HEAR this here: 
​
“As you whiz through the verdant pine barrens of North Carolina, consider getting right to honor and visit a memorial inside an upcoming museum.   Off the next EXIT is the  Airborne and Special Operations Museum which is located at Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg is the home of the Army’s fabled 82nd Airborne. The 82nd’s specialty is to parachute behind enemy lines and forcibly attain their objectives.  Inside the museum is a Special Monument dedicated to the unit’s liberation of Concentration Camps during World War 2.


Thanks to the likes of the 82nd Airborne, the war ended fast in the spring of 1945. 

Thereafter, allies would come upon camp after camp exposing the crimes of the Nazi Regime.  Six million Jews were brutally slaughtered during World War II.  Also murdered were millions of other undesirable groups including slavs, gypsies, gays, and even the mentally and physically disabled.


Back on May 2, 1945, the 82nd Airborne Division liberated its first death camp, Wöbbelin Concentration Camp. Days earlier, Wöbbelin had held some 5,000 inmates. When the 8th Infantry and the 82nd Airborne arrived they found deplorable conditions. Most of the only 1000 survivors were starving and diseased.   They also found about 1,000 dead in the camp.

​Outraged by the denials of local people, General Dwight Eisenhower ordered the townspeople in Ludwigslust to bury the dead.   

In 1991, The 82nd Airborne Division was recognized as a “Liberating Unit” by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC.  Another display was installed here at the Museum.  It is both an exhibit and a memorial.  It shows the liberators and the victims and it is not to be missed.


#82ndAirborne #AirborneandSpecialOperationsMuseumFoundation #FortBragg #VEDay #HolocaustMemorial #DwightEisenhower #ConcentrationCamps #Nazi #deathcamps

EXIT of the DAY. Hear this… Here!

I-95 Northbound. Exit 2,  Arch Street, Greenwich CT

Like you today, recently we took a little drive.  We drove an hour up I-95 from Greenwich, Connecticut, to Westerly, Rhode Island.  As RoadSpoke's slogan says: “There’s million stories behind every milepost.”


Man, ain’t that the truth!

In addition to about 12 opportunities to get discounts on everything from Fast Food to Ferrari's we even offered the opportunity to buy Mel Gibson's Greenwich mansion which is asking $17 million... but we mostly explored a lot of fascinating science, history, and fast facts -- all in bite size Bytes.

Between stamford and the Rhode Island border, right where it happened, we explored Taylor Swift’s summer home, hedge funds, frisbees, Nathan Hale at Yale College, super diva Diana Ross, American Impressionist Childe Hassam, Long Tooth the mastodon, blue fish, blue sharks...

...Black Panthers, The Knights of Columbus, AmeriCares, Save the Children, The Coast Guard Academy,  Sybil Ludington and her horse Star, author and slave Venture Smith, Yale University, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Hilary Clinton, Bill Clinton, both George Bush’s, Boy Scouts... 

Pez Candies, Subway Sandwiches, The Connecticut River, Connecticut College, Benedict Arnold, Mark Twain, U.Conn’s Lady Huskies, PT Barnum, Tom Thumb, World Wrestling, whaling, sealing, biking, harbor seals, aquaculture, culturing marijuana, growing tobacco, McDonald’s…

… Jewish War Veterans, Catholic Charities, Puritan Bigots, Mohegans, coywolves, submarines, Eugene O'Neill,  Pilgrims, Pequots,  Puerto Ricans...

and the biggest Movie Star Katharine Hepburn who lived in the littlest town, Fenwick, Connecticut.

Hear this …. right....HERE!

EXIT of the DAY: I-95n Exit 4 To: Route 4, Portsmouth, New Hampshire and White Mountains


“Hey Road Crew! Off upcoming Exit 4 is the University of New Hampshire. So that means it’s a time for a Test... a Road Test, of course!”   

“The winner of this Road Test wins 10% off an IKON Ski Pass. The Ikon Pass allows you to ski or snowboard at many mountain resorts all over North America.  Some of Ikon’s mountains are Aspen and Deer Valley out west and Loon and Killington here in New England.  The savings offered here represent between $200 to $2000 depending on where you ski and how often.  

The evolution of multi mountain ski passes is quite smart business-wise.  According to an article in Penske Media Corporation’s Digital Magazine, SPORTICO, written by John Wallstreet, “Vail Resorts and Aspen Skiing Company have led an industry wide consolidation that has dawned an era of multi-resort seasonal passes providing skier discounts on lift tickets, a hedge against warm winters, and incentives to visit different mountains.”   ​

Fabulous Loon Mountain is maybe 90 minutes up approaching Route 4 which cuts over to Interstate 93. ​

I-93 north drives right up the middle of New Hampshire. A beautiful drive, the highway slices through farmlands and foothills before giving way to serious mountains.  In fact, Loon Mountain is just 2 hours from Boston. So world class skiing is just a commute away.

​Now, please pay attention, cause here are the Fast Facts:

New Hampshire is nicknamed the “Switzerland of America” because of the beautiful scenery. It is  even more famous as the Granite State.​

The rugged terrain is reflected in the independent character of its inhabitants. After all, the state motto on license plates proudly proclaims, “Live Free or Die”. ​

Speaking of liberty or death, winter sports are a great reason to come to New Hampshire. The Granite State boasts the largest nordic cross country ski trail network in the Northeast.  As for alpine sports, well it’s all in the name. The New Hampshire section of the Appalachian Mountains are named the White Mountains.  The White Mountains are usually covered with snow from late November to May.
​
The highest mountain in the New England is Mount Washington — also known for its wild weather.  Mount Washington is not a ski Mountain but that’s okay by me. ​

Being over 6000 feet high, it looms almost two thousand feet over neighboring ski resorts like Loon Mountain.  In the warmer months, you can drive or even take an antique train up and relax or get a meal at the Summit House. ​

But if it’s winter, forget about it. It seems as if Mount Washington breaks its own records for wind speeds and frosty temperatures every few years. For 76 years, Mount Washington held the record for fastest surface wind gust in the world. That blast clocked in at 231 miles per hour. ​

Washington is the highest of a line of summits, the Presidential Range, that are named after presidents and famous freedom fighters like Revolutionary War General Lafayette.
​
Speaking of Mountains and Freedom Fighters, world famous Olympic Skier, Bode Miller,  should get a mountain named after him. ​

Bode is a Franconia, New Hampshire native. Known for his go-for-broke ski style, he is equally famous as being an iconoclast who does everything his way.  In one memorable interview after he tore down the mountain with skis just barely holding the trail, he revealed that he may have had a little too much to drink! ​

Regardless, the Granite State local is one of the greatest World Cup racers of all time with 33 victories. In 2008, Bode and fellow American Lindsey Vonn won the overall World Cup titles for the first U.S. sweep in 25 years. ​

​An Olympic Gold Medalist, Bode is  just one of 5 skiers to have won Olympic medals in 4 different ski- disciplines — downhill, super- G, slalom, grand slalom, and combined.  So if Bode tipples a little, you cannot fault his discipline in skiing!  Bad pun, I know.

But maybe for someone in your household, skiing or snowboarding isn’t your winter thing. Well there are beautiful trails for snowmobiling. Fast Fact: the first snowmobile was invented in Ossipee, New Hampshire. ​

New Hampshire prides itself on being a state concerned with personal liberties and freedoms so get ready to voice your right to win an Ikon Pass!

New Hampshire's state motto is, without a doubt, one of the most well-known of the 50 states. And it makes sense! It represents the American spirit and is said to have been the words spoken by a dying revolutionary soldier from the Granite State.  Incidentally, that is the road test. And no peeking at the New Hampshire License plates on cars next to you.  Eyes up! 
 
So what is the state motto of New Hampshire?  If you answer correctly, you can claim the deal on Deal Radar by saying you want the Ikon Pass Spoken Road discount.

You have 3 seconds to answer or you lose the Ikon Pass. Three… and two and  one… what is it?

That’s right: Live Free or Die. Now go for broke like Bode Miller. Claim that Ikon Pass. Just remember, you gotta tell ‘em,  “RoadSpoke and Bode Miller sent you!”
​
#IkonPass #BodeMiller #Olympics #WorldCup #Skiing #Snowboarding #GraniteState #NewHampshire #LoonMountain #LindseyVonn ​

Hear this Here!
EXIT of the Day: I-95 EXIT 11 To: Garden State Parkway to Woodbridge, New Jersey


"As we now drive south into the more typical suburban woodlands,  you are now leaving the salt marshes of north Jersey.  In the last few Exits we have explored the Statue of Liberty, Jewish Immigrants, lady poets, striking refinery workers, pro football teams, Bald Eagles, and even New Jersey Mobsters.  Quite a snapshot of the American tapestry spread across five miles of swamp, right?  

​Oh and I forgot: we discussed how these salt marshes were once home to massive garbage dumps,  so-called lunatic asylums, and the world’s largest hog farm which together helped to tarnish New Jersey’s image as the bucolic Garden State.    ​

Buried in asphalt and suburban sprawl is New Jersey's ancient heritage. In the early 1600s, this area was first settled by the Dutch and it was called  New Holland.  Then shortly thereafter, came the Brits. Most relocated from New England.   

Nearby is the colonial era home of the ancestors of a recent President.  This President's family came to America not long after the Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving. And no, it was not a Roosevelt, a Clinton, a Bush or a Trump. 


President Barak Obama's American Roots run deep.

While his Dad was from Kenya, Obama's mom's side can trace roots directly to English immigrants arriving at the time of the Pilgrims.  In fact, maybe his ancient American heritage might have something to do with his interest in law, morals as well as politics. His direct ancestors were leaders in the Anglican Church in North America and -- not surprisingly --  in colonial era politics.
 

Way back in 1640, Jonathan Singletary Dunham, Obama’s first America-born ancestor was born up in Massachusetts.  John moved to Woodbridge, New Jersey where by 1670 he started a grist mill. It was the first grist mill in New Jersey.  And like his presidential descendant, he was a politician. Elected as a Member of the New Jersey Provincial Congress, John Dunham is President Barack Obama’s direct ancestor; he is the president's 8th great-grandfather.  ​

​Nearly 400 years ago, John Dunham thrived in Woodbridge. The house the Dunhams built in 1671, the Jonathan Singletary Dunham House, still stands and currently serves as the Rectory of the Trinity Episcopal Church.  That's because Obama's 7th great grandfather, Benjamin Dunham, generously built the first of three church buildings at that location.  Ben personally paid for that building and donated it to the congregation.

As is the case with many Americans, members of the Dunham family then drifted out West.  Generations passed. Ultimately Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was born in Wichita, Kansas.  After high school in Wichita, Ann moved to Hawaii, enrolled in the University of Hawaii and studied to become an anthropologist.

Here in Woodbury, the oldest portions of the building are still in use today as the rectory where the presiding minister lives.  She spoke to the webpage, mycentraljersey.com.


Said the Reverend Angela Cipolla, the head priest at Woodbridge's Trinity Episcopal Church. “The connection with the president is absolutely something that the parish is incredibly proud of.”

Not surprising, the Rector extends a warm invitation to the President's family to come visit Woodbury, New Jersey.  In effect it's  an invitation for President Obama to come home.


#PresidentObama #ObamaAncestry #AngelaCipolla #WoodbridgeTrinityChurch #JohnathonSingletaryDunham #WoodbridgeNewJersey

​EXIT 15W; I-95N, to  Meadowlands Sports Complex,  Met Life Stadium


Ok Football Fans, now it is time for another Road Test and this one can save you maybe a cool thousand bucks. Here now is the Question... how is it that New England  Patriots' Quarterback, Tom Brady has the rival New York Jets to thank for his career?

​Since the inception of the American Football League in the 1960’s , the Jets have clashed in a marquee rivalry with the New England Patriots.  But it was not always such a huge rivalry till the mid 1990’s.  The rivalry began to receive increased media attention in 1997 when a disgruntled Hall of Fame Coach Bill Parcells  quit his head coaching position with the Patriots to join the Jets.  This left New England seeking vengeance on an annual basis.  Fast Fact:  Parcells was born in nearby Englewood, New Jersey and most famously turned the New York Giants into a Super Bowl winning franchise in the 1980's.

​But I digress. Fast forward to 2001. The New England Patriots star quarterback was Drew Bledsoe. Then just 12 days after 9/11, on September 23, 2001 Jets linebacker Mo Lewis slammed Drew Bledsoe, leaving the New England star with internal bleeding. This provided an opportunity for a young unknown to take over.  That unknown was a gangly hard working backup named Tom Brady.  So... now if you tap Deal Radar on your Smart phone, you can use the RoadSpoke RoadTest to get 20% off Season Tickets starting next season. 

Anyways, getting back to Tom Brady and his New York roots... ​Since that game against the Jets, Tom Brady led New England to four Super Bowl titles and arguably had become a dynasty of sorts.  Meanwhile the Jets have struggled in the shadow of not just the Patriots but even their crosstown rivals, the Giants.

The New York Jets was founded in 1959 as the New York Titans, an original member of the American Football League.  The current name was adopted in 1963 when the franchise moved to Shea Stadium in Queens.     
​

Led by the quintessential playboy quarterback, “Broadway Joe” Namath, the Jets advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 1968 and went on to compete in Super Bowl 3.

​There they faced the much favored Baltimore Colts under Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas.   To great surprise, they defeated the Baltimore Colts, becoming the first AFL team to defeat an NFL club in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game.

Since 1968, the Jets have appeared in the playoffs 13 times, and in the AFC Championship Game four times, most recently losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. However, the Jets have never returned to the Super Bowl.

On your left is MetLife Stadium. If you are passing it on a Sunday evening in the autumn you can tell which team is playing.  Back in the early aughts, the Jets agreed to enter a 50–50 partnership with their rival, the Giants, to build MetLife agreeing to a 99-year lease.  MetLife Stadium became the first in the history of the NFL to be jointly built by two franchises. It opened in April 2010 and saw the Jets and Giants open the stadium together in a preseason game.

​Except for such so-called “subway series” contests, the stadium is illuminated in different colors depending on which team is hosting a game: blue for the Giants; green for the Jets.   

Will this season be the one in which the Jets win their next Super Bowl?  If the lights glow green, just ask any nearby fan on the Interstate.  The answer is always yes.   
​
Go Gang Green!


#NewYorkJets #GangGreen #BroadwayJoeNamath #SuperBowl #NewYorkGiants #NewYorkTitans #Meadowlands #Englewood #BillParcells #NewEnglandPatriots #TomBrady #DrewBledsoe #MoLewis #NewJersey

Hear this right…. Here!
EXIT 14b-a; I-95s to: I-78 to Staten Island, Jersey City & Bayonne, New Jersey

Onramp to I-278s; New Jersey, Goethals across I-95 to Elizabeth, NJ & Staten Island NY


Ok Road Team, look out on this vista of swamp and marsh.  No place  like this to offer you and your family inexpensive yet comprehensive Life Insurance from Triple A.  Yes you heard that right.  AAA does not just offer travel services. If you tap the Deal Radar Logo on the phone ,  you will help protect your Loved Ones with affordable Term Life Insurance. Request a quote any time in the next 2 weeks and get term life insurance for your family for as low as 65 cents a day for a $100,000 policy.  

Speaking of family, you are surrounded by miles of salt marsh which were once considered useless except as a dump yard for New York City’s garbage.  Now we know New Jersey’s salt marshes --especially here in the town of Fresh Kills New Jersey -- are in fact an essential nursery for many families of commercial fish like striped bass and flounder as well as hundreds of species of wading birds like egrets and herons. ​

Continuing on the family theme, Tony Soprano knows something about Fresh Kills.   Tony Soprano is in the waste removal business. A lot of his garbage ended up in these wetlands. “The Sopranos” television show made much use of the wetlands in and around Staten Island and  North Jersey.  Utilizing the gritty beauty and the sad industrial patches of these wetlands, scenes were shot showing recyclables being dumped,  hijacked trucks getting offloaded, and bodies being disappeared. ​

In 2013, the Writers Guild of America named The Sopranos the best-written TV series of all time while TV Guide ranked it the best television series of all time.


Chase had been fascinated by the mafia from an early age, witnessing such people growing up. The series is partly inspired by the Boiardo family and the DeCavalcante family.  Both were prominent New Jersey organized crime families when Chase was growing up near here in Clifton and North Caldwell. ​

​EXIT of the DAY:
I-95n Exit 26 in FL To: I-595 , FL 736, Davie Blvd


Despite crusading against the Ivy League east coast elites, Ron DeSantis shares many characteristics of those so-called Washington Insiders. Perhaps some back story could help understand if he is any different and if he will take a different road as a politician.  

After graduating from Yale College and then Harvard Law School, the future Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis served as a Navy officer and attorney in the Judge Advocate General's Corps.  Yes, TV fans... Judge Advocate General stands for JAG, and JAG is the subject of the popular CBS TV series now in syndication.  But a JAG officer’s life  is not half as exciting as shown on TV.  While the original TV series was pitched in 1995 as “Top Gun” meets “A Few Good Men”  actual JAG work is legal work by attorneys — albeit lawyers in spotless Navy uniforms.

In his early 40’s, DeSantis is today the youngest governor of any state.  While being a vocal supporter of President Trump, he has supported locally enlightened policies. An apt snapshot for Ron DeSantis’ policies is his hosting a Python Super Bowl.  

Hunters were invited to the Everglades to hunt the invasive Burmese Python species which are wiping out local wildlife on an unprecedented level. In doing so, he appeals to conservative hunters as well as aligns himself with left leaning conservation groups.   The Governor posed for photographs in front of a huge snake. He hoisted a python skin football.  ​

​Following his inauguration, DeSantis increased bipartisanship with State Democrats. In stark contrast to Trump policy, he even started progressive reforms to environment and drug policies.  DeSantis allocated $2.5 billion for water resource projects including $360 million for the Everglades National Park. He also supported legislation to support marijuana legalization not to mention, appointed several Democrats to positions in his cabinet — moves that drew praise from liberal pundits.   DeSantis casually  told the Tampa Bay Times that he was "basically doing what I said I was going to do.”


Still DeSantis usually defers to President Trump’s base.  DeSantis attacked Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia’s support in the 2016 election. He urged Trump to shut down the investigation. This keeps him tops in the Trump sphere even while he creates a workable environment to do horse trading on a local level.

Never one to be easily pigeonholed, back in 2007, DeSantis was assigned to SEAL Team One and deployed to Iraq .


Did that mean he was a SEAL?… Well not Really but…


During the so-called Surge in Iraq, according to the Miami Herald,  DeSantis served as a senior legal advisor. The young lawyer was assigned to give legal advice to the SEAL Commander of Special Operations in Task Force-West in Fallujah. From his desk in an air conditioned office,  DeSantis helped ensure that the missions of both Navy SEALs as well as Army Special Forces were planned according to the rule of military law.  At the time, a lot of prisoners were picked up and transferred to Iraqi Authorities. Lawyer DeSantis was responsible for overseeing that this process was done legally.

​According to the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs, there are more than 1.5 million veterans living in Florida.  Clerk or SEAL, every Veteran counts.   That said, we are not sure how many paralegals live in Florida.  Governor De Santis has not touted images of him working behind piles of books — even if it was his actual role in the military.

​Lawyer or soldier it may not matter much since hopefully, today he now wears a uniform with snake boots.


#RonDeSantis #GovernorRonDeSantis #FloridaGovernor #SEAL #JAG #SURGE #BurmesePythons #PythonSuperBowl

Hear this... right... (wait for it...)... HERE!​

EXIT 46;  I-95n To: Long Wharf Drive, Sargent Ave, in New Haven, CT


"Despite inspiration being everywhere, sometimes we at The SpokenRode need to dig to find material… by that, we mean we need to dig to find material relevant to a landmark, factory, or Exit when it connects to something that is relevant today — not just by place (where we excel) but by that old fashioned arbiter of relevance — time.  After all, aside from coming upon a new “place” nothing is "News" unless it is new.    


"For example, let’s just say we want to talk about a person, place, or thing that has to do with the current internet phenomena relevant to the Getty Museum Challenge.  In the COVID Pandemic, The Getty Museum Challenge has gone viral BIG time!   


It challenges families in lockdown to replicate the world’s great art. ​

The problem of course is that the Getty Museum is in Los Angeles and the art is all around the world. So how do we tie the challenge that suddenly has millions of followers to a location along I-95? ​

​Well, that’s easy actually.  We just get on the internet and dig.


The first thing we dug into is who invented this challenge that asks quarantined folks to re-create famous pieces of art using just a few household items that suggest the age of COVID.  For example, recreations of Vincent van Gogh self Portrait (he of the missing ear) must replicate his stance exactly in his self portrait.  Or how about Frida Kahlo posing with parrots? Here the self portrait replaces colorful parrots with brilliant household cleaning products.

Another portrait replaces a massive Renaissance collar with rolls of much in-demand toilet paper.


Absurd right? But genius!   ​

I guess you could say the tiny seabird is the ultimate road tripper. It leaves Massachusetts in August to fly across the Atlantic and down across the equator  to spend the southern Hemisphere's summer off Antarctica near South Africa. Then it may go to the Scandinavian Arctic or even across the Pacific up to Siberia and Alaska to spend the following season.   ​

For rare animals, natural land is required in its natural state.  There’s a big state park here and a big wildlife sanctuary.  Funny thing about this town… remember Paul Revere?  Well, he made bells in this little town so it has a little American history. ​

And despite it being New York City, yes Alan from Newnan Georgia wore his signature ten gallon hat... which was no less weird than AeroSmith's Steven Tyler wearing spectacles! ​

​She supported the family as a flight attendant back in the days when the penniless Star struggled to break out. When asked about his evolution as a song writer, and whether he wrote poetry or short stories back in school Alan replied simply, “It must just be a gift from heaven. I don’t know where it came from. I never wrote a song in my life until I was in my early 20s.”


But no doubt the marriage and daughters with Denise is a recurring theme. And a country singer’s dream. It embodied the very themes of the singer’s own hits—a rags-to-riches story of high-school sweethearts who find superstardom without sacrificing true love.

In the days leading up to his induction into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame the keeper of 35 “Number #1” Country Hits is still sharing his stories — cowboy hat and all."  


We at RoadSpoke look forward to many more hits to come.    


#9/11 #AlanJackson #DeniseandAlanJackson #Countrywestern #NewnanGeorgia #RagstoRiches #SongwritersHallofFame #Billboard100 #BillboardMagazine​

Growing seafood, or aquaculture,  is booming business in New England. Aqua-cultured shellfish in Rhode Island include various oyster, mussel, and clam species. These bivalves are filter feeders. This means they rely on what’s called  “ambient primary production” rather than feeding on inputs of fish, or meal, or other feed. In other words, they filter water for tiny food like plankton and organic material. ​

As such, shellfish aquaculture is generally perceived as benign or even beneficial. On top of creating great seafood, this type of Aquaculture actually cleans the water. Pretty cool huh? ​

​Depending on the species and local conditions, bivalve molluscs are either grown on the beach, on longlines, or suspended from rafts and harvested by hand.  Here in Rhode Island most are grown in salt ponds where tides flush the estuaries twice a day.

If you have a time for a meal, why not get off I-95 at the next exit and drop by some of the local clam shacks on Route 4 and Scenic Route 1.  You will not find fresher or more delicious seafood anywhere in the world! 


#aquaculture #RhodeIslandAquaculture #oysters #Oysterfarms #Oysterfarming #Greenwich #EastGreenwichRhodeIsland #Bivalves #Seafood #JacquesCousteau ​

EXIT OF THE DAY
​Hear this right …. here!


EXIT 15  I-95n to:  US 7,  Norwalk and Danbury, CT

​New York Times Best Selling Author and Emmy Award-winning Historian, Rick Shenkman, is on the Board of Advisors of RoadSpoke.


Mister Shenkman can be seen regularly on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC.  A historical pundit and author of 7 books  including Political Animals, as well as  Legends, Lies and Cherished Myths of American History,  Mister Shenkman recently retired as publisher of George Washington University's History News Network. The HNN website attracts 1.55 Million Page Views and 300,000 Unique Visitors per month.  The majority of HNN’s audience is composed of students, college professors, and media writers.


No doubt Mr Shenkman will appreciate this bit of trivia which is relevant to Norwalk Connecticut’s next Exit.

In October 1801,  Mister Nehemiah Dodge, a Norwalk resident wrote a letter to President Thomas Jefferson expressing concern that — as a Baptist — he and his congregation in Danbury may not be able to express full religious liberty in Connecticut whose constitution was adopted before the establishment of the Baptist church.

At that time in America, Baptists were a fringe religious group. The majority of Americans were one of three religions.  Like the second president,   John Adams, they were either Congregationalists, ,  who were the spiritual descendants of Pilgrims...

​Or they were Deists who believed in Christian morals but rejected that Christ was the only Son of God.  Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin were members of this faith.

​Most Americans were Episcopalians. Episcopalians were former Church of England members.  But since the Church of England requires its followers to believe the king or queen of England was their spiritual leader, and the United States had just fought England for its freedom, all those Anglicans in the United States could not rightly worship a British tyrant as their leader.


After the Revolution, those former Anglicans had formed a new religious sect which had no single leader.  Their leaders were an Episcopate of bishops.  Episcopate of Bishops is a fancy way of saying “a group of bishops.”  That protestant sect was now called Episcopalians. 

Conversely, Baptists have 50 million members in America. One in seven Americans identifies as a Baptist.    ​

​

But back then, Episcopalians were the vast majority.  Many so-called Founding Fathers, like George Washington, were Episcopalians.    ​

Given the Founding Fathers’ recent rebellion against dictators of religion and law,  it is not surprising that the First Amendment in the United States Constitution states:


“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
  
In 1801, President Jefferson replied to that Baptist’s letter with his own epistle. It is famously known as the “Danbury Letter”.  President Jefferson wrote that there was "a wall of separation between church and State" that protected a person's right to worship whatever he wanted wherever he wanted.


This well-known phrase, “a wall between church and state” occurs in Jefferson's letter and not in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as is commonly believed.


#FirstAmendment #Constitution #Religion #Episcopal #Baptist #Congregationalist #Deist #DanburyLetter #Dodge

I-95s, Overpass of State Route 17, in Fredericksburg VA

Quick!  Glance over to your right.  You are passing a lovely manicured campus. The Big Man on that campus is in fact a lizard.  That’s because you are passing the corporate campus of GEICO Insurance. ​

In fact, the big lizard on GEICO's Corporate campus is no ordinary lizard but rather a gecko. And no doubt you have heard,  The GEICO Gecko, that most uncommon of creatures, is uniquely adapted to help people save money on car insurance. 

FAST FACT Number #1:  If you tap the Deal Radar logo on your device right now and say, "Claim my Geico Gecko RoadSpoke Deal!" you can save up to 15 % on your current car insurance by switching to Geico.   

​Of course, you do not need to pay for the discount now. Instead,  check into that discount once you get in front of your laptop and go to the Geico.com website. You have 60 days in fact to claim the deal online. You could save hundreds maybe even thousands of dollars!​

FAST FACT #2:  The cockney lizard has captivated audiences of all ages.  GEICO is now the second largest writer of private auto insurance in the United States. This 40 acre campus on your right is home to several company divisions including our favorite, the GEICO auto insurance division. 


The idea for the Gecko grew from a creative session at GEICO's ad agency, the Martin Agency in Richmond, Virginia. The name "GEICO" was often mispronounced “Gecko." As the brainstorming began, a quick doodle of a gecko appeared. Ad campaigns from the past have proven animals create a strong connection between customers and companies. Think Lassie, Morris the Cat, Smokey Bear, or the MGM Lion.  But a lizard?  Any how, with this in mind the Gecko came to life and made his debut in the 1999 television season.


But the Gecko is not alone. GEICO has launched concurrent ads with equally humorous characters.  There’s camels yelling “Hump Day!” and silent manatees in T shirts. There’s even a walrus playing hockey. ​

The GEICO Cavemen promote commercials claiming to use their GEICO website is "so easy, even a caveman could do it”. Of course the sophisticated cavemen are deeply offended by this stereotype — and well should they be! ​

But the biggest threat to the Gecko’s job security came from a pork chop.  Maxwell, the GEICO "Piggy" gave the Gecko a brief run for his money. If you can recall, Maxwell shouts a long "Whee" and appears in both radio and TV commercials. ​

Between the piggy, the caveman, the gecko, and 2,800 employees, GEICO is the largest private employer in Fredericksburg.  This should make another character supremely happy — and that would be the Oracle of Omaha himself, Warren Buffet, who himself kinda plays a character, that of America’s richest granduncle!  Turns out Warren Buffet's company, Berkshire Hathaway is the majority owner of  GEICO Insurance. ​

According to the National Interest Magazine, the Ohio Class of nuclear powered submarines is the sole class of ballistic missile submarines currently in service with the United States Navy. Fourteen of the eighteen boats are configured to carry nuclear  missiles, which, along with United States Air Force strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles, constitute the so called nuclear deterrent triad of the United States. The remaining four subs have been converted to cruise missile submarines. 


Why do Russia and China Fear America's Ohio-Class Submarines? Well it is not complicated. ​

Built in the nineteen eighties these boomers might be old, but they could wipe out an entire country in less than an hour.  Prowling the oceans today , the fourteen Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines carry onboard upwards of half of the United States’ nuclear arsenal.  If you do the math, the Ohio-class boats may be the most destructive weapon system created by humankind.


Each of the four hundred and fifty foot or one hundred fifty meter long vessels can carry twenty four Trident Two submarine launched ballistic missiles. Depending on the load, these babies can be fired from underwater to strike at targets more than seven thousand miles away. As a Trident Two re-enters the atmosphere at speeds of up to Mach 24, it splits into up to eight independent reentry vehicles, each with a 100  or 475 kiloton nuclear warhead. In short, a full salvo from an Ohio-class submarine—which can be launched in less than one minute—could unleash up to 192 nuclear warheads to wipe twenty-four cities off the map. Sweet huh? ​

Running silent and running deep, the sub’s nuclear reactor gives it virtually unlimited underwater endurance and the ability to maintain cruising speeds of twenty knots (twenty-three miles per hour). All the while these boomers produce very little noise. While other branches of the military may be deployed in reaction to the crisis of the day,  all over the globe the nuclear submarines maintain a steady routine of patrols and communicate infrequently so as to remain as silent as possible. This makes them very tough to track. ​

Luckily, the closest competitor to the Ohio class submarine is the Russia’s sole remaining Typhoon-class submarine, a larger vessel with twenty ballistic missile launch tubes. ​American Squids are confident their Ohio ships are superior, but if they told you why they would have to kill you. 

The logic of nuclear deterrence is simple. While a first strike might wipe out a country’s land based missiles and nuclear bombers, it’s very difficult to track a ballistic-missile submarine lurking in the depths of the ocean—and there’s little hope of taking them all out in a first strike. ​ In fact, they rarely contact any other craft or command unit for weeks on end so once they go down they are invisible to track and/or hear.  Their Captains do however enjoy exhibiting their speed, power, and acrobatics on the surface! 

Thus, ironically ballistic missile submarines promise the unstoppable hand of nuclear retribution—and should deter any sane adversary from attempting a first strike or resorting to nuclear  weapons at all.


At least that’s the theory!


#KingsBay #OhioClass #Tridentmissiles #Georgia #NationalINterestMagazine ​

EXIT OF THE DAY:  EXIT 11 onramp I-95s; near City Island, Orchard Beach and Co-op City, BRONX NY
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Co-op City was briefly home to one of the brightest legal minds in America. Who is it?

Can an old TV Series and a kids' Detective Book inspire a great leader? You decide. Or rather, you make a ruling. ​

Pardon the pun, but the trials of childhood may influence the person they become. With an alcoholic father, Sonia was diagnosed with diabetes at age seven and began taking daily insulin injections. When she was just nine years old her Father died of heart problems. Her mother then encouraged her to become fluent in English. ​

Coming up from the mean streets of the Bronx,  Justice Sotomayor is the most accessible of all the Supreme Court Judges.  When not making laws and epic rulings, she is active visiting schools and univerities and encouraging people to stick to their books and to get engaged in their country.  ​

A year later at  the nearby Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, President Abe Lincoln seemed to finally have found a fighting General  in the person of the new Union Commanding General, Ulysses S Grant. Out west, Grant was promoted after his successful campaigns in the Tennessee and Ohio River Valleys. An impressed President Lincoln brought him east to wage war with General Robert E Lee’s army. Lincoln was willing to suffer heavy losses to try to end the war fast.


The first time for a nationwide war, Grant devised a coordinated strategy that would strike at the heart of the Confederacy from multiple directions. Fronts were opened in the Shenandoah Valley, West Virginia, Georgia, and Mobile, Alabama. Grant himself would try to take the Confederate capital at Richmond. Grant was both a West Point grad and a veteran of The Mexican American Wars — just like his nemesis --  Lee and Stonewall Jackson.   And like the Southern Generals , he believed in engaging the enemy violently and frequently to bring about the swiftest end of the war. ​

Here at Spotsylvania, Grant borrowed Confederate tactics and kept flanking his way to the south east trying to end run the Confederates all the way to Richmond. Each end run terminated in a dreadful bloody standoff. ​

Having just disengaged from a questionable outcome at the battle of the Wilderness,  Grant threw his army into an entrenched Lee at Spotsylvania cross roads and Grant as advertised lived up to his billing. Just one engagement, The so-called Battle of the Mule Shoe on May 12 involved 24 hours of desperate hand-to-hand fighting, some of the most intense of the Civil War. The body count between May 8 to May 21 on both sides exceeded 32,000 dead. ​

EXIT of the DAY: EXIT 35 I-95n to : Thurgood Marshall International Airport, Savage Mills, North Laurel in Maryland. 


You are approaching Baltimore Washington International Airport aka The Thurgood Marshall Airport. It is named for a man whose roots were in Baltimore... his career was in Washington... and his influence was International. ​

The grandson of slaves, Thurgood Marshall attended Frederick Douglass High School. He then went to Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, a primarily African American college.  His remarkable class of 1930 included Big Band leader Cab Calloway and writer Langston Hughes.​

Seeking the first black Supreme Court Justice, Marshall was appointed.  President Lyndon Johnson said, "this was "the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place." ​

Marshall once described his philosophy as this: "You do what you think is right -- and let the law catch up."   Folks argue that this was judicial activism. Marshall did not deny it.


When he died in 1993, his legacy was simple: to uphold the constitutional rights of EVERY American.


#BWI #ThurgoodMarshall #HarrietTubman #LyndonJohnson #BaltimoreWashingtonInternationalAirport #CivilRights #SupremeCourt #Slavery #escapefromslavery #HowardUniversity #UniversityofMaryland #CabCalloway #LangstonHughes   ​