Butch and Sundance

It was 105 years ago today that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid pulled off their first job together. It seems odd that a "nation of laws" is so enamored of a pair of outlaws. Apparently, part of the attraction is the spirit of innovation that they employed in their own peculiar pursuit of happiness.
"Cassidy had actually come up with a more efficient way of rustling by simply extorting money from ranchers so that their steers weren't stolen."
Years later, the protection racket provided gainful employment for street thugs in our major cities. Shop owners in Chicago, New York, Detroit and other major cities had to pay racketeers protection so their stores wouldn't burn down, or worse.
Then there's the insurance industry. As we're learning, again, the insurance companies spend fortunes on lawyers who write policies in language so complicated and obtuse that they can later deny payment because water damage was caused by "wind-driven rain." Is there any other kind? I heard some shyster explain that water damage caused by a leaky roof is covered by most home owners' insurance. If, on the other hand, the wind blows all or part of the roof off the house, then the ensuing damage is not covered. The good hands people are good at using those hands to take your money gladly; then they fight like hell to avoid paying the policy holders.
That, boys and girls, is why Woody Guthrie sang:
"As through this life you ramble,
You'll meet some funny men,
Some rob you with a six gun
Some with a fountain pen."
I quoted those lines to my daughter when she was about 8 years old. Her resonse was "What's a fountain pen?"
Speaking of childish behavior, there was a Cold War incident on this date in 1959. The way The History Channel tells it:
"From photo ops with Shirley MacLaine to a heated debate with the head of a movie studio and a childish outburst about not being allowed into Disneyland, Khrushchev's day in Los Angeles was full of activity."