Thanks for explaining your assorted absences (Danielle's needs no explanation, of course)!! I was beginning to worry that my harrowing bird adventure wasn't nearly as good a read as I thought it was! (I've decided to look past the fact that none of you have commented on it.) Hey, you want to complain about gas prices? Danny (and his partner, Tammy) have to fuel up two trucks(+/- $160.00 x 2 fill up's per week), two large and one small mower (+/- $50.00 once or twice a week), the dingo (+/- $25.00 about twice a month), and assorted smaller lawn equip ($20.00 once or twice a week). That doesn't count personal vehicle gas expenses. They spend as much per week on gas as they do in paying their one employee!!! At least they don't have to pay social security on the gas tanks!
On a different note altogether, the other night I learned a little tidbit about our O'Callaghan ancestor, Rutherford B. Hayes. (It's probably the only time I've ever heard his name mentioned more than a glancing notation in a textbook!! And all Mom could tell us was that he wasn't known for having done anything during his Presidency.) A late night PBS special was tracing the heritage of several well known black figures (Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock are two examples). The host shared details about their ancestors who had been slaves and direct descendants of slaves-----none of the people they interviewed had any knowledge of their rich family history! (An intriguing side note, one of the actors----can't recall his name, but he was the black British weapons specialist in the Ocean's 11, etc, movies. Anyway, he learned that his ancestors had not been owned by whites, but by members of the Chippewa Native American Nation!!! In fact, because they were owned by people not governed by America's laws, the Emancipation Proclamation did not extend to them. They remained enslaved for several years. When new treaties were outlined between the Federal Govt and the Chippewa Nation, freeing the slaves was made mandatory. The slaves were supposed to be granted full rights as citizens of the Chippewa nation, but they weren't. Instead they remained trapped in no-man's land, considered "non-entities" (with no rights) to the Chippewa people, and foreign aliens to the American Govt. It was several years more before their Chippewa citizenship was finally granted! Just a little-known history tidbit!)
Okay, back to my original point! Chris Rock's ancestor had escaped his master toward the end of the Civil War, joining up with the Union's black regimen. He was promoted quickly within their ranks, and continued to do well for himself and his family in post-war South Carolina. Apparently the reconstruction era (which lasted about a decade) was a very good time for southern blacks. They became land owners, many even employed the same whites who once considered them property. In South Carolina, educated black citizens began being elected to seats in the state legislature. When they began to outnumber the whites, an uprising started. But it was soon squelched by 1,000 national guardsmen sent by the federal govt. The guardsmen were ordered to station there and maintain the peace, which they did successfully. However, after several years the Republican Party---historically the party that actively supported the new black citizens---became very anxious to win the presidency. The Republican Party basically double-crossed their black members in a final move to secure the election of their candidate, Rutherford B Hayes. President Hayes's first act as president was to call back the National Guard, leaving the black population open to attack by the Democratic Party. The Democrats immediately undertook the devious task of passing laws to prevent blacks access to the polls, etc. Reconstruction was over, and the shameful Jim Crow era began. The once-prominent black legislators were removed from office, most left with no choice but to squeak out a living as sharecroppers. Thus, our ancestor's actions as President are directly responsible for the second-most disgraceful portion of our Southern heritage. So, had any of you heard that before? Okay, I'll let someone else post something now! Sorry for the extra-long entry!
