10 Comments

Yes, voting trump into defeat would be the best solution. Second, would be getting rid of him altogether. Though I must admit, the permanent cloak of "loser" may stink enough to repel his ignorant band of zealots.

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As I was reading your post, TR's song referencing " Black Jack" came to mind; lo & behold you added the song...great minds thinking a like(?)...lol...my maternal grandfather was a submariner & New York State trooper motorcycle officer, referred to in the family as " Black Jack"...lol...Pershing was definitely a prophet that was ignored...thanks again for an interesting read...

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Gotta tell ya, Frank, TR's song is one of my faves of all time. He's just such a damn great balladeer. Saw him perform in a small venue in Austin and it just such a wonderful time. Great storyteller. Your grandfather sounds like a guy I would have loved to have met and written about.

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I've been a Russell fan for a long time, back in his Norway(?)days...found out about him listening to KPFT in Houston, saw him a half-dozen times at the Mucky Duck in Houston, warned him about going over Juarez to get song ideas when it was getting bad across the border, when he lived in El Paso...my " Black Jack" was a rascal, probably why Grandma booted his butt...lol...

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Thanks for this. I'm about to do a Zoom seminar which will include early U.S. military use of aircraft and your description of Pershing's failed pursuit of Villa will help flesh out the presentation if I may share it.

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Of course, happy to have you share it, John. I assume you know all about the JN-4 Jenny, which Pershing used to fly recon over Mexico. First known use of aircraft in combat by the US. Two planes flew 20 miles into Mexico and returned to tell Pershing there were no troops within a days march of him as he went south. https://www.nps.gov/articles/jn-4.htm#:~:text=Famously%2C%20eight%20early%20JN%2D2,airplanes%20over%20a%20foreign%20country.

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Yes, I planned to mention the JN-4 and am still working to verify that Pershing took 8 of them with his expedition - supposedly our entire air force at the time....

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Yes, that's the number I read. I think there is an AF history site that has that info but I don't remember the URL.

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Yeah, they did. I think I mentioned in my piece it was the first use of aircraft in a military campaign ever for the U.S., and I think the Jenny might have been the only plane available at the time.

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