What are You Reading Now?

[Briar Lee]

@Briar Lee Am I correct in believing that, even after that four-year tragedy, the question of the right of a state to secede from the Union has never been resolved by a constitutional amendment?

Correct.

Missouri voted to not succeed. Then our governor tried armed neutrality and the Yankees occupied our Capitol and appointed Governor Gamble. But only the 13th Amendment freed our slaves, and Missouri was not crushed and beaten at war’s end. My ancestors all rode for Governor Gamble and Lincoln.

Why the fire eaters in the South prevailed over the peacemakers was they hoped starting a war would cause states in the Upper South to succeed and join the Confederacy, which they did, to their sorrow.

It’s easy to see how the South was motivated to fight to the end to preserve their way of life.

But Abraham Lincoln used Fort Sumter to motivate 350,000 men to die invading the South to keep them in the Union.

Remember Fort Sumter was the Northern rallying cry.

Not until Germany gave Austria a blank check in 1914 was there more folly.

If nobody had started a civil war slavery would have lasted at least another generation. Emancipation would have been gradual, perhaps compensated, and certainly not in 1865 in utter defeat and ruin.

Larson is a masterful story teller.

 

[Briarcutter]

 

[AxelR]

The Human predicament by David Benatar on my Kindle.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

 

[jaingorenard]

So far, this is a fascinating read. Massoud led the resistance to the Soviets in the Panjshir valley in Afghanistan, and later the Taliban (who ultimately assassinated him).

 

[makhorkasmoker]

On
On a Chesterton kick while struggling to get over a cold

 

[SBC]

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On a Chesterton kick while struggling to get over a cold

One of my sons was born on a June 14 and so his middle name is Gilbert.

 

[Snook]

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Beautiful handwriting.

 

[Mikerr]

It's another Scandi Noir for me ''Snow Fall'' by Jorn Lier Horst. From the detective Wisting series.

Mike

 

[ssjones]

New mystery novel, spanning three decades, pretty good at 45%

 

[SSGT.]

 

[MortarMessiah]

Romans. Written by Paul while in Corinth, to the Gentile Church in Rome.

 

[carlomarx]

Phantom Shot, by Mike Majerus and Jack Nessan

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Every other book of the dozen or more I own about the JFK assassination presumes Oswald fired three shots from his Carcano.

If there’s more than three shots, Oswald could not have acted alone.


But the police found three empty cases on the sixth floor. Two had recently been fired, one was dented on the rim. The dented cartridge had deeper firing pin strikes than the other two.

Oswald must have used an empty case for a snap cap. He left it in the rifle in Mrs Paine’s garage. When he built the sniper’s nest of boxes, he ejected the snap cap case and loaded three.

He only shot twice. The witnesses who reported three shots were mistaken. Oswald had five to six seconds time to shoot the second and fatal head shot, which is leisurely, for a Marine marksman who’d practiced by dry firing, according to Marina.

If you are familiar enough with the event to know about Mrs Paine’s garage, you owe it to yourself to buy and read this book.

I should have figured this out fifty years ago myself,,,,,except I assumed there were three shots in Dallas, as reported by the media and adopted as most likely by the Warren Commision.

If the Warren Commision had correctly found only two shots in six seconds, then who knows how this would have beaten down conspiracy theories?

Was there a round in the magazine when the rifle was found?

 

[carlomarx]

 

[SSGT.]

Romans. Written by Paul while in Corinth, to the Gentile Church in Rome.

Loved Romans, Galatians is another of my favorites written by Paul.

 

[JoburgB2]

Somewhat dry and methodical. So only recommended for Boer War or history enthusiasts. But an interesting story. Also the subject of the 1980 film, Breaker Morant. The title comes from the last words of Harry Morant, yelled at the firing squad assembled for his execution, which were reported as: "Shoot straight, you bastards! Don't make a mess of it!"

 

[Choatecav]

Correct.

Missouri voted to not succeed. Then our governor tried armed neutrality and the Yankees occupied our Capitol and appointed Governor Gamble. But only the 13th Amendment freed our slaves, and Missouri was not crushed and beaten at war’s end. My ancestors all rode for Governor Gamble and Lincoln.

Why the fire eaters in the South prevailed over the peacemakers was they hoped starting a war would cause states in the Upper South to succeed and join the Confederacy, which they did, to their sorrow.

It’s easy to see how the South was motivated to fight to the end to preserve their way of life.

But Abraham Lincoln used Fort Sumter to motivate 350,000 men to die invading the South to keep them in the Union.

Remember Fort Sumter was the Northern rallying cry.

Not until Germany gave Austria a blank check in 1914 was there more folly.

If nobody had started a civil war slavery would have lasted at least another generation. Emancipation would have been gradual, perhaps compensated, and certainly not in 1865 in utter defeat and ruin.

Larson is a masterful story teller.

Good comments here... Tennessee was not going to secede until Lincoln called for 100,000 troops to invade the southern states. Then it was virtually unanimous. Especially in Western and Middle Tennessee.

 

[Philosophical Smoke]

Sun Tzu - The Art of War

I have always meant to get to this book, just never have. Finally after 51 years.

 

[Choatecav]

Just finished this book by Dan Simmons. About a group of mountain climbers going up Everest. But lots of mystery and intrigue woven into it.