Talk:Ernest Gruening

message: The following sentence is poorly written and its meaning unclear: 
"He was also responsible for introducing a sense of Congress resolution to establish the nationwide 911 number."  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.44.109.173 (talk) 03:28, 31 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Untitled

message: This pathetic article is an embarrassment to the memory of Ernest Gruening, M.D. who wasted his time composing the fascinating autobiography "Many Battles" - - as well as the historically important work called "Vietnam Folly". On 10 March 1964 Ernest Gruening took the Senate floor and stated - - " - - that no vital American interest was at stake in Southeast Asia, and that despite our massive military and economic aid, the situation there was deteriorating. Pointing out that we had already spent over $2.5 billion in Vietnam, I said, "I consider the life of one American boy worth more than this putrid mess. I consider every additional life that is sacrificed in this forlorn venture a tragedy. Someday . . . if this sacrificing is continued it will be denounced as a crime". These forgotten words may well have triggered the need for LBJ to fake an incident in the Gulf of Tonkin.   
From "Many Battles"
On 15 February 1915 Gruening returned to his office at the Boston Traveler, having just viewed the silent film "Birth Of A Nation". Of critical editorials nationwide, that of Ernest Gruening was the most scathing. One unintended and surprise consequence was that executives of the NAACP soon asked Ernest to accept the position as President of their organization.
Helen Keller could "lip read" by placing her fingertips upon the speaker's lips. Ernest Gruening consented to this during an interview, but attempted to trick her by switching from English to German. Helen shrieked immediately at the change and encouraged him to continue speaking German.   
The appearance of Gruening in uniform during World War One omits the case that he was fired from a NY newspaper merely for having a German name. This firing took place in front of the desk of Robert Benchley, who stood up, announced his resignation from the paper, and the two men walked out of the newsroom together. They remained good friends until Benchley's death.  
Historical conjecture: The 1939 appointment of Ernest Gruening to the Governorship of Alaska was an FDR switch of portfolio that can be traced to Pope Pius XII, who was unhappy with the proliferation of Family Planning Clinics in territories the US acquired by the Spanish American War. Pacelli had helped FDR succeed in 1936, and was aware that FDR was going to run for a third term in 1940.      
The present article is like an x-ray of Gruening that would be no more interesting than an x-ray of Marilyn Monroe. Note to pedants: Printed encyclopedias should not set the content standards for Wikipedia, a Peoples Encyclopedia.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.128.142.167 (talk) 18:05, 10 March 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  An Opinion 

message: I remember Ernest and his wife Dorothy very well. They had a cabin at Eagle River landing outside of Juneau, Alaska. He was a robust, barrel chested man and could often be seen swimming in the frigid waters of Lynn Canal in front of their cabin. I have many memories of him, one of them was when I visited him at his cabin; Dorothy had just come from the grocer and had bought a pound of hamburger, Ernest opened the package, broke a raw egg on the meat and ate the whole thing right there. And he had stories to tell!!! Even as a young lad I was fascinated be his recollecton of events in Alaskas history. He was a true pioneer.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.106.192.54 (talk) 12:29, 8 June 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ernest Gruening