The life of a modern left-handed democrat.
NJforever's Articles » Page 2
May 17, 2005 by NJforever
That's right! This is my 50th article. Why, it seems only yesterday I wrote my 49th. Of course, it does feel like this has taken no time at all. I've just been posting my articles, commenting on others, and "meeting" several people in the process. I came here having one person on my favorites, and it's already grown to five. By the way, if you look really hard at the 50, you can find the four that are any good. I don't really have the talent or creativity to write some big 50th article t...
May 16, 2005 by NJforever
I believe I mentioned this belief on a thread a while back, but let me go over it in detail. I believe that the type of government a country has matters less than the people who run it. If someone goes around saying "Democracy is wrong; Communism is wrong; Monarchy is wrong" I think they are the ones who are wrong. No type of government can be inherently wrong. It's is how the power of this government is USED that matters. Allow me to elaborate. Those who run a government decide how its po...
May 7, 2005 by NJforever
Settling in for the longest write since William Henry Harrison, there is James A. Garfield. Garfield was one of only four presidents successfully assassinated. He was also the third one to succumb to the 20-year curse. His was the second-shortest term in history, surpassed only by the one-month reign of William Henry Harrison. Since his assassination was executed by a disappointed office seeker, it prompted action to end patronage. He was the last president to be born in a log cabin. Gar...
May 5, 2005 by NJforever
Moving on quicker than usual, I write of Rutherford B. Hayes. Rutherford is the longest first name of any president. His was the closest election in the history of this country. Hayes was the first of the presidents to begin to win back power to the Executive Office taken by Congress in the Johnson years. He was the second president to make a campaign pledge to serve only once. He served March 4, 1877 to March 3, 1881. As I said before, Hayes' election was the closest in U.S. history....
May 4, 2005 by NJforever
Moving on, Ulysses S. Grant is reached. Grant was the first Civil War veteran to become president. Oddly enough, he had led troops through all areas of battle, even adopting a policy of killing as many Confederates as possible no matter the cost, yet was extremely squeamish. He was the first president hand-picked by the Radical Republicans. His administration was also the first one with major scandals. Every 50 years since Grant, the administration elected at that time has been rocked by...
April 27, 2005 by NJforever
Let my apologize for how long this took, and here's Andrew Johnson. Johnson was the first Vice President to become president because the president was assassinated. He was supposed to be assassinated as well, but the man John Wilkes Booth assigned to the job lost his nerve. He had been one of the very few Southern politicians to remain in the Union. With the Radical Republicans in firm control, he was denied renomination in 1868. When he returned to Tennessee, a sign was hung that said "...
April 21, 2005 by NJforever
On September, 1837, in London, England, a businessman was walking home. As he went past a cemetery, a creature jumped over the railings and landed in the path of the man. The railings were at least 10 feet high, but this creature effortlessly leaped over them. The shocked man looked at the creature, which he saw as having pointed ears, large glowing eyes, and a large pointed nose. This was the first sighting of the soon-to-be legendary Spring-Heeled Jack. Spring-Heeled Jack is a mysterious...
April 17, 2005 by NJforever
Finally breaking the solid bloc of unknown presidents, we get to Abraham Lincoln. Do I even have to tell you anything in this introduction paragraph? Well, maybe an anecdote or two. Lincoln was one of the founders of the Republican Party. Lincoln's only son that survived to maturity, Robert Todd Lincoln, was saved from being crushed by a train by John Wilkes Booths' brother. He was the first president to be successfully assassinated. Lincoln served March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865. By ...
April 16, 2005 by NJforever
Continuing from Pierce, we reach James Buchanan. Buchanan was the first president to run against the Republican party. During his election, former president Fillmore also ran under the Know-Nothing party. In an ironic twist of fate, the defunct Whig party that refused to nominate Fillmore in 1852 backed him in 1856. Buchanan was one of the few presidents to lose territory during his term. Taking into consideration his unpopularity and the fact he could not solve the sectional crisis, Buc...
April 13, 2005 by NJforever
We now move on to Franklin Pierce. Pierce was the last president to run against the Whig party when it was a major party. His election marked the last nail in the coffin for a party bitterly and fatally divided over the slavery issue. During the campaign, there was a rather clever Democratic slogan, "We Polked you in 1844; we shall Pierce you in 1852!" Pierce is considered to be the most handsome president of all time. His Secretary of War was Jefferson Davis, who streamlined the army th...
April 9, 2005 by NJforever
A common opposition tactic against anybody is to bring out the "that's not what the people want!" argument. Apparently, only what is popular can possibly be right. That is complete and utter nonsense. An important part of leadership is doing what you believe is right, no matter what others think . It's important to have strong convictions and believe in them. A great example of how important this is is Harry S Truman. Truman, was, of course, 33rd president of the United States. He had a ...
April 9, 2005 by NJforever
On the unlucky 13th article, there is Millard Fillmore. Fillmore was the last president under the Whig party. He was the second Vice President to ascend from the death of the President. He was also the last to do so until Andrew Johnson. He approved the Compromise of 1850, which cost him Northern Whig support, and with them, the nomination. He had one last hurrah in 1856, when he ran for president under the Know-Nothing party. He served July 10, 1850 to March 3, 1853. In an attempt to...
April 5, 2005 by NJforever
The next president up is Zachary Taylor. Taylor was the second president to die in office; the first to die in office but actually do something. After him, there was no president from the Deep South again until Jimmy Carter was elected in 1976. He was one of only 4 presidents to serve in the Whig party. Taylor owed his election to the 3rd-party bid of Martin Van Buren, who drew enough anti-slavery Democrats from Democratic nominee Lewis Cass to give the election to Taylor. He served Marc...
April 2, 2005 by NJforever
First of all, sorry for the delay, I've been busy. Anyway, now is James Knox Polk. Polk is the most expansionist president we ever had. He acquired almost the entire West and some of the Midwest. He is also the first nominee to be nominated unexpectedly, which is known as a dark horse candidate. He was also the first president to only run once. He served March 4, 1845 to March 3, 1849. Both Great Britain and the U.S. had a claim on the Oregon Territory. At first, Polk would settle for...
March 30, 2005 by NJforever
I was watching one of my favorite movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail today. Whilst laughing, I noticed a scene that seemed oddly similar to today's court system. First finishing the movie (since thought gets in the way of enjoying Monty Python), I pondered this further. The scene I'm referring to is Sir Bedevere and the "witch." In the scene, a mob of townspeople carry a woman that looks like a witch up to Sir Bedevere, claiming that she is a witch. When Bedevere asks what proof they ...