"Sometimes there's a bullet right there; bite it!" - Arnold Kunst

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst

July 18

The First major battle of the Civil War took place at the Virginia rail junction of Manassas near a stream called Bull Run a few miles outside of Washington D. C. It was fought against the advice of Lincoln’s generals who said their troops were not ready; Lincoln overruled them, saying, “they are green, it is true, but so are the enemy. They are all green alike.”

“It sometimes becomes necessary to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. True, you’re only walking so not making good time; also, there's no view from the valley floor and therefore little in the way of perspective; and of course the death part is enough to terrify anybody. But keep a cool head - after all, the valley of the shadow of death isn't the valley of death, is it?” - Arnold Kunst

“If you can’t do anything about it, then let it go. Don’t be a prisoner to things you can’t change.” – Buddha

From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst

17 July

“I’ve always felt that a person’s intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting points of view he can entertain simultaneously on the same topic.” – Abigail Adams

“Happy trails to you.” – Roy Rogers

From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst

17 July

Little Johnny Stories IX

This time I’m the Little Johnny

One day when I was maybe 6 or 7, in the late 40’s, my big sister and I went to a movie – it was what was called at the time a Saturday matinee and it centered around a Roy Rogers movie. 

Roy Rogers, “King of the Cowboys,” was my all-time greatest hero. [He was really smart: he'd figure out that the bank robbers were cattle rustlers who always needed a shave, but were secretly working for the REAL bad guy: the bank manager in the three-piece suit!] 

Anyway, this one particular Saturday when I got home I told my mommy wanted to go to San Francisco tomorrow. Although we only lived about 20 miles from San Francisco this was a fairly unusual pronouncement for my mother to hear. When she asked me why, I told her Roy Rogers said in the movie he was going to San Francisco tomorrow, and I wanted to see him. 

Simple!

“When you are in the process of negotiating - job interview, buying a car, ordering a meal, choosing a life's mate – be clear about your priorities and prepared to say, not just imply, ‘no’ and than, if necessary, to walk away from what isn't a fit.” - Arnold Kunst

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst

July 17

“You think slavery is right and should be extended while we think slavery is wrong and ought to be restricted. That I suppose is the rub. It certainly is the only substantial difference between us.” - Abraham Lincoln

“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” – Judy Garland

From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst

16 July

“Get comfortable with saying, ‘I need to think this through rather than say/do something hurtful, or stupid. Let’s hold off talking about this until we get home from work tonight, ok?’ It’s called emotional self-discipline.” - Anonymous

“Are you buried somewhere inside there, behind/beyond your mask?” Anonymous

From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst

16 July

Be careful not to go easy on yourself. If all you’ve done is scale a ten-foot mountain, don’t get all puffed up like a bullfrog on a lily pad because you think you’ve really accomplished something!

“Make sure your attitude is always, ‘I can handle it.’ Whatever ‘it’ is.” - Anonymous

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst

July 16

“Before Lincoln's 1860 election the Buchanan administration had done virtually nothing to put down what looked like an incipient rebellion. Buchanan himself, although he viewed secession as flagrantly unconstitutional, could not - or would not - see any way to counter the hemorrhaging of states seceding from the

 Union [in the ten weeks leading up to Lincoln's inauguration seven states had seceded from the then total of 34]. The lame duck Congress had done little better. To be sure, the House had introduced a bill that would have authorized the president to call out state militias, but the Senate – with the aid of senators from states about to secede - had actually passed a resolution requesting a lowering of the War Department's budget. When Lincoln took the oath he found that he had lost control to those seven states of all federal agencies; they had also seized every federal fortification except Forts Pickens and Sumter. In addition, the Mississippi River was obstructed or in Southern hands. Oh, and Washington, sandwiched between the southern-leaning states of Maryland and Virginia, was virtually defenseless...” - Arnold Kunst