Category Archives: Scratch Pad

Pentagon Reviewing Medals of Honor for Wounded Knee

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Allen Mesch

The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee, occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. It was the deadliest mass shooting in American history, … Continue reading →

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President Biden Awards Medal of Honor to Two Union Soldiers

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Allen Mesch

During the Civil War, a group of twenty-four Union soldiers and civilians, known as Andrews’ Raiders, embarked on a daring mission to infiltrate the Confederate States and disrupt railway and communication lines from Georgia to Tennessee. The raiders were told … Continue reading →

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Will Rogers on Democrats and Republicans

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Allen Mesch

I thought we could use a robust dose of Will Rogers’s humor on political parties with the current political situation and especially the disarray in the Democratic Party over President Biden’s mental health. Will Rogers’s Quotes on Politics Will Rogers … Continue reading →

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America’s Religious Foundations

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Allen Mesch

John Leland Alan W. Steelman’s editorial “Make America Christian Again?” in the Sunday, July 7, 2024 edition of the Dallas Morning News prompted me to learn more about an American Baptist minister named John Leland. John Leland (May 14, 1754 … Continue reading →

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The Faces on Mount Rushmore

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Allen Mesch

On the eve of July 4, 2024, I wanted to share why the following four men were chosen to represent America on a mountainside in South Dakota. Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor behind the project, selected these four presidents because, from … Continue reading →

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David Grann – Truthseeker

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Allen Mesch

On April 2, 2024, my wife and I attended a presentation by David Grann at Southern Methodist University. Mr. Grann discussed two of his books: The Killers of the Flower Moon and The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and … Continue reading →

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Lime Kiln Lighthouse

Posted on June 10, 2024 by Allen Mesch

In the fourth post about our Road Scholar trip, Best of the Pacific Northwest – Exploring Three of Washington’s San Juan Islands, I report about our visit to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island. Lime Kiln Lighthouse is … Continue reading →

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RoozenGaarde Tulip Gardens

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Allen Mesch

This is the third installment of our adventures on the Road Scholar trip, Best of the Pacific Northwest – Exploring Three of Washington’s San Juan Islands. Today’s post deals with our visit to the RoozenGaarde Tulip Gardens as part of … Continue reading →

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Crow Valley School Museum

Posted on May 14, 2024 by Allen Mesch

In the second post about our Road Scholar trip, Best of the Pacific Northwest – Exploring Three of Washington’s San Juan Islands, I report about our visit to the Crow Valley School Museum on Orcas Island. Crow Valley School Museum … Continue reading →

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What I Like and Don’t Like About Texas

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Allen Mesch

Living in the Lone Star State has its pluses and minuses just like everywhere else. I got thinking about what I like and don’t like about Texas. I’ve lived here for over fifty years so I think I am allowed … Continue reading →

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