Wizard Amendment

March 1995: During the discussion of a bill in the New Mexico state senate, Sen. Duncan Scott (R) proposed the following amendment:


It passed in the Senate, but didn't make it through the House.

The Marion Star - Dec 28, 1995

Posted By: Alex - Sun Aug 27, 2017 - Comments (4)
Category: Law, Politics, 1990s

George Washington Glick

As you can see from this 1914 article George Washington Glick was practically unknown when his statue was new. Is it any wonder then that, as Wikipedia tells us, "In 2003, Kansas became the first state to replace a statue [in the National Statuary Hall] when it replaced Glick with a bronze of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower. Glick's statue was moved to the Kansas History Center in Topeka."

Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 08, 2017 - Comments (0)
Category: Forgotten Figures and Where Are They Now?, Politics, Statues and Monuments, 1910s, Nineteenth Century

President swallows wasp

A few days ago, a wasp flew into the mouth of Luis Guillermo Solis, the president of Costa Rica, while he was outside speaking to reporters. Solis swallowed it. Then he declared (in Spanish), "I ate it. I ate the wasp." More info at wtnh.com.

I'd like to see more politicians gulping insects out of the air like frogs as they speak. It would improve political oratory immensely.



The event also recalled that classic unscripted moment during Raiders of the Lost Ark when a fly appeared to crawl into the mouth of Paul Freeman, who was playing the character of the archaeologist Belloq. Although according to this site, the fly didn't really crawl into his mouth. The film editors, as a joke, took out a few frames to make it look as if the fly entered his mouth.

Posted By: Alex - Wed Jun 21, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Insects and Spiders, Politics

Mayor Max

In 2012, the residents of Idyllwild, California elected Max as their mayor. He was a golden retriever. Tragically he died of cancer a year later, but the people of Idyllwild agreed that Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II, aka Mayor Max II, could complete his term of office. The new Max was subsequently granted a perpetual term as mayor. So he's still in charge there.

Check out the official Mayor Max website.

Mayor Max I

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jun 12, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Politics

How I Stole Elections

Marlin Hawkins served as an elected official in Conway County, Arkansas for 38 years — for most of that time as sheriff. He built up a legendary political machine, being able not only to win reelection for himself (19 times) but also to deliver votes for other candidates. He often boasted that he could accurately predict the outcome of every election in the county.

It was long suspected that he was rigging the elections, especially since absentee voters would always vote for him by a wide margin, but no one could ever prove anything.

After he retired in 1978, Hawkins eventually wrote his autobiography, which he brazenly titled How I Stole Elections (available on Amazon). He joked that he "stole" them by "treating my neighbors right."
But no, he stole them by ballot fraud.

His book came out in 1991. The year after, some people who were remodeling their house discovered a whole stash of marked ballots from a 1968 election hidden in their attic. The house had previously been owned by one of Hawkins' deputies.

Hawkins got away with it because the statute of limitations had expired in 1974. He died in 1995.

More info about him at the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

Palm Beach Post - Jan 9, 1992

Posted By: Alex - Thu Mar 09, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Government, Politics, Books, 1990s

President Naa Hoo Woo of the USA

What a blatant instance of cultural appropriation!



Original foto here.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Feb 26, 2017 - Comments (4)
Category: Fashion, Politics, Officials, 1970s, Native Americans

1960s Marx Presidents Set

Gee, I wonder why they quit adding new presidents after LBJ?


More info here.



Original ad here.

ADDENDUM: WU-vie GES seems to have found a Nixon figure from the final incarnations of this set.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Feb 05, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Politics, Toys, 1960s

Blood Painting

In Culver City, California, artist Illma Gore is painting a canvas with human blood to protest the upcoming inauguration of Donald Trump. She's working with 20 pints of blood donated by artists, musicians, and activists.



I'm sensing that weird stuff people do to protest Trump will be a prolific theme in weird news during the next four years.

More info: abc7.com

Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 13, 2017 - Comments (7)
Category: Art, Politics, Riots, Protests and Civil Disobedience

Damn It, Pass the Bread!

July 1930: Charles G. Wood, author of Reds and Lost Wages, when speaking before Hamilton Fish's Special Committee to Investigate Communist Activities in the United States revealed the corruption of morals that followed the adoption of communism, illustrated by the fact that children in the Soviet Union had no table manners and were being taught to say, "Damn it, pass the bread."

El Paso Evening Post - July 21, 1930

The Baltimore Sun - July 17, 1930

Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 17, 2016 - Comments (0)
Category: Politics, Reformers, Do-gooders, Agitators and SJWs, 1930s

Anti-Hero Hostility Dart Board

In 1967, artist Robert Cenedella came out with the "Anti-Hero Hostility Dart Board," featuring "photographic images of some of your favorite anti-heroes." Consumers could choose between an "LBJ, Lady Bird, Humphrey, Castro, Hochi Minn, De Gaulle, Nasser, Nixon, Bobby Kennedy, Reagan, or Sigmund Freud" dart board.

In a later interview, Cenedella said that, "For a few dollars extra, you could put a relative or an ex-wife there." He added, "I had more success in doing these gimmicks than I did at my art."

The following year, Cenedella discontinued the dart boards, citing his concern that the nation had become too violent.

As far as I know, Cenedella's Hostility Dart Board was the first commercially sold, political-themed dart board. But nowadays they're fairly common. Zazzle.com, for instance, has a bunch of them.

La Crosse Tribune - June 12, 1968

Posted By: Alex - Wed Nov 30, 2016 - Comments (5)
Category: Politics, Products, 1960s