something in the attic, and he’s still walking around up there and looking for it to this day.
Dolley Madison
The wife of President James Madison is very protective over the Rose Garden. When Woodrow Wilson was President, an effort to move the garden was abandoned when people began seeing Molley Madison’s ghost, according to the Washington, Post.
One of the fun activities in which I used to participate when I lived in No. Virginia was the Bull Run Country Jamboree. It began in 1982 at Bull Run Park in Manassas, VA and was held for 2 days the first year – in the following years, it became a 1 day show. It was much like an old fashioned carnival, craft show and concert – hairiest legs contests, smoothest legs contests, greased pig contests, with all of the attendant food and beverage trucks – yes, beer was included Yummmm…..funnel cake!!!! This was HB giving my Mom a talking to that first year.
1982
What was so wonderful about Bull Run was the attitude of the people who attended. The gates to the park usually opened at 6 am – people would line up in their vehicles the night before, and party while they waited. It was open-air lawn seating, except for the campground area, and it was important to get there early to get a good spot. What was so unusual was that you could stake out your spot, spread out your blankets and chairs, and then simply walk away to peruse all the other entertainment. Come back an hour later and NOTHING would be touched!!! Everyone looked out for everyone else!
1982 Crowd
We attended Bull Run every year until 1988, when we moved to NE for 2 years. Of course, it was during that period that Garth Brooks played there and I missed it!!! If you listen to his song, “The Old Stuff,” you will hear him talk about Bull Run……there was a thunderstorm that knocked out the power!
In 1986, I gathered up a bunch of family – brother, sister, Mom, ex-hubby – and friends and off we all went to Bull Run, setting up our lawn chairs next to our vehicles to sleep until the gates opened – or partied – depending on one’s choice.
Carol and Mom
Towards the end of the concert, park staff would bring around trash bags and everyone cleaned up their own trash, with not a speck left once everyone was gone.
Most years, we had young children with us and those using intoxicants besides beer or wine generally congregated at the campsites. One of the few times I attended without HB, I went with a group of the young project officers from DHR, most of whom consumed MJ. 3 women, 2 guys. Since we weren’t camping, we would team up to visit the Port-O-Johns. One would go in first, do their thing, hit the bowl and set it on the side of the seat. The next person came in and repeated it, then everyone headed back to our spot.
It was my turn in the John…..I was unaware that outside, the police were trying to evict a drunk who insisted he just HAD to pee first! They bumped my friend from the line and placed the drunk there instead.
Debbie and Me
I did my thing, put the bowl on the side, against the wall, and opened the door! There stood 2 policemen on either side of the line, thankfully about 10 feet away…..I said, “Oh, excuse me, I left my wallet!” Grabbed that sucker and stuffed it in my pocket, and we walked away. That ended THAT activity for the day!!!!
The festival was moved to a new concert venue outside Haymarket, VA around 2007 or 2008. I attended one time and, frankly, it sucked!!!! No more open seating, no more food and beverage trucks, no more crafts. Never went again!!!! But, ah, the memories!!
After making it through BT and AIT, I was one of two women selected for a special assignment to the Military District of Washington (MDW).
We settled into the brick WAC Shack at Ft. Myer, called that for obvious reasons, at Ft. Myer, VA – it was also called the Cat House because there were 2 black cats that hung out around the barracks. The women all fed and took care of them. And of course there’s that old double entendre again!
WAC Shack Black Cats
The common area on each floor contained couches, coffee tables, tables and chairs, several TVs, and vending machines for snacks. They also had vending machines with beer, sodas, juices and water. Just like a college dorm.
Carole and I were both finally assigned to a long-term program called the SDRP at the Pentagon and shared office space with 7-8 other people. That summer, the head guy asked his secretary, Sylvia, to plan an outing for everyone – a dinner cruise on the riverboat Dandy. Fancy meal, cruising down the river, gazing at the lights of DC, music playing, dancing, with the partner of our choice or none at all – I wasn’t seeing anyone at the time. Sounded delightful! But it was a BYOB – they couldn’t pay for alcohol.
I bought a bottle of Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila – I cracked it and had one shot, capped it and stashed it in my wall locker until the party – expensive shit for a lowly little PFC!! I promptly forgot about it – it was several weeks yet before the party. At some point in the next week or so, the 1st Sergeant called a surprise inspection of our wing of the barracks.
Late that morning, Sylvia waved me over and said in a low key voice…”You have a call from the CSM at MDW and he doesn’t sound happy!” Uh-oh! So I picked up the phone and the first thing I heard was, “PFC Atkins, please do NOT tell me you had a bottle of tequila in your wall locker!”
Uh…..”yes CSM.” “Were you not aware, PFC Atkins, that you are NOT allowed to have alcohol beverages in your wall locker?” “No, CSM.” Deep sigh….”PFC Atkins, report to the 1st Seargeant at Ft. Meyer no later than 4 pm today.” “Yes, CSM.”
I was scared to death – oh, fuck! I was in BIG trouble. One did NOT want to face the 1st SGT!!!! So, off I went on the bus from the Pentagon to Ft. Myer. I presented myself to his secretary and was ushered into his office. I marched over and stood at attention in front of his desk.
(Not me but that style of uniform)
He toyed with me – oh, man, did he EVER toy with me! Question after question after question, reading me the riot act. All the while, I was “Yes, 1st Sergeant’ing” continuously. After I explained, in detail, the cruise that Col. Miller had arranged for us, he then turned to the tequila.
Hmmm, he said, “Cuervo Gold – that’s good tequila!” “Yes, 1st SGT.” “That’s expensive tequila!” “Yes, 1st SGT.” “That bottle has barely been cracked!” “Yes, 1st SGT.” “Sure would be a shame to pour it out!” “YES, 1ST SGT!”
Meanwhile, he’s walking over to the sink (oh, shit!) and starts to uncap it and tip it over the sink. Watching me all the while. Azzwipe!!! He then stopped, capped the bottle, returned to his desk and told me never, ever to have liquor in my wall locker again. He was willing to turn the bottle over to a family member or friend from off-base who would keep it for me until the party.
The only acceptable person I knew was Sylvia, from the office. She graciously agreed to come with me on the bus to Ft. Meyer, collect the bottle directly from the 1st SGT, and hold it for me until the party.
We returned to the Pentagon – she took that bottle of tequila and stashed it in the safe behind her desk!!!! That is where it remained until the party.
SMDH – can’t have the danged thing in my wall locker but we COULD store it in the safe, with all of the classified documents, at the Pentagon!!!!!
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Sew Colorful 