Ask Grandstander

[bigheadache]

If Kansas City offered the Vatican it's barbeque sauce recipe and a Geo Metro would his Popeness relocate?

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by bigheadache

If Kansas City offered the Vatican it's barbeque sauce recipe and a Geo Metro would his Popeness relocate?

Doubtful, my understanding is that the Pontiff is more of an eggs benedict sort of guy.

[Zen653]

What would have changed had President Garfield not been assassinated?

[Nighthawk]

Why was there a President Garfield, but not a President Heathcliff?

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by Zen653

What would have changed had President Garfield not been assassinated?

Civil service reform probably would have been delayed. Garfield was for it, but the Congressional support for it was iffy, the opposition strong. It was the horror over a President being shot by a spoils system enthusiast, who explained that his motive was revenge for Garfield not favoring him with patronage, that pulled the rug out from under the opposition. And oddly enough, it was Arthur, a career patronage beneficiary, who signed the reform into law.


Otherwise, I'm unaware of anything about Garfield's character or political vision which would have left any special mark on the office. He was competent but not especially distinguised general and a competent but not especially distinguished politician who became president after a 36th ballot dark horse nomination. The years of his administration were pretty much crisis free. The South was no longer occupied, the Plains Indians had been defeated, the Gilded Ages economy was booming, there just doesn't seem to have been any challenge which would have tested his qualities. I think he would have would have been more obscure than he is, his assassination was a publicity break for him in that it was for this that he gets remembered. All I can recall any grammar or high school text book having to say about Garfield was "assassinated by disappointed office seeker a few months into his term." If you looked him up in the encyclopedia, by his name it read: "See office seeker, disappointed."

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by Nighthawk

Why was there a President Garfield, but not a President Heathcliff?

Does make you wonder, doesn't it. Like the way that there has been a President Lincoln and a President Ford, but never a President Chrysler. Or why we've had four Johns, four James, three Williams, three Georges, two Franklins and two Andrews, but just one Dick.

[dlb]

How many dicks does a man need?

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by dlb

How many dicks does a man need?

I've been getting by with just one, but it is up to the individual I suppose.

[LongtimeBravesFan]

Would the non-assasination of William McKinley have altered the tide of history?

[Cochise22]

Why is it that I seem to start to care more about the cleanliness of my room the more I study for finals?

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by LongtimeBravesFan

Would the non-assasination of William McKinley have altered the tide of history?

It would have delayed Teddy becoming President by a few years, or, who can say, might have prevented his becoming president at all. Teddy could have been elected in his own right in 1904 and re-elected in 1908 rather than giving way to Taft. Then in 1912, with no Teddy-Taft party split, Taft could have won re-election by defeating Wilson.

That is a rearrangement based on other factors remaining constant, and of course they would not have remained constant, a different history would have flowed so all such speculation is that....speculation. The best I would venture would be to say that McKinley surviving would have altered history more so than Garfield surviving, but that is also nothing more than speculation.

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by Cochise22

Why is it that I seem to start to care more about the cleanliness of my room the more I study for finals?

Reflects your actual value judgments....cleaning your room is an unpleasant chore, but not so relative to the unpleasantness of preparing for your finals.

[jtur88]

I'll make it easy---multiple choice:
---------
Why do plane crashes always come in threes?
A) They don't
B) Coincidence
C) Some poorly understood law of cosmic aircraft parity.
D) There are three plane crashes every week, but we only hear aobut the two more that follow a media-event crash.
E) Terrorism and/or Cult activity.
F) Some other reason.

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by jtur88

I'll make it easy---multiple choice:
---------
Why do plane crashes always come in threes?
A) They don't
B) Coincidence
C) Some poorly understood law of cosmic aircraft parity.
D) There are three plane crashes every week, but we only hear aobut the two more that follow a media-event crash.
E) Terrorism and/or Cult activity.
F) Some other reason.

It's a wannabe phenomena followed by fad exhaustion. The first plane crashes and that is simply the plane crashing. It gets a lot of publicity, so someone else decides to go that route to fame as well and you have your second crash. Now it's a trend and someone who wants to be trendy generates the third crash. But rather than great publicity, the third crash is met with a "been done to death" indifference. This discourages the 4th attempt.

[phenweigh]

If you were interested in knowing the moisture content of the outside air, would you rather know the dew point or the relative humidity?