Is it Alright to Punch a Nazi?

Civics on the Rocks

Steve and Mack tackle the hard-hitting question of whether violence is ever the answer.

Did Buzz Aldrin really punch a guy?

History.com Editors. “72-year-old Buzz Aldrin punches a moon landing conspiracy theorist in the face.” History. August 23, 2023. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/buzz-aldrin-punches-moon-landing-conspiracy-theorist-bart-sibrel

Wondering about Mack’s story about John D. Rockefeller?

Consider this footnote from Michael Reksulak and William F. Shughart II’s, “Of Rebates and Drawbacks: The Standard Oil (N.J.) Company and the Railroads,” Review of Industrial Organization (2011) 38:267-283:

Rockefeller was relentless in ferreting out ways to cut costs. During an inspection tour of a Standard Oil plant in New York City, for instance, he observed a machine that soldered the lids on five-gallon cans of kerosene destined for export. Upon learning that each lid was sealed with 40 drops of solder, he asked, “Have you ever tried 38?” It turned out that when 38 drops were applied, a small percentage of the cans leaked. None leaked with 39, though. “‘That one drop of solder’, said Rockefeller, …’saved $2,500 the first year; but the export business kept on increasing after that and doubled, quadrupled–became immensely greater than it was then; and the saving has gone steadily along, one drop on each can, and has amounted since to many hundreds of thousands of dollars”‘ (Chernow 1998, pp. 180-81). Over the course of his career at the helm of Standard Oil, “Rockefeller cut the unit costs of refined oil almost in half” (Ibid., p. 150).

The quote in the footnote is from Ron Chernow’s Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (Vantage, 1998).

Want to learn about W. Edwards Deming?

https://deming.org/

Want to sing “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister at some Nazis? Practice singing along:

https://youtu.be/4xmckWVPRaI?si=NhFzHOagWRTEfJcy

Supreme Court cases:

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, No. 19-1392, 597 U.S. ___ (2022)

Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003)

Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967)

Want to learn more about Tommy Tuberville?

Weaver, Al. “Why Tuberville breakthrough isn’t ending military impasse.” The Hill, September 25, 2023. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4219440-why-schumers-surprise-nomination-votes-wont-end-battle-with-tuberville/

Want to read an interesting story about poetry and the U.S. Navy?

“Continuing a naval tradition one poem at a time.” Naval History and Heritage Command, April 29, 2022. https://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/news/2022/continuing-a-naval-tradition-one-poem-at-a-time.html

Want to learn about Stonewall?

https://www.nps.gov/places/stonewall.htm

Do you know about Marsha P. Johnson?

Rothberg, Emma. “Marsha P. Johnson.” WomenHistory.org. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/marsha-p-johnson

Alexander Hamilton, there’s a million things he hasn’t done...but he did write Federalist 78 (1778) and you can access it here:

https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/alexander-hamilton-federalist-no-78-1788

How did Gerald R. Ford define impeachment?

Davis, Kenneth C., “The history of American impeachment.” The Smithsonian Magazine, June 12, 2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-you-need-know-about-impeachment-180963645/

How do you make a Boulevardier:

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/boulevardier/

What is Mack reading?

Does not recommend:

R. Haldeman. The Haldeman Diaries: Inside the Nixon White House. (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1972).

Does recommend:

Ray Bradbury. The October Country. (Ballantine Books, 1955).

What is Steve reading?

Daniel Immerwahr. How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States. (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2019).

Terry Austin and Chris Sprouse. Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind’s Eye (graphic novel). (Dark Horse Books, 1996).

Just so we’re all on the same page on the episode numbers:

Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

The first use of “...reverse the polarity...” that we know of:

Buck Rogers, chapter 1 of first serial, “Tomorrow’s World,” featuring Buster Crabbe, aired in 1939.

Steve’s childhood ruined:

Kamal, Nathan. “How Indiana Jones was inspired by a duck.” Giant Freakin Robot, September 2, 2022. https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/indiana-jones-inspired-scrooge-mcduck.html

How do you make a Manhattan?

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/manhattan-2/

Mack’s go-to for cocktail recipes:

Thomas, Jerry. How to Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant’s Companion: The Bartender’s Guide. (Hesperus Press, reprinted in 2008 [originally 1862]).

What does malaria have to do with gin and tonic?

Getgen, Candie. “Debunking the malaria myth: Why today’s gin and tonics fall short in disease prevention.” Gin Raiders, May 22, 2023. https://ginraiders.com/article/gin-faqs/modern-gin-and-tonic-malaria-cure-misconception/

Mack isn’t crazy...about tonic water:

“In simple terms, classic tonic water is carbonated water infused with quinine. For added taste sometimes sugar or fruit acids are mixed in.”

Adrian, Stefan. “Seven facts about tonic water.” Mixology, July 27, 2017. https://mixology.eu/seven-facts-about-tonic-water/

And “La Marseillaise,” the national anthem of France, was used to drown out Nazis to great effect in a little movie called Casablanca. But you already knew that.