Do you believe in coincidence? I know Hillary does but that is a different story for a different day. I wish to relate a small coincidence that happened to me last week.

I am reading the book The Black Chamber by S.M. Stirling which, so far is so good. The premise is that on a fateful day in 1912 Teddy Roosevelt makes the decision to run for another term and by happenstance President Howard Taft dies. Teddy goes on to win the election. The rest, as they say, is the story. Or maybe history. Or maybe what leads to this coincidence.

In the story his vision of the country that he brings about is based upon a progressive book written by one of his advisers. Herbert Croly is the author of the book The Promise of American Life  published in 1909 which was a work that influenced not a 3rd Roosevelt term but 4 terms of another Roosevelt, Franklin D. Not to mention most of the current Democrats vying for the nomination. Wikipedia informs,

The book is said to “offer a manifesto of Progressive beliefs” that “anticipated the transition from competitive to corporate capitalism and from limited government to the welfare state.”

So what is the coincidence? I don’t know if anyone reads Ace of Spades but every morning there is the Morning Report by J.J. Sefton (Although others fill in). A plethora of interesting links to stories and articles of interest. The Friday January 17, 2020 report has a link to this article appearing in American Greatness with the title The Dead man who won the last Democratic Presidential debate. So who was this man? Why Herbert Croly!

Coincidence? I think not!

So do you have any interesting coincidence in your lives? Share.

Today’s a federal holiday. Officially, it’s Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King’s birthday was actually on the 15th, but he’s got one of those Monday Holidays, so everybody ignored his actual birthday and are “celebrating” by taking time off work today. Well, a lot are off work today. I am. The blog is till open though, so here we are.

Being from Georgia, I never really got caught up in the whole Martin Luther King, Jr. thing. Maybe being a white kid in Georgia contributed to that too. But in Georgia, since King was from Georgia, we knew him a little different than others did. We were more familiar with his faults, of which he had many. Like everyone else.

And that’s really the point. Martin Luther King wasn’t some perfect person who did no wrong. He made his share of mistakes. Like people do. And, even with his many faults, he was a leader for the rights of all people, and inspired many.

Rather than focusing on some of his teachings — particularly where people would “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (that would never fly today since race is the cornerstone of the Democrat party) — I suggest a lesson be that people, deeply flawed people, can do amazing things.

You, deeply flawed you, can do amazing things. Like punch hippies. Dr. King never said anything about not punching hippies, so it’s okay. Punch a hippie. Or do some something else. But do it right. And do right.

Go make a difference.