tan·gent
/ˈtanjənt/
noun
1. plural noun
a straight line or plane that touches a curve or curved surface at a point, but if extended does not cross it at that point.
2. a completely different line of thought or action.
When hearing an anecdote, parable, or opus – do you detest when the narrator’s thoughts wander? Do you say to yourself, “Wow, that one got away from him?”
Not me – I love ‘em!
Tangential storytelling is an artform, not a disturbance. My affection for this hiccup, into the interior realm of the psyche, has been prevalent throughout my readership.
Though to date, we do not have any recordings of the original stories, we have discovered proof of visual representations of stories from our late ancestors.
Around 700 B.C., there is evidence of the first recorded stories that include the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad by Homer. The fact these were documented enabled them to spread quickly and widely across the world.
Around this same period, there are other surviving stories, including those now known as Aesop’s Fables. Without the written language to document these stories that originated as person-to-person tales, they may not have lasted for more than 2,000 years.
I love hearing about the tortoise who cried wolf? Or the hare who laid a golden egg? Sure these yarns are wonderfully executed and keepsakes of our youth, but is there anything better than a detour?
Perchance, a fork in the road – a metaphor for a critical decision point in life, history, or a situation where one must choose between two or more distinct paths or options leading to different outcomes.
In the tales of life, men of valor are often called upon to decide their fate and this leads us to …
THIS DAY IN HISTORY – January 21st (new feature):
On January 21, 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter granted an unconditional pardon to hundreds of thousands of men who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War.
In total, some 100,000 young Americans went abroad in the late 1960s and early ’70s to avoid serving in the war. Ninety percent went to Canada, where after some initial controversy they were eventually welcomed as immigrants. Still others hid inside the United States.
In addition to those who avoided the draft, a relatively small number – about 1,000 – of deserters from the U.S. armed forces also headed to Canada. While the Canadian government technically reserved the right to prosecute deserters, in practice they left them alone, even instructing border guards not to ask too many questions.
For its part, the U.S. government continued to prosecute draft evaders after the Vietnam War ended. A total of 209,517 men were formally accused of violating draft laws, while government officials estimate another 360,000 were never formally accused. If they returned home, those living in Canada or elsewhere faced prison sentences or forced military service.
During his 1976 presidential campaign, Jimmy Carter promised to pardon draft dodgers as a way of putting the war and the bitter divisions it caused firmly in the past. After winning the election, Carter wasted no time in making good on his word. Though many transplanted Americans returned home, an estimated 50,000 settled permanently in Canada.
Back in the U.S., Carter’s decision generated a good deal of controversy. Heavily criticized by veterans’ groups and others for allowing unpatriotic lawbreakers to get off scot-free, the pardon and companion relief plan came under fire from amnesty groups for not addressing deserters, soldiers who were dishonorably discharged or civilian anti-war demonstrators who had been prosecuted for their resistance.
Years later, Vietnam-era draft evasion still carries a powerful stigma. Though no prominent political figures have been found to have broken any draft laws, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and Vice Presidents Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney – none of whom saw combat in Vietnam – have all been accused of being draft dodgers at one time or another. Donald Trump received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War, once for bone spurs in his heels. Although there is not currently a draft in the U.S., desertion and conscientious objection have remained pressing issues among the armed forces during the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Did You Know? Other Notables – (from this date in history):
- 1793 – In the aftermath of the French Revolution, King Louis XVI of France was guillotined on the charge of conspiring with foreign countries for the invasion of France. During the Revolution, the King had attempted to flee to Austria for assistance. Ten months later, his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette, was also guillotined.
- 1903 – Harry Houdini escapes from Halvemaansteeg police station in Amsterdam.
- 1910 – U.S. immigration station Angel Island opens in San Francisco Bay. Referred to as the “Ellis Island of the West,” Angel Island in California’s San Francisco Bay opens January 21, as a major port of entry for Asian immigrants.
- 1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched.
- 1994 – Lorena Bobbitt is found temporarily insane when she cuts off her husband’s p*nis, (and you thought you were having a rough day).