Separated at Birth?

Yeah, the Author knows the Title is a little dated, but consider this:

Thomas E. Dewey, Republican Candidate for the Presidency in 1944 and 1948

Dewey represented the more liberal Northeast Wing of the 1940s Republican party. Like Truman, Dewey was at odds with the conservative Republican leadership in the House and Senate.

One other bit of trivia. Dewey was the last Republican candidate with facial hair to seek the office of the Presidency. And to the Author's recollection, the last candidate of any major party to seek the presidency to wear facial hair.

President Harry S. Truman

Truman addressing the Democratic Party Convention in 1948. Truman went on to win election in a stunning upset over challenger Thomas Dewey of New York.

ANOTHER “ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY POST”.

Occasionally, the author does a “This Day in History” type of a post. The most recent was on Wednesday, October 3rd, addressing the 50th Anniversary of the Soviet space satellite Sputnik.

This post, linking us back 60 years to October 5, 1947, is a little different. Nothing truly monumental happened on that day, but events of that day fit well into some monumental events, the first presidential address to be televised, and a recent post on going vegetarian and ditching the dung producers. The post was entitled “Your Big Mac or Your Big SUV. Which Will it Be?
The post, from September 22nd, addressed the huge environmental costs of raising and consuming mammals and poultry.

On this day 60 years ago, then-President Harry Truman urged Americans to forego eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry and eggs on Thursdays. The New York Times web edition posted the front page of the New York Times from October 5th, 1947.

Several issues were at play around this time. First, there was widespread inflation coming from the pent-up demand From World War II. The consumer economy nearly ground to a halt during World War II as materials were diverted to the war effort. Many consumer goods, including meat, poultry, dairy products, were rationed and in short supply on the home front.

Rationing and price controls were put in place to requisition goods and materials for military use. After the war ended in 1945, many controls remained in place to reduce inflation and ease shortages.

Also, with the war over, there was international demand for American foodstuffs. Europe was in chaos and their economies and food production capacity were greatly reduced. America needed the grain to feed Europe rebuilding under the Marshall plan. Hungry Europeans needed the grain. American carnivores demanded pounds of decaying flesh. And since it generally takes about 22 pounds of grain to produce one pound of carrion, American meat demand was eroding grain supplies.

“WHERE’S THE BEEF” LINE CAME 40 YEARS TO LATE. OR SHOULD WE JUST SAY “PARTS IS PARTS”.

In 1947, meat was in short supply in America. In the NYT article from 1947, the then-President of the National Meat Industry Council, Jack Kranis stated:

"If every family will reduce voluntarily its consumption of meat, whether it now has meat on the table three, four, five, or six days a week, the nation will achieve a maximum saving of meat and reduce the demand for grain to feed cattle and hogs," said Mr. Kranis.

"This will also produce a downward pressure on meat prices, and help curb living costs."

Mr. Kranis suggested also that housewives buy the cheaper cuts and grades of meat, rather than choice steaks and chops, to bring down prices and reduce waste. He said that 75 per cent of the cheaper meats were not being used on the average American dinner table.

"If the housewife will make greater use of the cheaper cuts," said Mr. Kranis, "we will have about 25 per cent more use of the entire animal. This will help feed starving Europe and cut our meat bills at home. All that is needed is for the housewife to learn how to cook the cheaper cuts. They are fully as nutritious as the choice cuts if properly prepared. Unskillful cooking will, of course, produce unpalatable dishes. It is time the American housewife learned how to cook the cheaper cuts."

In fact, the National Meat Industry Council was recommending price ceilings on livestock and the government requisitioning of livestock if producers would not sell at the price ceilings. Somehow, the Author suspects that the interests and sympathies of the National Meat Industry Council and the livestock producers were not aligned.

MEAT SHORTAGES CONTINUED. HAMBURGER RIOTS ENSUED.

President Truman’s political future was, at that time, as dead as a quarter-side of beef. The meat shortages, inflation and other consumer goods shortages had driven Truman’s poll numbers close to George W. Bush lows. Discontent with the lack of meat was producing so-called “hamburger riots”.

Truman also faced a hostile Republican House and Senate. In fact, it was the electorate’s disappointment with Truman that allowed a Republican takeover of the House and Senate in the 1946 elections.

Yet Truman pulled off an election upset in 1948 and defeated Republican challenger Thomas Dewey of New York.

And the meat and grain markets sorted themselves out and everyone, except the cattle, hogs, sheep and chickens, lived happily ever after.

AND THAT’S THE NEWS, THIS FIFTH DAY OF OCTOBER, 1947, IN THE DESERT OF THE REAL!

HOMETOWN POLICE OFFICER PERFORMS CPR ON POLICE DOG, SAVES DOG'S LIFE

An interesting story from the Author's hometown, Ligonier, Indiana.

Law enforcement officer Josh Halsey and Samo are an officer-canine team. This from the Advance-Leader, reported by Advance-Leader Editor Bob Buttgen, (subscription required):

LIGONIER — Ligonier police officer Josh Halsey is being credited with saving the life of his partner: A two-year-old canine officer, Samo, following a near-tragic accident Tuesday night.

Samo and Halsey have been partners for only a few months, after the police department reinstated its canine program earlier this year, after a lapse of several years.

But Tuesday night, at about 7:30 p.m., their partnership almost came to a terrible halt.

Halsey describes the event:

“I ran up to him and he was laying down and wasn’t responding to my commands, so I knew something was wrong right away,” he said. “He wasn’t breathing and was unresponsive.”

Halsey, who went through a 14-week training course in Allen County with Samo, relied on that training when the incident started.

He started giving his partner CPR, when he noticed a large lump in Samo’s throat. The dog had somehow swallowed a tennis ball and it was stuck in his throat. Tennis balls and similar objects are often used to train police dogs.

"I tarted pressing on his neck and throat and was able to work it out of him,” Halsey said. “But he still wasn’t right. His breathing was all wrong and he still wasn’t responding correctly.”

Halsey quickly picked up his dog and placed him into his police vehicle, a specially equipped SUV. The Ligonier officer contacted his trainer from Allen County, who advised him to transport Samo to a veterinarian’s office near Garrett. That vet works with police dogs on a regular basis.

Samo is doing fine and will be back on the job Friday night.

A video interview of Halsey with Samo is currently playing on CNN Headline News and is also posted on the CNN Website.

A LITTLE DIFFERENT NEWS TODAY FROM THE DESERT OF THE REAL!