Trump Outright Declares That Childcare, Medicare and Medicaid Should Not Be a Priority For Federal Government

During a speech earlier this week which has been regarded as disastrous - even by many who are politically aligned with MAGA - Trump clarified his vision of what the federal government takes care of, and what it does not. The speech was meant to address concerns about the unpopular war against Iran which Trump launched just weeks ago.

Here is the snippet that caught the attention of many people, and which seems like a glimpse into what Team Trump actually sees as the only real function of federal government:

“The United States can't take care of daycare… we’re fighting wars,” he said. “We can’t take care of daycare. You’ve got to let a state take care of daycare.”  

While the remark initially referenced childcare, Trump quickly expanded the idea to include broader social programs. “Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things… they can do it on a state basis,” he said. “You can't do it on a federal [level]. We have to take care of one thing: military protection—we have to guard the country.”

So, this seems to confirm many people's worst suspicions. When it comes to daycare of healthcare, or pretty much anything that benefits people and enhances their lives in a measurable way, there's never any money. When it comes to forever wars, and particularly those in the Middle East, there is always plenty of money for the asking. Also, based on other Trump White House policies, there is always plenty of money for tax cuts and incentives for the very wealthiest and most privileged Americans and massive corporations. 

Oh, and by the way, Trump himself stands to strongly benefit by all of those tax cuts and benefits for the wealthiest, most privileged Americans. And apparently has already benefited from it. Not to mention all of the blatant levels of corruption which he and his family and, increasingly, MAGA politicians more generally seem to almost flaunt. Again, they are not going to any serious lengths to even attempt to hide any of this anymore, as evidenced by Trump's words in that speech earlier this week.

That's it. Not a difficult vision to comprehend. 

Once again, they're not even trying to hide it anymore. This is what they appeared to believe in, but wouldn't say out loud, for decades now. But given the gullibility of at least 35% - 40% of the population - the Mindless MAGA Moron Cult, in other words - they sure seem comfortable just blatantly declaring this their policy these days. Trump outright said this, in a war to address the illegal and immoral and unpopular war with Iran which, I suspect, will soon be even more unpopular. The longer this war drags on, the more unpopular it is apt to be. And despite what they are claiming, I really do not believe that the Trump administration thought this through enough to have an actual exit strategy.

What times we live in. 

Trump says Medicare and Medicaid may not survive as war spending takes priority Opinion by Lisa Lightner • April 2, 2026:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/trump-says-medicare-and-medicaid-may-not-survive-as-war-spending-takes-priority/ar-AA1ZZsz4?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=69c9e504a13e4481a387dd723954b131&cvpid=c647fbd2ee13462f81176321ec120ef4&ei=7

Trump says Medicare and Medicaid may not survive as war spending takes priority

April 3rd: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

On this day in 419, [Etalius] ended his reign as Catholic Pope. In 1043 on this day, Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England. In 1513 on this day, Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida. He had sighted the land the day before. On this day in 1657, English Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell refused the crown. In 1679 on this day, English astronomer and mathematician Edmund Halley met Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in Danzig (modern day Gdansk). George Washington received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard College on this day in 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. On this day in 1865 during the tail end of the American Civil War, Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant captured the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, as well as Petersberg. On this day in 1860, the first Pony Express mail, traveling by horse and rider relay teams, simultaneously left St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Ten days later, on April 13, the westbound rider and mail packet completed the approximately 1,800-mile journey and arrived in Sacramento, beating the eastbound packet's arrival in St. Joseph by two days and setting a new standard for speedy mail delivery. On this day in 1917 during the Russian Revolution, Vladmir Lenin left Switzerland heading for Petrograd and an end to his exile from Russia. On this day in 1941 during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill warned Soviet Premier Josef Stalin of a probable German invasion. Hengelo was freed from Nazi control by the Canadian Army on this day in 1945. In 1945 on this day, the Nazis began the evacuation of the Buchenwald death camp. In 1948 on this day, American President Harry Truman signed legislation establishing the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948, more popularly known as the Marshall Plan, geared for the rebuilding of Western Europe. On this day in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty, a pact signed by the United States, Great Britain, France & Canada. On this day in 1977, American President Jimmy Carter had his first meeting with Egyptian Pres Anwar Sadat. On this day in 1996, Theodore John Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, was arrested 

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

• On this day in 419, [Etalius] ended his reign as Catholic Pope.

• In 1043 on this day, Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England.

1077 - The first Parliament of Friuli is created.

1312 - 2nd council of Vienna

1376 - Battle of Navarrete (Najera), English beat France

• In 1513 on this day, Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida. He had sighted the land the day before.   

1559 - Spain & France signs 2nd Treaty of Le Cateau-Cambrésis

1582 - French van Valois honored as duke of Gelre/earl of Zutphen

1645 - English parliament accept Self-Denying Ordinance

English Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell

• On this day in 1657, English Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell refused the crown.

• In 1679 on this day, English astronomer and mathematician Edmund Halley met Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in Danzig (modern day Gdansk). 

1721 - Robert Walpole becomes England's 1st Lord of the Treasury

1764 - Austrian arch duke Jozef crowned himself Roman Catholic king

Statue of George Washington in Morristown, New Jersey

• George Washington received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard College on this day in 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. .  

1783 - Sweden & US sign a treaty of Amity & Commerce

1790 - Revenue Marine Service (US Coast Guard), created

1834 - The generals in the Greek War of Independence stand trial for treason.

1848 - Thomas Douglas becomes 1st SF public teacher

1856 - Gunpowder in church explodes killing 4,000 in Rhodos

Stamp commemorating 100 years since the Pony Express

• On this day in 1860, the first Pony Express mail, traveling by horse and rider relay teams, simultaneously left St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Ten days later, on April 13, the westbound rider and mail packet completed the approximately 1,800-mile journey and arrived in Sacramento, beating the eastbound packet's arrival in St. Joseph by two days and setting a new standard for speedy mail delivery. Although ultimately short-lived and unprofitable, the Pony Express captivated America's imagination and helped win federal aid for a more economical overland postal system. It also contributed to the economy of the towns on its route and served the mail-service needs of the American West in the days before the telegraph or an efficient transcontinental railroad.    The Pony Express debuted at a time before radios and telephones, when California, which achieved statehood in 1850, was still largely cut off from the eastern part of the country. Letters sent from New York to the West Coast traveled by ship, which typically took at least a month, or by stagecoach on the recently established Butterfield Express overland route, which could take from three weeks to many months to arrive. Compared to the snail's pace of the existing delivery methods, the Pony Express' average delivery time of 10 days seemed like lightning speed.    The Pony Express Company, the brainchild of William H. Russell, William Bradford Waddell and Alexander Majors, owners of a freight business, was set up over 150 relay stations along a pioneer trail across the present-day states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. Riders, who were paid approximately $25 per week and carried loads estimated at up to 20 pounds of mail, were changed every 75 to 100 miles, with horses switched out every 10 to 15 miles. Among the riders was the legendary frontiersman and showman William "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917), who reportedly signed on with the Pony Express at age 14. The company's riders set their fastest time with Lincoln's inaugural address, which was delivered in just less than eight days.    The initial cost of Pony Express delivery was $5 for every half-ounce of mail. The company began as a private enterprise and its owners hoped to gain a profitable delivery contract from the U.S. government, but that never happened. With the advent of the first transcontinental telegraph line in October 1861, the Pony Express ceased operations. However, the legend of the lone Pony Express rider galloping across the Old West frontier to deliver the mail lives on today. 

1864 - Skirmish at Okolona, Arkansas

1865 - Battle at Namozine Church, Virginia (Appomattox Campaign)

A statue in Flemington, New Jersey, honoring veterans of the American Civil War.

• On this day in 1865 during the tail end of the American Civil War, Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant captured the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, as well as Petersberg.  The Rebel capital of Richmond, Virginia, falls to the Union, the most significant sign that the Confederacy is nearing its final days.    For ten months, General Ulysses S. Grant had tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate the city. After Lee made a desperate attack against Fort Stedman along the Union line on March 25, Grant prepared for a major offensive. He struck at Five Forks on April 1, crushing the end of Lee's line southwest of Petersburg. On April 2, the Yankees struck all along the Petersburg line, and the Confederates collapsed.    On the evening of April 2, the Confederate government fled the city with the army right behind. Now, on the morning of April 3, blue-coated troops entered the capital. Richmond was the holy grail of the Union war effort, the object of four years of campaigning. Tens of thousands of Yankee lives were lost trying to get it, and nearly as many Confederate lives lost trying to defend it.    Now, the Yankees came to take possession of their prize. One resident, Mary Fontaine, wrote, "I saw them unfurl a tiny flag, and I sank on my knees, and the bitter, bitter tears came in a torrent." Another observer wrote that as the Federals rode in, the city's black residents were "completely crazed, they danced and shouted, men hugged each other, and women kissed." Among the first forces into the capital were black troopers from the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry, and the next day President Abraham Lincoln visited the city. For the residents of Richmond, these were symbols of a world turned upside down. It was, one reporter noted, "...too awful to remember, if it were possible to be erased, but that cannot be."

1868 - An Hawaiian surfs on highest wave ever, he rides a 50' tidal wave

1882 - Wood block alarm invented, when alarm rang, it dropped 20 wood blocks

Outlaw Jesse JamesOutlaw Jesse James 1882 - American Old West: Outlaw Jesse James is killed by Robert Ford.

1889 - Savings Bank of Order of True Reformers opens in Richmond, Va

1893 - 1st NSW v Queensland F-C game, at Brisbane Exhibition Ground

1908 - Frank Gotch wins world heavyweight wrestling championship in 2 hrs

1910 - Highest mountain in North America, Alaska's Mt McKinley climbed

1911 - Harry James Smith' "Mrs Bumsted-Leigh," premieres in NYC

1913 - British suffragette Emily Pankhurst sentenced to 3 years in jail

1917 - Lenin arrives in Petrograd from Switzerland [NS=April 16]

• On this day in 1917 during the Russian Revolution, Vladmir Lenin left Switzerland heading for Petrograd and an end to his exile from Russia.

1918 - House of Reps accepts American Creed written by William Tyler

1919 - Austria expels all Habsburgers

1922 - Stalin appointed General Secretary of Communist Party

1923 - 2 "Black Sox" sue White Sox (unsuccessfully) for back salary

1925 - Great Britain goes back to gold standard

1925 - Neth & Belgium sign accord of Westerschelde

Soviet Union Premier Joseph StalinSoviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin 1926 - 1st performance of Jean Sibelius' 7th Symphony in C

1926 - 2nd flight of a liquid-fueled rocket by Robert Goddard

1926 - Italy establishes corp of force in order to break powerful unions

1927 - Interstate Commerce Comm transfers Ohio to Eastern time zone

1929 - Persia agrees to Litvinov Pact

1929 - RMS Queen Mary is ordered from John Brown & Company Shipbuilding and Engineering by Cunard Line.

1930 - Ras Tafari becomes Emperor Haile Selassie of Abyssinia (Ethiopia)

1930 - Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens sweep Boston Bruins in 2 games

1930 - 2nd Academy Awards - "The Broadway Melody," Warner Baxter & Mary Pickford wins

1933 - 1st airplane flight over Mt Everest

1933 - Then longest North American hockey game requires a 1:44:46 overtime as Maple Leaf Ken Doraty scores to beat Canadiens 1-0

1935 - Yasuo Ikenada runs world record marathon (2:26:44)

1936 - Al Carr KOs Lew Massey on 1 punch, :07 of 1st round

1936 - Shortest boxing bout with gloves lasts only 10 seconds

Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, London

• On this day in 1941 during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill warned Soviet Premier Josef Stalin of a probable German invasion.

Actress Mary PickfordActress Mary Pickford 1941 - Rasjid al-Gailani forms pro-German regime in Iraq

1941 - Waltons overture "Scapino," premieres in Chicago

1943 - Jan Dieters (leader of illegal CPN) arrested

1944 - British dive bombers attack battle cruiser Tirpitz

1944 - Supreme Court (Smith v Allwright) "white primaries" unconstitutional

• Hengelo was freed from Nazi control by the Canadian Army on this day in 1945.

• In 1945 on this day, the Nazis began the evacuation of the Buchenwald death camp.

1945 - US 1st army conquers Hofgeismar

1946 - Neth-German postal relations resume

1947 - "Barefoot Boy with Cheek" opens at Martin Beck NYC for 108 perfs

1948 - 1st US figure skating championships held

1948 - Harry Harry Truman signs Marshall Plan ($5B aid to 16 European countries)

Bust of American President Harry Truman

• In 1948 on this day, American President Harry Truman signed legislation establishing the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948, more popularly known as the Marshall Plan, geared for the rebuilding of Western Europe. The act eventually provided over $12 billion of assistance to aid in the economic recovery of Western Europe.    In the first years following the end of World War II, the economies of the various nations of Western Europe limped along. Unemployment was high, money was scarce, and homelessness and starvation were not unknown in the war-ravaged countries. U.S. policymakers considered the situation fraught with danger. In the developing Cold War era, some felt that economic privation in Western Europe made for a fertile breeding ground for communist propaganda.    A key element of America's policy to contain the influence of the Soviet Union was the recovery of Western Germany (Eastern Germany was occupied by Soviet troops), and that recovery required the revitalization of Germany's natural markets in Western Europe. In addition, strengthening the economies of other Western European countries would better equip them to fight the threat of communism, either from Soviet expansion or from domestic communist parties. In June 1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall made a dramatic call for a massive economic recovery program, one that would provide billions for the stagnant economies of Western Europe. The result of Marshall's call to action was the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948, which was passed by wide margins in Congress. In signing the act, President Truman declared that it represented "perhaps the greatest venture in constructive statesmanship that any nation has undertaken." Secretary Marshall congratulated Congress for having "faced a great crisis with courage and wisdom."    The act provided an initial grant of $4 billion for Western Europe. By the time the program came to an end in late 1951 over $12 billion had been expended. Although the Marshall Plan was not an absolute success (the large influx of American dollars led to rampant inflation in some areas), it did stabilize and revitalize the economies of Western Europe. British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin declared that it had been "a lifeline to sinking men."

1948 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Gretchen Merrill

1948 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Richard Button

1949 - KQW-AM in San Francisco CA changes call letters to KCBS

33rd US President Harry Truman33rd US President Harry Truman 

• On this day in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty, a pact signed by the United States, Great Britain, France & Canada.

1949 - WLWS (now WCMH) TV channel 4 in Columbus, OH (NBC) begins broadcasting

1951 - Christopher Fry's "Sleep of Prisoners," premieres in Oxford

1952 - Dutch Queen Juliana speaks to US Congress

1954 - "Me & Juliet" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 358 performances

1954 - Don Perry climbs a 20' rope in under 2.8 seconds (AAU record)

1955 - Balt Orioles pull their 1st triple play (3-6-2 vs KC Athletics)

1955 - Fire in cinema to Sclessin Belgium, kills 39

1955 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA Oklahoma City Golf Open

1955 - Night express train in Guadalajara derails, killing 300

• 1955 - The American Civil Liberties Union announces it will defend Allen Ginsberg's book Howl against obscenity charges.

1956 - "Silk Stockings" closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 461 performances

1956 - Bulgarian vice premier Traitsjo Kostov rehabilitated

1956 - German war criminals Hinrichsen/Ruhl/Siebens/Viebahn freed

1956 - Hudsonville-Standale Tornado: The western half of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan is struck by a deadly F5 tornado.

Beat Poet Allen GinsbergBeat Poet Allen Ginsberg 1957 - Samuel Beckett's "Endgame," premieres in London

1957 - USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test

1958 - "Say, Darling" opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 332 performances

• 1958 - Fidel Castro's rebels attacked Havana

1960 - Earthquake at Havre, Belgium

1961 - "Happiest Girl in the World" opens at Martin Beck NYC for 97 perfs

1961 - Connie Mack Stadium in Phila is sold to J Schleifer Properties

1962 - Jockey Eddie Arcaro retires after 31 years (24,092 races)

1962 - Lt General Marshall S Carter, USA, becomes deputy director of CIA

1964 - Beatles hold top 6 spots on Sydney Australia record charts

1964 - US & Panama agree to resume diplomatic relations

1965 - 1st atomic powered spacecraft (snap) launched

1966 - Luna 10 orbits Moon

1966 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Venice Ladies Golf Open

1966 - Tom Seaver, signs with the Mets for a reported $50,000 bonus

Cuban President Fidel CastroCuban President Fidel Castro 1967 - WNYE TV channel 25 in Brooklyn, NY (PBS) begins broadcasting

1967 - 113 East Europeans attending World Amateur hockey championships in Vienna, ask for political asylum

1968 - N Vietnam agrees to meet US reps to set up preliminary peace talks

• 1969 - Vietnam War: U.S. Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announces that the United States will start to "Vietnamize" the war effort.

1970 - Miriam Hargrave of England passes her drivers test on 40th try

1973 - The first portable cell phone call is made in New York City, United States.

1974 - 148 tornadoes are reported over an area covering a dozen states

1974 - Gold hits record $197 an ounce in Paris

1974 - Tornadoes in the east, south & midwest killed approximately 315

1974 - The Super Outbreak occurs, the biggest tornado outbreak in recorded history. The death toll is 315, with nearly 5,500 injured.

1975 - Bobby Fischer stripped of world chess title for refusing to defend

1975 - James Rupers kills his family to inherit

1976 - France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island

1976 - Phila Flyers win record tying 20th straight NHL home game

1977 - 6th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Kathy Whitworth

Chess Champion Bobby FischerChess Champion Bobby Fischer 1977 - Boston Bruin Jean Ratelle scores his 1,000th NHL point

American President Jimmy Carter

• On this day in 1977, American President Jimmy Carter had his first meeting with Egyptian Pres Anwar Sadat.

1977 - Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg adopt summer time

1978 - 50th Academy Awards - "Annie Hall," Rich Dreyfuss & Diane Keaton win

1978 - European market & China signs trade agreement

1978 - Larry King moves his radio show from Miami to Washington DC

1979 - Belgium's Martens government forms

1979 - Jane M Byrne (D), elected 1st woman mayor of Chicago Ill

1980 - France performs nuclear test

1980 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1981 - Arnie Boldt of Saskatchewan jumped 6' 8.25," with 1 leg

1981 - Race riots in London's Brixton area

1982 - Buffalo Sabre Gil Perrault scores his 1,000th NHL point

1982 - UN Security Council demanded Argentina withdraw from Falkland Islands

1983 - 12th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Amy Alcott

Actress Diane KeatonActress Diane Keaton 1983 - 2nd NCAA Womens Basketball Championship: South Cal beats LA Tech 69-67

1984 - Bombay beat Delhi on 1st innings to win Ranji Trophy

1984 - Guinea suspends constitution after coup

1984 - Soyuz T-11 carries 3 cosmonauts (1 Indian-Rakesh Sharma) to Salyut 7

1985 - French government adopts equal electoral system

1985 - Players' Association agrees to expand LCS from 5 to 7 games

1985 - Vic Elliot pocketed 15,780 pool balls in 24 hours in London

1986 - Maureen O'Boyle (future host of Current Affair) is raped

1986 - US national debt hits $2,000,000,000,000

1987 - Bill Elliott sets NASCAR qualify record of 212.809 mph at Talladega

1987 - Cubs trade Dennis Eckersley to A's for 3 minor leaguers

1987 - Duchess of Windsors jewels auctioned for £31,380,197

1987 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1988 - 17th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Amy Alcott

1988 - 7th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Louisiana Tec beat Auburn 56-54

1988 - Mario Lemieux wins NHL scoring title, stopping Gretzky's 7 year streak

1988 - NJ Devils beat Blackhawks, 4-3 in OT to join playoffs for 1st time

• 1988 - Somalia & Ethiopia sign accord about Ogaden desert

1988 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1989 - "Sunrise" a Gannett newspaper begins publishing for Bronx

1989 - 51st NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Mich beats Seton Hall 80-79 (OT)

1989 - Mets win 11th consecutive home opener 8-4 over St Louis at Shea Stad

1991 - "Penn & Teller - Refrigerator Tour" opens at Eugene O'Neill NYC

1991 - 12th Emmy Sports Award presentation

1991 - Bo Jackson signs 1-year contract with Chicago White Sox

1991 - Thomas Bos skates world record 3 km (3:65.16)

1991 - UN Security Council adopts Gulf War truce resolution

1992 - 1st exhibition game at Camden Field-Orioles beat NY Mets

1994 - 13th NCAA Women Basketball Championship: NC beats Louisiana Tech 60-59

1994 - 1st roster of Silver Bullets (all-female pro baseball team) announced

1994 - 6th Seniors Golf Tradition: Ray Floyd

1995 - 57th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: UCLA Bruins beats Arkansas 89-78

Radio shock jock Howard SternRadio shock jock Howard Stern 1995 - Howard Stern gets in trouble for disparaging remarks about Selena

• On this day in 1996, Theodore John Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, was arrested  At his small wilderness cabin near Lincoln, Montana, Theodore John Kaczynski is arrested by FBI agents and accused of being the Unabomber, the elusive terrorist blamed for 16 mail bombs that killed three people and injured 23 during an 18-year period.    Kaczynski, born in Chicago in 1942, won a scholarship to study mathematics at Harvard University at age 16. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, he became a professor at the University of California at Berkeley. Although celebrated as a brilliant mathematician, he suffered from persistent social and emotional problems, and in 1969 abruptly ended his promising career at Berkeley. Disillusioned with the world around him, he tried to buy land in the Canadian wilderness but in 1971 settled for a 1.4-acre plot near his brother's home in Montana.    For the next 25 years, Kaczynski lived as a hermit, occasionally working odd jobs and traveling but mostly living off his land. He developed a philosophy of radical environmentalism and militant opposition to modern technology, and tried to get academic essays on the subjects published. It was the rejection of one of his papers by two Chicago-area universities in 1978 that may have prompted him to manufacture and deliver his first mail bomb.    The package was addressed to the University of Illinois from Northwestern University, but was returned to Northwestern, where a security guard was seriously wounded while opening the suspicious package. In 1979, Kaczynski struck again at Northwestern, injuring a student at the Technological Institute. Later that year, his third bomb exploded on an American Airlines flight, causing injuries from smoke inhalation. In 1980, a bomb mailed to the home of Percy Wood, the president of United Airlines, injured Wood when he tried to open it. As Kaczynski seemed to be targeting universities and airlines, federal investigators began calling their suspect the Unabomber, an acronym of sorts for university, airline, and bomber.    From 1981 to 1985, there were seven more bombs, four at universities, one at a professor's home, one at the Boeing Company in Auburn, Wash., and one at a computer store in Sacramento. Six people were injured, and in 1985 the owner of the computer store was killed--the Unabomber's first murder. In 1987, a woman saw a man wearing aviator glasses and a hooded sweatshirt placing what turned out to be a bomb outside a computer store in Salt Lake City. The sketch of the suspect that emerged became the first representation of the Unabomber, and Kaczynski, fearing capture, halted his terrorist campaign for six years.   In June 1993, a lethal mail bomb severely injured a University of California geneticist at his home, and two days later a computer science professor at Yale was badly injured by a similar bomb. Various federal departments established the UNABOM Task Force, which launched an intensive search for a Unabomber suspect. In 1994, a mail bomb killed an advertising executive at his home in New Jersey. Kaczynski had mistakenly thought that the man worked for a firm that repaired the Exxon Company's public relations after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. In April 1995, a bomb killed the president of a timber-industry lobbying group. It was the Unabomber's last attack.    Soon after, Kaczynski sent a manifesto to The New York Times and The Washington Post, saying he would stop the killing if it were published. In 1995, The Washington Post published the so-called "Unabomber's Manifesto," a 35,000-word thesis on what Kaczynski perceived to be the problems with America's industrial and technological society. Kaczynski's brother, David, read the essay and recognized his brother's ideas and language; he informed the FBI in February 1996 that he suspected that his brother was the Unabomber. On April 3, Ted Kaczynski was arrested at his cabin in Montana, and extensive evidence--including a live bomb and an original copy of the manifesto--was discovered at the site.    Indicted on more than a dozen federal charges, he appeared briefly in court in 1996 to plead not guilty to all charges. During the next year and a half, Kaczynski wrangled with his defense attorneys, who wanted to issue an insanity plea against his wishes. Kaczynski wanted to defend what he saw as legitimate political motives in carrying out the attacks, but at the start of the Unabomber trial in January 1998 the judge rejected his requests to acquire a new defense team and represent himself. On January 22, Kaczynski pleaded guilty on all counts and was spared the death penalty. He showed no remorse for his crimes and in May was sentenced to four life sentences plus 30 years.

1996 - South Australia grab exciting draw vs W A to win Sheffield Shield

1996 - St Francis Fighting Saints scores college baseball run record 71-1

1997 - "Dream-Johnny Mercer Musical," opens at Royale NYC for 109 performance

1997 - Thalit massacre begins in Algeria; all but 1 of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas.

1998 - World Ice Dance Figure Skating Championship in Minn

2000 - 62nd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: at RCA Dome Indianapolis

2004 - Islamic terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks are trapped by the police in their apartment and kill themselves.

2007 - Conventional-Train World Speed Record: a French TGV train on the LGV Est high speed line sets an official new world speed record.

2009 - Australia formally adopts the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

2012 - Spanish unemployment reaches record high, youth unemployment stands at 50%

2012 - Moscow fire kills 17 migrant workers

2012 - US President Barack Obama officially secures Democratic presidential nomination

2013 - 46 people are killed and 100 are injured by a court-house suicide bombing in Farah, Afghanistan

2013 - 50 people are killed by flooding across Argentina

2013 - 24 people are killed after a bus plunges off a cliff in Papa New Guinea

1513 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida. He had sighted the land the day before.   1776 - George Washington received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard College .   

1829 - James Carrington patented the coffee mill.   1860 - The first Pony Express riders left St. Joseph, MO and Sacramento, CA. The trip across country took about 10 days. The Pony Express only lasted about a year and a half.   1865 - Union forces occupy Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.   1866 - Rudolph Eickemeyer and G. Osterheld patented a blocking and shaping machine for hats.   1882 - The American outlaw Jesse James was shot in the back and killed by Robert Ford for a $5,000 reward. There was later controversy over whether it was actually Jesse James that had been killed.   1910 - Alaska's Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain in North America was climbed.   1933 - First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt informed newspaper reporters that beer would be served at the White House. This followed the March 22 legislation that legalized "3.2" beer.   1936 - Richard Bruno Hauptmann was executed for the kidnapping and death of the son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh.   1942 - The Japanese began their all-out assault on the U.S. and Filipino troops at Bataan.   1946 - Lt. General Masaharu Homma, the Japanese commander responsible for the Bataan Death March, was executed in the Philippines.   1948 - U.S. President Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan to revive war-torn Europe. It was $5 billion in aid for 16 countries.   1949 - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis debuted on radio on the "Martin and Lewis Show". The NBC program ran until 1952.   1953 - "TV Guide" was published for the first time.   1967 - The U.S. State Department said that Hanoi might be brainwashing American prisoners.   1968 - Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "mountaintop" speech just 24 hours before he was assassinated.   1968 - North Vietnam agreed to meet with U.S. representatives to set up preliminary peace talks.   1972 - Charlie Chaplin returned to the U.S. after a twenty-year absence.   1979 - Jane Byrne became the first female mayor in Chicago.   1982 - John Chancellor stepped down as anchor of the "The NBC Nightly News." Roger Mudd and Tom Brokaw became the co-anchors of the show.   1983 - It was reported that Vietnamese occupation forces had overrun a key insurgent base in western Cambodia.   1984 - Sikh terrorists killed a member of the Indian Parliament in his home.   1984 - Col. Lansana Konte became the new president of Guinea when the armed forces seized power after the death of Sekou Toure.   1985 - The U.S. charged that Israel violated the Geneva Convention by deporting Shiite prisoners.   1986 - The U.S. national debt hit $2 trillion.   1987 - Riots disrupted mass during the Pope's visit to Santiago, Chili.   1993 - The Norman Rockwell Museum opened in Stockbridge, MA.   1996 - An Air Force jetliner carrying Commerce Secretary Ron Brown crashed in Croatia, killing all 35 people aboard.   1996 - Unabomber suspect Theodore Kaczynski was arrested. He pled guilty in January 1998 to five Unabomber attacks in exchange for a life sentence without chance for parole.   1998 - The Dow Jones industrial average climbed above 9,000 for the first time.   2000 - A U.S. federal judge ruled that Microsoft had violated U.S. antitrust laws by keeping "an oppressive thumb" on its competitors. Microsoft said that they would appeal the ruling.   2000 - The Nasdaq set a one-day record when it lost 349.15 points to close at 4,233.68.   2010 - The Wi-Fi version of the Apple iPad went on sale.

1860 First pony express service began. 1882 Outlaw Jesse James was shot in the back by Bob Ford, one of his own gang members, reportedly for a 10,000 reward. 1930 Ras Tafari became Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. 1936 Bruno Hauptmann was electrocuted for the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby. 1948 President Truman signed the Marshall Plan, which would foster the recovery of war-torn Europe. 1974 "Super Tornado Outbreak" strikes 13 U.S. states. 1996 U.S. commerce secretary Ronald Brown died in plane crash in Croatia. 1996 Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski was arrested. 2004 A suspect in Madrid's March bombings blew up himself and three others. 2004 14-year-old soccer star Freddy Adu became the youngest player in an American professional sport in over a century.

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/apr03.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

The History Behind April Fool's Day

And finally, one last post for April Fool's Day: a history of why it became the "holiday", if you will, for pranks and jokes and buffoonery of all kinds. I published this originally a year ago, but since not much has changed in relation to April Fool's Day, I figured it was worth publishing again! Why not? 

Okay, so, yes, it's April Fool's Day. I originally wanted to write a review for the late Bryce Courtney's book of the same title, which despite the title, is actually not funny at all: it is about how his son died from AIDS. 

However, I got very backed up with some of the books that I have been reading, while simultaneously finding myself on a cold streak with reading. I would read quite a bit for several days, then I would find myself barely reading on others. It has been a weirdly inconsistent month, and not just in terms of reading. 

Failing that, then, I wanted to give a bit of history on this holiday. You see, I think it's safe to assume that we all know people that really take to this holiday, and come up with zany ideas of pranks to pull, while the rest of us roll our eyes, or perhaps even grit our teeth.

There was one coworker of mine that was like this. He is a very decent man, but was also known for being quite a bit eccentric. It seemed that April Fool's Day was his big holiday. To say that he loved it would not do it justice. He would talk about it months in advance (no, I'm not kidding), and would talk about his experiences pulling pranks (usually the same ones) on different people, year after year). 

One of his favorite pranks consisted of attaching a five dollar bill to a fishing line (again, no, I'm not kidding). Naturally, the idea was that people would get excited, and reach down for it. Then, of course, he would yank it away.

Well, I was warned about this well in advance, and wanted to do something to retaliate, so to speak. So, I sat there and pretended not to notice. He tried wiggling the bill, and again, i pretended that nothing was amiss or unusual, as if I were completely absorbed in my work.

He tried again, this time closer. But again, the same result. Perhaps I pretended to look away, although it's been so long, so who knows?

So, of course, he tried again. This time, I was sure that I would get it. But instead, I looked his way, and he quickly hid himself. 

He took a chance at a quick glance and, observing him from the corner of my eye (and having left the bill untouched and apparently unnoticed), I once again looked in his direction, this time with a frown, as if "something" was really attracting my attention. Once again, he quickly his from site.

When I was quite sure that he was going to stay out of view until I could complete what I had in mind, I sprung into action, quickly grabbing the bill, trying hard not to pull on the line or anything. Then, I attached a badly soiled diaper from my child, and pulled the line.

No, actually, I'm just kidding.

I attached a knife, with an attached note threatening his life if he fu..I mean, if he messed with me again.

Actually, I'm just kidding. I just took the bill, and let him pull the line with nothing on it anymore. A few minutes later, he asked for his bill back, and I gave it to him. 

Anticlimactic, right?

He was not the only friend that I have known who pulled consistently pranks on this day, almost always with a big, goofy smile on his face to show how happy he was with himself. Some of the tricks can be funny. But again, some kind of make you roll your eyes. Or punch the comedian in the face. Either way is an appropriate reaction.

But here is something that I heard somewhere that is less funny when you really think about it: the origins of the holiday.

You see, the traditional start of the year in olden days was the first day of spring - April 1st. But when this was changed for religious reasons (why else?), not everyone got on board. After all, spring is the season of new life, and what better time to start a new year? Really, it makes a lot of sense when you think about it, right?

So, yes, some people resisted the change. Those people were mocked, and pranks were pulled on them to show what fools there were. This tradition has carried on and, hence, April Fool's Day!

But was this the true history? I wanted to get to the bottom of it, and write out a whole thing. But as I write this, I find myself quite lacking in energy (no, that is not an April Fool's joke), and so I just kept the articles in place as they were, to allow you, the reader, unfettered access to the theories on the history of the holiday, and make you own determinations about the validity, or lack thereof.  

Lazy on my end? Yes. But I will say this: quite a few of these are quite informative and interesting, and I'd be willing to bet that you will find them so, as well. 

Before we begin, let me just pause to add something here: a lot of the here seems uncertain. There does not appear to be one definitive truth behind the holiday, although there are certainly similarities between some of the origins that I read. That said, if you heard some other history behind it, please feel free to share it. I'd love to hear it, and as always, would love to hear from you!

So, let's get started.

Here's an article called "April Fool's Day: The History of the Holiday" from Mike Krumboltz of The Sideshow, from March 30, 2012 (That's why he is warning you that "Sunday" is April Fool's Day):

April Fool's Day: The History of the Holiday

Consider yourself warned. Sunday is April Fools' Day, a day when you are encouraged to pull pranks on loved ones, co-workers, casual acquaintances, and even that one guy at the bus stop. It's an odd tradition, but how did it get started? What's the history of April Fools' Day, anyway?

Nobody is completely sure about the origin of this, the silliest of holidays. However the urban legend experts at Snopes.com say that most experts  give credit to Pope Gregory XIII, who, in the 1500s, gave the world the Gregorian calendar. [Related: Is April Fools' Day dying?]

In 1562, the Gregorian calendar moved the first day of the year from April 1 to January 1. Word did eventually get around, but some people were a bit slow to hear the news. These folks continued celebrating the new year on April 1, unaware that they were now three months behind the times. These "April fools" were tricked by those in the know. The tradition eventually made its way to the USA.

And it's still going strong. Over the past week, Web searches on "april fools day jokes" and "april fools day pranks" have more than doubled, and related lookups for "easy april fools day pranks" and "april fools day jokes for work" also spiked. Bottom line: Keep your guard up, especially if somebody offers you a word search puzzle. Lookups for "impossible april fools day word searches" are up 200%. [Related: 5 hilarious fake scientific breakthroughs]

But really, there is no way to be certain you'll escape trickery. Because on April 1, even corporations are out to trick you. In 1998, Burger King tricked its customers by releasing "the left-handed Whopper." In 1957, the BBC reported Swiss farmers were harvesting spaghetti from trees. And in 1996, Taco Bell took out ads in major newspapers announcing that the company had purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell. Shudder.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/april-fools-day-history-holiday-212531257.html

Here is a history, according to Wikepedia:

April Fools' Day is celebrated in many countries on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other.

In Italy, France and Belgium, children and adults traditionally tack paper fishes on each other's back as a trick and shout "April fish!" in their local languages (pesce d'aprile!, poisson d'avril! and aprilvis! in Italian, French and Flemish, respectively). Such fish feature prominently on many French late 19th to early 20th century April Fools' Day postcards.

The earliest recorded association between April 1 and foolishness can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392). Many writers suggest that the restoration of January 1 by Pope Gregory XIII as New Year's Day of the Gregorian Calendar in the 16th century was responsible for the creation of the holiday, sometimes questioned for earlier references[1]

Origins

Precursors of April Fools' Day include the Roman festival of Hilaria, held March 25,[2] and the Medieval Feast of Fools, held December 28,[3] still a day on which pranks are played in Spanish-speaking countries.

In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392), the "Nun's Priest's Tale" is set Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two.[4] Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote, Syn March was gon.[5] Thus, the passage originally meant 32 days after April, i.e. May 2,[6] the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381. Readers apparently misunderstood this line to mean "March 32", i.e. April 1.[7] In Chaucer's tale, the vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox.

In 1508, French poet Eloy d'Amerval referred to a poisson d’avril (April fool, literally "April fish"), a possible reference to the holiday.[8] In 1539, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1.[6] In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the holiday as "Fooles holy day", the first British reference.[6] On April 1, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to "see the Lions washed".[6]

In the Middle Ages, up until the late 18th century, New Year's Day was celebrated on March 25 (Feast of the Annunciation) in most European towns.[9] In some areas of France, New Year's was a week-long holiday ending on April 1.[2][3] Many writers suggest that April Fools originated because those who celebrated on January 1 made fun of those who celebrated on other dates.[2] The use of January 1 as New Year's Day was common in France by the mid-16th century,[6] and this date was adopted officially in 1564 by the Edict of Roussillon.

A study in the 1950s, by folklorists Iona and Peter Opie, found that in the UK and those countries whose traditions derived from there, the joking ceased at midday.[10] But this practice appears to have lapsed in more recent years

Here is another history, with the link below:

The history of April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day is uncertain, but the current thinking is that it began around 1582 in France with the reform of the calendar under Charles IX. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved from March 25 - April 1 (new year's week) to January 1.

Communication traveled slowly in those days and some people were only informed of the change several years later. Still others, who were more rebellious refused to acknowledge the change and continued to celebrate on the last day of the former celebration, April 1. These people were labeled "fools" by the general populace, were subject to ridicule and sent on "fool errands," sent invitations to nonexistent parties and had other practical jokes played upon them. The butts of these pranks became known as a "poisson d'avril" or "April fish" because a young naive fish is easily caught. In addition, one common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke.

This harassment evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continue on the first day of April. This tradition eventually spread elsewhere like to Britain and Scotland in the 18th century and was introduced to the American colonies by the English and the French. Because of this spread to other countries, April Fool's Day has taken on an international flavor with each country celebrating the holiday in its own way.

In Scotland, for instance, April Fool's Day is devoted to spoofs involving the buttocks and as such is called Taily Day. The butts of these jokes are known as April 'Gowk', another name for cuckoo bird. The origins of the "Kick Me" sign can be traced back to the Scottish observance.

In England, jokes are played only in the morning. Fools are called 'gobs' or 'gobby' and the victim of a joke is called a 'noodle.' It was considered back luck to play a practical joke on someone after noon.

In Rome, the holiday is known as Festival of Hilaria, celebrating the resurrection of the god Attis, is on March 25 and is also referred to as "Roman Laughing Day."

In Portugal, April Fool's Day falls on the Sunday and Monday before lent. In this celebration, many people throw flour at their friends.

The Huli Festival is celebrated on March 31 in India. People play jokes on one another and smear colors on one another celebrating the arrival of Spring.

So, no matter where you happen to be in the world on April 1, don't be surprised if April fools fall playfully upon you.

http://www.april-fools.us/history-april-fools.htm

And finally, here's the history, according to Infoplease.com:

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html

April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most light-hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar.

New Year's Day Moves

Ancient cultures, including those of the Romans and Hindus, celebrated New Year's Day on or around April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year's Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year's day to Jan. 1. According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on "fool's errands" or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.

Problems With This Explanation

There are at least two difficulties with this explanation. The first is that it doesn't fully account for the spread of April Fools' Day to other European countries. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April Fools' Day was already well established there by that point. The second is that we have no direct historical evidence for this explanation, only conjecture, and that conjecture appears to have been made more recently.

Constantine and Kugel

Another explanation of the origins of April Fools' Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.

"In a way," explained Prof. Boskin, "it was a very serious day. In those times fools were really wise men. It was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humor."

This explanation was brought to the public's attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realize that they'd been victims of an April Fools' joke themselves.

Spring Fever

It is worth noting that many different cultures have had days of foolishness around the start of April, give or take a couple of weeks. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there's something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations.

Observances Around the World

April Fools' Day is observed throughout the Western world. Practices include sending someone on a "fool's errand," looking for things that don't exist; playing pranks; and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things.

The French call April 1 Poisson d'Avril, or "April Fish." French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying "Poisson d'Avril" when the prank is discovered.

Yes, I know that I already published a link to one of these (the first one) somewhere on this site previously, and not all that long ago. But there are apparently more of them now, and so I thought it would be appropriate, in the spirit of April Fool's Day, to keep things lighthearted, and show a sense of humor, even about topics that most people would never joke about.

So, here is the link to what events from before World War I to immediately after World War II would look like if it had been a news feed on Facebook:

http://www.collegehumor.com/post/6650094/facebook-news-feed-history-of-the-world-world-war-i-to-world-war-ii

And here is one in a similar manner, only if World War II was an RTS:

http://www.strategypage.com/humor/articles/military_jokes_20057151.asp

This was a pretty good one that I did not get to see all of yet: the entire history of the world done in similar fashion:

http://www.collegehumor.com/post/6486984/facebook-news-feed-history-of-the-world-big-bang-to-humans

And finally, a lighthearted link to real history: historical facts that seem, at least on the surface, just too bizarre to be real. Only, they are real! Pretty interesting stuff, and here's the link below:

"51 Historical Facts That Sound Like Huge Lies But Are Actually True" by Mike Spohr of Buzzfeed Staff, March 25, 2014:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/51-historical-facts-that-are-totally-messed-up

More Pictures From Early Spring

Here are some more pictures recently taken during this beautiful spring season.

Enjoy.