Happy October! Today the US Supreme Court begins its work year, and equal justice is on the docket with important cases about individual liberty, the second amendment, and property rights proceeding in the next term. Keep an eye on:
FBI v. Fikre, in which Yonas Fikre, a US citizen, was mistakenly put on the “No Fly List.” They took him off and tried to walk away, but Fikre won the right to proceed on appeal. The FBI has petitioned for SCOTUS to review the ruling.
US v. Rahimi, which challenges the constitutionality of a federal law prohibiting people with domestic violence restraining orders from possessing a gun. The question is always, at what point does a US citizen lose their inalienable right to self defense. Also, in the age of “believe all women,” this sounds like a terrible rule.
Devellier v. Texas, which will decide if property owners can seek compensation under the Constitution when the state takes their property, if the state has not specifically given them a right to sue. I’m sorry, if the state hasn’t what now?
October 2 in US History
1780: The Death of Major John Andre:
In 1780, British major John Andre was hanged as a spy after he was captured carrying papers for Benedict Arnold. From William Clements Library:
“André was an important general to the British and the loss of him was felt strongly. Everyone believed that Arnold should have been the one to die because of his treason and that André just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Americans wanted to trade, but the British would not do it, knowing what would happen to Arnold.”
1835: The First Battle of the Texas Revolution
On this day in 1835, the Texas Revolution against Mexico begins as American settlers resist Mexican troops at Gonzales. From Texas Proud:
“While the battle was just a small skirmish, the Texian victory at the Battle of Gonzales meant that the rough Texian frontiersmen could defeat the Mexican army and win independence. The population of Texas was made up of mostly settlers from the United States who wanted independence from Mexico after the Constitution of 1824 was overthrown. Tensions rose between settlers who wanted independence and those who wanted peace. However, after victory at the Battle of Gonzales, Texians began to rally and unify under the decision to fight for independence now that it seemed possible.”
1919: Woodrow Wilson Suffers Stroke that Ends His Presidency
In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson suffered the stroke that left him as an invalid. According to History Net:
“...Wilson was sitting on the toilet when he tumbled to the floor, striking his head on the bathtub. A blocked cerebral artery had caused a stroke. The clot paralyzed Wilson’s left side, diminished his vision, restricted his speech, and impaired his judgment. The White House staff lifted him into bed. Later that day, to White House usher Ike Hoover the president ‘looked as if he were dead.’”
He never recovered and despite the protests of his team, adults in the room demanded that the president “must step aside and hand responsibility to Vice President Marshall.”
1950: It’s Your First Comic Strip, Charlie Brown!
In 1950, the very first Peanuts comic strip was published by Charles M. Schultz! Here it is:
Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang comprise a timeless classic that was ahead of its time. With the Congress we have now, this may become a reality!
1967: Thurgood Marshall Seated as Supreme Court Justice
Finally, in 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first black justice on the Supreme Court. From Legal Defense Fund, which Marshall founded in 1940:
“Thurgood Marshall was the leading architect of the strategy that ended state-sponsored segregation. Thurgood Marshall’s visionary legal work at the Legal Defense Fund was an unrivaled contribution to the Civil Rights Movement and helped change the arc of American history forever. Marshall was the key strategist in the effort to end racial segregation, in particular meticulously challenging Plessy v. Ferguson, the Court-sanctioned legal doctrine that called for “separate but equal” structures. Marshall won a series of court decisions that gradually struck down that doctrine, ultimately leading to Brown v. Board of Education, which he argued before the Supreme Court in 1952 and 1953, finally overturning “separate but equal” and acknowledging that segregation greatly diminished students’ self-esteem.”
October Obituary
1942: 300 die when the RMS Queen Mary accidentally rams and sinks HMS Curacoa.
1970: 31 die in a plane crash in Colorado, including the Wichita State football team.
1971: 63 die when British European Airways Flight 706 crashes near Aarsele, Belgium
1990: 132 die when Xiamen 8301 is hijacked, lands, and crashes again on the ground.
1992: 111 die during São Paulo prison riot and the police massacre that followed.
1996: 70 die when Aeroperú Flight 603 crashes into the ocean near Peru.
2002: The Beltway sniper attacks begin. Over the three weeks, 10 people died.
2006: Five Amish girls murdered in a Pennsylvania school shooting.
2018: Jamal Khashoggi assassinated in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
2019: Seven die when a privately-owned Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crashes during a living history exhibition in Connecticut.
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Ashe, please keep it up. AMERICA needs about a Million more just like you. I'll ask your father to get with the program :)