Very, very random post today…
From James Madison via 56PackardMan:
“There are more instances of the abridgement of freedom by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
Let me add my 2¢, and not that in any way, shape or form I imagine I am in Madison’s league, but economic freedom is another freedom that must be protected. People have the right to keep most of the fruits of their (legal) labor and their (legal) efforts. Government does not and should not have “dibs” on the wealth of private citizens. It is the ultimate in hypocrisy for people to criticize the “greed” of individual citizens, but encourage greed by government.
******************
I am not anywhere near as big a fan of the NFL as I used to be. However, it was a most enjoyable weekend of NFL football, made more so by the presence of my best friend, Dr. Zal (not his real name), and his younger daughter, Tog (also not her real name).
My favorite team, the Ravens, completed an amazing season with 12 consecutive wins and secured the #1 seed in their conference for the first time in their 20+ year history, despite two Super Bowl Championships. My other favorite team, the Packers, has a bye and the #2 seed although I really think they’re no better than the fourth best team in their conference.
By the same token, both of my least favorite teams—the Cowboys and the Steelers—failed to earn a spot in the playoffs. Also, while I am not a huge Patriots “hater” I did enjoy their squandering a bye by losing at home to the previously 4-11 Dolphins. In the Belichick/Brady era, the Patriots have never made the Super Bowl in a season in which they did not earn a bye.
One thing that appeals to me about pro sports is that games are won and lost and the outcomes of seasons are determined by objective outcomes, acknowledging the role that officiating plays. Still, a team wins the game by scoring more points than its opponent and not by the basis of a poll or focus group.
******************
The last Studebaker made on the regular assembly lines in South Bend was a 1964 Daytona hardtop in Red, number 64V-20202. This car is at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend. I could not find a picture of the car on the SNM website or elsewhere on the Internet, so this picture will have to do:
This pic is from topclassiccarsforsale.com or its successor site, giantclassiccars.com. Neither site is secure (you know, begins with https instead of http) so I will not embed the links here.
My wonderful wife and I, hopefully not getting too ahead of ourselves or damaging our “karma,” are thinking about future trips after she retires. One trip would entail visiting three automobile museums in the same week: the Studebaker museum, the Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg museum and the Gilmore Museum. We could base ourselves in South Bend (as long as the Notre Dame football team isn’t playing a home game, talk about a team of whom I am most assuredly not a fan) and visit all three museums.
Fewer than 36 hours until 2020…
#MondayMusings
#1964StudebakerDaytonaHardtop
#somanycarsjustonelife
#disaffectedmusings
If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.
Disaffected Musings 
Thank you for the “hat tip” re the Madison quote. 😊
•
If I ever knew, I had certainly forgotten that the last South Bend-built Studebaker was a Daytona hardtop. (Nit pickers will point out that a few Avantis were completed after the assembly line on Main Street (635 S. Main, to be exact …) shut down. (The Avantis were built in the truck plant.) and the remaining ZIP vans Studebaker built for the Post Office were completed later as well. (The ZIP vans were built in a different building.)
LikeLike
… and then there’s this:
https://56packardman.com/2018/04/03/gear-head-tuesday-where-was-the-last-studebaker-assembled/
LikeLike
Thanks again and Happy New Year!
LikeLike