The LuLac Edition #4, 754, May 31st, 2022

 

MAYBE I’M AMAZED

Our “Maybe I’m Amazed” logo

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….that the impatient Phillie fans are talking about firing Joe Girardi already. It’s only his third season and it takes time to build a team and have it jelled and molded. I know it’s the 4^th highest payroll in the League but he needs to at least complete the season. 

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……but not sure where this will lead when  heard that Peter Navarro, the former adviser to former President Donald Trump who helped devise a failed scheme to override the results of the 2020 presidential election, disclosed on Monday that he has been served with a subpoena by a federal grand jury, according to The New York Times.  Navarro says the subpoena requests he provide records relating to the Jan. 6 insurrection, including “any communications” he had with Trump.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that in a press release today FOX announced that Kevin Burkhardt has taken over for Buck as the play-by-play announcer and former NFL tight end Greg Olsen will serve as the network’s No. 1 in-game analyst. That means Olsen will call the Super Bowl in just his second year with FOX. He expressed his excitement on Twitter.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that Supreme Court officials are asking clerks to turn over their private phone records amid leak investigation. I don’t know what they’ll find but one never knows in these cases.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that the  Mets seem to be golden at this time. I realize there are only 46 games in and anything can happen but you really have to think with some of their best pitchers down, when they return they should be dominant. Just SO Buck Showalter doesn’t over manage.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….but not that a charge against one of Hillary Clinton’s lawyer has resulted in an acquittal. campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann Tuesday on a felony charge of intentionally deceiving the FBI, a stunning blow to special counsel John Durham‘s credibility as he pursues possible misconduct by U.S. intelligence agencies probing conspiracy theories about Trump-Russia collusion. The 12-member jury made up of seven women and five men deliberated for roughly six hours over two days before acquitting Mr. Sussmann after a two-week trial in federal court in Washington, D.C.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…and maybe you’ll be amazed that I actually agree with Donald Trump Junior’s assessment of the Texas killer of 19 school children. The slimeball’s mother asked for forgiveness saying her son had his reasons. Trump Junior said, He had his reasons for killing 19 — fourth graders?” Trump Jr. asked. “Young elementary schools? He had his reasons? Yeah, maybe you are the reason? Uh, but you know, we’re not supposed to judge this piece of crap who shot and killed 19 kids. He had his reasons, right? Screw you!”  He continued, “This is so much of the problem in our society. There’s always an excuse. There’s no accountability — ever.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED………how time flies, even in baseball. Kody Clemens, the 26-year-old son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, was brought up by the Detroit Tigers on Monday for a possible major league debut.  Roger Clemens planned to be at Comerica Park on Tuesday, when his son could make his debut.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that Vice President Kamala Harris beat out Florida Governor Rick DeSantis in an early Presidential poll for 2024. It’s early and moot because it is my belief that Biden will be re-elected (despite the polls today) should he run again in 2024.  

The LuLac Edition #4, 753, May 30th, 2022

MONDAY MEMES

The LuLac Edition #4, 752, 2022

 

MEMORIAL DAY 2022

On Memorial Day - Why War Springs Eternal?

This Memorial Day Weekend, I have been doing a lot of somber reflection back to my days of active duty. It was a time that I not only lived and worked with a diverse group of people, but it was the unspoken awareness that no matter how varied our differences -- we trusted one another with our very lives.

I can't help but think about what that means.

We were all well aware, that on any given day, especially serving at sea, we could have been called into a hostile situation, and some days, we were. On those days, I had no doubt my shipmates would have died to protect me, as they knew I would have died to protect any one of them. I'm not talking death in the figurative or poetic sense -- from the moment a ship left port, death, real death, no longer taking a breath, a notice sent to family back home death, was a real possibility. Trusting each other, to the point of dying for one another, is a level of devotion I have not experienced since.

There are no relationships that can ever compare. We were closer than friends. Hell, we were closer than family -- we shared a bond which defies definition.

The more time that has passed since I had the honor of serving, the more I think about those days and the more I realize it was the last time I actually did anything of that level of deep, genuine, meaningful purpose.

It is with those thoughts I wrote War Springs Eternal.

From the first day of boot camp, the military changed us.

From the day military training began the necessary purpose was to strip away our individualistic attitudes and concerns.

It was then the military broke us from a group of "Me's” and rebuilt and repurposed us to an individual “We.”

I set War Springs Eternal in WWI because I knew it was going to end with the beginning of WWII. The final scene was a dream which woke me from a deep sleep. The dream so much shook me, that immediately I hit the voice record app on my phone, and recorded what eventually became the novella’s tragic, closing scene.

Additionally, the WWI setting gave me a chance to explore a military person's suffering in a historical context. By taking it away from the today, it allowed me a bit of temporal removal, making the fictional content easier to write. I was not writing a history book. I wrote a story to help those who have not experienced the military lifestyle a way to become part of the story. In using first person narrative, I took it a step further and allowed the reader to become the main character of the story.

I am a non-combat veteran. While I was in one or two hotspots, I never experienced the trauma of combat. Yet, serving soon after the Vietnam conflict, I knew many who saw the horrors of war. Being someone who utilizes the VA system, I see those who have suffered the impact of war. And being one of the few who did serve, the bond with my patients who currently serve, gives them comfort to open up to me, and share not only the horrors of what they saw – but what they, for their very survival, were forced to do.

Thankfully, as of late, PTSD has gotten more and more attention. However, sadly, only once the symptoms manifest into often times horrific actions. What I strived to accomplish with War Springs Eternal, was to expose and explore the inner workings of the mind of a returning military person dealing with “The Shell Shock” caused by actions in combat. How a normal life was no longer possible. And the simple fact that even though that person left the war, the war never left that person – that War Springs Eternal.

Memorial Day honors those who have fallen in war. Something those who have never served in combat may not know, or realize, is many who have physically survived the horrors of warfare and returned home, may have, in a harrowing and unimaginable way, experienced another, and for some, worse type of death.

If you would like to read War Springs Eternal, it is available on Amazon.com at the following link -- https://www.amazon.com/Springs-Eternal.../dp/B07FLF6T13

Thank you,

Joe Leonardi

 

U.S. Navy 1982-1987

War Springs Eternal s dedicated to my brothers and sisters in arms -

-To those who were asked to do the unthinkable.

-To those who HAD to do the unimaginable.

-To those who are broken and still fighting.

-To those for whom the fighting became too much.

The LuLac Edition #4, 751, May 29th, 2022

 JFK @ 105 

Today would have been John F. Kennedy's 105th birthday. Kennedy  often referred to by his initials as JFK or by the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination near the end of his third year in office. Kennedy was the youngest person to assume the presidency by election. He was also the youngest president at the end of his tenure, and his lifespan was the shortest of any president. Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his work as president concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. A Democrat, he represented Massachusetts in both houses of the U.S. Congress prior to his presidency. (wikipedia)

The LuLac Edition #4,750, May 27th, 2022

 HUBERT HUMPHREY @ 111

Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. was born on this day  was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 1949 to 1964 and 1971 to 1978. As a senator he was a major leader of modern liberalism in the United States. As President Lyndon Johnson's vice president, he supported the controversial Vietnam War. An intensely divided Democratic Party nominated him in the 1968 presidential election, which he lost to Republican nominee Richard Nixon.

 Humphrey served three terms in the Senate from 1949 to 1964, and was the Senate Majority Whip for the last four years of his tenure. During this time, he was the lead author of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, introduced the first initiative to create the Peace Corps, and chaired the Select Committee on Disarmament. He unsuccessfully sought his party's presidential nomination in 1952 and 1960. After Lyndon B. Johnson acceded to the presidency, he chose Humphrey as his running mate, and the Democratic ticket won a landslide victory in the 1964 election.

 In March 1968, Johnson made his surprise announcement that he would not seek reelection, and Humphrey launched his campaign for the presidency. Loyal to the Johnson administration's policies on the Vietnam War, he received opposition from many within his own party and avoided the primaries to focus on winning the delegates of non-primary states at the Democratic Convention. His delegate strategy succeeded in clinching the nomination, and he chose Senator Edmund Muskie as his running mate. In the general election, he nearly matched Nixon's tally in the popular vote but lost the electoral vote by a wide margin. After the defeat, he returned to the Senate and served from 1971 until his death in 1978. From 1977 to 1978, he served as Deputy President pro tempore of the United States Senate.

The LuLac Edition #4,749, May 26th, 2022

 

HOW TO END GUN VIOLENCE

Vote OUT every Republican enabler of killers who use weapons to not only kill children but tear their bodies up in the process where they need DNA to identify them.

It’s funny how the party that is pro life and protects fetuses let’s children get killed.

They have obstructed gun legislation every time it’s come up. They are the ones solely responsible for not having background checks.

Where are they NOW? Where’s Mueser? Where’s loudmouth liar Bognet? McConell? Toomey? How about big man Doug Mastriano? Big pro lifer but when it comes to getting kids slaughtered and ground up like mincemeat in a deli, he STAYS SILENT! How about Teddy Daniels and Dave McCormick, using guns as a kind of phallic symbol in their ads? They’re impotent now on this issue. BIG FUCKING MEN. But they hide like little scared kittens until it blows over.That's what bullies do. 

NOW YOU KNOW.....VOTE THEM OUT! 

 

LBJ’S GUN BILL OF ‘68

Lyndon Johnson in his last year as President got a gun bill passed in the wake of the murders of dr. King and Senator Bobby Kennedy. . But it wasn’t everything he wanted. Since then, there has been no consequential gun legislation passed. The ban on assault weapons passed but lasted only 10 years when a Republican President it die on the vine. Take a listen to what LBJ wanted. Sounds familiar, right? (Fast forward to 5 minutes in to skip the organized crime segment.)

 

STEVE KERR ON SHOOTINGS

This video from NBC basketball legend and coach Steve Kerr says it all.

 

TRUMP REPORTEDLY COMPLAINED ABOUT PENCE BEING TAKEN TO SAFETY ON JAN. 6 AND SUGGESTED HE REALLY SHOULD BE HUNG

Former President Donald Trump reportedly suggested that, after learning chants of “Hang Mike Pence!” during the January 6th attack on the Capitol, former Vice President Pence should be hung and complained about Pence’s safe exit from the Capitol building.

This is according to a just-published New York Times report based on colleagues’ accounts of conversations with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, as was relayed to the House Select Committee investigating the events of January 6th,

Reporting for the New York Times, Maggie Haberman and Luke Broadwater report:

Shortly after hundreds of rioters at the Capitol started chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” on Jan. 6, 2021, the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, left the dining room off the Oval Office, walked into his own office and told colleagues that President Donald J. Trump was complaining that the vice president was being whisked to safety.

Mr. Meadows, according to an account provided to the House committee investigating Jan. 6, then told the colleagues that Mr. Trump had said something to the effect of, maybe Mr. Pence should be hung.

It is not clear what tone Mr. Trump was said to have used. But the reported remark was further evidence of how extreme the rupture between the president and his vice president had become, and of how Mr. Trump not only failed to take action to call off the rioters but appeared to identify with their sentiments about Mr. Pence — whom he had unsuccessfully pressured to block certification of the Electoral College results that day — as a reflection of his own frustration at being unable to reverse his loss. (Politico)

 

SENATORS  WHO VOTED AGAINST AID TO UKRAINE

The GOP naysayers were out in force again....refusing to aid a country, Ukraine that is making more of a fight for their democracy than we are. Here are the cowards: 

Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah

Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana

Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho

Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee

Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee

Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas

Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas

Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky

Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama

 

 O’ROURKE CONFRONTS ABBOTT AT PRESS CONFERENCE ON TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING

Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke confronted Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) at a press conference in Uvalde on Wednesday following the elementary school shooting that left 21 people, including 19 children, dead.

Abbott had been providing information on mental health in the wake of the shooting when O’Rourke rushed up to the podium.

“You are doing nothing,” O’Rourke said, only feet away from Abbott. “You said this was not predictable, this was totally predictable, and you choose not to do anything.”

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin could be heard yelling, “sir you are out of line. Please leave this auditorium.”

“You’re out of line,” McLaughlin shouted. “I can’t believe you’re a sick son of a bitch who would come to a deal like this to make a political issue.”

O’Rourke was then escorted out of the auditorium. He later addressed the press outside. Funny how puny GOP little bitty feeling get hurt when they are called out for the liars and pigs they are! (LuLac, AP) 

 

REP. CARTWRIGHT STATEMENT ON THE

 UVALDE, TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING

 

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives) 

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright issued the following statement on the Uvalde, Texas school shooting:

“In these United States of America, no child should be afraid to go to school. No senior citizen should be afraid to go to the grocery store. No American should be afraid to go to a concert, their place of worship, a nightclub or a shopping mall. Democrats and Republicans need to stand together and come up with a commonsense approach to gun legislation to keep our communities safe and prevent the senseless and heartbreaking tragedies that are becoming the norm.

We need to start treating gun violence as the deadly public health crisis it is.”

 

 CASEY, WILD, FITZPATRICK INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN, BICAMERAL BILL TO PROMOTE INCLUSIVE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROTOCOLS IN SCHOOLS

2021 WAS THE WORST YEAR FOR ON-CAMPUS VIOLENCE SINCE THE COLUMBINE SHOOTING IN 1999

Senator Robert Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)

How’s this for irony. Last week Senator Bob Casey  introduced the bipartisan Promoting Responsible Emergency Protocols (PREP) for all Students Act to ensure educational institutions are prepared to protect all students—regardless of age, developmental stage and ability. The PREP for All Students Act would ensure public schools, early child care education centers and institutions of higher education have the tools they need to develop inclusive emergency preparedness protocols. U.S. Representatives Susan Wild (D-PA-07) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) introduced companion legislation in the House.

“All students should feel safe and protected in their learning environments,” said Senator Casey. “In order to meet the needs of all children—regardless of age, developmental stage and ability—we must ensure that young children and students with disabilities are not left out of emergency preparedness protocols. The PREP for all Students Act would do this while supporting schools and child care centers by providing the resources they need to keep young people safe. I will continue to advocate for the needs of children with disabilities, and work to pass this legislation to ensure the safety of all students.”

As communities across the country adapt to the intensifying effects of climate change and face a rise in on-campus violence, safety recommendations for schools and child care facilities must evolve to integrate the needs of young children and youth with disabilities. During the 2019-2020 school year, 14 percent of public-school students received special education services. Additionally, 2021 was the worst year for on-campus violence since the Columbine shooting in 1999. The PREP for All Students Act would ensure public schools, early child care education centers and institutions of higher education have the tools they need to develop inclusive emergency preparedness protocols.

Specifically, the PREP for all Students Act would:

Establish a Federal Advisory Council composed of federal agencies, youth with disabilities and mental health considerations, parents, educators and advocates to develop guidelines and recommendations for the implementation of accessible, developmentally appropriate, culturally aware and trauma-informed emergency preparedness protocols;

Require the Council to submit a report to Congress that includes, but is not limited to, information about trauma-informed preparedness drills, emergency communications, school safety technology and training for educators, early child care and education staff, administrators and support personnel. This includes training to address racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious and disability implicit biases and training to ensure the nondiscriminatory application of protocols and treatment of students; and

Ensure that schools are provided with accurate information about the needs of specific populations of children, youth and employees during emergency events.

The PREP for All Students Act is supported by the following organizations: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Institute for Childhood Preparedness, National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), National Association of the Deaf (NAD), Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and Council of Parent and Attorney Advocates (COPAA

 

GOV. WOLF TO LAWMAKERS: ENACT COMMON SENSE LEGISLATION TO END GUN VIOLENCE

Governor Tom Wolf (Photo: LuLac archives)

Following the horrific mass shootings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and at Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo, NY, Governor Tom Wolf today called for immediate action from the General Assembly and Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation to pass common sense legislation to prevent gun violence.

“I am horrified by these tragedies and I am angry that our lawmakers continue to fail to address gun violence,” Gov. Wolf said. “I strongly urge our General Assembly and Congress to enact common sense legislation that will help stem the tide of gun violence.

“How many more children must die before we actually take meaningful action? How many more mass shootings must we witness before we wake up to the reality that gun violence is a public health crisis that must be addressed? People should feel safe going to school, the supermarket, their place of worship, the mall, the movies, and even outside in their community. Yet, these tragedies keep happening.

“Pennsylvania knows Texas’ pain. Too many states and communities know this pain as well. We lost five children in the 2006 mass shooting at a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Lancaster County. The 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh gave us the terrible distinction of being home to the deadliest antisemitic attack in the country. And we see gun violence regularly in our communities.

“I’m tired of the lack of action. I have made addressing gun violence a priority throughout my administration. I wish I could say the same of our Republican-led legislature, which seems more focused on pushing dangerous bills that would loosen restrictions and put Pennsylvanians at risk. I urge Pennsylvanians to join me in calling for our lawmakers at the state and federal levels to take meaningful steps to end gun violence.”

Governor Wolf has worked to address gun violence in Pennsylvania throughout his terms:

In 2019, he signed an executive order making sweeping changes to gun violence in Pennsylvania including the creation of a Special Council on Gun Violence.

He has invested more than $50 million in grassroots, community gun violence prevention programs around the commonwealth.

He has included an additional $35 million in grants and technical assistance to support community-led gun violence prevention efforts in his 2022-23 budget proposal.

He has included an additional $36 million in the 2022-23 budget proposal toward behavioral health services, restoring two-thirds of the cuts enacted during the previous administration, and he is open to including additional funding.

In October 2021, he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut to share crime gun data in an effort to prevent gun violence and enhance public safety.

In December 2021, he vetoed Senate Bill 565, dangerous legislation that would have removed licensing and background check requirements for concealed carry permits and overturned Philadelphia’s requirement for a permit to open carry.

In January 2022, he vetoed House Bill 979, which would discourage local jurisdictions from attempting to regulate firearms.

For years, Governor Wolf has called for the following basic gun laws to be legislated:

Require reporting for lost and stolen guns within 72 hours.

Close loopholes and require background checks on all gun sales.

Require safe storage of firearms to keep guns out of the wrong hands to prevent accidental injury/death and suicides.

Create red flag laws to protect those who may be a danger to themselves or others.

 

 MEDIA MATTERS 

 

GOOD LUCK RYAN LECKEY 

We were together taken aback and saddened by the news that Ryan Leckey from WNEP is going to be leaving tomorrow. He was a great promoter of the community and this write has been involved with 5 events with him. He made getting up at 3:30am fun.   

Our best to him in his new endeavors.  

 

SHOOTER NOT NAMED 

Kudos to the national media for not revealing the name of the evil killer in Texas.He richly deserves the anonymity  he is getting. The bullets he got that killed him spared us the trial of hearing one iota of his wretched existence. He makes me wish there is something hotter and more vile than hell awaiting him.

 

WILK LISTENERS TO MORNING HOSTS: “DON’T GIVE THEM AIRTIME”

During the Morning News with Nancy and Jason, a few knucklehead callers expressed the opinion about the Texas shooting of middle school children. The callers said that teachers should have guns and security guards should have them too. Nancy and Jason of course pushed back on that but texters made a good point. Kman read texts that essentially said “Don’t give these WILK Neanderthals air time spouting all this garbage and nonsense”. The good news is there are WILK listeners who aren’t morons. The bad news is that the hosts from 9am to 6pm are dreadful enablers of these ignorant, hate filled gasbags who know nothing. 

 

"IT'S A PLANT, IT’S A PLANT" SCREAMS LITTLE LARRY THE WILK LOSER!

Frank Andrews had a debate of callers on his show the other day about Donald Trump. Like him or hate him? A caller from Virginia said he voted for Trump twice but didn’t think he could win re-election in 2024. The caller said the country would be more divided than ever and Trump should step aside.

Fair enough.

Then Larry from Dallas calls and starts yelling at Frank saying the previous caller that didn’t fit his narrative was “a plant”.   He says that “everybody I talk to loves Trump”.

If you don’t agree with the narrative of a Trump ass kisser like Larry…..”it’s a plant”. Of course…no push back from Andrews. 

WALN TV 

 

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP

 

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM 

 This week on Community Forum we will address the work of Valhalla Veterans' Services and Equines for Freedom.

You'll hear the program Sunday at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400 am The Mothership and 7:30 am on 105 The River.

 

1975

Our 1975 logo

A central total lunar eclipse was visible in eastern Australia, Pacific, both Americas, Africa and western Europe, and was the 32nd lunar eclipse of Lunar Saros ….Bobby Unser won the 1975 Indianapolis 500, which was halted after 435 miles, with 25 laps left. Unser, in his second win, was in the lead when a rain storm caused officials to stop the race…….

The Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship in a four-game sweep over the Washington Bullets, 96-95 at Landover, Maryland….The Soyuz 18 rocket linked up with the Salyut 4 space station…The Dibbles Bridge coach crash near Grassington, North Yorkshire, England killed 32 people, all but the driver being middle-aged and elderly women, in the worst road accident in the history of the United Kingdom. The women, all bus passengers from Thornaby-on-Tees, were on a sightseeing tour of the Yorkshire Dales. The poorly maintained brakes of the bus failed as it was descending a steep hill, sending the vehicle out of control and off of a 17 foot high bridge.The Alaska Supreme Court ruled, 5-0, that the right to possession and use of marijuana within one's home could not be outlawed, citing constitutional guarantees of privacy, making Alaska the first of the United States to partially decriminalize cannabis.The decision came in the case of Ravin v. State, 537 P.2d. 494 (Alaska, 1975),[79] a test case brought by lawyer Irvin Ravin of Homer, Alaska, who had arranged to be stopped while driving to his home with a small amount of pot in his possession. The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 2-0, to win the NHL's Stanley Cup, 4 games to 2. The series marked the first Cup finals, since 1923, that neither of the two finalists had been one of the "Original Six" (Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, N.Y. Rangers, or Toronto). Laos and the United States reached an 8-point agreement in Vientiane, with all Americans to leave Laos, the last nation in Southeast Asia not controlled by Communists, by June 30. Quechua, spoken by three million of the Quechua people in Peru, was made the second official language in that South American nation, joining Spanish as a language to be used in education and court proceeding….Less than a month after the fall of South Vietnam created doubts about American commitment to its allies, U.S. President Ford reassured the other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that the United States that "NATO is the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy and has the unwavering support of the American public and of our Congress. Our commitment to this alliance will not falter." Ford declared in Brussels the next day that none of the 310,000 American troops in Europe would be withdrawn and re-emphasized that the U.S. "unconditionally and unequivocally remains true" to its pledge to defend Western Europe against an outside attack….For the first time in eight years, the Suez Canal became navigable once more, after the last two trapped ships, the British freighters Scottish Star and Port Invercargill, were towed 60 miles from the Great Bitter Lake to Port Said. The Canal would officially reopen on June 5….The five-team International Volleyball Association (IVA) played its very first game before a crowd of 2,451 as the San Diego Breakers defeated the visiting El Paso - Juarez Sol in a five-game match, 11-13, 12-10, 12-6, 8-12 and 12-1 and the number one song in LuLac land and America  was “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” by Freddy Fender.