How Hard Could It Be?
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Posted:Dec 16, 2006 11:53 am
Last Updated:Dec 20, 2006 4:56 pm
1852 Views
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Seems the Department Of Homeland Security has scrapped it's plans to have a system in place to make sure foreign visitors don't overstay their visas by next December. Seems they need 5+ years more.
When I first heard about this, I of course jumped to the conclusion that they just want to waste our money with high tech facial or fingerprint technology ... when all they need is a person checking the passports of outgoing travelers and entering that into a computer. Of course my first conclusion was dead wrong. While this may work for illegal aliens (though I could easily figure out a way to beat this system ... and so could they), it would actually be a benefit to terrorists.
Abdul, the terrorist just sends his friend Mohammad back through the checkpoint with his passport, and voila ... Abdul is now free to roam around the country with no one looking for him, while Homeland Security is futilely looking for Mohammad.
The facial and fingerprint technology is desperately needed in the war on terror. The Government Accountability Office believes it will take 5-10 years to develop the technology to inexpensively place exit monitoring systems at the 50 busiest crossing points.
We have already spent $1.7 billion since 2003 to try to track arrivals and departures ... with obviously little success, and domestic security officials state that trying to use existing technology to put this program into effect would be prohibitively expensive. It scares me to think what a government office thinks is prohibitive ... after all they seem fine with $600.00 hammers and $1200.00 toilet seats.
So ... what do we do for the next 5-10 years? Well, we can listen in on phone calls from terrorists ... no wait, the NY Times leaked that story and we may not be able to do that anymore. We can pay special attention to all Muslims entering this country ... no wait, they are calling that racial profiling and some idiot judge said we couldn't do that. Actually, any good idea to make the country safer has been opposed by one group or another.
Is anyone else amazed that we haven't been attacked in over 5 years? Maybe all the terrorists are too busy fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq?
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9
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Not This Way ...
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Posted:Dec 14, 2006 4:24 pm
Last Updated:Dec 18, 2006 11:06 am
1751 Views
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Senator Tim Johnson (D SD) had a stroke last night and is now in critical but stable condition at George Washington University Hospital following brain surgery to evacuate the blood and stabilize a con genitive artery malformation.
A lot is riding on this politically. Currently the Democrats will hold a 51-49 advantage when the Senate reconvenes next year. If Senator Johnson is unable to recover, the Governor of South Dakota, Mike Rounds (R) will get to name his replacement. If Governor Rounds chooses a Republican to replace him, the Senate goes to a 50-50 split which leaves Republicans in control because all ties are broken by Vice President Dick Chaney who is by law the President of the Senate.
Now ... as much as I'd like to see the Senate in Republican hands, this is not the way for the Republican Party to go. Arguments have been made that the Democrats would appoint a Democrat to take over a Republican seat (it happened in PA and NJ), but my argument is It's just not right.
Governor Rounds, instead of selecting someone to fill the position, you need to hold a special election to select the next Senator from your state. The people need to choose ... not you.
I've also heard arguments that the Governor should select a Democrat to fill the position because that would be fair. I think not. The citizens of South Dakota voted for a person ... not a party, and fair would be for them to vote for another person.
I caught a bit of Talk radio while driving to lunch and was horrified by some of the callers, wishing the Senator ill ... just so the Republicans can take control. This made me literally sick to my stomach. The Host, Michael Smirconish(?), rightly laid into the caller and ended the call, but the hate was out there. I am very political ... but to wish someone dead, just to make political gain takes a sick mind.
I mentioned earlier, a lot is riding on this politically, but even more is riding on it personally for the family of Senator Johnson, so please join your prayers to mine for a quick and complete recovery ... so none of these strategies even needs to be used.
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6
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Circumcision is now Circumspect
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Posted:Dec 13, 2006 5:06 pm
Last Updated:Dec 22, 2006 5:59 pm
2124 Views
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It seems our parents were right about circumcision. In the 50's and 60's it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that all male would be circumcised before leaving the hospital. In recent years, while still common ... more and more people are opting out of the procedure.
While uncircumcised men are more prone to infection, a little personal hygiene solved this problem ... and an circumcised penis is more sensitive during sex (at least that's what I'm told).
Well ... A new study released released today says that circumcision may reduce the risk of HIV by half.
The National Institutes of Health closed the studies in Kenya and Uganda early, when preliminary results showed the protection.
The link between circumcision and HIV prevention was first noted in the late 1980's when a study of 3000 South African men showed the risk of infection was cut by 60%, but scientists wanted more tests.
In the current test of 7780 men in Kenya and Uganda ... half were circumcised and half just monitored. In the two years that the test was running, 44 of the circumcised men became infected while 90 of the uncircumcised men were infected, over a 50% reduction in the circumcised men. Circumcisions have been offered to all the uncircumcised men in the study. Already 80% of them have accepted the procedure ... the other 20% must be stupid.
Now why would this simple procedure show such dramatic results? Well it seems the cells in the foreskin are particularly susceptible to the HIV virus and the foreskin is more fragile than the skin around it.
Now this is not some kind of magic shield making a circumcised man immune to HIV (as the 44 that did contract the virus can attest), so condom sense must prevail here. Also, circumcision gives no protection against HIV contracted through anal sex or by IV drug use.
By extrapolating the data out, it appears that almost 2 million infections can be prevented in the next decade just by circumcision ... WOW.
Any body want to bet against me that the hospital circumcision rooms are going to be busier than they were a generation ago?
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9
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Please ... Help My Ole Pal
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Posted:Dec 8, 2006 4:28 pm
Last Updated:Dec 19, 2006 7:26 am
2163 Views
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Is in desperate need. He hasn't had a date since the Reagan administration and his rubber doll (Hilda) has sprung a leak.
Keith is smart, funny and though a bit chauvinistic ... a great guy. Are there any women in Blogland that will help him out?
Just make sure it's keith and not his alter-ego that you make the date with.
Sign-up inside
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8
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In Honor of A ... Man
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Posted:Dec 8, 2006 3:45 pm
Last Updated:Dec 15, 2006 7:04 am
1802 Views
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Many of you have followed the tragic story of James Kim of San Francisco and his family. For those of you who have been spending way too much time in Blogland, the story goes something like this ...
The Kim family (father James, mother Kati, and daughters Penelope 4yrs old, and Sabine 7 months), were driving back to San Francisco after spending Thanksgiving in Seatle when a series of unfortunate events befell them.
Driving south on Interstate 5, the Kims had missed the turnoff to the coast and instead drove through the Siskiyou National Forest.
They passed signs warning that Bear Camp Road may be blocked by snow, either not seeing them in the driving snow, or just thinking that if it was closed, they would turn back.
They somehow got off of the main road and drove into a jumble of logging roads.
By the time they turned around, they were 15 miles off Bear Camp Road and stopped where they hoped to be spotted from the air, fearing they were running out of gas.
At this point they decided to hunker down and wait for rescue. When they ran out of gas, they burned wood for warmth (even burning their tires in the hope someone would spot the smoke). When they ran out of water, they melted snow. And when they ran out of food, Mrs Kim nursed the .
After a week of waiting to be rescued, Mr Kim decided that he would have to walk out and get help for his family. He put on as many layers of clothes as he could and started to walk. He figured he was about 4 miles from the community of Galice ... it was more like 15 miles.
Mr Kim walked 5 miles down the road, then 5 miles along a creek (ending up only 1 mile from where his car and family were), and tragically, less than a mile from the Black Bear Lodge ... a fishing lodge where he would have found shelter, warmth and food for months.
I've heard some people saying that he was stupid to have gone for help, that if he had stayed with his family they could have all been saved.
Well, the fact is that what the led to the family being saved is that a helicopter spotted the tracks that Mr. Kim made on the road and followed it back to the car. If Mr. Kim hadn't gone to look for help ... his family probably would have perished.
Mr. Kim was a hero, facing the fact that his family was in danger, he made the decision to try and save them. Sometimes a man has to be a MAN.
Kudos to Mrs. Kim also, who nurtured her and saw them through this ordeal. My prayers go out to this family.
Family Road Trip Survival Pkg:
1) Blankets (one per traveler)
2) Bottled Water
3) Non-perishable food
4) Flashlight (preferably the one that doesn't need batteries)
5) A good first-aide kit
6) Maps
7) Compass
8 ) Cell Phone ... remember text messaging has a greater distance than phone service.
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4
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Jessica's Law ... Texas Style
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Posted:Dec 7, 2006 7:30 am
Last Updated:Dec 28, 2006 7:21 am
2092 Views
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Texas LT Governor David Dewhurst is pushing for passage of a Jessica's law in 2007. The law is named after a Florida girl, Jessica Lunsford that was kidnapped, and murdered by a convicted sex offender. Other states have passed similar laws ... but Texas will have the harshest.
On a first offense, a predator will face a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life, followed by GPS monitoring after he gets out. For the second offense ... the death penalty (It wouldn't be Texas if the death penalty wasn't in it).
At first I was pleased and thought, about time. On further reflection, and after hearing opposing arguments ... I'm not so sure.
Of course there are the protests from the anti-death penalty crowd ... these I ignored (they would oppose the death penalty for Hitler). But two arguments grabbed my attention.
Most molestations are committed by a family member. These molesters are usually turned in by a relative. Would having the death penalty stop someone from turning in a family member?
Why would someone who has already been caught once for molestation, let his next victim go after the . He knows that if he is caught this time he will be executed, so why would he leave a witness ... It is in his best interest to murder the victim.
I am torn. While I want to mete out the harshest possible penalties for these scum, I want to protect the too. I'm still leaning in favor of this legislation, but I am definitely swayable. What are your opinions?
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13
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Peace Corps
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Posted:Dec 6, 2006 9:59 am
Last Updated:Dec 7, 2006 7:14 am
1804 Views
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Since it was established in 1961 by John F Kennedy, the Peace Corps has sent 182000 volunteers to 138 different countries to carry out its' mission.
The mission of the Peace Corps is:
1) Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2) Helping to promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served.
3) Helping promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans.
Currently their are 7810 Peace Corp volunteers and their FY 2006 budget is $318.8 million.
In my previous post, I later expressed that I would like to see the Peace Corp grow to a million person "Army", going out and spreading aid, understanding and good will among the world. I have crunched the numbers and this how it could work.
If we extrapolate the numbers out from 7810 volunteers to 1000000, we would have to grow the annual budget to $40.8 billion dollars. This is a daunting amount. However, in 2005 US Government foreign aid amounted to $27.5 billion. Much of this aid can be done by the new Peace Corps rather than the Military or USAID, which currently handles this, thereby saving costs in these two agencies. We could in fact eliminate the bureaucracy of USAID, saving $12 billion a year. This brings the net increase down to $1.3 billion a year, less the $0.3 billion we are already spending ... brings the increase to a little less than $1 billion a year. The savings on the use of military aircraft and naval ships to deliver and administer aid (not the most economical way to do this) would save more than that.
We would need an initial outlay of at least $50 billion for infrastructure (Buildings, distribution centers, aircraft and cargo ships). Some of this can be off-set with the liquidation of $24 billion in USAID's infrastructural assets, as well as utilizing Military Posts that have been closed due to BRAC.
Utilizing the closed military posts would help breath life into communities that have been devastated by the loss of the military in their communities. The need for aircraft and ships will help communities with ship building and aircraft assembly plants. as well as all the suppliers around the country. This will increase the tax base and bring more revenue into the government coffers.
Now if this plan is implemented, and a million Peace Corp volunteers march out and start teaching and helping in the communities of the world, what will our return on investment be? Why would someone hate the people that educated their and helped them to properly irrigate their fields? When some despotic little mullah starts spouting off about the Great Satan (America), won't these people believe more in what they have seen and experienced than in what this mullah says?
We will also get better citizens out of this. We will have a collection of people who have seen for themselves what it is like in third world countries, and now truly appreciate what they have been blessed with.
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Starship Troopers ... As A Social Experiment
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Posted:Dec 4, 2006 10:43 am
Last Updated:Dec 20, 2006 4:19 pm
2102 Views
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In 1959, Robert A. Heinlein wrote a science fiction novel entitled Starship Troopers. This book was later made into a major motion picture. While this was basically a spaghetti western set in space, there was a social message incorporated into both the book and movie.
It seems on 22nd Century Earth, no one is born into citizenship, it must be earned. The major way that citizenship is earned in Heinlein's world is by military service. Is this really such a bad idea?
Now, the only rights a citizen has over a legal resident in the United States are, the right to a Federal Job and the right to run for political office. The only two obligations that a citizen has are the duty to vote and the duty to serve on a jury.
So, would it be so terrible to embrace Heinlein's idea? I'm thinking many would think it was a terrible idea (the book was called fascist when it came out), what do you think?
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11
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The New Citizenship Test
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Posted:Dec 2, 2006 2:12 pm
Last Updated:Dec 11, 2006 7:18 am
2001 Views
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A new Citizenship test is now being tested in 10 cities around the country and already an uproar is being heard from immigrant rights activists. Seems the new test is harder than the old one.
So to be fair, I downloaded ten questions from the old test and ten from the new one. I didn't see any difference in my ability to pass either one. The test is subtly different in that instead of relying on rote memorization, it requires that new citizens to be have an understanding of the answers. For an example, under the old test, a question might be Q: Name the 3 Branches of Government A: Executive, Legislative & Judicial Under the new test, the question would be Q: Why are there 3 Branches of Government? A: So that no Branch is too powerful.
Now to me, the new test in this case is easier. While I may forget that the branch name for the Supreme Court is the Judicial Branch, I will definitely remember the checks and balances that keep one Branch from absolute control of the Government.
This test is testing more than just knowledge, it is trying to test the understanding of our form of Government ... after all, these new citizens will now be voting, shouldn't they know what they are voting for?
One other thing about this new test is that it will be an oral test, not a written one. This is probably what the activists are complaining about. They feel it is easier to understand the questions if they are written down, than if they are spoken. This may be true of people that speak Western European languages, but is most assuredly not for people whose native tongues are Eastern European, Asian, or African. So wouldn't making it oral be fairer to the greatest number of people? After all the law just states that the test must be given in English, not whether it is written or oral.
Here are 10 questions from the new test ... how well can you do?
1) Name one important idea found in the Declaration of Independence.
2) What is the supreme law of the land?
3) What does the Constitution do?
4) What do we call changes to the Constitution?
5) What group of essays supported passage of the U.S. Constitution?
6) What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
7) What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
8 ) Where is the Statue Of Liberty?
9) Name one U.S. Territory
10) Name two U.S. National Holidays
Now you should get at least 9 out of 10 right ... enter this post to get the answers ... no peeking or we'll revoke your citizenship 
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13
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MIlitary Draft?
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Posted:Nov 30, 2006 7:59 pm
Last Updated:Dec 4, 2006 7:03 am
1920 Views
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Charlie Rangel of NY has proposed a new military draft. My question ... why?
In all fairness to the Congressman, he is making some valid points. He feels that the military is over-populated with the economically disadvantaged and minorities. He feels that a draft would even out the risks and sacrifices that have to be suffered by our military people. He also feels that our leaders would be less likely to commit our troops if their and the of their friends may be the ones to pay the ultimate price.
You know Mr. Congressman ... God Bless You. If this would work, it would be GREAT.
Currently our military is staffed with the brightest, finest young men and women we have ever had ... why screw with it? If we had a draft we would be infusing our all-volunteer military with less than motivated mal-contents that don't want to be there. This would be a drag on the motivation of the professionals already there and would hurt our proficiency. We have something that works now, and this is too important to screw-up.
As for minorities in the military, I would rather serve with a patriotic minority than with a Caucasian slackard ... the minority is my true brother in this case. The make-up of the Army has also been changing these past few years. In 2001 the army was 25% Black ... today it's only 17%, though Hispanics make up an amazing percentage of the military in regards to their percentage of the population. So much for the notion that Hispanics don't assimilate (I hate generalizations).
As for the economically disadvantaged being the bulk of the Military ... Duh ... The Military is the great escape from poverty for many of this nation's poor ... and there is nothing wrong with that. It's awful hard to offer money for college or a bonus to a rich to get him to enlist ... though some still do.
As for Politicians worrying that their will have to go to war ... even with a draft, Bill Clinton was able to avoid going (by getting an ROTC deferment) as well as the current President (joining an Air National Guard Unit -- though he still did run the risk of his unit being sent, he was much safer than taking his chances with the draft board). No matter how hard you try to close loopholes, the rich or powerful will still find a way to avoid unwanted service ... so what's the point of trying. All you end up doing is trapping the not rich and not powerful into begrudgingly serving.
So Congressman Rangel, your heart is in the right place ... but it just won't work. The Military is our first line of defense ... please don't risk it with social experiments.
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Bravo US Air
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Posted:Nov 29, 2006 5:51 pm
Last Updated:Dec 11, 2006 7:11 am
1920 Views
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I would like to congratulate US Air for doing the right thing this week.
US Air removed 6 Muslim Imams from one of their aircraft and detained them till they were cleared of any wrong-doing.
Some of the Press would have you believe this was a case of racial-profiling at its' worst. After all they were only praying in the gate area.
Well, the prayers, while unsettling to some, were not the reason that these Imams were removed. Seems a passenger slipped one of the attendants a note telling that two of the Imams were speaking to each other in Arabic and the only words that the passenger could understand were Al Qua-da and Osama Bin Laden. I don't know about you, but this would worry me also.
In addition, instead of taking their assigned seats, two of them went to the front row and sat there, while two of them went to the back of the plane and two of them sat in the middle (by the exit doors). This is the same configuration that it is speculated that the 9/11 hi-jackers sat in, and is a red-flag to all the flight personnel.
There is currently a theory floating around that these Imams did this so that they would be removed and could sue the airline.
My theory is much darker. I believe these Imams did this so that they could embarrass the airline and maybe hurt it so bad in the public relations department that the next time there were suspicious Arabs on a flight, any airline would think twice before checking them out further. This would make a terrorist attack easier in the future.
What do you think, were these Imams paving the way for future terrorist attacks ... or am I just being paranoid? I've never been much into conspiracy theories in the past ... why does this sound so fishy to me now?
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6
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Education
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Posted:Nov 24, 2006 6:02 pm
Last Updated:Nov 30, 2006 4:50 pm
1922 Views
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The most important thing that we as parents can give out is ... a strong set of moral values in which to live their lives. Bet you thought I was going to say education.
The second most important thing is a solid education. This does not necessarily mean a college degree. College is not for everyone, and I have promoted employees with a high school education ahead of those with college in the past and will do so again ... depending on the employee. We as parents must instill in our a love of learning and a appreciation of what education can do for them. It must be cool to be smart.
Our public schools are failing to educate our and how do we fix this? Let's look at how education is handled in various places.
In Germany, are tested early in life and then put on an educational path. They are segregated at age ten into 3 groups. The first group is the least academic and goes to Hauptschule with heavy stress on apprenticeships, this is where you get your mechanics, carpenters and blue collar workers. These are the that have scored the lowest on the test.
The second group (middle performers) go to Realschule and are taught a combination of educational fundamentals along with apprenticeships. This is where you get your bank tellers, nurses, teachers and lower management.
The last group (highest performers) go to Gymnasium which is a college preparatory school and have a final test called an Abitur. Those scoring well on the Abitur go to University. All education is free in Germany, so it costs them nothing. This is where the doctors, lawyers, engineers, pharmacists etc come from.
Sounds like a good plan ... we match the student to what he can accomplish and pay for his education. Only thing is some are late bloomers and have come no where close to their potential by the age of 10. So ... this is out.
In France it is pretty much the same system, only the test for the different tracts comes at age 15. By 15, the student is more mature, so this seems to be better than the German system. Also in the French system, if a student is performing very well, or very poorly, the parents can request for the tract to be changed. The test for college is called the bach and is seen as the most demanding of all college entrance exams.
In NYC, we have social promotion ... being promoted, not because they have learned their work, but because to not promote them might injure their delicate psyches. We have special classes for the more intelligent which eventually lead to a Regents Diploma, but we have the average students being held back by the slower in the class, and when they do graduate, they get a NY High School Diploma, which colleges and employers snicker at. The only students that this system supports are the best ones ... for the rest, schools are just day care till age 18.
Can anyone see begin to see why in every age level, American students a falling behind their peers overseas in Language, Math and Science? When I look longingly at the French model ... something is wrong (I hate everything French ... and I am of French descent ... very slightly ... almost minuscule).
So what will work for America?
Here is what I am proposing ...
All students in elementary school will be immersed in Math, English (both reading and writing), Science and History. Some time should be made for Art, Music and Social studies but these should be an overview ... and not given the same attention as the Basics. Physical education should be a daily event and consist of exercising (no dodge ball and other silly games). Students should be grouped into ability groups and special help given to the overweight and physically weak. Students should also be in academic groups in their classes and since study after study shows that both male and female students do better in a non-coed environment, only lunch should be coed.
In middle school we can start to get more into art and music, but the emphasis is still to be on the basics. Organized sports will not be available to middle schoolers, though theater, band and chorus will be offered as after school activities along with math and science clubs. A foreign language will begin to be taught in 7th grade and will continue through HS. There must be a choice of languages two at a minimum, but 3 or more is better. Middle schoolers will apply to the high school of their choice, but must be accepted by their zoned HS as a fall back.
In High School the student will finally be allowed to participate in after school sports. The student will have a choice of which classes to take but must complete 3 years of Literature, 1/2 a year of writing classes and 1/2 a year of speech classes for English. In Math, 1 year of Algebra, 1 year of Geometry and 1 year of Trig will be required. In science, 1 year of Chemistry, 1 year of Biology and 1 year of Earth Sciences for graduation. Foreign Language must be taken for 4 years. One year of American History and 1 year of World History must also be taken for graduation. The rest of the High School Schedule may be any combination of arts, gym or more basics. A special diploma should be awarded to any student that in addition to the requirements takes 1 year of Pre-Calculus, 1-year of Physics and an Extra year of advanced literature (Russian Lit, American Lit etc.) Every student must take either the SAT's or the ACT's to graduate. Those scoring in the top 5% will receive full ride scholarships to any University that accepts them compliments of Uncle Sam (yeah it's our tax dollars, but it's an investment in our future). How many times have you seen intelligent young people in sales jobs because they didn't have the financial wherewithal to go to college? And with the best students taken care of, that would free-up scholarship money for other students.
I would make it possible to fire bad teachers, and if the union didn't like it ... I'd dissolve the union.
So what do you think ... possible? ... a pipe dream? ... or do you have a better idea?
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7
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America's First Thanksgiving
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Posted:Nov 22, 2006 6:19 pm
Last Updated:Nov 29, 2006 6:07 pm
1823 Views
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History tells us the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in New Foundland on the U.S. Eastern seaboard. With a menu of baked turkey, nuts and fruits and corn and potatoes, they celebrated the settlement of the New World with their new found indigenous friends.
What history doesn't tell us is this was probably the second Thanksgiving celebrated by Europeans on the North American Continent. The first time around in happened - guess where - on the banks of the great Rio Grande, just across from modern day El Paso.
In 1573 Spanish King Felipe II signed a document called the Colonization Laws of Spain. This document provided the incentive for adventurers to launch expeditions into New Spain to find wealth and to elevate their prestige with the Spanish crown. It also provided a detailed list of the many responsibilities of the explorers.
Don Juan Pérez de Oñate y Salazar was the of a wealthy rancher and silver mine developer and the co-founder of Zacatecas, Mexico. Oñate was one of the richest men of the region because of his family's silver mines, their many ranches, and his involvement in the lucrative Indian slave trade. He also married a rich woman, Isabel de Tolosa Cortés de Moctezuma, who was the illegitimate grand- of the conqueror of New Spain, Hernán Cortés, and Isabel Moctezuma.
Using his influence as a gentleman and businessman, and by calling upon trusted friend Luis de Velasco, a Viceroy of the King of Spain, Oñate managed to secure the blessing of the King to launch his massive expedition. Viceroys had the power to grant favors, including recommendations to the King about who should be allowed to colonize untamed lands. In 1595, acting on behalf of King Felipe II, Viceroy Velasco gave the final word to organize the expedition and colonization project.
Getting the nod from the Viceroy may have elevated Oñate's prospects, but it also committed him to huge expenses and great risks. Oñate, at his own expense, had to arm, equip, and feed over two hundred soldier-colonists. He also agreed to take mining equipment, tools, seed, farming implements, blacksmithing tools, corn, trade goods for the indigenous population, medicines, a thousand head of cattle, a thousand head of sheep for wool and another thousand for mutton, a thousand goats, a hundred head of black cattle, a hundred and fifty horses, and a number of colonists and their caravan of goods and belongings.
The undertaking required financial backers in addition to the family resources and wealth to make the project possible. It also required the recruitment of daring and enterprising individuals. Such an undertaking, though steeped in honor and rich in reward if successful, was a dangerous and somewhat sinister march into the unknown frontier. The hardships that awaited were many and fierce. Each day's survival was considered a milestone in the long journey. The odds were stacked against it from the beginning.
Oñate led an impressively large force. Reports indicate that there were about 400 men, 129 of them soldiers, 150 of them with families and servants, and 10 Franciscans, bringing the total to 539 people; eighty-three ox-carts, twenty-four wagons and two of Oñate's personal carriages; and approximately seven thousand head of livestock. The huge caravan was reported to spread out three miles wide and three miles in length at the beginning of their long march into the desert.
The earlier explorers of the region had always chosen a route that turned east at the Rio de Conchas, now called the Rio Conchas, to follow it to its confluence with the Rio Bravo del Norte (now known as the Rio Grande), then turned northwest to follow the Rio Bravo into Nuevo Mexico. Oñate decided to ford the Rio de Conchas and strike out due north across the Chihuahuan Desert on a more direct route to the new territory.
Soon they encounter a harsher land, the dunes of Los Médanos de Samalayuca in the far northern Chihuahua desert. They traversed that area for four days without water. On the fifth day they arrived at the Rio Bravo (Rio Grande). The scouting party rushed to the lake and drank deeply, but two of their horses overindulged and died, and two more ventured too far into the current and were swept away and drowned.
After their torturous journey and the loss of seven of their horses, they found the water, the shade of willows and poplars, fish, waterfowl, and lush grazing for the remaining horses luxurious. They hunted, fished and cooked a great feast for themselves. And they waited.
The main caravan of the expedition, meanwhile, was making its own way to the Rio Bravo. On March 21, Oñate broke camp at Rio San Pedro and the led the expedition to an oak grove they named “Encinar de la Resurrección”, where there was enough water and grass for them and the animals. They constructed a small chapel in which to observe Easter Sunday. Thereafter, they traveled through a desolate landscape, void of water of plant life, and the expedition reached their breaking point when they stumbled through the desert and encountered a large freshwater marsh. This was to prove essential because their next obstacle was the Los Médanos de Samalayuca dunes. The dunes are an arid remnant of an ice age lake, and at 770 square miles is the largest drifting sand dune area on the North American continent. It harbors no water or useful vegetation of any kind.
On April 21, 1598, the exhausted expedition reached the banks of the Rio Bravo where they set up camp near the present day San Elizario, Texas. They soon found their scouts who had arrived several days earlier, and Oñate sent them out to find a place where the expedition could ford the Rio Bravo and cross into Nuevo Mexico. They traveled upriver to present day El Paso where they found a village of Indians they named “Mansos” and who they befriended with gifts of clothing.
Safe and grateful for the expedition's deliverance from the extreme hardships of the journey, Oñate ordered that the travelers construct a church with a nave large enough to hold the entire camp. Inside the church, on April 30, 1598, the first Thanksgiving celebration of European colonists in the New World was held. The Oñate expedition and their Manso guests celebrated their April 30th Thanksgiving with a feast of fish, “many cranes, ducks and geese”, and supplies from their stores. Little more was reported about the menu, but one thing is certain: at the First Thanksgiving there was no mention of turkey.
I didn't write this, it was copied from wintertexans dot com. I was just searching for exact dates, saw this and said why not just copy it to this post? The following is an addendum from me on some of the things that should be said of Don Juan de Onate.
It seems that after befriending these Manso Indians, Onate decided to use them as slaves. He had the nasty habit of hobbling them (cutting the ligaments near the back of the ankle) so that they wouldn't run away. There was a large statue of Onate being constructed for the city of El Paso when word of these atrocities got out to the average person. Now the city had already commissioned the piece (the largest bronze equestrian statue in the USA) and had spent millions on it ... so what to do? It was simple, they renamed it "The Equestrian" and it sits in front of El Paso Airport.
I think I'll continue to tell the grand- the story of the Pilgrims instead of this one 
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