Billy the Kid Facts

I always make it a point to check what is trending on various sites on the web. Google, Yahoo, Twitter and others are what I check. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Billy the Kid, that notorious outlaw of the Old West, was trending. Puzzled, I had to see what this was all about. As it turns out, a rare photograph of Billy the Kid being sold was what the trending news was all about. The photograph was sold for $2.3 million to Florida billionaire William Koch. Most people thought the photograph would sell for about $300K. But, when you are a billionaire, I guess $2.3 million is pocket change.

I'm somewhat a history buff myself. Not necessarily about the Old West, however. I do on occasion read up on those 15 or 20 years that writers and movie makers have waxed nostalgically for so long. I decided to look up some facts on Billy the Kid aka William H. Bonney. For example, did you know at the age of 14 years, Billy the Kid committed his first criminal offense? His crime? He stole some butter from a rancher and sold it to a local merchant. He was a businessman and did not know it. That child favorite of mine, The Cisco Kid, was patterned after Billy the Kid. It is a myth that Billy the Kid killed his first man at age 12 due to an insult to his mother. His mother actually died from alcoholism. Billy the Kid was not left-handed as most have always believed. He was actually ambidextrous, meaning he could use either hand.

In every movie I've seen on Billy the Kid, there were "Wanted Posters" of him in every movie. But, the fact is, there were never any wanted posters of the Kid. Despite the common idea that Billy the Kid and Jesse James once rode together, it never happened. Jesse James Gang liked robbing banks and trains. Billy the Kid rustled cattle. The two did not mesh. And, this is one my grandpa always told me; Billy the Kid killed 21 men, one man for each year of his life. The problem with that...Billy the Kid never reached his 21st birthday. Also, Pat Garrett was not relentlessly chasing after Billy the Kid as portrayed in books and movies. He got word the Kid was holed up with some Mexican friends, and shot him in the chest. Garrett stated he had no choice but to shoot him due to the Kid pulling a gun on him.

Finally, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, on December 3, 2010, denied Billy the Kid a pardon based on territorial governor's Lew Wallace incomplete deal with the Kid on a possible pardon.

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President Obama: Our Dear Leader

I know that title is going to infuriate the Obama Cult Members. I honestly don't care, to be quite frank. But, I must ask the question, just who does "Dear Leader" think he is? Is he above the U.S. Constitution? You might think that is an odd question for someone who was a constitutional professor. If he held the U.S. Constitution in high regard, that out of date, antiquated document, would he have carried out such shenanigans (Cornhusker Kickback, Lousiana Purchase, nuclear option aka reconciliation to pass Obamacare, etc.) to pass Obamacare? Some say that was the only way to do it with unanimous Republican opposition. If Obamacare is so good for us, as we have been led to believe, why the waviers for unions, GE and other Fortune 500 companies? Ah, but this blog post is not about Obamacare. This is just an example of Obama's blatant disregard for this country's most revered document with all those dead white men's signatures.

But, the obove was necessary to show a pattern for Obama's disdain for everything this country stands for or has stood for over the past 2+ centuries. What I am driving at is his current disregard for the U.S. Congressional authority to be contacted about the War Powers Act. Some say the WPA hinders a President in his role as Commander in Chief. There is some part of me that agrees with this statement. But, the fact is, we are at war in four different countries now. Someone or something has to place controls on President Obama. He is out of control with the power of the (still) most powerful military force in the world. Only the power of the U.S. Congress can wage war. President Obama knows this. President Obama seems to have little regard for rules and laws now that he is the President of the United States. The Obama Administration states that the WPA does not come into play because we are not in an active role (they state supporting role) in Libya. That is total BS. With U.S. fighter planes carrying out air strikes, I don't believe you can say that is a supporting role. That is an active primary military action. It can not be stated as anything else.

It's time for us to get out of all the wars. We are leaving Afghanistan, on our way out of Iraq. It makes sense to get out of Libya and Yemen as well.

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Extremist Group: Sovereign Citizens Movement

The Sovereign Citizens Movement (SCM). I am willing to bet few have ever heard of this group. I had not either until I got an email from this group about three weeks ago soliciting money for their "cause." SCM is classified in Wikipedia as an "...anti-government extremist group that takes the position they are answerable only to English Common Law. They believe that they are not subject to any federal, state or local laws. SCM also believes that those of us (the majority) who are subservient to federal laws are "federal citizens" since we obey federal, state, local laws and pay taxes. They are stringently anti-taxes as a group. The Posse Comitatus movement, as I recall, were very active during the 1970s. This group is very similar to SCM. In fact, they may either be the remnants of Posse Comitatus or an offshoot. Both are known to have anti-semite, anti-minorities leanings.

What I feel is hypocritical of this organization is that they live in the USA and obviously are enjoying the benefits of living here. But, they feel they are not subject to the same laws as the majority. Of course, one might argue that illegal aliens do the exact same thing. I can't really say you are wrong if you say that. But, the SCM is known for committing violence also. The founder of Posse Comitatus, William Gale, was convicted of threatening a Nevada state Judge and several IRS agents in 1987. But, what has caught my attention (and what I find hard to believe) SCM has approximately 100K "hard-core sovereign believers," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. SPLC also stated that another 200K is just starting out in their "sovereign techniques" by refusing speeding tickets, drug charges and property taxes. It is amazing that I have heard so little about this group before I checked them out thanks to (what I believe) is an inadvertent email. This is a very powerful anti-government group that appears to be getting stronger and stronger.

I worry about an overbearing federal government also. But, taking the path that SCM is, is simply not the way to go. That is my opinion.

Author Note: You will probably notice there are no Adsense ads on my blog now. There is a good reason for that. But, I won't go into that right now. Suffice it to say for now that if you use Adsense, you are going to regret it. It is a Scam with a capital "S." Adsense gets free use of blogs and sites to make billions of dollars. You, the publisher or author, get peanuts. Some of us only get the shells of peanuts. Remember you were warned about them.

Afsouth Naples Italy

This past Saturday, Vice-President Joe Biden went to Allied Forces Southern Europe (AFSOUTH) in Naples, Italy to thank the troops there for service in operations in the Middle East. I was a bit stunned when I first saw the clip on TV. I was stationed at Afsouth Naples, Italy for just over three years from March of 1971 to April of 1974. I had good times and I had bad times there. I have actually gotten in touch with some of the guys I worked with on Facebook. But, it seems they no longer want to chat and I can understand that. Many years have passed. But, the crux of this blog entry is about those troops being there on a Saturday to greet VP Joe Biden. You see, they really had no choice but to be there.

In May of 1972, I received word from my commanding officer that Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird would be visiting at Afsouth Naples, Italy to visit everyone. Of course, it would be on a Saturday. I worked shift work at a communications center on base. It did not matter to me that he was coming on a Saturday. Unfortunately, the rotation of shifts was that I would be off on the Saturday the Secretary of Defense would be on base. Attendance was mandatory, no excuse, except a valid doctor's excuse, would be accepted. Well, I decided I better go. And so I did. It was a hot, muggy day in Naples as I remember now. The speech droned on for over an hour. But, thankfully, Mr. Laird ended it by thanking us for being there (as if we had a choice).

What happened to the foolhardy individuals who did not show up? Well, they had to go on "Butt Duty." Butt Duty was for those flaunting authority. You had to pick up, by hand, every cigarette butt you could find on the base there at Afsouth. If at the end of the day (usually around 5PM) if the officer in charge (OIC) found just one cigarette butt after you had been bending over all day long, you would be back the next day to do it all over again. Try picking up cigarette butts by hand for eight hours and see how much fun it is. I guarantee, those that did not show up for the Secretary of Defense's speech, made damn sure they showed up for the next speech that was mandatory.




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