March 2, 2014: Wilt, Dr. Seuss, the Carpenters, and more

March 2: This day in history (from Wikipedia)

1807 – "The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country." This is the only immigration law that's actually authorized by the Constitution, as Thomas Knapp has pointed out.

1877 – "U.S. presidential election, 1876: Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876." Although Republicans held the White House for all but eight years from 1861 to 1913, the Democrats won at least three of the popular votes and several others were quite close.

1962 – "Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points." It's still unfathomable to me how personally, physical dominant Chamberlain was. In the end, however, it's still a team game.

1983 – "Compact Discs and players are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had previously been available only in Japan." It's amazing how brief a run they really had.

Notable Quotes (from BrainyQuote unless otherwise sourced)

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go." Dr. Seuss (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991)

“And, indeed, what is the State anyway but organized banditry? What is taxation but theft on a gigantic, unchecked, scale? What is war but mass murder on a scale impossible by private police forces? What is conscription but mass enslavement? Can anyone envision a private police force getting away with a tiny fraction of what States get away with, and do habitually, year after year, century after century?” - Murray N. Rothbard (March 2, 1926 – January 7, 1995)

It is very comforting to believe that leaders who do terrible things are, in fact, mad. That way, all we have to do is make sure we don't put psychotics in high places and we've got the problem solved.
Tom Wolfe  (born March 2, 1931)

"One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz." - Lou Reed (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013)

Song of the Day

Karen Carptenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) would have have turned 64 today. Still one of the saddest celebirity deaths in my memory. I love her drumming on this