UCLA Bruins

[Jungle Rat]

Funny. Another crackhead friend I have did the same thing on FB.

[crashcourse]

I wish somebody would crack your head

[crashcourse]

I think I just started recycling

[eCat]

former subway spokesman Jared Fogle has gained 30 pounds in prison

[Bklyn]

Well, I guess he's not eating fresh. Actually, I think he is...although Fresh is a dude doing a double nickle on a weapons and homicide charge.

[Jungle Rat]

He must have a big commissary account because you can't gain weight eating the gas smelling shit they serve.

[eCat]

I have my DVD set to autorecord any American Experience show on PBS - so over the past couple of years I've collected quite a few. Whenever I get bored I watch one so last night I started watching one about JFK in the early years.

Some things I didn't know - he was a best selling author turning his college thesis into a book about American peace thru strength (Reagan's mantra 20 years after JFK presidency). This book came out right after Chamberlin was forced to buy time against the Nazi regime because they didn't have the military to fight back.

JFK almost died from having a horrible immune system at least 3 times, ended up taking powerful steroids to combat it and that in turn gave him osteoporosis in the lower back so bad that in his late 20's he had to wear a brace and had to pull himself up stairs using his upper body. His immune system gave him Addison's' disease which also almost killed him. He was 4F for the military, had to bribe a private doctor to get cleared so he could join the navy, was given special treatment to hang out with D.C. big wigs and threw a fit to get a real military assignment - which led to his PT109 fame where he ended up making a mistake that cost the lives of 2 of his men, paralyzed another and left the remaining men stranded on an Island for almost a week. That was turned into a war hero story however because of what he did to save his men after the accident.

Ran for Senator and was the most eligible bachelor in Washington - was the biggest cooze hound out there (no shock to anyone). Met Jackie, and she was told prior the the marriage he would not change his ways , she accepted it, married him anyways and within a year of marriage he was out fucking around on her.

Wanted to be V.P. on Adlai Stevensons ticket but lost, was given the nominee introduction speech at the DNC in whatever year - 56? and used that as a launch pad to his presidential run in 1960

Oh, and his older brother in the Air Force refused to leave the military after the PT109 even though he served his term because he wanted to get a shot at glory like his brother. His plane exploded shortly after take off on one of his missions and they never found the body. Because his dad was old school, being that he was the first born, he had big plans for him and not so much for all the didn't pull out catholic kids that followed, so him dying moved Jack to the forefront.

Had a sister in London he was close to, went to see her, Addisons disease kicked in and had to come back on a hospital ship - later she died in a plane crash as well.

That's as far as I got in the documentary but I thought they'd spend 2 hours talking about bay of pigs. This was much more interesting to me.

[hedge]

Speaking of past presidents, my aunt emailed this to me the other day, I haven't fact checked it, but even if half true it's pretty interesting:

Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many, or more important decisions regarding our nation's history as any of the other 42 Presidents preceding him. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House.

The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire lives there.

When he retired from office in 1952 his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.

After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There was no Secret Service following them.

When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale."

Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise."

As president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food.

Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale.

Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!

[AlabamAlum]

Off the top, there weren't 42 presidents preceding Harry Truman.

[AlabamAlum]

That aside, it's mostly true:

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/truman/truman.asp

[hedge]

I just saw that...

[hedge]

The part about refusing jobs b/c he knew they didn't really want him but rather the luster of a former president is pretty impressive, IMO. Not saying it's necessarily wrong, but if you believe it is and don't take a high paying job because of that (esp. considering his meager level of income), that's an impressively level of integrity...

[crashcourse]

cool presidential museum in independence right outside KC within walking distance of the home he lived in until he died which is also open for viewing
he was prepared to keep dropping atomic bombs on japan until they caved luckily only took 2
told mcarthur to go get fucked if I remember when he tried to become leader of the Korean conflict and was contradicting the CinC
good president

[hedge]

That snopes account said he was reviled when he left office...

[10ac]

When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale."

I wonder how much the Lincoln Bedroom will go for next year..

[Bklyn]

George Washington was a high-integrity guy, too. Carter is the same way. Good shit.

[eCat]

interesting side note on Truman

In 1960 one week before the DNC, he came out against Kennedy saying he wasn't ready to lead the nation and the election process was rigged.

He later relented and campaigned for Kennedy , I guess because he disliked Nixon even more.

[sardis]

When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale."

I wonder how much the Lincoln Bedroom will go for next year..

Time shares, baby...Time shares!

[eCat]

so do you guys think Erin Andrews deserves 75 million from Marriott?

hell, I found half a pizza under my sheets when I checked into an Embassy Suites. That should be worth $125K!

[Jungle Rat]

She'll get something. Not 75 though.