sotomayor and refresher research: black soldiers during civil war

 
FRIDAY

washpost interviewer asking author of the hemingses of monticello about barack obama and her ansswer:

Given your research into this racially mixed family, how would you answer this: Is Barack Obama the nation's first black president, or the nation's first biracial president?

Well, going by his own self-designation, and by the history of this country, he's the first black president. He was treated as a black person growing up, and a majority of black Americans have some white ancestry, we know that now from genetic research . . . blackness in America is by definition multiracial. I wouldn't have any hesitancy in describing him as the first black president.

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as long as blackfolk are the despised of the earth racial identity will be a fraught decision

but listen o ye travelers to the geas of rickydoc and i will give you a mission greater than your adversity

i will give you a destiny

rdoc

 THURSDAY

had a  scare yesterday,

picked up book of night women by marlon james

jamaican writer, in which he uses a lot of the narrative innovations im using in rest for the weary

im like god help me some young turk has done 1st what i was going to dazzle the literary world with

but the more i look at it i see where

we doing enuf different that im only losing maybe 30% of my dazzle,

also picked up bolanos 2666 and drood by dan simmons

now the question is do i actually read them

i dont know that i want this boy james in my head while im trying to do closure

i got manuscripts on my plate ive agreed to read for people too

you always planning big blocks of writing time and life never cooperates - you end up squeezing out what you can, just like always

im gone

rdoc

WEDNESDAY

so Im in my historical section now and last time i worked this was years ago - so this morning i realize my civilwar campaign dates are off, i got the battle of brice crossroads before fort pillow and that aint historically correct - so im doing some refresher research on black soldiers during the civil war and ran up on this account of the stone river campaign

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While the generals planned, then men lay down in the mud and rocks trying to get some sleep. The bands of both armies played tunes to raise the men's spirits. It was during this "battle of the bands" that one of the most poignant moments of the war occurred. Sam Seay of the First Tennessee Infantry described what happened that evening.

“Just before ‘tattoo' the military bands on each side began their evening music. The still winter night carried their strains to great distance. At every pause on our side, far away could be heard the military bands of the other. Finally one of them struck up ‘Home Sweet Home.' As if by common consent, all other airs ceased, and the bands of both armies as far as the ear could reach, joined in the refrain."

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that was kind of poignant i thought -

believe ima have to use that in rest for the weary - research, dont you just love it

research for a novel, in particular a historical one, is unrelenting, i enjoy it myself, if anything you have to discipline yourself or you will just keep Researching when you should be Writing

that painting is of a victory of the 1st kansas, when they rose up out the grass to stop a rebel calvary charge

kinda like obama with that sotomayor supreme court nomination, thats as deft as bush 1 picking clarence

throws the opp off their game, they dont want to alienate the hispanic vote so they wont be able to mount a fierce enuf defense to derail her

obama got his game on with this one

threw the repubs off and mollified hispanic resentment over cabinet appointments - payback for their electoral support last year, soft support, slack, tardy, and tentative - depending on what obama do w/immigration, this lock them in for the next go round - you go boy, you the player

my understanding is the admin have a three phase strat for getting her thru

1st shape the initial 48 - 72 hour news cycle

then two more phases which i have forgotten, cause im feeling fidgety, didnt get a lot of work done today, spent damn near the whole work day on refresher research - damnit

i got to go

rdoc

Comments

[daily comic book covers]

that was very insightful

[שולחן מנהלים]

It was in this Battle of the Bands, which one of the touching moments of the war took place. Sam Seay of the first Tennessee Infantry described what happened that night.