Spanky &; Our Gang was a late ’60s sunshine pop band with a difference. Despite the frequent comparisons to the Mamas and the Papas‚ they were true originals‚ with a perverse sense of humor‚ a talent for harmonies‚ and an archaic sound decidedly at odds with the times. They were odd‚ their songs were odd‚ and their albums were odd. They were also pretty fabulous. Providing you do the one thing you should never‚ ever do to a Spanky &; Our Gang album (i.e.‚ take it too seriously)‚ you’ll find their discography a treasure trove of sumptuous harmonies‚ uplifting arrangements‚ The post Top 10 Spanky &; Our Gang Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Our top 10 classic rock songs about dogs is a fun list of songs we put together that use the term dogs in many different ways. Yes‚ we know dogs are man’s best friend‚ and some of these words on this list are written about dogs. However‚ for the most part‚ we use the term dogs to refer to the actions of a dog or being treated like a dog‚ if you know what I mean. We will let Iggy explain it to you if you don’t. 10 Classic Rock Songs About Dogs #10 – I Wanna Be Your Dog The post 10 Classic Rock Songs About Dogs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Welcome‚ readers and happy new year! For our November/December 2023 bundle we’ve got stories about a crafty Jazz Age bank robber‚ a Canadian Recovery worker‚ deconstructed fairy tales‚ and a family with a seriously some seriously messed up holiday traditions! Plus an Everfair story and a new Mkalis Cycle story! Download here! In our next issue‚ we’ll have stories from C. L. Polk‚ Rachel Swirsky‚ Maureen McHugh‚ Jordan Kurella‚ Karen Heuler‚ Chris Willrich‚ Kemi Ashing-Giwa and more! Our next issue will also look a bit different! If you haven’t heard the news‚ Tor.com is becoming Reactor (www.reactormag.com) on January 23‚ 2024! We’ll have a new name and a new look‚ but we’ll have the same fantastic stories (and the same Stubb-ulous mascot)! Read more about these exciting upcoming changes here! As always‚ thank you for your continued support! If you haven’t subscribed yet‚ be sure to sign up for the Tor.com Short Fiction Newsletter to get Tor.com’s seasonal short fictions bundles delivered directly to your inbox! Our Nov/Dec 2023 Short Fiction bundle includes: “On the Fox Roads” by Nghi Vo “The Canadian Miracle” by Cory Doctorow “Some Ways to Retell a Fairy Tale” by Kathleen Jennings “A Heart Between Teeth” by Kerstin Hall “Sun River” by Nisi Shawl “The Sound of Reindeer” by Lyndsie Manusos Download the Sept/Oct 2023 Short Fiction bundle: EPUB (13.8 MB) PDF (32.5 MB) MOBI (54.2 MB)   Note: If you’re having issues with the download process‚ please email ebookclub@tor.com.   About the Authors Nghi Vo is the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful‚ as well as the acclaimed novellas Into the Riverlands‚ When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain‚ and The Empress of Salt and Fortune‚ a Locus and Ignyte Award finalist and the winner of the Crawford Award and the Hugo Award. Born in Illinois‚ she now lives on the shores of Lake Michigan. She believes in the ritual of lipstick‚ the power of stories‚ and the right to change your mind. Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction author‚ activist and journalist. He is the author of many books‚ most recently THE LOST CAUSE‚ a solarpunk science fiction novel of hope amidst the climate emergency. His most recent nonfiction book is THE INTERNET CON: HOW TO SEIZE THE MEANS OF COMPUTATION‚ a Big Tech disassembly manual. Other recent books include RED TEAM BLUES‚ a science fiction crime thriller; CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM‚ nonfiction about monopoly and creative labor markets; the LITTLE BROTHER series for young adults; IN REAL LIFE‚ a graphic novel; and the picture book POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER. In 2020‚ he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Kathleen Jennings is a writer and illustrator based in Brisbane‚ Australia. Her Australian Gothic debut‚ Flyaway‚ was published by Tordotcom (Pan Macmillan‚ USA) and Picador (Australia) in 2020‚ and has been published in French (by les Moutons électriques) in 2023. Her short fiction has been published in Tor.com‚ Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet‚ The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction‚ and many other markets. Her debut poetry collection Travelogues: Vignettes from Trains in Motion was  published by Brain Jar Press in 2020. Her writing has won the British Fantasy and Ditmar Awards‚ and been shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award and The Courier Mail People’s Choice Book of the Year Award (Queensland Literary Awards). She is also a World Fantasy Award-winning and Hugo Award-nominated illustrator. Her  short story collection Kindling is to be published by Small Beer Press in January 2024‚ and she is currently a PhD candidate in creative writing at the University of Queensland. Kerstin Hall is the author of The Border Keeper‚ Second Spear‚ and Star Eater. She lives in Cape Town‚ South Africa. Look for her new standalone fantasy novel‚ ASUNDER‚ coming August 2024 from Tordotcom! Nisi Shawl (they/them) is a multiple award-winning writer and editor of science fiction‚ fantasy‚ and horror. They’re the author of Everfair and co-author of Writing the Other: Bridging Cultural Differences for Successful Fiction. Other recent titles include Speculation‚ a middle-grade historical fantasy; a new volume of the acclaimed New Suns anthologies; and the story collection Our Fruiting Bodies. Look for Kinning‚ the much-anticipated sequel to Shawl’s acclaimed Everfair‚ available everywhere on January 23‚ 2024. Lyndsie Manusos’s work has appeared in Lightspeed Magazine‚ The Magazine of Fantasy &; Science Fiction‚ The Deadlands‚ and other publications. Her work has appeared on the Locus Recommended Reading List‚ been nominated for a Pushcart‚ and mentioned in one of Tor.com’s Must-Read Speculative Fiction roundups. She’s the associate flash fiction editor for jmww‚ writes for Book Riot and Publishers Weekly‚ all while trying to keep up with her two young children. You can read more about Lyndsie at lyndsiemanusos.com.  

The German farmer protests started 2024 off with a bang. Last week‚ irate farmers prevented Germany’s Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck from getting off a ferry as he returned from vacation.  This week‚ German farmers are taking to the highways.  They have blocked Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate to protest the government’s removal of the agricultural diesel subsidy.  The farmers and their supporters plan to continue protesting throughout the week of January 8. And they’re not alone. Farmers in France are also protesting‚ and we saw last year farmers in the Netherlands protesting. What started it all in Germany? The controversy began with an argument over what to do with debt accumulated during Covid.  Germany’s notoriously strict rules regarding debt creation were lifted during Covid‚ for the same reasons so many rules were suspended here in the US.  After the pandemic officially ended‚ the German government found itself with unused debt and decided to put the money toward its Climate and Transformation Fund.   The opposing party coalition sued‚ saying that the German government is not supposed to shift money around like that.  This forced the groups supporting climate initiatives to find money elsewhere. So‚ the German government decided to end some agricultural subsidies to fill the budget gaps.  They originally planned to end tax breaks for agricultural vehicles and diesel subsidies‚ but after a series of protests in December‚ announced they would continue the vehicle tax breaks and phase out the diesel subsidies over a wider time frame. The German agricultural sector doesn’t want to hear it. They feel that they are being unfairly targeted.  In an interview with Reuters‚ German trucker Joachim‚ protesting with the farmers‚ said it wasn’t just the diesel subsidies. It was the cost of everything going up   “What the government is doing to us‚ increasing the road tax‚ increasing the price of diesel‚ and so on—no one can afford this anymore.  Everyone is affected‚ and the problem is‚ everyone going shopping notices it and has to suffer.” Similar sentiments were echoed by other protesters.  Redacted’s Clayton Morris traveled to Berlin to report on the German protests‚ and his January 8 show revealed footage and brief interviews with Germans braving the frigid weather to show their support for the farmers. The farmer protests are really about something much larger. Despite their being painted as “right-wing extremists” by official media‚ the protesters have all insisted that they are merely realists.  They see government money being spent on climate initiatives and foreign wars that do not benefit the population at large‚ and they want the general public to wake up to what’s going on.   Europeans have had their lives upended over the past ten years by a combination of massive refugee waves and industry-killing climate regulations.  Any party‚ like Alternative for Deutschland (Afd)‚ that attempts to refocus attention on the needs of average European citizens as opposed to the global “responsibilities” the political class thinks it has‚ gets painted as far-right.  Figures in German government‚ including opposition party leaders and the German Institute for Human Rights‚ are trying to ban AfD‚ even as it is rapidly on its way to becoming Germany’s most popular political party.  The German farmers are not alone.  The scale of the protests is massive.  Many truckers have joined in‚ as they have also been affected by changing tax policies and diesel pricing. Polish truckers are driving in to support their German friends  Similar farmer protests have been raging in other parts of Europe. We’ve discussed the Dutch protests at some length‚ but France has had its own share of excitement.  French farmers have been protesting rising diesel and fertilizer prices‚ late subsidy payments‚ increased regulation‚ and competition from imports. In November‚ French farmers began turning road signs upside down and‚ in December‚ sprayed manure on government buildings in Dijon and Quimper.  In Toulouse‚ farmers doused the local government building with liquid manure‚ then made a pile of trash‚ hay‚ and car tires at the entrance and set the whole thing ablaze.  Upon completing that task‚ the farmers went back to work on their farms because that’s what farmers do. This quiet return to work after such a dramatic act of protest shows that these are not hooligans looking for wanton destruction.  They don’t want to “burn it all down‚” only the policies that are ruining their livelihoods. Yet European politicians have found it easier to call out the protesters as extremists rather than engage with them.  German politicians insist that the protests are illegitimate.  After his ordeal on the ferry‚ Vice Chancellor Habeck did not even address the farmers’ legitimate complaints. He said his biggest concern was for civil servants who couldn’t afford police protection.   There’s an enormous divide between politicians and ordinary citizens. I’m not sure how much more disconnected from his citizens a politician can get.  The current situation reveals the divide between the political class making the decisions and the farmers and truckers who have to live with them. The political class‚ both within Germany as well as the Eurocrats from Brussels‚ is attempting to phase out the use of fossil fuels and is ending the subsidies partly as a means of doing so.  Do I wish agriculture was less dependent on chemical inputs?  Sure.  But expecting farmers to bear the brunt of the financial burden as the political class continues its lifestyle as normal is too much to ask.   As trucker Joachim noted‚ average shoppers are feeling the pinch every time they go to the store.  While farmers and truckers are aware that Germany’s funding for globally-directed climate projects is related to increased prices‚ many consumers are not.  I suspect that part of the media’s push to paint protesting farmers as “right-wing extremists” has to do with keeping the average‚ non-farming citizen in the dark regarding the real reasons behind price increases.   Unfortunately‚ farmers are fairly separate from most of the people who enjoy the fruits of their labor.  And the lifestyle is something many people don’t understand or sympathize with‚ even among those who consider themselves politically aligned with farmers. Farmers are the canaries in the climate initiative coalmine. For example‚ “voting with your feet” is a common theme on many libertarian websites.  Are you a conservative stuck in a liberal state?  Then just pick up and move!  To Texas‚ to Florida‚ to Tennessee‚ to anywhere you think you’ll fit in.   That’s a lot harder for farmers.  Farming involves so much place-specific knowledge that picking up and moving means leaving behind a huge set of skills and insights that may not translate well to other locales. Running away from disagreeable politics is a far less realistic option for them. And so‚ because of their reduced ability to shift their businesses around‚ farmers are the canaries in the coal mine‚ particularly when it comes to many of the items involved in Agenda 2030. Germany and France both have ambitious targets for climate neutrality. They both plan to be fully carbon-neutral by 2050.  The German government intends to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 and the French by 50% by 2030. This is six years away. Electric grids in Europe are simply not capable of powering this transition in the next six years.  Meeting these climate initiatives will require very dramatic reductions in quality of life‚ and the French and German farmers see it coming. We’ve discussed the global smart city initiative before on this website. Berlin has been heavily involved in this movement since its inception.  The farmers aren’t protesting because they are greedy; they are protesting because they see how the destruction of their businesses fits a wider agenda. Our way of life is changing dramatically. Protesting farmers need to be heard and attended to‚ not dismissed as troublemakers.  The farmers’ and truckers’ rallies around the globe have been overwhelmingly peaceful.  I hope they stay that way. I think most people realize now that any violence will bring down the hammer.   I also hope that more average citizens wake up to what’s going on.  Right now‚ people notice that stuff’s expensive; too many of them are not asking why.  You can’t force people to ditch their favorite news sources and listen to more worthwhile podcasts. However‚ thousands of farm vehicles on the highways and in the cities will garner attention.  I support what these farmers are trying to do‚ and I hope it works.   What are your thoughts? What do you think of the farmer protests in Europe? Do you think it will be enough to slow down detrimental climate change initiatives? Why aren’t there similar protests in the United States‚ or is it just a matter of time until it reaches our country? Do you think these farmers are doing the right thing? Let’s discuss it in the comments section. About Marie Hawthorne A lover of novels and cultivator of superb apple pie recipes‚ Marie spends her free time writing about the world around her. The post European Farmer Protests: Farmers Are the Canaries in the Climate Change Initiative Coal Mine appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

In the earliest days of Union enlistment in New York City‚ anyone willing to volunteer was welcome at recruitment offices—including the foreign-born. Language barriers proved no obstacle‚ particularly among Germans. After all‚ German support had helped Abraham Lincoln win the presidency in 1860.   After the fall of Fort Sumter and the call for 75‚000 militia to suppress the rebellion‚ Lincoln wisely concluded that a war to save the Union must not be an exclusively native-born undertaking. So he launched a concerted effort to lure marquee commanders from various ethnic backgrounds‚ regardless of their politics (though he did resist abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ early pleas for the enlistment of free Blacks).   One of Lincoln’s first such acts was to order his secretary of war to appoint “Col. Julian Allen‚ a Polish gentleman‚ naturalized‚” who proposed “raising a Regiment of our citizens of his nationality‚ to serve in our Army.” After some initial resistance from the War Department‚ Allen got his commission.   Army regulations at the time explicitly stated: “No volunteer will be mustered into the service who is unable to speak the English language.” That rule would simply be ignored. From the outset‚ the restriction hardly stemmed the early enthusiasm of the foreign-born to don the U.S. Army uniform‚ even if the uniforms themselves reflected more the ethnic background of the recruits than the cohesion of the supposedly united states.   Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz had a mixed military career‚ but had a successful postwar Republican Party political career. That spring‚ German-born New York Herald correspondent Henry Villard seemed “surprised”—but clearly proud—to observe freshly minted “infantry dressed in the genuine Bavarian uniform….Prussian uniforms‚ too; the ‘Garibaldi Guards’ in the legendary red blouses and bersaglieri [Italian infantry] hats‚” as well as “‘Zouaves’ and ‘Turcoes’ [North African infantrymen]‚ clothed as in the French army‚ with some fanciful American features grafted upon them.”   Before long‚ Lincoln granted a request by Carl Schurz‚ the recently named U.S. minister to Spain‚ to abandon his post in Madrid and raise a regiment in New York. Although his initial recruitment efforts fell short‚ Schurz won a military commission anyway‚ and served in the Army of the Potomac. In 1863‚ however‚ he earned damning criticism when his men fled from a Confederate assault at Chancellorsville. Most officers subject to such castigation would have faced demotion or dismissal. But Schurz still exerted enormous influence—over the German-born community as well as Lincoln—for his tireless work in the 1860 campaign. A gifted orator‚ he managed to convince Lincoln to continue backing him even as he leveled injudicious criticism (privately‚ at least) on his commander-in-chief.   Franz Sigel did not lack bravery; he was wounded at Second Bull Run‚ but also did not have a lot of luck when it came to winning battles. Then there was the case of Franz Sigel‚ a 36-year-old German-born general who notched an even more dubious record in the West. From the outset of the war‚ however‚ Sigel proved a magnet for German recruitment. “I Fights Mit Sigel” became a rallying cry among German-speaking soldiers. Each time Lincoln sought to downgrade Sigel‚ the outcry from Germans proved overpowering. In 1864‚ when Lincoln briefly faced a third-party reelection challenge‚ many of those expressing support for the insurgency cited the president’s alleged injustices against Sigel.   Irish Leaders‚ Mixed Results If German Americans contributed the largest foreign-born contingent in the Federal army‚ Irish Americans proved a close second. Some 150‚000 Irishmen took up arms for the Union.   Such a patriotic response from this overwhelmingly pro-Democratic community could not have been predicted before the shelling of Fort Sumter. Only a week later‚ at a massive rally at New York’s Union Square‚ Irish lawyer Richard O’Gormon addressed the crowd of 100‚000: “[W]hen I assumed the rights of a citizen‚ I assumed‚ too‚ the duties of a citizen.” Lincoln‚ he admitted‚ “is not the President of my choice. No matter. He is the President chosen under the Constitution.” The attack on Sumter was worse “than if the combined fleets of England had threatened to devastate our coast.”   Not yet completely reassured about Irish loyalty‚ Lincoln had summoned another prominent New York attorney‚ James T. Brady‚ and beseeched him to raise and lead the first Irish brigade. Brady protested that he possessed no experience in such matters. “You know plenty of Irish who do‚” Lincoln countered‚ “…and as to the appointment of officers‚ did you ever know an Irishman who would decline an office or refuse a pair of epaulets‚ or do anything but fight gallantly after he had them?”   Like O’Gormon‚ Brady was a longtime Democrat‚ but at Lincoln’s urging‚ he began successfully recruiting‚ though he never took up arms himself. The Irish-American newspaper now called on its readers “to be true to the land of your adoption in this crisis of her fate.”   The overwhelmingly Irish 69th Regiment of the New York State Militia marched to the defense of Washington on April 23‚ 1861‚ accompanied by the “stormy cheers” of some half a million onlookers. Lincoln had called for volunteers on April 15‚ and it had taken only days to muster the 69th. “So great was the anxiety to join the ranks” that three times more men volunteered than could be accommodated in the regiment.   Father William Corby gives absolution to the 69th New York as it and the other regiments of the Irish Brigade‚ the 63rd and 88th New York and the “honorary Irish” 29th Massachusetts‚ attack the notorious Sunken Road at Antietam on September 17‚ 1862. The brigade suffered about 40 percent casualties during the assault. Leading the regiment downtown that day was 33-year-old Colonel Michael Corcoran. The onetime tavern clerk from County Sligo had led the unit for two years. In 1860‚ he had aroused both municipal fury and ethnic pride by refusing to assemble his men to welcome the Prince of Wales to New York‚ arguing that the heir to the British throne represented “the oppressor of Ireland.” Corcoran’s defiance earned him a court-martial that was still pending‚ only to be shelved once the rebellion began; he was too well-suited to his new role. An active member of the Fenian Brotherhood‚ which supported Irish independence‚ Corcoran was also a politically active local Democrat. Above all‚ New York Archbishop John Hughes believed “Corcoran should be appointed” to lead the Irish defense of the Union‚ and Lincoln replied that “my own judgment concurs.”   In an uncirculated‚ likely misdated‚ and largely forgotten memorandum he composed sometime that spring‚ the president identified Corcoran and two other noted Irishmen—James Shields and Thomas Francis Meagher—as ideal Union commanders. Lincoln managed to recruit all three‚ albeit with mixed results.   Shields‚ Lincoln’s onetime Illinois political rival and a former U.S. senator‚ had been for several years a resident of California. When Fort Sumter fell‚ he was even farther from home: in Mazatlán‚ Mexico‚ on a business venture and extended honeymoon with his Irish-born bride. Shields’ experience in the Mexican War‚ plus his nativity and status‚ made him an ideal general‚ so Lincoln nominated him for a command.   The gesture was magnanimous on several levels. Not only was Shields a Democrat; he had also opposed Lincoln for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois in 1855 (both men lost). Most noteworthy of all‚ Shields had once challenged young Lincoln to a duel over a series of incendiary newspaper satires lambasting him in language most modern readers would call anti-Irish. The slander was probably more the work of Lincoln’s fiancée‚ Mary Todd‚ than of her future husband‚ but Lincoln gallantly assumed responsibility and the two men headed to a dueling ground to settle scores.   Only when Lincoln chose weapons for the contest—broadswords that would have given the long-armed lawyer a distinct advantage over his smaller challenger—did the two call off their fight. Now‚ 20 years later‚ the politician whom Lincoln had once publicly mocked quickly “tendered his services to his old friend‚ now President of the United States”—something of an exaggeration. For a time‚ in fact‚ Shields remained frustratingly out of reach.   Claiming he was still hindered by wounds he had suffered in Mexico—which apparently did not limit his prolonged attentions to his young new wife—he delayed his return for weeks. This gave foes who questioned his loyalty ample time to try blocking his appointment. When Shields finally started for home in late November‚ San Jose newspaperman F.B. Murdock warned Lincoln that “if civil war should break out on the Pacific coast‚ Gen. Shields would be found on the Rebel side.” Yet the president remained committed to recruiting both Democrats and the foreign-born to fight the enemy—even a former enemy of his own.   Shields finally reached Washington in January 1862‚ and on the 8th met with Lincoln at the White House. There‚ Shields apparently convinced him of his “self-sacrificing cooperation with the government.” The doubtlessly tense reunion ended with the president expressing “hearty and unreserved confidence” in Shields‚ whose appointment went through as planned. As Lincoln hoped‚ his commission generated nearly as much enthusiasm in the Irish and Democratic press as Sigel had inspired in the German. In New York‚ a special committee began recruiting men to serve under Shields as “a distinctive representation of Irish valor and patriotism.”   Both Michael Corcoran‚ left‚ and James Shields‚ right‚ drew their first breaths in Ireland. Corcoran raised five Union regiments. Shields has a political distinction that will likely never be surpassed. He served as a senator from three different states‚ Illinois‚ Minnesota‚ and Missouri. Shields’ war‚ however‚ did not go as his admirers hoped. Assigned to the Department of the Shenandoah‚ he suffered a serious wound at the First Battle of Kernstown in March and had to be carried from the field. In his absence‚ Union forces achieved a modest victory over “Stonewall” Jackson that prompted Shields’ friend to claim he was cheated out of credit for the success. Then in a June rematch at Port Republic‚ Jackson easily outmaneuvered Shields. Now an aide claimed that were it not for “the blunder of a subordinate‚” Shields might have been remembered as “one of the Shermans‚ Sheridans‚ and Meades” of the war.” He thereafter earned few command opportunities. In the summer‚ Lincoln offered some solace by promoting him to the rank of major general‚ but in an extraordinary rebuff to a onetime member‚ the Senate refused to confirm him.   Shields’ army career never rebounded. With no options remaining‚ the president transferred him to the military Department of the Pacific in San Francisco. Shields thus enjoyed a government-funded transcontinental trip home and then‚ no doubt by pre-arrangement‚ resigned from the service. Before him lay yet another stint in the U. S. Senate.   The third Irish military leader mentioned in Lincoln’s 1861 “Irish” memo was Thomas Meagher‚ a celebrated resistance fighter in Ireland who earned a devoted following on both sides of the Atlantic. Once banished to a Tasmanian penal colony by the British‚ he had made a daring escape‚ reached America‚ established an Irish newspaper in Boston‚ and arrived in New York to be greeted as an “apostle of freedom.”   Meagher had expressed initial sympathy for Southern independence‚ but after Sumter‚ advised followers that Union loyalty was “not only our duty to America‚ but also to Ireland.” Meagher then raised a Zouave company—his slogan was “Young Irishmen to Arms!”—and marched south as part of Corcoran’s 69th‚ his soldiers’ colorful‚ Middle Eastern-style regalia a vivid contrast to the drab uniforms worn by the regiment’s other Irish-born volunteers.   That July‚ he fought under Corcoran at First Bull Run. The unit lost 38 killed‚ 59 wounded‚ and 95 missing‚ but endured none of the humiliation heaped on the Union Army by the press over its frenzied retreat. New York blueblood George Templeton Strong‚ no friend of the Irish‚ acknowledged that “Corcoran’s Irishmen are said to have fought especially well‚ and have suffered much.” Indeed‚ even in withdrawing from the field‚ the 69th helped safeguard the Army of the Potomac’s rear flank. Despite the chaos‚ Meagher managed to reorganize his men and lead them back to Washington to fight another day.   Corcoran was not so fortunate. Toward the end of the fray‚ “standing like a rock in the whirlpool‚” he fell into Confederate hands. Taken south as a prisoner of war‚ he became‚ in effect‚ a living martyr. From captivity‚ he issued a stirring message that sounded at once pro-Union and pro-immigration: “One half of my heart is Erin’s‚ and the other half is America’s. God bless America‚ and ever preserve her as the asylum of all the oppressed of the earth.” In Corcoran’s absence‚ command of the 69th fell to Meagher‚ who encamped his battered men on Arlington Heights above Washington.   On July 23‚ Lincoln rode to the regiment’s headquarters‚ where the exhausted troops summoned “the greatest enthusiasm” to welcome their commander-in-chief. As Lincoln knew‚ these and other battle-scarred volunteers were now eligible to leave the service‚ their original three-month enlistment about to end. According to one newspaper account: “The President asked if they intended to re-enlist? The reply was that ‘they would if the President desired it.’ He announced emphatically that he did…complimenting them upon their brave and heroic work….This was received with cheers and the determination expressed to go in for the war and stand by the government and the old flag forever.” Meagher confirmed that his troops greatly enjoyed Lincoln’s “affable manner and cheerful badinage‚” which “made him an especial favorite with these rough-and-ready appreciators of genuine kindness and good humor.”   Demobilized a few weeks later‚ the 69th returned to New York. On July 7‚ thousands of well-wishers massed at Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan to provide the kind of jubilant welcome usually reserved for those who had won battles. Ethnic pride still counted more than martial accomplishment‚ and sustaining Irish loyalty remained the highest of priorities. As one writer observed: “The entrance of the 69th” produced “a popular ovation…in the hearts of the people.”   “Large‚ corpulent‚ and powerful of body; plump and ruddy–or as some would say‚ bloated–of face; with resolute mouth and…piercing blue eyes….This was ‘Meagher of the Sword‚’” was how correspondent George Alfred Townsend recalled Brig. Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher. Meagher reemerged for a patriotic rally on Manhattan’s then-rural Upper East Side. There he echoed Lincoln’s recent plea for reenlistment: “I ask no Irishman to do that which I myself am not prepared to do. My heart‚ my arm‚ my life is pledged to the National cause‚ and to the last it will be my highest pride‚ as I conceive it to be my holiest duty and obligation‚ to share its fortunes.”   A few days later‚ Archbishop Hughes conveyed his undiminished confidence in Meagher to the administration. Lincoln responded by offering Meagher a fresh commission as a major general—as long as he agreed to raise another all-Irish regiment. The president still believed such units provided as much symbolic impact as the German companies Sigel had raised in the West—perhaps more‚ since most Irish enlistees were Democrats whose loyalty reflected the non-partisan nature of the Union war effort.   Lincoln’s Legacy on Immigration Lincoln’s politically wise dependence on foreign-born troops and officers led to mixed results on the battlefield. The reputation of German soldiers fell precipitously after Chancellorsville‚ and cascaded when Maj. Gen. Alexander Schimmelfennig was widely reported to have sought shelter in a Gettysburg pigsty after the first day of fighting there. Irish troops‚ meanwhile‚ won praise for their courage amid carnage not only at Gettysburg‚ but earlier at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. In the last two years of the war‚ they became known as the “Fighting Irish‚” a sobriquet that‚ by legend‚ had been assigned them by none other than Robert E. Lee.   Eventually‚ the staggering casualty rate among Irish soldiers took its toll—not only on the ranks‚ but also on the morale of home-front Irish Catholics. Two weeks after Gettysburg‚ New York Irish rioted‚ looted‚ burned‚ and murdered civilians—predominately Blacks—to protest the new military draft. Irishmen once willing to defend the Union now came to believe they were fighting to liberate emancipated Blacks likely to undercut their already low wages.   By December‚ Lincoln responded not with resentment toward immigrants‚ but with remarkable forgiveness and foresight. He launched an unprecedented effort to woo more European immigrants to the United States to fill the gaps left in home-front industry‚ mining‚ and farms by the deaths of hundreds of thousands of young men in battle.   Until then‚ Lincoln had notched what must be called a mixed record on the issue of immigration. Back in 1844‚ he had denounced anti-Catholic riots in Philadelphia. But with the rise of the nativist‚ anti-immigrant “Know Nothing” movement‚ he attempted with only limited success to “fuse” its adherents with the new‚ antislavery Republicans. Though he had once defended the right of foreign-born noncitizens to vote in local elections if their state constitutions so mandated‚ he also routinely accused Irishmen of voting illegally (largely because they voted Democratic).   Meanwhile he developed political alliances with German Protestants who opposed slavery and who‚ after a few false starts‚ rallied around Lincoln for the presidency. Following the 1860 election‚ he rewarded dozens of German supporters with federal jobs. Although he pledged as president-elect to place “aught in the way” of immigrants to America‚ his vision of immigration remained limited: it did not include people from Asia‚ and it came with support for the voluntary colonization of blacks and the forced containment of Native Americans.   Still‚ few expected that in 1864‚ Lincoln would reintroduce An Act to Encourage Emigration that‚ remarkably‚ proposed federal funding to underwrite the expensive ocean passages of prospective migrants. That idea proved a bridge too far for Congress‚ which scratched the revolutionary idea from the final bill. Even so‚ the stripped-down legislation imposed new regulations on passenger ships whose overcrowded holds had long made transatlantic passage dangerous.   The new law also improved disembarkation facilities at New York’s Castle Garden and elsewhere; created the first federal Office (later Bureau) of Immigration; and encouraged private companies to advance immigrants the fare for their voyages to America.   Lincoln’s generous initiative opened wide the door to America‚ gave the federal government a leadership role in regulating and encouraging immigration for the first time‚ and led directly to the nation-expanding wave of Eastern- and Southern-European immigration that began around 1890.   As the 16th president and wartime commander-in-chief put it in his annual message of 1864: “I regard our emigrants as one of the principal replenishing streams appointed by Providence to repair the ravages of internal war‚ and its wastes of national strength and health.” The new birth of freedom would require an influx of new Americans to sustain it.   Lincoln had lived up to that belief while the war raged. More than a quarter million foreign-born troops served in Union ranks—not only German and Irish‚ but Swedish‚ English‚ Scottish‚ Hungarian‚ Polish‚ and Italian soldiers as well. As one pro-war German American‚ Reinhold Solger‚ perceptively noted: before the war‚ a foreigner had never been treated as “a full citizen…his very accent defeats the most generous intentions…[and] blood is stronger than naturalization papers.” The Civil War changed that calculus. As Solger rejoiced‚ the foreign-born demonstrated “a sacrificial spirit‚ shared by all ranks‚” adding: “They may all bless the war for that knowledge.”   this article first appeared in civil war times magazine See more stories SubscriBE NOW!   This article is adapted with permission from Harold Holzer’s new book‚ Brought Forth on this Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration (Dutton‚ 2024).

A dog‚ named River‚ becomes the first therapy dog at a police station in Kent‚ UK after being fired from her job as a guide dog because of her squirrel-chasing habit.

More Kudos For Vivek From Me

CNN's Iowa Republican Debate was the Beginning of the 2028 Presidential Cycle

If you’re driving through any Canadian national parks this winter‚ there is one thing you shouldn’t do‚ according to Parks Canada: don’t stop to let moose lick your car.This may sound like a strange instruction‚ but there is a good reason for it. As the highways through the parks continue to be gritted to prevent ice‚ the animals are making their way into traffic in order to lick salt from the roads.In some instances‚ people are stopping to let the moose lick the salt that has clung to their vehicles' exteriors."It does sound very funny… It's OK to laugh at it‚ as long as people drive responsibly and do what's best for the wildlife‚" Tracy McKay‚ with the National Parks Agency‚ told the CBC.  "Unfortunately‚ this kind of puts [moose] at risk of being injured or killed if they get hit by a vehicle‚" she said.It is understandable that people would want to take the opportunity to get that close to such an incredible animal. Moose are massive. The average female weighs 350 kilograms (771 pounds) and the average male comes in at about 400 kilograms (881 pounds). They can grow up to 3.2 meters (10 feet) in length‚ and a bull’s antlers can have a span of around 1.8 meters (6 feet).However‚ encouraging moose to approach cars can be dangerous for both drivers and the animals. If moose start to associate cars with a potential source of salt‚ then they are more likely to walk out into traffic and cause accidents‚ and likely get killed or seriously injured in the process.But why are they searching for salt? Well‚ the answer is straightforward and not something that is unique to these animals alone. Moose‚ like many other herbivores‚ need sodium and other minerals to maintain their health. Throughout the summer months‚ they are able to get this from the large variety of greenery they consume‚ but in winter‚ things get trickier as food is less varied and less abundant.This is why road salt is so appealing. It’s convenient and relatively plentiful. Even in instances where sand is used instead of salt‚ the animals will still lick road surfaces because there are trace amounts available to them.January and February are also the darkest months‚ so drivers will have to navigate the roads in low-light conditions‚ which could make spotting a dark-colored moose all the more challenging.Ultimately‚ the advice is simple‚ McKay added: “If it's safe to keep going without running into the moose‚ then we would recommend people just try to slowly‚ carefully drive away. Just try not to let moose lick your car.”