Under The Wolf Archives
Thanks to my brother, The Wise One, Ken Kay, for the catchy name of this archive page! I have made it a practice to save everything ever published here in archive form, and the short features appearing “under the wolf” are no exception. ENJOY! Feel free to submit material for this section too. Deb V
From Christmas Past
I wrote the following article over six years ago. Sadly, the controversy over Christmas
continues.
Religiously Correct
Deborah Venable
12/14/01
In this especially
holy season, we must be very careful that we examine every word, every action,
and every greeting for “political correctness,” or so it would seem. We wouldn’t want to make anyone feel
uncomfortable or hated or betrayed by their own beliefs, so we dare not mention
anything with a religious connotation – better to keep everything generic and
nobody gets hurt. “Happy Holidays” or
“Season’s Greetings” has passed the “discomfort detector” with flying colors,
so that’s perfectly okay to send as a greeting or place on a big sign in front
of your business, or post on the school bulletin boards around the
country. That is political correctness
at its best – forget “religious correctness.”
Christmas takes it
on the chin again, just as it has in recent years past. The demonization of American Culture
continues in favor of burying it in feel good politics. Don’t we all feel better now that the evil
religious intent of Christmas celebration has been denigrated to a position
beneath that of both Islam and Judaism?
Christmas isn’t “really” holy anyway with all the paganism attached to
its history – not compared to the untouchable Islam and Judaism purely holy
histories. So what if Christians are
angered or hurt that their most reverent of holiday observances is attacked
year after year by pompous idiots waving the flag of “religious freedom” as
they trample on the graves that allow them to do it! As for the religious part of Christmas – well, who’s going to
make a big deal about the birth of a baby anyway? Perhaps if Mary had utilized abortion, it would be okay for us to
have a celebration commemorating her “choice?”
The “can’t we all
just get along” crowd seems to forget that religious tolerance works both
ways. There seems to be an infection of
the brain in those who would strike such a low blow to a celebration of love
and charity. If Christmas is nothing
else, it is most assuredly that! I was
hoping that after such a recent heinous attack on Christian values and American
innocents, the locals would lay off Christmas, but I was dreaming. From various state public schools systems to
corporate hierarchies, the warnings have been issued – stick to the politically
correct and ignore the religiously correct.
What could we expect after the continued assault on the Pledge of
Allegiance and God Bless America?
Christmas is just another one of those uncomfortable irritants that
bothers like the pea did the “real” princess.
How can a
celebration that encourages “Peace On Earth & Good Will Toward Men” cause
anyone discomfort? And why should we
care if those who are uncomfortable follow a religion that calls for our
annihilation, or choose to follow a different path to destiny through another
religion or no religion at all?
Their discomfort is
bogus. It is merely a weapon they use
to undermine the very religious freedom that they demand for themselves. May God have mercy on their souls for denying
so many Americans their traditions!
Meanwhile,
they can get out of my way, because I will continue to light my candles, revel
in the beauty and magic of the music and the lights, sing carols to the high
heavens and my heart’s content, joyously celebrate the love and innocence in
the faces of children everywhere, give as much as I can to whom I please, and
wish everyone I see and communicate with a very Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year. After all, that is what I see as
religiously correct.
This idea has been passed along to me from most of the folks that
contribute material for this site. I
think it is a great idea!
When you are making out your Christmas card list this year,
please include the following:
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001
Warning! We believe in American and Christian
tradition here. Therefore, if
Thanksgiving and Christmas offends you for some ignorant reason, or if you do
not value the sacrifice of our active duty and military veterans and their
families, perhaps you should just run along now – just click on by and don’t
bother to write!
Otherwise, welcome to the fruits of a lot of
labor. We’d love to hear from you!
A big thank-you to Rose for this:
A Different Christmas Poem
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at '
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of '
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."
PLEASE, Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you
can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S.service
men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's
try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and
think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.
LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30t h Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum ,
Do You Know the Preamble For Your State?
(Thanks, Dee!)
Alabama 1901, Preamble. We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the
favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following
Constitution.
Alaska 1956, Preamble. We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to
those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.
Arizona 1911, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to
Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...
Arkansas 1874, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arkansas, grateful
to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...
California 1879,
Preamble. We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God
for our freedom.
Colorado 1876, Preamble. We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the
Supreme Ruler of Universe.
Connecticut 1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good
Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.
Delaware 1897, Preamble. Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature,
the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates
of their consciences.
Florida 1885, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Florida, grateful to
Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...
Georgia 1777, Preamble. We, the people of Georgia, relying upon protection
and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution...
Hawaii 1959, Preamble . We, the people of Hawaii, Grateful for Divine
Guidance... Establish this Constitution.
Idaho 1889, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God
for our freedom, to secure its blessings.
Illinois 1870, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to
Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He hath so
long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
Indiana 1851, Preamble.
We, the
People of the State of Indiana, grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise
of the right to choose our form of government.
Iowa 1857, Preamble We, the People of the State of Iowa, grateful to the Supreme Being
for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a
continuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution.
Kansas 1859, Preamble . We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God
for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.
Kentucky 1891, Preamble. We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for
the civil, political and religious liberties...
Louisiana 1921, Preamble We, the people of the State of Louisiana, grateful
to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.
Maine 1820, Preamble. We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful
hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an
opportunity ... And imploring His aid and direction.
Maryland 1776, Preamble We, the people of the state of Maryland, grateful
to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...
Massachusetts 1780,
Preamble . We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful
hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe .. In the course
of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction ..
Michigan 1908, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful
to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom establish this Constitution.
Minnesota, 1857,
Preamble. We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our
civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:
Mississippi 1890, Preamble. We, the people of Mississippi in convention
assembled, grateful to Al mighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.
Missouri 1845, Preamble. We, the people of Missouri, with profound reverence
for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness ..
Establish this Constitution.
Montana 1889, Preamble.
We,
the people of Montana, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings
of liberty establish this Constitution.
Nebraska 1875, Preamble . We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our
freedom. Establish this Constitution.
Nevada 1864, Preamble
. We the
people of the State of Nevada, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom
establish this Constitution
New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V. Every individual has a natural and unalienable right
to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.
New Jersey 1844, Preamble. We, the people of the State of New Jersey,
grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long
permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
New Mexico 1911, Preamble. We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to
Almighty God for the blessings of liberty
New York 1846, Preamble . We, the people of the State of New York, grateful
to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.
North Carolina 1868, Preamble . We the people of the State of North Carolina,
grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil,
political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon
Him for the continuance of those
North Dakota
1889, Preamble. We, the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for the
blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...
Ohio 1852, Preamble . We the people of the state of Ohio, grateful to
Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our
common
Oklahoma 1907, Preamble . Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to
secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty ..... establish this.
Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I. Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty
God according to the dictates of their consciences..
Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to
Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly
invoking His guidance
Rhode Island 1842, Preamble. We the People of the State of Rhode Island
grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He
hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing
South Carolina,
1778, Preamble . We, the people of he State of South Carolina grateful to God for
our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
South Dakota 1889, Preamble . We, the people of South Dakota, grateful
to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties
Tennessee 1796, Art. XI.III.
That all men
have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the
dictates of their conscience...
Texas 1845, Preamble . We the People of the Republic of Texas,
acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.
Utah 1896, Preamble . Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this
Constitution.
Vermont 1777, Preamble . Whereas all government ought to enable the
individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other
blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man
Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our
Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of
all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each
other
Washington 1889, Preamble
. We the
People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the
Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution
West Virginia 1872, Preamble . Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the
blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West
Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God ..
Wisconsin 1848, Preamble We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to
Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility
Wyoming 1890, Preamble . We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to
God for our civil, political, and religious liberties .. Establish this
Constitution.
After reviewing acknowledgments of God from all 50 state
constitutions, one is faced with the prospect that maybe,
the ACLU and the out-of-control federal courts are wrong!
We ARE One Nation Under GOD.
Memorial Day Remembered
DebV
The benefits of being an American have been served
up on a silver platter, compliments of the brave souls who defend our honor,
our shores, and our freedom. We should
never forget that. Memorial Day was set
aside to remember and honor those who have given their lives in service to our
country. How we choose to celebrate
this holiday is left completely up to each individual, but I would hope that
the great majority of us bow our heads and say a prayer of thanks to the
continued bravery it takes to secure us in the greatest and freest country on
earth.
As the politicians pat themselves on the back for
opening the purse strings to OUR money to supply the brave souls with what they
need to continue the fight for our future well being, the least we can do is
teach a child the meaning of Memorial Day so that one day perhaps the ignorance
and apathy about past sacrifices will be erased from the soul of America.
To all the fallen heroes and their survivors, God
Bless you and a heartfelt thank you from a grateful American!
From the archives:
Great Lines From Rambo:
This exchange between Rambo and his former Colonel –
Rambo: “Sir,
do we get to win this time?”
Colonel:
“This time it’s up to you. The
old Vietnam is dead.”
Rambo: “Sir,
I’m alive – it’s still alive, ain’t it?
When I came back to the states, I found another war going on. War against the soldiers – the kind of war
you can’t win.”
(When asked if he hates his country, Rambo replies)
“Hate? I’d
die for it!”
Colonel:
What is it you want?”
Rambo: “To
win – survive. I want what they want
and what every other guy who came over here and spilled his guts wants. I want my
country to love me as much as I love it.”
God
Bless all the Rambos – past and present!
DebV
My tribute to Mother’s Day – from the archives – The White Rose
Welcome To America
Deborah Venable
Every day I see more evidence that America is
being underestimated. More to the
point, Americans are being underestimated and misjudged in a number of
ways. For some reason, the “old
countries” seem to think they have the market cornered on legitimate heritage
and culture as if America has never, doesn’t, and will never have claim to an
American heritage and an American culture.
It is always seen as watered down by the pieces of the whole, and some
in this country are doing their dead level best to make that so. Once and for all, let me introduce you all
to the real American heritage and culture.
Those of us descended from the original settlers
of this land called America are the products of the foundation of our culture –
all those who have come after are the beneficiaries of that foundation, and in
many cases, the strengthening glue for the structure of our melting pot
culture. Never in the history of
mankind has there been such a successful and beneficial culture – beneficial to
the whole world.
America went through tremendous growing pains and
progressed along a course of advancement like every other culture in
history. We had our struggle for
independence, our defensive border battles and barters, and our civil war. These things are a part of our past and
should not be tolerated all over again.
We’ve fought for our freedom, drawn our boundary lines and shed our
blood on the altar of civil differences.
We established our rule of law and continued to hone the sword of
justice to a razor edge. Those who
insist on dulling that edge for the benefit of some perceived “greater justice”
or better law are an insult to our very foundations and a danger to our
progeny.
I still know that America is a force to be
reckoned with – a force for good over evil and opportunity over tyranny. I believe that Americans, those who do not
have to be identified with hyphenation or their “native” culture, can prevail
over any enemy, adequately defend our way of life, as well as the well being of
our friends and allies, and continue to lead the world in hope for the best
that life has to offer.
There dwells an eternal spark in the soul of
every American that can instantly light a ferocious flame of offense to those
who would encroach on our liberty, blaspheme our good intentions or attack our
innocent citizens. America’s foolish
enemies have been emboldened to ignore this truth, and that will eventually be
their downfall. They hear us bickering
among ourselves and witness some of our more thoughtless citizens flinging
careless recriminations against their homeland while on foreign soil, and they
jump to conclusions that we are a weak and divided people. They could not be more wrong!
We have what no other people on earth have – the
freedom to appear as stupid as we wish and still be devoted to each other and
our heritage. God bless the
liberals! As a conservative, I thrive
on their presence and the perfect illustrations they provide to illuminate the
truth of this country.
We are one nation, under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all, and we will defend the weak and the strong alike
for as long as we exist. That is our
real American heritage.
Identity Crisis
Deborah Venable
As you all know I am not a Democrat or a liberal.
I do not think that all Democrats and liberals are bad people, but I do think
that the smart ones had better start distancing themselves from both
labels. It has become more than a
matter of a differing philosophy that separates the opposing major political
parties and their ideologies. It is a
matter of destructive ignorance and it spreads like a virus. It is, more than anything else, a media
borne virus that infects those who embrace the tenets of collectivism over
those of God-given individualism.
America is a country of great blessings and great
hope bought and paid for by courageous heroes – past and present. Unfortunately the Democrat and liberal
leaders in this country have not the good sense to know that lasting power and
greatness is not secured with weakness and shame of who we are as
Americans. It is not secured by
squeezing out the middle class while telling the lie that the playing field is
being leveled. The chance for upward
mobility is absolutely necessary to preserve our Republic, and class warfare
does nothing to insure that. Yet, with
everything that Democrats and liberals propose, this warfare is
inevitable. They are the architects of
the war on individual freedom.
We have a legitimate war to fight against enemies
who would crush liberal ideologies along with individual freedoms, but
Democrats and liberals refuse to see these enemies or the present location of
their front lines. They look at the
battle in Iraq exactly as they saw the battle in Vietnam – a fight that isn’t
any concern of ours. Our courageous
heroes of both wars have not been allowed to fight and win without the meddling
of those ill equipped to fight those vicious enemies. The history of Vietnam did not teach them anything – even after
the slaughter of so many innocents because of these unconscionable
mistakes. Will it happen again?
There is one lone voice in the United States
Senate that holds steadfastly to his Democrat and liberal philosophy in most
things, but seems to possess the courage of his ancestors – long forgotten by
others of his ideology – where our enemies are concerned. Joe Lieberman, who still caucuses with the
Democrats, wrote this
article recently.
Those who refuse to learn from history suffer a terrible kind of identity crisis. Not only do they have an inability to tell the good guys from the bad guys, but they also confuse who they are with what they really are – their own worst enemy.
Virginia Tech
Deborah Venable
Once again we find
ourselves reeling from reality – the reality that there are some very sick
folks among us who have no conscience and will eventually do evil to
innocents. The media has whipped
society into a frenzy of trying to understand the whys and wherefores that
allowed one young man to kill 32 people and himself in one morning on an
American university campus. Everyone is
looking for someone or something to blame for this horrendous event and too many
are willingly trying to lay that blame on the American culture. Why not?
It’s done every single day with the horrendous acts that happen in Iraq
and everywhere else, isn’t it?
Everything evil and bad in the world is America’s fault!
I am heartsick over
the loss of those young lives in Virginia, just as I am heartsick over the
continued loss of lives everywhere for senseless reasons. But it will continue to happen because we
cannot accurately profile the evil that causes it. The best we can do is to stop rolling over and training society,
especially future generations of adults, to be victims of evil.
If blame must be
placed for the events at Virginia Tech in order for us to grieve and go on,
then let it land squarely where it belongs – on the disturbed young man who
premeditated the act and committed it.
Lessons may be learned only if our common sense is left unclouded with
blame. Politicians cannot insure that
future such events will not happen again – no matter how articulate they try to
make their case for this or that preventative action plan. The media cannot make us any more aware of
dangers than we already should be. It
is up to each individual to decide for himself the best course of action to
take to lesson the danger that future events pose. There isn’t a law that can be legislated over all of society that
will do that. In the case of preventing
horrendous results from evil acts, one individual can make a difference in the
future.
God bless all who are grieving
the loss of loved ones at this time of national mourning. May you find comfort in the good and
meaningful lives they led while you were blessed with their presence.
A Celebration Of Easter
A Special Easter Message
And
this from the Big Kahuna:
Be Thankful
What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other
people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, and
social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of
the United States, the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by
the brain and purpose of man. Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a
noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children
and theirs. I suggest we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If
we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to
future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not
careful, this generation will be known as the ''greediest and most ungrateful
generation'' - a far cry from the proud Americans of the ''greatest
generation'' who left us an untarnished legacy.
Thanks to Kahuna for finding this one!
THE FINAL INSPECTION
~Author Unknown~
The Marine stood and
faced God,
Which must always come
to pass.
He hoped his shoes were
shining,
Just as brightly as his
brass.
"Step forward now,
Marine,
How shall I deal with
you?
Have you always turned
the other cheek?
To My Church have you
been true?"
The soldier squared his
shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess
I ain't.
Because those of us who
carry guns,
Can't always be a
saint.
I've had to work most
Sundays,
And at times my talk
was tough.
And sometimes I've been
violent,
Because the world is
awfully rough.
But, I never took a
penny,
That wasn't mine to
keep...
Though I worked a lot
of overtime,
When the bills got just
too steep.
And I never passed a cry
for help,
Though at times I shook
with fear.
And sometimes, God,
forgive me,
I've wept unmanly
tears.
I know I don't deserve
a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me
around,
Except to calm their
fears.
If you've a place for me
here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had
too much,
But if you don't, I'll
understand.
There was a silence
all around the throne,
Where the saints had
often trod.
As the Marine waited
quietly,
For the judgment of his
God.
"Step forward now,
you Marine,
You've borne your
burdens well.
Walk peacefully on
Heaven's streets,
You've done your time
in Hell."
Please click here to read a special
announcement from yours truly.
DebV
Not many answers on this question yet – why not?
Question of the month poll.
Question: What is the number one most valuable natural
resource in America?
That is our question
of the month, folks. If you would like to
be counted in this poll, simply send me a quick email with your answer to the
question. The subject line of the email
should simply state: Question One. I
will post the results, along with the answers (only from those who request
public posting). All email addresses
will be deleted unless you make a specific request to be added to our update
list. There will be a prize for the
answer I subjectively deem as BEST.
Answers must be limited to 200 words or less.
Click Here To Send
Your Answer DebV
Happy
Groundhog Day!
12
years ago my first grandson was born.
95
years ago my mother was born.
120
years ago Groundhog Day was born in Punxsutawney, PA.
Daddy's Poem
Author Unknown
Her hair was up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
and she couldn't wait to go.
But her mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn't there today.
But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home.
But the little girl went to school
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
a dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats
One by one the teacher called
a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.
At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching for
a man who wasn't there.
"Where's her daddy at?"
She heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one,"
another student dared to shout.
And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day."
The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.
"My Daddy couldn't be here,
because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
and how much he loves me so.
He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I'm not standing here alone.
"Cause my daddy's always with me,
even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
he'll forever be in my heart"
With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress.
And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.
For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.
"I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
but heaven's just too far.
You see he is a Marine
and died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
and taught Americans to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.
And to her mother’s amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.
Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side
"I know you're with me Daddy,"
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.
Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far.
This came out last
year, but still fascinating. Since my
own father was older than these statistics by two whole years, I can vouch for
the high probability of accuracy of this data.
Enjoy!
THE YEAR 1906
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47.
A three-minute call from Denver cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than
California.
With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous
state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in the US. was 22 cents per hour.
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500
per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical
engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME- Ninety
percent of all U.S. doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended
so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the
government as "sub-standard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for
shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their
country for any reason.
The Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
Arizona , Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the
Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all
Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the
local corner drugstores.
Pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the
complexion, > gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels,
and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant
or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!
Now having read this try to imagine
what it may be like in another 100 years.
That Time Of Year
This is the time of year when it is customary
to look back on the year that was and make resolutions for the year ahead. This quaint little custom represents a kind
of roadmap for “the way forward.” Gosh,
is there anybody else out there who is extremely tired of hearing that phrase?
Personally, I have always preferred “the path
before us.”
So, while the politicians decide how to define
the way forward, make their empty promises/resolutions for the new year, and
recall the mistakes they made, (which were always more somebody else’s fault),
I prefer to look for a good guide for the path before us, and pack away
cheerful memories from the past year.
The most cheerful recent memory is that the
world is now rid of Saddam – finally.
Unlike some in the media, that doesn’t choke me up at all. Quite a few other bad guys were erased this
past year also. And for all the
warnings, we had another year that did not produce a major terrorist attack on
American soil. That is a miracle in
itself.
In choosing a guide for the path before us, we
should look for a bit more common sense than we have employed in the recent
past. The guide should be retained in
our individual employ and not paid for by a collective of any sort. We each have the ability to do that, and if
we all did do that, our “resolutions”
would take care of themselves.
Happy New Year! DebV
May
the Kahuna be just a bit maudlin, cause it's the season, whatever your
religion, whatever your belief, I hope that you enjoy this time with families
and loved ones in the quiet comfort and tranquility of your home. This
wonderful time of the year when people are more giving and outgoing and forgiving!
Being brought together to share and enjoy this time and be most thankful for
what we have with no envy of what others have. Let us stop and reflect, on the
many wonderful things that have happened to us in this lifetime, with those we
care about. Better to remember the good times and build on them, than to dwell
on what we didn't like in the past. So this is my wish for you all. May the
angels above watch over you and keep you safe this holiday season and have a
blessed Merry Christmas. The Kahuna
The most intelligent opinion that I have heard
on the Iraq Study Group Report, released 12/06/06, comes from Sergeant T.F.
Boggs of the Army Reserves. He is 24
years old and home from his second deployment in Iraq. God Bless You, Sergeant Boggs! DebV
He writes: After watching the Iraq Survey Group press conference today I am a
firm believer that all politicians are idiots. Okay well not all of them but
they all have a problem understanding reality. If any politician is reading this
now feel free to email me and we’ll go out for coffee and I’ll further explain.
But I digress.
The Iraq Survey Group’s findings or rather,
recommendations are a joke and could have only come from a group of old people
who have been stuck in Washington for too long. The brainpower of the ISG has
come up with a new direction for our country and that includes negotiating with
countries whose people chant “Death to America” and whose leaders deny the
Holocaust and call for Israel to be wiped from the face of the earth. Baker and
Hamilton want us to get terrorists supporting countries involved in fighting
terrorism! If I am the only one who finds something wrong with that then please
let me know because right now I feel like I am the only person who feels this
way.
Not only are the findings of the ISG a joke but
the people who led the group (Baker and Hamilton) treat soldiers like they are
a joke. One of the main recommendations of the ISG is to send more troops to
Iraq in order to train Iraqis so they can secure their own country, but they
don’t feel that we are doing a good job of that right now because training
Iraqis isn’t an attractive job for soldiers to do because it isn’t a “career
advancing” job. As someone who trained Iraqis from time to time I take personal
offense to this remark. In my experience soldiers clamored for the chance to
train Iraqis. Any soldier who doesn’t think training Iraqis is worth their time
because it isn’t a “career advancing” job shouldn’t be part in the war on
terror plain and simple.
I feel like all of my efforts (30 months of
deployment time) and the efforts of all my brothers in arms are all for naught.
I thought old people were supposed to be more patient than a 24 year old but
apparently I have more patience for our victory to unfold in Iraq than 99.9
percent of Americans. Iraq isn’t fast food--you can’t have what you want and
have it now. To completely change a country for the first time in its entire
history takes time, and when I say time I don’t mean 4 years.
Talking doesn’t solve anything with a crazed
people, bullets do and we need to be given a chance to work our military magic.
Like I told a reporter buddy of mine: War sucks but a world run by
Islamofacists sucks more.
The Kahuna would
have us remember the following classic:
Dane-geld
(A.D. 980-1016)
Rudyard Kipling
|
IT IS always a temptation
to an armed and agile nation, And that is called asking
for Dane-geld, It is always a temptation
to a rich and lazy nation, And that is called paying
the Dane-geld; It is wrong to put
temptation in the path of any nation, “We never pay any-one
Dane-geld, |
Understanding National
Security
Mission Statements:
CIA - We are the eyes
and ears of the nation and at times its hidden hand. We accomplish this mission
by:
Collecting
intelligence that matters.
Providing relevant,
timely, and objective all-source analysis.
Conducting covert
action at the direction of the President to preempt threats or achieve United
States policy objectives.
Dept. Of Homeland
Security - We will lead the unified national effort to secure America. We will
prevent and deter terrorist attacks and protect against and respond to threats
and hazards to the nation. We will ensure safe and secure borders, welcome
lawful immigrants and visitors, and promote the free-flow of commerce.
NSA/CSS - The
resources of NSA/CSS are organized for the accomplishment of two national
missions:
The Information
Assurance mission provides the solutions, products, and services, and conducts
defensive information operations, to achieve information assurance for
information infrastructures critical to U.S. national security interests.
The foreign signals
intelligence or SIGINT mission allows for an effective, unified organization
and control of all the foreign signals collection and processing activities of
the United States. NSA is authorized to produce SIGINT in accordance with
objectives, requirements, and priorities established by the Director of Central
Intelligence with the advice of the National Foreign Intelligence Board.
FBI - The mission of
the FBI is to uphold the law through the investigation of violations of federal
criminal law; to protect the United States from foreign intelligence and
terrorist activities; to provide leadership and law enforcement assistance to
federal, state, local, and international agencies; and to perform these
responsibilities in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the public and
is faithful to the Constitution of the United States.
In case anyone has
wondered why those Communist
Goals I so often have written about included a
direct threat to discredit and do away with the FBI specifically, (Communist
Goal#35), perhaps a good look at the mission statements of our major national
security components will clear it all up for you. I direct your attention to the last nine words of the FBI mission
statement. DebV
Quotes
"The world of
Islam has been mobilized against America for the past 25 years. The peoples
call, "death to America." Who used to say "death to
America?" Who, besides the Islamic Republic and the Iranian people, used to
say this? Today, everyone says this."
"God willing,
with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United
States and Zionism"
-- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Some of the
following quotes may have appeared here before, but revisiting in this context
has value. DebV
“It is fatal to enter
any war without the will to win it.”
-- General Douglas
MacArthur
“War is an ugly thing,
but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and
patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.
The person who has
nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than
his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being
free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”
-- John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) profoundly influenced the shape of nineteenth century British thought and political discourse. His substantial corpus of works includes texts in logic, epistemology, economics, social and political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, religion, and current affairs.
“Fighting terrorism is
like being a goalkeeper. You can make a hundred brilliant saves but the only
shot that people remember is the one that gets past you.”
-- Paul Wilkinson Born 1937
(British) Professor of International Relations and former Director of the University of St Andrews Centre for the Study
of Terrorism and Political Violence.
And finally, from an
unexpected source, a quote that speaks volumes:
“When the power of
love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.”
-- Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) American Musician, Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter
Understanding
Veterans Day
Thank God for all our
veterans and currently serving military personnel. They give so much for so little – the least we can do is to
remember them in our prayers and devote some thought to where we would be
without their sacrifice on this and every day.
DebV
Armistice Day Becomes Veterans Day
World War I
officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The
actual fighting between the Allies and Germany, however, had ended seven months
earlier with the armistice,
which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh
month in 1918.
Armistice Day, as
November 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in
1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was
changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.
In 1968, new legislation
changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in
October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of
historic significance to many Americans.
Therefore, in 1978
Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.
Josh Duncan Found This Thoughtful Message. I couldn’t think of a better place to put
it! DebV
Probably by now you've seen the Democrats'
latest campaign slogan:
"A New Direction For America --
Vote DEMOCRATIC!"
Perhaps we should analyze this promise.
The stock market is at a new all-time high and America's 401K's are back.
A new direction from there means what?
Unemployment is at 25-year lows.
A new direction from there means what?
Oil prices are plummeting.
A new direction from there means what?
Taxes are at 20-year lows.
A new direction from there means what?
Federal tax revenues are at all-time highs.
A new direction from there means what?
The Federal deficit is down almost 50%, just as predicted over last year.
A new direction from there means what?
Home valuations are up 200% over the past 3.5 years.
A new direction from there means what?
Inflation is in check, hovering at 20 year lows.
A new direction from there means what?
Not a single terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11/01.
A new direction from there means what?
Osama bin Laden is living under a rock in a dark cave, having not
surfaced in years, if he's alive at all, while 95% of Al Queda's top dogs
are either dead or in custody, cooperating with US Intel.
A new direction from there means what?
Several major terrorist attacks already thwarted by US and British Intel,
including the recent planned attack involving 10 Jumbo Jets being exploded in
mid-air over major US cities in order to celebrate the anniversary of the
9/11/01 attacks.
A new direction from there means what?
Just as President Bush foretold on a number of occasions, Iraq was
to be made "ground zero" for the war on terrorism -- and just as
President Bush said they would, terrorist cells from all over the region
are arriving from the shadows of their hiding places and flooding into Iraq in
order to get their faces blown off by US Marines rather than boarding
planes and
heading to the United States to wage war on us here.
A new direction from there means what?
Moreover, bear in mind that all of the above occurred in the face of the
1999 tech crash, the epidemic of corporate scandals throughout the 90's,
and the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks on NYC years in the planning, which
collectively sucked 24 trillions dollars and 7.8 million jobs out of the US
economy even before G. W. Bush had time to unpack his suitcases in the
White House. It's easy to attempt to discredit, disgrace and defame our
commander in chief, George W. Bush; what's not so easy to do is to
refute irrefutable facts, no matter how they might try.
Do yourself and this country of ours a favor and don't be bent on hate and
blame-shifting simply in the name of hate and blame-shifting. Take heed of
reality, use your head and cast your vote wisely in the upcoming elections.
The stakes are far too high today, as America's very future, and yes, even its
very survival is now at stake!
Yes, I said even our very survival is at stake.
“Too many people think that a vote is to make a statement. It’s not – it’s to make a DECISION!”
-- Brett Venable, (age 16)
“If more government is the answer, then the question is surely an
inane one.”
-- Big Kahuna
These Under the Wolf Entries come from the Big Kahuna –
More than appropriate now! DebV
For
those of you too young to remember WW2, the Japs, known today as Japan, (maker
of most of our automobiles) had Tokyo Rose spewing the Japanese propaganda
message to demoralize the American forces. Psychological warfare experts
developed a message they felt would work.
You will notice the similarity to the garbage emanating from the mouth of our
leftists in DC.
They gave the script to their famous broadcaster "Tokyo Rose" and
every day she would broadcast this same message packaged in different ways,
hoping it would have a negative impact on American GI's morale. What was that
demoralizing message?
It had three main points:
1. Your President is lying to you.
2. This war is illegal.
3. You cannot win the war.
Does
this sound familiar?
Is it because we have our very own group of Roses?
DC
Hillary, DC Harry, Champion swimmer, DC Teddy, San Fran Nancy Pelosi, etc. have
picked up the same message and are broadcasting it on Tokyo CNN, Tokyo ABC,
Tokyo CBS, Tokyo NBC etc., to our troops.
The only difference is that they claim to support our troops, before they
demoralize them.
Come
to think of it, Tokyo Rose told the troops, she was on their side, too! BK
Meaningful Quote
"In
the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good
faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on
an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate
against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is
predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing
but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he
is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room
for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here,
and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty
and that is a loyalty to the American people."
- Theodore Roosevelt 1907
Every American citizen needs to read this!
Obviously, I
agree! DebV
Meaningful Quotes
The world has achieved brilliance without
conscience.
~Omar Bradley
The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price,
peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft
living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life. ~Theodore Roosevelt
The things that are wrong with the country
today are the sum total of all the things that are wrong with us as
individuals. ~Charles W. Tobey
Punishment is now unfashionable... because it
creates moral distinctions among men, which, to the democratic mind, are
odious. We prefer a meaningless collective guilt to a meaningful
individual responsibility. ~Thomas Szasz
Once the Xerox copier was invented, private
diplomacy died. There's no such thing as secrecy. It's just a
question of whether it's leaked or revealed openly. ~Andrew Young
The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends
for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual
power. We have guided missiles and misguided men. ~Martin Luther
King, Jr., Strength to Love,
1963
I think we risk becoming the best informed
society that has ever died of ignorance. ~Reuben Blades
Are right and wrong convertible terms, dependant
upon popular opinion? ~William Lloyd Garrison
A people that values its privileges above its
principles soon loses both. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower, first inaugural
address, 20 January 1953
“In Iraq, Afghanistan, and other fronts in the
war on terror, the men and women of our military are making great sacrifices to
keep us safe. Some have suffered terrible injuries -- and nearly 3,000 have
given their lives. America cherishes their memory. We pray for their families.
And we will never back down from the work they have begun.”
-- George W. Bush in an address to the nation
09/11/06
"No bullhorn, only the bully pulpit of his
office, which he used to defend an unpopular war in Iraq and to launch clumsily
disguised barbs at those who disagree with his policies there."
-- Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader, in
response to presidential address.
"Last night's speech demonstrated that the
president will go to any lengths to distract attention from his failures in
Iraq, which have diverted focus from the war on terrorism."
-- Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader, in
response to same address.
"The very people that planned the attacks
are the people who are in Iraq -- al Qaeda in Iraq -- causing that sectarian
violence," he said. "Should we ignore that, I ask the senator from
Nevada?"
-- Rick Santorum, Republican Senator from
Pennsylvania in response to Reid’s comments.
"I listen to the questions today and I
listen to my Democrat friends, and I wonder if they are more interested in
protecting the terrorists than protecting the American people. The fact is,
these people want to kill Americans -- they have killed Americans. And if we do
not go after them and defeat them they are going to continue to kill and injure
more Americans."
-- John Boehner, House Majority Leader in
response to the responses.
“We believe that the biggest thieves in the
world are Americans and the biggest terrorists on earth are the Americans.”
-- Osama bin Laden on ABC's Nightline, June 10, 1998.
(This sounds strangely
familiar - oh yes, we’ve heard this from many Democrats recently, haven’t we,
about our own president I believe?
Could it be they were only parroting bin Laden?) DebV
bin Laden is also
credited with this quote, although I don’t know from what venue:
“We love death. The US loves life. That is the
difference between us two.”
-- Quote available from several searchable
sources.
I couldn’t have said
it better myself, Osama! DebV
On this
terrible anniversary, let’s all remember that this event was an act of war –
not a natural disaster or a justified vengeance by misguided but righteous
humans. Let’s also remember as we are
transported back to five years ago today, that wasn’t the first attack on us in
this war! We need to fight the war and
get it over with instead of thinking it will all go away if we ignore it! If evil is anything – it is very
patient! DebV
“This is the land of the free and the home of the brave. If we are
not brave, we will not be free."
Read the Glenn Ford
article for the rest of this quote from an American Hero!
More Quotes Of Significance
A politician needs the ability to foretell what
is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have
the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen. - Winston Churchill
I do not believe in the collective wisdom of
individual ignorance.
-- Thomas Carlyle
We can never solve our significant problems from
the same level of thinking we were at when we created the problems.
-- Albert Einstein
By the year 2050 — earlier probably — all real
knowledge of Oldspeak will have disappeared. The whole literature of the past
will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron — they'll exist
only in Newspeak versions, not merely changed into something different, but
actually changed into something contradictory of what they used to be. Even the
literature of The Party will change. Even the slogans will change. How could
you have a slogan like "freedom is slavery" when the concept of
freedom has been abolished? The whole climate of thought will be different. In
fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not
thinking — not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.
—George Orwell, British novelist and essayist, Author of 1984 in 1949
Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory
beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.
—George Orwell
A person who doesn't
vote votes for the winner!
-- Unknown
October 27, 1964 Ronald Reagan made a speech in
Los Angeles, California. The original
name of the speech was “A Time For Choosing” but it has also been known as “The
Speech.”
Here is an excerpt from that speech that is
more than a little apropos in this political climate leading up to the mid-term
elections. DebV
“This is the issue of this election: Whether we
believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American
revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant
capitol can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.
You and I are told increasingly we have to choose
between a left or right. Well I'd like to suggest there is no such thing as a
left or right. There's only an up or down -- [up] man's old -- old-aged dream,
the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to
the ant heap of totalitarianism. And regardless of their sincerity, their
humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have
embarked on this downward course.”
Ronald Reagan was “stumping” for Barry
Goldwater in this speech so long ago, but the relevance of his words has not
diminished in over four decades. The
foreign battleground theater may have changed, but the worst threat still
resides in the choices of our own representatives and the actions of our
citizens. Read “The Speech” in its entirety here.
This
is a dedication that appears in the front of W. Cleon Skousen’s, “The Five
Thousand Year Leap” – a book I would highly recommend reading.
(Published
by The National Center for Constitutional Studies. Sixth printing, July 1996):
Dedicated to
That
generation of resolute Americans whom we call the Founding Fathers.
They
created the first free people to survive as a nation in modern times.
They
wrote a new kind of Constitution which is now the oldest in existence.
They
built a new kind of commonwealth designed as a model for the whole human race.
They
believed it was thoroughly possible to create a new kind of civilization,
giving freedom, equality, and justice to all.
Their
first design for a free-people nation was to encompass all North America,
accommodating, as John Adams said, two to three hundred million freemen.
They
created a new cultural climate that gave wings to the human spirit.
They
encouraged exploration to reveal the scientific secrets of the universe.
They
built a free enterprise culture to encourage industry and prosperity.
They
gave humanity the needed ingredients for a gigantic 5,000-year leap. –W. Cleon Skousen
The proud warriors of Baker Company wanted to do something
to pay tribute to our fallen comrades. So since we are part of the only Marine
Infantry Battalion left in Iraq the one way that we could think of doing that is
by taking a picture of Baker Company saying the way we feel. It would be
awesome if you could find a way to share this with our fellow countrymen. I was
wondering if there was any way to get this into your papers to let the world
know that "WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN" and are proud to serve our
country."
Semper Fi
1stSgt Dave Jobe
This photo was forwarded from one of the last U.S. Marine companies in Iraq.
They would like to have it passed to as many people as possible, to let the
folks back home know that they remember why they're there and that they
remember those who've been lost.
More
Quotes From The Founders and Those Who Followed:
"The
moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the
laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect
it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If 'Thou shalt not covet' and 'Thou
shalt not steal' were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable
precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free." -- John Adams
"Those
who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and, under a just
God, cannot long retain it." --
Abraham Lincoln
"America was born a
Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of
righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scriptures. Part
of the destiny of Americans lies in their daily perusal of this great book of
revelations. That if they would see America free and pure they will make their
own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Spirit." -- Woodrow Wilson
Some
Quotes From Patriots
George
Washington: "If I could have entertained the slightest apprehension
that the constitution framed by the Convention . . . might possibly endanger
the religious rights of any ecclesiastical society, certainly I would never
have placed my signature to it."
John
Witherspoon, Signer
of the Declaration of Independence, Member of the Continental Congress,
President of Princeton College and Pastor. Spoken in a sermon delivered May 17,
1776. "He is the best friend of American liberty who is most sincere and
active in promoting true and undefiled religion and who sets Himself with the
greatest firmness to bear down profanity and immorality of every kind...God
grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable and
that the unjust attempts to destroy the one, may in the issue tend to the
support and establishment of both."
Edmund Burke: "What is liberty without...virtue? It
is...madness, without restraint. Men are qualified for liberty in exact
proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own
appetites."
Special Page – “The Marine”
Take the time for
this one, folks.
Thank You Rose!
And
from the Big Kahuna –
Telling
it like it is!
Now Will We Take The
Gloves Off?
When you lose men in
combat even to scum like the terrorists, you know in your heart that this is a
part of war! However, when two of our
finest are butchered and tortured and have their heads sawed off, (having seen
the pictures of how they perform the act; a quick beheading "IT AIN'T!),
that should make even the most dedicated Bush hater take notice.
As a nation of Moms and
Dads who are revolted by this latest barbaric act, will we now decide to tell
the politicians to shut up and allow the military to fight this war to
win? When will we get the gonads to
tell the world that some underwear on a scumbag’s head doesn't equate with this latest act? When will we say to that benighted
mother of a dead soldier and those putting up the money for Cindy,
"Shut up!” (particularly when you are in another country!) Anyone hear of pulling a passport?
When are we going to tell those cretins in Congress and the Senate who do
nothing but sit on their perk-fattened derrières to shut up and give our troops
real support, instead of their phony lip service. When will we tell the recipients of our largess to stop biting
the hand that feeds them? When will we
decide to be active instead of reactive?
How long are we going to suffer the comments of fools and traitors, who
under the guise of free speech give aid and comfort to the enemy; an enemy
dedicated to seeing us DEAD? How long
does it take for us to learn the lessons of Viet Nam? Our military wins wars, our politicians lose them. When will we stop turning the other cheek at
the expense of our brave men and women? Enough is enough!
Happy Father’s Day!
This is the first Father’s Day that my children
will not be able to dote on their father on this special day. It brings home the importance of fathers, if
at no other time, when yours is no longer living. For me, the fatherless Fathers’ Days began twenty-nine years ago
– and I miss him still. It is a pain
that I must once again endure in quite another way – through the pain of my
children. Their father, like mine, was
an irreplaceable entity in their lives.
He lives in each of them and was an ever-present source of their
stability.
I cannot begin to imagine going through the
maturing process from child to adult without the influence and love of a good
father, but I know that it has become almost accepted as normalcy in today’s
world. It seems that nowadays a
complete family with mother, father and children is just one more in a large
variety of “normal” family scenarios – with fathers being the second most
expendable component of the family.
(Obviously, with the abortion rate like it is, children are still the
most expendable component.) There’s an
awful lot to be said in favor of a patriarchal society, but we are getting ever
further away from that. I know that I’m
probably singing to the choir here, so I won’t bother to elaborate, but I would
hope that each and every one of us who feel this way will do everything in our
power to carve this lesson in stone before it is too late and “normalcy” as we
have known it disappears forever.
To all of you fortunate enough to have earned the title of Father, have a very happy Father’s Day – and to all who are blessed enough to have a living father, dote on him and make him feel as special as he really is. Here is a link to an article I wrote several years ago, archived on this site, about my own Dad. God Bless! DebV
The following is an excerpt from General Douglas MacArthur’s Farewell Address To Congress, delivered April 19, 1951. I find it quite fitting to revisit these words from a man that gave so much for so long to the country he so obviously loved. DebV
“Efforts have been made to distort my position. It has been said,
in effect, that I was a warmonger. Nothing
could be further from the truth. I know war as few other men now living know
it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete
abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it
useless as a means of settling international disputes. Indeed, on the
second day of September, nineteen hundred and forty-five, just following the
surrender of the Japanese nation on the Battleship Missouri, I formally
cautioned as follows:
‘Men since the beginning of time have
sought peace. Various methods through the ages have been attempted to devise an
international process to prevent or settle disputes between nations. From the
very start workable methods were found in so far as individual citizens were
concerned, but the mechanics of an instrumentality of larger international
scope have never been successful. Military alliances, balances of power,
Leagues of Nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of
the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness of war now blocks out this
alternative. We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some
greater and more equitable system,
Armageddon will be at our door. The
problem basically is theological and
involves a spiritual recrudescence and
improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless
advances in science, art, literature, and all material and cultural
developments of the past 2000 years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save
the flesh.’
But once war is forced upon us, there is no other alternative than
to apply every available means to bring it to a swift end.
War's very object is victory, not prolonged indecision.
In war there is no substitute for victory.
There are some who, for varying reasons, would appease Red China.
They are blind to history's clear lesson, for history teaches with unmistakable
emphasis that appeasement but begets new and bloodier war. It points to no
single instance where this end has justified that means, where appeasement has
led to more than a sham peace. Like blackmail, it lays the basis for new and
successively greater demands until, as in blackmail, violence becomes the only
other alternative.
"Why," my soldiers asked of me, "surrender military
advantages to an enemy in the field?" I could not answer.
Some may say: to avoid spread of the conflict into an all-out war
with China; others, to avoid Soviet intervention. Neither explanation seems
valid, for China is already engaging with the maximum power it can commit, and
the Soviet will not necessarily mesh its actions with our moves. Like a cobra,
any new enemy will more likely strike whenever it feels that the relativity in
military or other potential is in its favor on a world-wide basis.
The tragedy of Korea is further heightened by the fact that its
military action is confined to its territorial limits. It condemns that nation,
which it is our purpose to save, to suffer the devastating impact of full naval
and air bombardment while the enemy's sanctuaries are fully protected from such
attack and devastation.
Of the nations of the world, Korea alone, up to now, is the sole one
which has risked its all against communism. The magnificence of the courage and
fortitude of the Korean people defies description.
They have chosen to risk death rather than slavery. Their last
words to me were: "Don't scuttle the Pacific!"
I have just left your fighting sons in Korea. They have met all tests
there, and I can report to you without reservation that they are
splendid in every way.
It was my constant effort to preserve them and end this savage
conflict honorably and with the least loss of time and a minimum sacrifice of
life. Its growing bloodshed has caused me the deepest anguish and anxiety.
Those gallant men will remain often in my thoughts and in my
prayers always.
I am closing my 52 years of military service. When I joined the
Army, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all of my
boyish hopes and dreams. The world has turned over many times since I took the
oath on the
plain
at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished, but I still
remember the refrain of one of the most popular barrack ballads of that day
which proclaimed most proudly that "old soldiers never die; they just fade
away."
And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military
career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave
him the light to see that duty.
Good Bye.”
Continue the learning from those who built America and preserved her for this long. DebV
Thomas Jefferson – “The States can best govern our home concerns and
the general government our foreign ones. I wish, therefore...never to see all
offices transferred to Washington, where, further withdrawn from the eyes of
the people, they may more secretly be bought and sold at market."
Thomas Jefferson - "To compel a man to furnish
contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and
abhors is sinful and tyrannical. ... A wise and frugal government ... shall not
take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. ... Congress has not
unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare but only those specifically
enumerated. ... Would it not be better to simplify the system of taxation
rather than to spread it over such a variety of subjects and pass through so
many new hands?"
John Jay, First Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court -
"Let a general reformation of manners take place--let universal
charity, public spirit, and private virtue be inculcated, encouraged, and
practiced. Unite in preparing for a vigorous defense of your country, as if
all depended on your own exertions. And when you have done all things,
then rely upon the good Providence of Almighty God for success, in full
confidence that without his blessings, all our efforts will inevitably
fail."
Theodore Roosevelt - "To educate
a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."
Heeding the past may just be the key to surviving the future. DebV
Ben Franklin - "I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of
the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them
easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it."
John
Adams - "The
only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue; and if this cannot be inspired
into our people in a greater measure than they have it now, they may change
their rulers and the forms of government, but they will not obtain a lasting
liberty. They will only exchange tyrants and tyrannies."
Calvin Coolidge – “We do not need more
intellectual power, we need more moral power. We do not need more knowledge, we
need more character. We do not need more government, we need more culture. We
do not need more law, we need more religion. We do not need more of the things
that are seen, we need more of the things that are unseen. If the foundation be
firm, the foundation will stand.”
This is but an excerpt from the great speech,
which was for decades read annually in Congress and even printed in children’s
primers. Have we really outgrown this
timely advice?
“The unity of government which constitutes you one people
is also now dear to you. It is justly so, for it is a main pillar in the
edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your
peace abroad, of your safety, of your prosperity, of that very liberty which
you so highly prize. But as it is easy to foresee that from different causes
and from different quarters much pains will be taken, many artifices employed,
to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth, as this is the point in
your political fortress against which the batteries of internal and external
enemies will be most constantly and actively (though often covertly and
insidiously) directed, it is of infinite moment that you should properly
estimate the immense value of your national union to your collective and
individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and
immovable attachment to it; accustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as
of the palladium of your political safety and prosperity; watching for its
preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a
suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned, and indignantly frowning upon
the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from
the rest or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various
parts.
For this you have every inducement of sympathy and interest. Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principles. You have in a common cause fought and triumphed together. The independence and liberty you possess are the work of joint councils and joint efforts, of common dangers, sufferings, and successes.
But these considerations, however powerfully they address themselves to your sensibility, are greatly outweighed by those which apply more immediately to your interest. Here every portion of our country finds the most commanding motives for carefully guarding and preserving the union of the whole.”
Excerpt From George
Washington’s Farewell Address - 1796
Saluting those
special souls, who are truly called upon to “do the work that nobody else will do”
– for without them, there would be no venue for the rest of us.
“We speak in strange terms: of
harnessing the cosmic energy; of making winds and tides work for us; of
creating unheard synthetic materials to supplement or even replace our old
standard basics; to purify sea water for our drink; of mining ocean floors for
new fields of wealth and food; of disease preventatives to expand life into the
hundreds of years; of controlling the weather for a more equitable distribution
of heat and cold, of rain and shine; of space ships to the moon; of the primary
target in war, no longer limited to the armed forces of an enemy, but instead
to include his civil populations; of ultimate conflict between a united human
race and the sinister forces of some other planetary galaxy; of such dreams and
fantasies as to make life the most exciting of all time.
And through all this
welter of change and development, your mission remains fixed, determined,
inviolable: it is to win our wars.
Everything else in
your professional career is but corollary to this vital dedication. All other
public purposes, all other public projects, all other public needs, great or
small, will find others for their accomplishment. But you are the ones who are
trained to fight. Yours is the profession of arms, the will to win, the
sure knowledge that in war there is no substitute for victory; that if you
lose, the nation will be destroyed; that the very obsession of your public
service must be: Duty, Honor, Country.
Let civilian voices
argue the merits or demerits of our processes of government; whether our
strength is being sapped by deficit financing, indulged in too long, by federal
paternalism grown too mighty, by power groups grown too arrogant, by politics
grown too corrupt, by crime grown too rampant, by morals grown too low, by
taxes grown too high, by extremists grown too violent; whether our personal
liberties are as thorough and complete as they should be. These great national
problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your
guidepost stands out like a ten-fold beacon in the night: Duty, Honor, Country.
You are the leaven
which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From
your ranks come the great captains who hold the nation's destiny in their hands
the moment the war tocsin sounds. The Long Gray Line has never failed us. Were
you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray,
would rise from their white crosses thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor,
Country.
This does not mean
that you are war mongers.
On the contrary, the
soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear
the deepest wounds and scars of war.
But always in our ears
ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: ‘Only the
dead have seen the end of war.’”
General Douglas MacArthur
(Excerpt from speech delivered at West Point –
May 12, 1962)
Alan contributes the link to this Interesting Quiz –
This site asks ten
questions and instantly tells you where you are on the political map. It goes beyond the usual Democrat,
Republican, or Independent.
This quiz has gotten a
lot of praise in the media for its accuracy.
Click
Here to
take the quiz.
“Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other createst distinctions. The first is a patron, the last is a punisher.
Society in every state
is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil;
in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to
the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without
government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means
by which we suffer. Government, like
dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the
bowers of paradise. For were the
impulses of conscience clear, uniform and irresistibly obeyed, man would need
no other lawgiver; but that not being the case, he finds it necessary to
surrender up a part of his property to furnish means for the protection of the
rest; and this he is induced to do by the same prudence which in every other
case advises him out of two evils to choose the least. Wherefore, security being the true design
and end of government, it unanswerably follows that whatever form thereof
appears most likely to ensure it to us, with the least expence and greatest
benefit is preferable to all others.”
- Thomas Paine – Quoted from the pamphlet “Common Sense” published in 1776.
It is with a still
healing heart that I return to this site to take up the reins again and bring
you more educational facts and opinions.
I have not posted here for about a year and a half. In the course of that time, I have lost two
men who meant the world to me – first, my only sibling - my brother, and then my husband of over 37
years. Both of them suffered through
the agonizing disease of cancer before leaving this earthly life. This loss left me devastated, but now I must
go on.
Part of my healing was
to create a memorial to both men. You
may click here to view it.
Just a couple weeks
before his death, my brother, known on this site as The Wise One, sent me his
final article. Please access it through
his link and read it. I am only sorry
that I was unable to post it sooner.
I have updated the
personal page and will continue to update and streamline the site as time goes
on. The government pages for the U.S.
Senate, House of Representatives, Executive branch and Supreme Court will be updated
as quickly as I can manage to do so.
The old site as it existed before this update is available through the Archives page. All of the many features and articles will be preserved indefinitely. I have increased the content capacity of this site by a considerable amount and will continue to improve the quality as time goes on. As I surf the web myself, I am constantly frustrated by the amount of commercialization contained in many of the information sites that I like to visit, so I will continue to keep this site completely commercial free. I have turned down many offers to reap financial gain through DebV.com and will continue to do so. This will remain a pleasant place to come and read and learn without fear of annoying commercial ads and attention getters. If ever I would try to sell anyone something it would be with a simple link to another site.
Archived from 10/31/04
From Big Kahuna
I'm trying to get
all this political stuff straightened out in my head so I'll know how to vote come
November. Right now, we have one guy saying one thing. Then the other guy says
something else. Who to believe. let me see; have I got this straight?
Clinton awards
Halliburton no-bid contract in Yugoslavia - good...
Bush awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Iraq - bad...
Clinton spends 77 billion on war in Serbia - good..
Bush spends 87 billion in Iraq -bad...
Clinton imposes regime change in Serbia -good...
Bush imposes regime change in Iraq - bad...
Clinton bombs Christian Serbs on behalf of Muslim Albanian terrorists- good...
Bush liberates 25 million from a genocidal dictator - bad...
Clinton bombs Chinese embassy - good...
Bush bombs terrorist camps - bad...
Clinton commits felonies while in office - good...
Bush lands on aircraft carrier in jumpsuit -bad...
No mass graves found in Serbia - good...
No WMD found Iraq - bad...
Stock market crashes in 2000 under Clinton - good...
Economy on upswing under Bush - bad...
Clinton refuses to take custody of Bin Laden - good...
World Trade Centers fall under Bush -bad...
Clinton says Saddam has nukes -good...
Bush says Saddam has nukes -bad...
Clinton calls for regime change in Iraq - good...
Bush imposes regime change in Iraq - bad...
Terrorist training in Afghanistan under Clinton -good...
Bush destroys training camps in Afghanistan - bad...
Milosevic not yet convicted - good...
Saddam turned over for trial - bad...
Ahh, it's so confusing!
______________
Recently, John Kerry gave a speech in which he claimed Americans are actually
paying more taxes under Bush, despite the tax cuts. He gave no explanation and
provided no data for this claim.
Another interesting fact: Both George Bush and John Kerry are wealthy men. Bush
owns only one home, his ranch in Texas. Kerry owns four mansions, all worth
several million dollars. (His ski resort home in Idaho is an old barn brought
over from Europe in pieces. Not your average A-frame).
Bush paid $250,000 in taxes this year; Kerry paid $90,000. Does that sound
right? The man who wants to raise your taxes obviously has figured out a way to
avoid paying his own.
From Ken –
Worthwhile Quotes
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his
influence stops." --Henry Adams
"Right actions for the future are the best apologies for wrong ones in the
past." --Tyron Edwards
"The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention."
-- Duguet
"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in
session." --Mark Twain
"Too many in the media act as if decency is a violation of the First
Amendment." --Thomas Sowell
"If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it
costs when it's free." --P.J. O'Rourke
"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the
facts." --Will Rogers
From Alan –
A Shortened Version of the 23rd Psalm
In his beautiful book, "I Shall Not Want," author Robert Ketchum
tells of a Sunday School teacher who asked her group of children if anyone
could quote the entire 23rd Psalm. A golden-haired,
four-and-a-half-year-old girl was among those who raised their hands. A
bit skeptical, the teacher asked if she could really quote the entire Psalm.
The little girl came to the front of the room, faced the class, made a perky
little bow, and said, "The Lord is my shepherd, that's all I want.."
She bowed again and went and sat down.
That may well be the greatest interpretation of the 23rd Psalm ever heard.
Latest Update Includes
these great pieces from some of our real heroes:
From Judy -
THE WOODEN BOWL
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law and 4-year-old
grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight blurred, and his step
faltered. The family ate together at
the table, but the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made
eating difficult. Peas rolled off the spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the
glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became
irritated with the mess.
"We must do
something with Grandpa," said the son. "I have had enough of spilled
milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor."
So the husband and the
wife set a small table in the corner.
There Grandpa ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their
dinner. Since Grandpa had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden
bowl. When the family glanced in Grandpa's direction, sometimes he had a tear
in his eye as he sat alone. Still the only words the couple had for him were
sharp admonitions when he dropped his fork or spilled food. The 4-year-old
watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps
on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?"
Just as sweetly the
boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little wooden bowl for you to eat your
food when you grow old." The 4-year-old smiled and went on with his work.
The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started
to stream down their cheeks. Though no words were spoken, both knew what must
be done. That evening the husband took the Grandfather's hand and gently led
him to the family table.
For the remainder of
his days he ate every meal with the family. For some reason, neither the
husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork dropped, milk spilled,
or the tablecloth soiled.
- Author Unknown
Also From Judy -
How true this is!!
A car company can move its factories to Mexico and claim it's a free
market.
A toy company can outsource to a Chinese subcontractor and claim it's a
free market.
A major bank can incorporate in Bermuda to avoid taxes and claim it's a
free market.
We can buy HP Printers made in Mexico. We can buy shirts made in
Bangladesh. We can purchase almost
anything we want from many different countries, BUT heaven help the
elderly who dare to buy their prescription drugs from a Canadian (or
Mexican) pharmacy. That's called un-American!
And you think the
pharmaceutical companies don't have a powerful lobby?
Think again!
From a Marine Chaplain
Submitted by Big
Kahuna
This was written on Good
Friday by one of the 1st Marine Division's chaplains. I reckon our own
association chaplain knows this man, although his full name is omitted Very
moving, and very consistent with every chaplain I ever knew when I was serving
in infantry battalions. S/F, Sam
----------------------------------------------------
Subject: From a Chaplain serving in Iraq
Hot and sunny on Good Friday...quiet in Fallujah and Ar Ramadi. The Coalition
has announced a pause in offensive operations. Humanitarian aid is being searched
and then allowed into the city of Fallujah. Defensive operations continue
24/7.it is all war, all the time. The bad guys are regrouping. So are the
Marines. The brawl will begin again... probably tonight. All intel points to
the bad guys redistributing ammo, enlisting kids in the fight and moving for
new cover. Convoys are limited…danger of ambush is high.
Life in Blue Diamond
continues, with an edge. Imagine a place the size of Lakeland Shores with 5
times the population. One asphalt street, two dirt roads. Due to the siege… no
sanitation service for three days… that includes pumping satellites...We are on
the edge of the town… we see the minarets of the city and we hear the imams
sermons as they rail against us... good thing few here understand Arabic cause
I can tell you the
preachers weren't teaching the golden rule today.
Morale, sky
high...extra intensity… friends are on the line. The senior NCO's and officers
here, feel the pull the most. They have served with or trained everyone on the line.
The Corps is a small community. This is very personal. If a person can do
something to help the outcome of the fight… they'll find a way. It's that kind
of day… all for one, one for
all.
I divide the day; Holy
Week service planning, convoy prayers, and COC intercessory prayers. First, I
go to the DIV Chaplain office to meet with the command Chaplain, Chaplain
Divine… the fighting Irishman. What a man. RC Christians...be proud…you've got
a great priest here. He spares nothing to get to his marines. He loves marines
and he loves God. He waded into Ar Ramadi during the fire fight, three days
ago...to provide ministry at the aid station...came back weary but satisfied he
was where he was needed.
He's on the road, to all the FOB's ministering to marines. I had the privilege
of praying for him, this morning. If he goes down the morale in this Division
would take a huge hit. They love him.
Second, I work to
coordinate Good Friday, Easter Sunrise and Protestant Easter Service. Having
services in a war zone is a little different. A) we have to worry about getting
large numbers of people in one place. One mortar round into the right place and
you could kill a lot of marines. B) organists are in sort supply and we don't
have an organ. Music? C) we are going to worship and it will be well
attended...we need Easter…because we live
in the valley of the shadow of death…we need the resurrection.
Third, twice a day I
go to the 'Cave'… the combat operations center…which is housed in a former
palace… poorly lit and the hub of fighting the battle...I stand in the corner
and pray for each person/position and those they represent. I don't know many
of them, but God does. I pray for wisdom, strength, mercy, endurance and God's
presence for each warrior, all those they serve or represent. I cover the Cave
and the battle field as I look at live imagery projected on the wall. I don't
know how the marines do it… but the COC is loaded with strack looking marines.
The senior NCO's all look like NFL lineman. The junior officers look like
marathon runners and the mid-grade officers look like NFL halfbacks...the
senior officers are lean, tanned and serious…deadly serious. The place exudes
the warrior spirit.
If you are a civilian
I can't explain it and won't apologize for it. If you are a veteran you don't
need to have it explained…the warrior spirit. These marines are in a street
fight. They don't have the word 'lose' in their vocabulary. They've been bloodied and their anger is up.
The intensity in the COC is contagious.
This is a tribe of warriors. They exist to close with and destroy the
enemy. They have their tribal mores,
rituals and rites. Their enemy has desecrated members of the tribe and taunted
the marines. They've asked for a fight.
The marines are in full pursuit and absolutely determined to annihilate
their foe. I'm sure that sounds harsh to politically correct ears and those for
whom this type of violence is anachronistic. It does not sound foreign here...it is status quo. We are in a violent
land, with an evil element and they are having violence visited upon them.
There is no room here for half measures.
This is a test of wills...one side will prevail. That is clearly
understood and never discussed…it is obvious. We aren't playing paintball…we
are at war.
Fourth, Convoy
prayers...convoys go out of here regularly. I hunt them down…pass out a small
card with a convoy prayer on it and then gather whoever wants to pray and we
pray. The number of prayers is going up, hourly, as the ambushes continue.
Here's how intense it has become…today's standard preconvoy brief now includes
the following: "If you drive into the kill zone…two options… drive through
and on, or reverse and drive out. Do
not stop. If you are blocked into the kill zone…displace from the vehicle, find
cover, fix the target, engage, maneuver and destroy the hostile forces. Target selection... rules have changed...
avoid civilians, if possible. Hostile
forces are now using civilians as shields. We are not interested in losing more
marines. If you can avoid putting civilians in your line of fire, avoid it. If
not, fire to take out the hostile forces." Implication?
Chilling... we've entered a new dimension. We are fighting an enemy who
respects no laws of humanity, knows no rules of land warfare and gives no
quarter. How do we fight, without become barbarians ourselves?
Fifth, ministry of
presence...in a place this small...I walk from shop to shop and just say,
'hi'…can't tell you the number of times someone says..."Hey, chappy...it's
great to have you here." Something about seeing a chaplain is calming to
folks this close to the fight.
Good Friday in Ar
Ramadi…while you're having lunch I'll lead the evening Good Friday service. We
will remember our Savior who willingly laid down His life that we might
live…and we'll be thinking about young marines and soldiers who are willingly
putting their lives on the line so Iraqis can be free...no greater love hath a
man than to lay down his life for his brother...
A Prayer For My
Grandson and All Our Military
Big Kahuna
Called to serve my
country
That's what I'm trained to do
To go where I am needed
A job I will pursue.
I want to keep our country safe
I strive to do my best
Just pray for me while I am gone
And God will do the rest.
I know why I was shipped away
The call I clearly see
I trust my Lord will hold my hand
His light surrounding me.
I'm ready to come home now
To my family whom I love
Please bring me back to safety
With your guidance from above.
Inspirational True
Story From Judy -
Stop telling God how
big your storm is. Instead tell your storm how big your GOD is.
In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6-year-old son,
who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness,
she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her
son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible.
The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dreams to come
true. She took her son's hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever think about
what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you
would do with your life?"
Mommy, "I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up."
Mom smiled back and
said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."
Later that day she
went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman
Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and
asked if it might be possible to give her 6- year-old son a ride around the
block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than
that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll
make him An honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire
station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls,
the whole nine yards! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire
uniform for him, with a real fire hat-not a toy one-with the emblem of the
Phoenix Fire Department. They're all
manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast."
Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his fire uniform
and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck.
Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire
station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and
Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines,
the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program. Having his
dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so
deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought
possible.
One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse,
who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call
the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent
as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to
send a fireman in uniform to
the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.
The chief replied,
"We can do better than that. We'll be there in 5 minutes. Will you please
do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing,
will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the
fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will
you open the window to his room?"
About 5 minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and
extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window.
Sixteen firefighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room. With his mother's
permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him.
With his dying breath,
Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman
now?"
"Billy, you are,
and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand," the chief said.
With those words, Billy smiled and said, "I know, He's been holding my
hand all day, and the angels have been singing." He closed his eyes one
last time.
This is an
interesting bit of information that you don't hear much about in the media ---
Certainly there is a political dimension here:
a.. Enron's chairman did meet with the president and the vice president in the
Oval Office.
b.. Enron gave $420,000 to the president's party over three years.
c.. It donated $100,000 to the president's inauguration festivities.
d.. The Enron chairman stayed at the White House 11 times.
e.. The corporation had access to the administration at its highest levels and
even enlisted the Commerce and State Departments to grease deals for it.
f.. The taxpayer-supported Export-Import Bank subsidized Enron for more than
$600 million in just one transaction. Scandalous!!
g.. BUT...the president under whom all this happened WASN'T George W. Bush.
h.. SURPRISE ......... It was Bill Clinton!
Bumper sticker of the year...
If you can read this, thank a teacher....
If you are reading it in English, thank a soldier.
Catching Up
My apologies for not
updating this site for the last few months.
My priorities were forced to undergo a re-ordering in order to
accommodate immediate need. (In
straightforward language, I had to get a job to pay some bills.) We do what we must, and this is but one more
reason to love this wonderful country in which we live – that of being in
charge of our own destinies. Even with
the current rate of socialistic deterioration, America remains the very best
land of opportunity.
If I were in the
business of prophesizing, I would be glad to offer up a very optimistic picture
of the economic future of this great country, but only if certain trends toward
honest evaluation and education continue to flower within the awakening giant
of the real American public. I’ve seen
indications that suggest more and more people are becoming aware of the power
of individual effort, thought, and a moral value system as opposed to the
socialistic idea that government subsidy and control are the backbone of a
strong society.
I thank everyone for
continuing to read and contribute here and will be able to resume a better
schedule of updating in the very near future.
A lot has happened that begs commentary. I will do my best to catch up and keep up in the coming new
year.
Deb V
Happy Birthday, Marines!
From Josh Duncan
Posted 11/17/03
On this date in 1775 the United States Marine Corps was
founded. The last 228 years have found the United States Marines actually
in every clime and place. We are now scattered throughout the World in
groups that are continually mobile. Sleep well.
This will all soon end. There will
be a World Government in which we will have one (1) vote against all the
countries we have helped? Some we have actually saved as countries more
than once. They now will have a vote against us as have Canada, Mexico,
and Panama, on this continent. The other hundreds of countries we have
helped now with envy, hate us, will also be able to vote. The first order
of business will be for the United State to transfer all assets to the New
World Bank. At that time we will have to fight them all or capitulate to
become a nonentity in the New Government.
Beware all political office holders, you
will be the first incarcerated, then the military, and Hollywood. News
papers, Tv, and Radio stations will be taken over by what were third world
countries. This not Orson Welles speaking.
Happy Birthday
Semper Fidelis
Josh
"AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL"
by Judge Roy Moore
America the Beautiful,
or so you used to be.
Land of the Pilgrims' pride; I'm glad they'll never see.
Babies piled in dumpsters, Abortion on demand,
Oh, sweet land of liberty, your house is on the sand.
Our children wander
aimlessly poisoned by cocaine,
Choosing to indulge their lusts, when God has said abstain.
From sea to shining sea, our Nation turns away
From the teaching of God's love and a need to always pray.
So many worldly preachers tell lies about our Rock,
Saying God is going broke so they can fleece the flock.
We've kept God in our temples, how callous we have grown.
When earth is but His footstool, and Heaven is His throne.
We've voted in a
government that's rotting at the core,
Appointing Godless Judges who throw reason out the door,
Too soft to place a killer in a well deserved tomb,
But brave enough to kill a baby before he leaves the womb.
You think that God's not angry, that our land's a moral slum?
How much longer will He wait before His judgment comes?
How are we to face our
God, from Whom we cannot hide?
What then is left for us to do, but stem this evil tide?
If we who are His children, will humbly turn and pray;
Seek His holy face and mend our evil way:
Then God will hear from Heaven and forgive us of our sins,
He'll heal our sickly land and those who live within.
But, America the Beautiful, if you don't then you will see,
A sad but Holy God withdraw His hand from Thee.
From the Big Kahuna -
My Dear Mr. President
as one of your loyal supporters and a loyal American, who concurs with all that
you are trying to do, may I presume to make a suggestion? Because the news outlets tonight seemed to
be totally preoccupied with what it will cost (between 30 and 50 Billion) to
fix this antiquated grid system, that has out lived its usefulness.
I will be as succinct as possible with my suggestion. Why doesn't our Congress,
with you leading the charge, suspend all foreign aid until this is fixed and
paid for. Those recipients of our taxpayer largess, who are our friends, will
understand and those who only tolerate us because of our dole will have to. Mr.
President, may the good Lord continue to bless you and your family.
With deep regard and
esteem, I am The Big Kahuna.
From Heather
Life's Echo
Author Unknown
A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, the son falls
hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain:
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer:
"Who are you?"
Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer:
"Coward!"
He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."
And then he screams to the mountain:
"I admire you!"
The voice answers:
"I admire you!"
Again the man screams:
"You are a champion!"
The voice answers:
"You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains:
"People call this Echo, but really this is Life.
It gives you back everything you say or do.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.
If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life.
Life will give you back everything you have given to it.
From Judy
DO YOU REMEMBER
WHEN...?
All the girls had ugly gym uniforms?
It took five minutes for the TV warm up?
Nearly everyone's Mom was at home when the kids got home from
school?
Nobody owned a purebred dog?
When a quarter was a decent allowance?
You'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny?
Your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces?
All your male teachers wore neckties and female teachers had their
hair done every day and wore high heels?
You got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without
asking, all for free, every time? And you didn't pay for air? And,
you got trading stamps to boot?
Laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside
the box?
It was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a
real restaurant with your parents?
They threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed. . .and
they did?
When a 57 Chevy was everyone's dream car...to cruise, peel out, lay
rubber or watch submarine races, and people went steady?
No one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always
in the car, in the ignition, and the doors were never locked?
Lying on your back in the grass with your friends and saying things
like, "That cloud looks like a....... ."
Playing baseball with no adults to help kids with the rules of the
game?
Stuff from the store came without safety caps and hermetic seals
because no one had yet tried to poison a perfect stranger?
And with all our progress, don't you just wish, just once, you
could slip back in time and savor the slower pace, and share it with the
children of today?
When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to
the fate that awaited the student at home? Basically we were in fear for
our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our
parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! But we survived because
their love was greater than the threat.
Send this on to someone who can still remember Nancy Drew, the Hardy
Boys, Laurel and Hardy, Howdy Dowdy and the Peanut Gallery, the Lone Ranger,
The Shadow Knows, Nellie Bell, Roy and Dale, Trigger and Buttermilk.
As well as summers filled with bike rides, baseball games, Hula
Hoops, bowling and visits to the pool, and eating Kool-Aid powder with sugar.
Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say, "Yeah, I remember
that"?
I am sharing this with you today because it ended with a double dog
dare to pass it on. To remember what a double dog dare is, read on. And remember
that the perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and too
young to care.
How many of these do you remember?
Candy cigarettes Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water
inside Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles Coffee shops with
tableside jukeboxes Blackjack, Clove and Teaberry chewing gum Home milk
delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers Newsreels before the movie
P.F. Fliers Telephone numbers with a word prefix....(Yukon 4-601).
Party lines Peashooters Howdy Dowdy 45 RPM records Green Stamps
Hi-Fi's
Metal ice cubes trays with levers Mimeograph paper Beanie and Cecil
Roller-skate keys Cork pop guns Drive ins Studebakers Washtub wringers The
Fuller Brush Man Reel-To-Reel tape recorders Tinkertoys Erector Sets The Fort
Apache Play Set Lincoln Logs 15 cent McDonald hamburgers 5 cent packs of
baseball cards - with that awful pink slab of bubble gum Penny candy
35 cent a gallon gasoline Jiffy Pop popcorn
Do you remember a time when...
Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-moe"?
Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "Do Over!"? "Race
issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest? Catching the fireflies
could happily occupy an entire evening? It wasn't odd to have two or three
"Best Friends"?
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was
"cooties"? Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a
slingshot? A foot of snow was a dream come true?
Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute commercials for action
figures? "Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense? Spinning around,
getting dizzy, and falling down was cause for giggles?
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team? War was a
card game? Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle?
Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin? Water balloons were the
ultimate weapon?
If you can remember most or all of these, then you have
lived!!!!!!! Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their
"grown-up" life .............I double-dog-dare-ya!
A World Without Hope
Deborah Venable
07/28/03
That is what we became on July 27, 2003 when Bob
Hope passed away at the ripe old age of 100 years. Those of us who grew up on this man’s humor and impeccable timing
wit feel the absence of him even as the news of his passing is fresh in the
media. His life was marked with
importance because he touched so many other lives and his magnificent spirit
nurtured the lagging spirits of millions all over the world in wartime and in
relative peace. Happiness was just a
little more achievable when Hope was around.
He was a smile and a laugh waiting to happen.
As a small child, I adored his comedy and admired
his powerful delivery. My earliest
memories of him are auditory, because I have always been a radio
enthusiast. We did not have a
television in our home when I was young, but I remember the radio – the big old
tube job that was the center of attention for passive entertainment after the
sun went down. Television and movies,
for all the special effects, makeup and costumes, have never been able to
totally replace the magic of radio – that wonderful medium of entertainment
that let an individual’s imagination run wild and fill in the blanks for the
lacking video. We could make the voices
we heard look like anyone – just like reading a book! Perhaps that is why books and radio are still around and going
strong. Nothing can replace that wonderful
interaction of an individual’s spirit and senses that are inspired by reading
or merely hearing good characters working through everything life throws at
them.
When Bob Hope made it to the silver screen and
then to television, he was a pure talent, but more importantly, he played his
own character to the hilt. This man was
never more than seconds away from a smile.
I cannot remember ever hearing anyone say that they did not love or
appreciate the humor of Hope. There may
well be some tortured souls in the world who never heard of him or never liked
him, but I am certain they are in a small minority. Everybody loved Hope and he will be sorely missed.
It is well known that Bob Hope did more to
entertain the brave men and women who have served in the military all over the
world than any other entertainer in history.
There are many who have taken up this cause and are following in his
footsteps, especially lately, and that warms the cockles of my heart. They are too numerous to mention, from Wayne
Newton to Darryl Worley, but thank God they are out there willing to give unselfishly
of their time and talents to provide this most important service. And thank Bob Hope, who began to do this
work during World War II, and continued as long as he was physically able.
He literally gave the world Hope as he shared his
infinite spirit and that is what we will miss the most, Bob - that smile, that
spirit, that hope that you had the ability to inspire everywhere you went. When we meet again, you can expect to answer
one whale of curtain call! In this
world without Hope, perhaps that is best thing we have to look forward to –
that and our memories that you have graciously left us with.
I beg the patience of regular readers and
contributors, for I know I have been sorely lacking in timely updates
lately. This is not a pattern I plan to
continue, but circumstances have mandated it lately. Please know that I appreciate the time you spend here and the
contributions you make in feedback and materials to post.
Heartfelt thanks to all, Deb V
From Josh –
Author unknown
I Am the United States of America
I was born on July 4, 1776.
The Declaration of Independence is my birth certificate.
The bloodlines of the world flow through my veins
because I offered freedom to the oppressed.
I am many things and many people.
I am over 280 million living souls and the
ghosts of many more who have lived and died for me.
I am Nathan Hale, Ben Franklin and Paul Revere.
I am Washington, Jefferson and Patrick Henry.
I am Lee, Grant and Abraham Lincoln.
I am Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Jonas Salk and Billy Graham.
I am big.
I sprawl from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 3 million square miles throbbing
with industry.
I am the Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate and the Grand Canyon.
I am the coal fields of West Virginia, the majestic Rockies of Colorado, and
the sleepy bayous of Louisiana.
I am more than 5 million farms and 20 million small businesses.
I am forests, fields, mountains and desert.
I am quiet villages, and cities that never sleep.
I am little league baseball and the world series.
I am 200,000 schools and colleges, and 400,000 churches and synagogues where my
people worship God as they think best.
I am an editorial in a newspaper and a letter to a congressman.
I am the USS Arizona, the USS Cole, and United Flight 93.
I remember the Alamo, Pearl Harbor, and yes, the World Trade Center.
When freedom called, I answered, loud and clear.
I stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard round the world.
I am battle weary marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima, and New York
City firemen, raising the flag amid the rubble of Ground Zero.
I am a scared G.I. wading ashore at Omaha Beach, and a half-starved survivor of
the Bataan Death March.
I left my heroic dead at Gettysburg, Flanders Field, on the rock of Corregidor,
the bare slopes of Korea, and in the jungles of Vietnam.
I am a sailor kissing a girl I don't even know in Times Square as we celebrate
the end of World War II.
I am the pride of Memorial Day, Veterans' Day and July 4th.
I am the Statue of Liberty, weeping for those who have died in my name.
Yes, I am the nation, and these are the things that I am.
I was conceived in freedom and under God in freedom, I will spend the rest of
my days.
May I always possess the integrity, the courage, and the strength to keep
myself unshackled, to remain a citadel of freedom and a beacon of hope to the
world.
I am the United States of America.
Why Can’t We Be Heard?
Big Kahuna
We Americans who have such a disdain for
political correctness and rampant multiculturalism find it extremely difficult
to fathom why our government will do nothing to shore up our borders. Along
with so many others I am sick and tired of illegal line jumpers, killers and
America haters allowed to flood through our borders. They who have no respect
for our laws or customs present a definite threat to our country and our
safety. Most of us are sick and tired of watching ethnic minority leaders cry
racism whenever there is an attempt by congress to take control of our borders.
When will we realize that with over 300,000 illegal alien fugitives including
over 6,000 from the Middle East on the loose, this despite deportation orders,
something must be done soon. I for one and hopefully many of you are sick and
tired of lobbyist and lawmakers from both parties, caving in and selling out
our national security. Most of this in an attempt to pander to those groups for
voting support in future elections. Lets take steps to rid ourselves of those
profit driven immigration lawyers as well as those political strategists of both
parties and become a country that has laws that are respected and borders that
are secure with a language that is spoken and understood by all.
From Heather -
The Fall of the Athenian Republic.
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only
exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse
(generous gifts) from the public treasury.
From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates
promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a
democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, which is always followed
by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world's greatest civilization has been two hundred
years. These nations have progressed through this sequence. From
bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage
to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from
abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to
dependence; from dependence back into bondage."
Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University of Law, St. Paul, MN passed on
that gem & provides the following 2000 election facts for consideration.
Population of counties:
- won by Gore 127 million
- won by Bush 143 million
Sq. miles of country:
- won by Gore 580,000
- won by Bush 2,427,000
States:
- won by Gore 19
- won by Bush 29
Murder per 100,000 residents in counties:
- won by Gore 13.2
- won by Bush 2.1 (not a typo)
Professor Olson adds ...
"And may I add that the map of the territory Bush won was (mostly) the
land owned by the people of this great country. Not the citizens living in cities owned by the government and
living off the government."
We
have the greatest opportunity the world has ever seen, as long as we remain
honest — which will be as long as we can keep the attention of our people
alive. If they once become inattentive to public affairs, you and I, and
Congress and Assemblies, judges and governors would all become wolves. — Thomas
Jefferson
From Josh -
Patriots and Friends,
It is no wonder that many Americans no longer observe Memorial Day with
reverence. Schools no longer teach civics, the courts exclude God
(officially) from the public square, and the media and malls
"celebrate" Memorial Day for commercial sales. Indeed, Memorial
Day has been sold out.
Fortunately, Memorial Day is still reserved by American Patriots as a day to
honor the service and sacrifice of fallen men and women who donned our Armed
Forces uniforms with honor.
When contemplating this Memorial Day, consider these tender words from
3-year-old Taylor Pokorney at the funeral service for his father, Marine Corps
1st Lt. Frederick Pokorney, killed in action recently in Iraqi: "My
daddy, my hero, I will take care of Mommy for you as you asked. We will
be best friends. I will take her to
SeaWorld for my birthday like you planned.
I love you. I need you. I miss you."
From Heather -
A Poem
Author Unknown
Eleven thousand
soldiers lay beneath the dirt and stone,
All buried on a distant land so far away from home.
For just a strip of dismal beach they paid a hero's price,
To save a foreign nation, they all made the sacrifice.
And now the shores of Normandy are lined with blocks of white -
Americans who didn't turn from someone else's plight.
Eleven thousand reasons for the French to take our side,
But in the moment of our need, they chose to run and hide.
Chirac said every war means loss, perhaps for France that's true,
For they've lost every battle since the days of Waterloo.
Without a soldier worth a damn to be found in the region,
The French became the only land to need a Foreign Legion.
You French all say we're arrogant. Well
hell, we've earned the right--
We saved your sorry nation when you lacked the guts to fight.
But now you've made a big mistake, and one that you will regret;
You took sides with our enemies, and that we won't forget.
It wasn't just our citizens you spit on when you turned,
But every one of ours who fell the day the towers burned.
You spit upon our soldiers, on our pilots and Marines,
And now you'll get a little sense of just what payback means.
So keep your Paris fashions and your wine and your champagne,
And find some other market that will buy your aeroplanes.
And try to find somebody else to wear your French cologne,
For you're about to find out what it means to stand alone.
You see, you need us far more than we ever needed you.
America has better friends who know how to be true.
I'd rather stand with warriors who have the will and might,
Than huddle in the dark with those whose only flag is white.
I'll take the Brits, the Aussies, the Israelis and the rest,
For when it comes to valor we have seen that they're the best.
We'll count on one another as we face a moment dire,
While you sit on the sideline with a sign "friendship for hire."
We'll win this war without you and we'll total up the cost,
And take it from your foreign aid, and then you'll feel the loss.
And when your nation starts to fall, well, Frenchie, you can spare us,
Just call the Germans for a hand, they know the way to Paris.
From Heather -
Ruling on Richard
Reid, "The Shoe Bomber" by Judge William Young
U.S. District Court Judge William Young made the following statement in
sentencing "shoe bomber" Richard Reid to prison. It is noteworthy,
and deserves to be remembered far longer than he predicts.
January 30, 2003 United States vs. Reid.
Judge Young: Mr.
Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes upon you.
On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the custody
of the United States Attorney General.
On counts 2, 3, 4 and 7, the Court sentences you to 20 years in prison on each
count, the sentence on each count to run consecutive with the other. That's 80
years.
On count 8 the Court sentences you to the mandatory 30 years consecutive to the
80 years just imposed. The Court imposes upon you each of the eight counts a
fine of $250,000 for the aggregate fine of $2 million.
The Court accepts the government's recommendation with respect to restitution
and orders restitution in the amount of $298.17 to Andre Bousquet and $5,784 to
American Airlines.
The Court imposes upon you the $800 special assessment.
The Court imposes upon you five years supervised release simply because the law
requires it. But the life sentences are real life sentences so I need go no
further.
This is the sentence that is provided for by our statues. It is a fair and just
sentence. It is a righteous sentence. Let me explain this to you.
We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the
fire before. There is all too much war talk here. And I say that to everyone
with the utmost respect.
Here in this court, where we deal with individuals as individuals, and care for
individuals as individuals, as human beings we reach out for justice, you are
not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist.
You are not a soldier in any war. You are a terrorist. To give you that
reference, to call you a soldier gives you far too much stature. Whether it is
the officers of government who do it or your attorney who does it, or that
happens to be your view, you are a terrorist.
And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not treat with terrorists. We do
not sign documents with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them
to justice.
So war talk is way out of line in this court. You are a big fellow. But you are not that big. You're no warrior.
I know warriors. You are a terrorist. A species of criminal guilty of multiple
attempted murders.
In a very real sense Trooper Santigo had it right when you first were taken off
that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and where the TV
crews were and he said you're no big deal.
You're no big deal.
What your counsel, what your able counsel and what the equally able United
States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how
tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it that
led you here to this courtroom today? I have listened respectfully to what you
have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself what sort of
unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit you are guilty of
doing. And I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you. But as I search
this entire record it comes as close to understanding as I know.
It seems to me you hate the one thing that is most precious. You hate our
freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as we choose,
to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually
choose.
Here, in this society, the very winds carry freedom. They carry it everywhere
from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that
you are here in this beautiful courtroom.
So that everyone can see, truly see that justice is administered
fairly, individually, and discretely.
It is for freedom's sake that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on your
behalf and have filed appeals, will go on in their, their representation of you
before other judges. We are about it.
Because we all know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure
of our own liberties. Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bear
any burden, pay any price, to preserve our freedoms.
Look around this courtroom. Mark it well. The world is not going to long
remember what you or I say here. Day after tomorrow it will be forgotten. But
this, however, will long endure. Here in this courtroom and courtrooms all
across America, the American people will gather to see that justice, individual
justice, justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done.
The very President of the United States through his officers will have to come
into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged,
and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence
democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.
See that flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America. That
flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag stands for
freedom. You know it always will.
Custody Mr. Officer. Stand him down.
Judge Young’s
comments need to be circulated and read by all Americans who doubt that justice
is ever done in America.
Deb V
From This Site
If you’ve never visited it – you will be amazed!
The Blind Men and the Elephant
John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)
|
It was six men of Indostan |
|
The First approached the Elephant, |
|
The Second, feeling of the tusk, |
|
The Third approached the animal, |
|
The Fourth reached out an eager hand, |
|
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the
ear, |
|
The Sixth no sooner had begun |
|
And so these men of
Indostan |
From Josh – Already
published once on this site, but worth a re-read.
Footprints in Time...
When an old lady died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Dundee,
Scotland, it was felt that she had nothing left of any value. Later, when the
nurses were going through her meager possessions, they found this poem. Its
quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and
distributed to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Ireland.
The old lady's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas
edition of the News Magazine of the North
Ireland Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made
based on her simple, but eloquent, poem.
...And this little old Scottish lady, with
nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this
"anonymous" poem....winging across the Internet. Goes to show that we
all leave "SOME footprints in time"...
An Old Lady's Poem
What do you see, nurses, what do you
see?
What are you thinking when you're looking at me?
A crabby old woman, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit, with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles her food and makes no reply
When you say in a loud voice, "I do wish you'd try!"
Who seems not to notice the things that you do,
And forever is losing a stocking or shoe.....
Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill....
Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse: you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of ten ...with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters, who love one another.
A young girl of sixteen, with wings on her feet,
Dreaming that soon now a lover she'll meet.
A bride soon at twenty -- my heart gives a leap,
Remembering the vows that I promised to keep.
At twenty-five now, I have young of my own,
Who need me to guide, and a secure happy home.
A woman of thirty, my young now grown fast,
Bound to each other with ties that should last.
At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,
But my man's beside me to see I don't mourn.
At fifty once more, babies play round my knee,
Again we know children, my loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead;
I look at the future, I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing young of their own,
And I think of the years and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old woman ...and nature is cruel;
'Tis jest to make old age look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles, grace and vigor depart,
There is now a stone where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,
And now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
And I'm loving and living life over again.
I think of the years ....all too few, gone too fast,
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, nurses, open and see,
Not a crabby old woman; look closer ...see ME!!
Remember this poem when you next meet an old person who you might brush aside
without looking at the young soul within . We will one day be there, too!
Courtesy is not expensive and it pays big dividends.
From Cal –
Woodland, CA 1 May 2003
When Freeman Elementary student Christian De Knikker approached
Freeman Elementary Principle Belen' Orella-Lee about posting some posters
depicting an American flag with the words "We Support Our
Troops" on campus, he was met with some opposition. Ms. Orella-Lee stated,
"We can't do that, we must be sensitive to other
peoples feelings." Sixth Grader Christian De Knikker was
dumbfounded by the Principle's position on not supporting the troops at Freeman
Elementary. Ms. Orella-Lee has a son who is in the United States
Marine Corps. This is the same school that outlawed the wearing of caps on
campus, which was changed when the temperatures reached below freezing and the
snow began to fall. This is the same school that promotes Mexico on a mural
painted on the west side of the campus building depicting farm labor with
captions in Spanish and English.
Freeman Elementary School
Principle, Belen' Orella-Lee
126 North West Street
Woodland CA 95695
From Lewie –
The Shell Oil Company recently
issued a warning after three incidents in which mobile phones (cell phones)
ignited fumes during fueling operations.
In the first case, the
phone was placed on the car's trunk lid during fueling; it rang and the ensuing
fire destroyed the car and the gasoline pump.
In the second, an individual suffered severe burns to their face when fumes
ignited as they answered a call while refueling their car.
And in the third, an individual suffered burns to the thigh and groin as fumes
ignited when the phone, which was in their pocket, rang while they were fueling
their car.
You should know that:
Mobile Phones can ignite fuel or fumes
Mobile phones that light up when switched on or when they ring release enough
energy to provide a spark for ignition
Mobile phones should not be used in filling stations, or when fueling lawn
mowers, boats, etc.
Mobile phones should not be used, or should be turned off, around other
materials that generate flammable or explosive fumes or dust, (i.e. solvents,
chemicals, gases, grain dust, etc.)
To sum it up, here are the: Four Rules for Safe Refueling
1) Turn off engine
2) Don't smoke
3) Don't use your cell phone - leave it inside the vehicle or turn it off
4) Don't re-enter your vehicle during fueling
Bob Renkes of Petroleum Equipment Institute is working on a campaign to try and
make people aware of fires as a result of "static electricity" at gas
pumps. His company has researched 150 cases of these fires.
His results were very surprising:
1) Out of 150 cases, almost all of them were women.
2) Almost all cases involved the person getting back in their vehicle while the
nozzle was still pumping gas. When finished, they went back to pull the
nozzle out and the fire started, as a result of static.
3) Most had on rubber-soled shoes.
4) Most men never get back in their vehicle until completely finished.
This is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.
5) Don't ever use cell phones when pumping gas
6) It is the vapors that come out of the gas that cause the fire, when
connected with static charges.
7) There were 29 fires where the vehicle was re-entered and the nozzle was
touched during refueling from a variety of makes and models. Some resulted in extensive damage to the
vehicle, to the station, and to the customer.
8) Seventeen fires occurred before, during or immediately after the gas cap was
removed and before fueling began.
Mr. Renkes stresses to NEVER get back into your vehicle while filling it with
gas. If you absolutely HAVE to get in
your vehicle while the gas is pumping, make sure you get out, close the door
TOUCHING THE METAL, before you ever pull the nozzle out. This way the
static from your body will be discharged before you ever remove the nozzle.
As I mentioned earlier, The Petroleum Equipment Institute, along with several
other companies now, are really trying to make the public aware of this
danger. You can find out more information by going to http://www.pei.org Once here, click in the center of the screen
where it says "Stop Static".
I ask you to please send this information to ALL your family and friends,
especially those who have kids in the car with them while pumping gas. If
this were to happen to them, they may not be able to get the children out in time.
Thanks for passing this along.
Pat Cabiling -ChevrontexacoUSA
RFMS Richmond California Refinery
From John –
Absolutely!! Logic applied
to politics as you enumerated could do it for the republic
.... true, it would take some cramming to even get a passing
grade but it would be a start. If I may,
I'd like to interject something about "words having
consequences" -- and not only as applied to politicos; but to the Hollywood point
females/males for the DNC who are lamenting the backlash to
their venomous spewings about the president / USA ..
it's not 'censorship' or 'McCarthyism' -- it's even covered in the
good book, to wit:
"Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned"? Proverbs 6-7: 23
This is a
commencement speech made by Anna Quindlen at
Villanova:
"I have no specialized field of interest or expertise, which puts me at a
disadvantage talking to you today. I'm a novelist. My work is human
nature. Real life is all I know. Don't
ever confuse the two, your life and your work.
The second is only part of the first.
Don't ever forget what
a friend once wrote Senator Paul Tsongas when the senator decided not to run
for re-election because he had been diagnosed with cancer: "No man ever
said on his deathbed, I wish I had spent more time at the office."
Don't ever forget the words my father sent me on a postcard last year:
"If you win the rat race, you're still a rat." Or what John
Lennon wrote before he was gunned down in the driveway of the Dakota:
"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."
You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else
has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same
degree; there will be thousands of
people doing what you want to do for a living.
But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your
life. Your particular life. Your
entire life. Not just your life at
a desk, or your life on a bus, or in a car, or at the computer. Not just
the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank account
but your soul.
People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much easier to
write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is a cold comfort on a
winter night, or when you're sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you've gotten
back the test results and they're not so good.
Here is my resume: I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to
let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent. I no longer consider myself the center of
the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I
have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them,
there would be nothing to say to you today, because I would be a cardboard
cutout. But I call them on the phone,
and I meet them for lunch. I would be rotten, or at best mediocre at my
job, if those other things were not true.
You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you
are.
So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a
manic pursuit of the next promotion,
the bigger paycheck, the larger house.
Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an
aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast? Get a life in
which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze over
Seaside Heights, a life in which you stop and watch how a red tailed hawk
circles over the water or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she
tries to pick up a Cheerio with her thumb and first finger.
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love
you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the
phone. Send an e-mail. Write a
letter. Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is
the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care
so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around.
Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister. All of you want to do well. But if you do
not do good, too, then doing well will never be enough. It is so easy to
waste our lives, our days, our hours, our minutes. It is so easy to take for
granted the color of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and
falls and disappears and rises again.
It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many
years ago. Something really, really bad
happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my
druthers, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the
hardest lesson of all. I learned to love the journey, not the
destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today
is the only guarantee you get. I
learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back
because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that,
in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this:
Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the backyard with the sun on your
face. Learn to be happy. And
think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with
joy and passion as it ought to be lived.
From
Helen – Great Site to explore physics!
From Ken
-
Samuel Thompson wrote:
I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a
Ho-Ho-Ho song in December.
I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a
lawyer when my high school teacher taught his theory of evolution.
Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be
endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So
what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book
of Acts.
They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant
safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.
"But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue.
Yes, and this is the United States of America, a country founded on Christian
principles.
And we are in the Bible Belt. According to our very own phone book, Christian
churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect --
somebody chanting Hare Krishna? If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I
would expect to hear a Jewish prayer. If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I
would expect to hear a Muslim prayer. If I went to a ping pong match in China,
I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha. And I wouldn't be offended. It
wouldn't bother me one bit. When in
Rome... "But what about the atheists?" is another argument. What
about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass
the
collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much,
bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the
concession stand. Call your lawyer. Unfortunately, one or two will make that call.
One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a
short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.
Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our
courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to
pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us just to
pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us
to cease praying. God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you,
well..........just sue me. The silent majority has been silent too long.. it's
time we let that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard, know that the
vast majority don't care what they want.. it is time the majority rules!
It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray.. you don't have to
say the pledge of allegiance, you don't have to believe in God or attend
services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right.. but
by golly you are no longer going to take our rights away ..
We are fighting back.. and we WILL WIN! After all, the God you have the right
to denounce, is on our side!
God bless us one and all, especially those who denounce Him...
God bless America, despite all her faults.. still the greatest nation of
all.....
God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and
worship God...
May 2003 be the year the silent majority is heard and we put
God back as the foundation of our families and institutions.
Keep looking up......
In God WE Trust
From Alan –
An elder
American absent mindedly arrived at French customs at Paris airport and fumbled
for his passport. "You have been to France before Monsieur?", the
customs officer asked sarcastically. The ancient Yank admitted that he had been
to France before. "Then you should know enough to have your passport ready
for inspection", snapped the irate official. The American said that the
last time he came to France he did not have to show his passport.
"Impossible, old man. You Americans always have to show your passports on
arrival in France."
The old
American gave the Frenchman a long hard look. "I assure you, young man,
that when I came ashore on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D Day in 1944, there was
no Frenchman on the beach asking to see my passport!"
From Judy –
Hard work spotlights
the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses,
and some don't turn up at all. -Sam
Ewing
Thanks Heather!
You know the world
is going crazy when:
the best
rapper is a white guy,
the best golfer is a black guy,
The Swiss hold the America's Cup,
France is accusing the US of arrogance,
and Germany doesn't want to go to war.
This one’s from Alan
A
friend of mine is in the Naval Reserve. A few weeks ago, he was attending a
conference that included admirals in both the US and the French navies. At a cocktail reception, my friend found
himself in a small group that included an admiral from each of the two navies.
The French admiral started complaining that whereas Europeans learned many
languages, Americans only learned English.
He then asked. "Why is it that we have to speak English in these
conferences rather than you have to speak French? Without even
hesitating, the American admiral replied.
"Maybe it is because we arranged it so that you did not have to
learn to speak German."
The group became silent.
Don’t Miss This!
Thanks to Josh Duncan once again.
Thanks to Connie for this one.
By Jeff Hildebrandt,
from his book
Cowboy Up America
When a cowboy's in a pinch,
He just tightens up the cinch,
Spurs his horse and rides right through it
'Cause that's the way the Duke'd do it.
He'd cowboy up.
And when our country is in danger,
A cowboy's like the old Lone Ranger.
Ridin' hard and shootin' straight,
Fightin' those who spread the hate.
He's cowboy'd up.
A cowboy's ready and he's willin'
To face the foe, like Marshal Dillon.
And when the gunsmoke clears away,
Cowboy spirit wins the day.
So, cowboy up. Pull that hat down tight,
And don't back down from what is right.
We'll bring back "Happy Trails" for you
Like Hoppy, Gene, and Roy would do.
Think back about Flight 93
And how those heroes came to be.
They knew that thousands more could die
If they just let that airplane fly.
They cowboy'd up.
One widow had this tale to share,
A husband's love and one last prayer.
And when their sacrifice was done,
Terror lost and Freedom won.
"Let's roll," he said, and cowboy'd up.
'Cause cowboys fight until they win
Just like TV's Paladin.
They will not let our flag unravel
As long as they Have Gun, Will Travel
And cowboy up, hell bent for leather.
'Cause we're all in this fight together.
We're ridin' hard right on their trail
And with God's help, we will prevail.
If Gary Cooper, Joel McCrae,
And Randolph Scott were here today,
They'd fight for what is right and true
Like Rex and Tex and Lash LaRue.
They'd cowboy up.
So, let's give Uncle Sam a hand,
'Cause we're all ridin' for his brand.
Let New York and the Pentagon
Inspire resolve to carry on.
So cowboy up and listen tight.
The world had better do what's right.
Our country's through with playin' games.
We're kickin' butt and taking names.
We've cowboy'd up. In God We Trust.
We fight because our cause is just.
We're standin' tall and standin' free,
'Cause we won't stand for tyranny.
So America, cowboy up.
Thanks to Alan for these tips!
Drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve
headache pain almost immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by
traditional pain relievers.
____________________________
Did you know that Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve for
burns.
_____________________________
Before you head to he drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with
mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints.
They'll clear up your stuffed nose.
_____________________________
Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 Tablespoon of horseradish in
1/2 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a
massage oil, for instant relief for aching muscles.
_____________________________
Sore Throat?? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and
take 1 Tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.
___________________________
Cure urinary tract infections with alka-seltzer. Just dissolve two
tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms.
Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-even
though the product has never been advertised for this use.
________________________________
Eliminate puffiness under your eyes.....All you need is a dab of
preparation H, carefully rubbed into the skin, avoiding the eyes. The
hemorrhoid ointment acts as a vasoconstrictor, relieving the swelling
instantly.
________________________________
Honey remedy for Skin Blemishes......Cover the blemish with a dab of
honey and place a band-aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin
sterile, and speeds healing. It works overnight.
________________________________
Listerine therpy for toenail fungus....Get rid of unsightly toenail
fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic
leaves your toenails looking healthy again.
_______________________________
Easy eyeglass protection....To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from
loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear nail polish to the
threads of the screws before tightening them.
______________________________
Coca-Cola cure for rust...Forget those expensive rust removers. Just
saturate an abrasive sponge with Coca Cola and scrub the rust stain. The
phosphoric acid in the coke is what gets the job done.
_____________________________
Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer....If menacing bees, wasps,
hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide,
try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly.
____________________________
Smart splinter remover.....just pour a drop of Elmers Glue-all over the
splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to
the dried glue.
______________________________
Hunt's tomato paste boil cure....Cover the boil with Hunt's tomato
paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the
boil to a head.
______________________________
Balm for broken blisters.....To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a
few drops of Listerine....a powerful antiseptic. Heinz vinegar to heal
bruises...Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1
hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.
_____________________________
Kills fleas instantly. Dawn dishwashing liquid does the trick. Add a
few drops to your dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well to
avoid skin irritations. Goodbye fleas
_____________________________
Rainy day cure for dog odor....Next time your dog comes in from the
rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly
making your dog smell springtime fresh.
_______________________________
Eliminate ear mites....All it takes is a few drops of wesson corn oil
in your cat's ear. Massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball. Repeat daily
for 3 days. The oil soothes the cat's skin, smothers the mites, and accelerates
healing.
_____________________________
Vaseline cure for hairballs.....To prevent troublesome hairballs, apply
a dollop of vaseline petroleum jelly to your cat's nose. The cat will lick off
the jelly, lubricating any hair in its stomach so it can pass easily through
the digestive system.
_____________________________
Quaker Oats for fast pain relief....It's not for breakfast anymore! Mix
2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave
for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for
soothing relief from arthritis pain
Thanks to Cal for
submitting this
A LESSON TO MY SON by A
PROUD AMERICAN Irma S. Chambers
The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why
we were at war. My
husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My
husband and I were in
the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to
serve and defend
our country again today. I knew that my husband would
give him a good explanation.
My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my
son to go stand in our front living room window. He told him "Son, stand
there and tell me what you see?"
"I see trees and cars and our neighbors
houses" he replied.
"OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and
our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush."
Our son giggled and said "OK."
"Now son, I want you to look out the window and
pretend that every house
and yard on this block is a different country" my
husband said.
"OK Dad, I'm pretending."
"Now I want you to stand there and look out the
window and see that man come out of his house with his wife and he has her
by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in
the face, he throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her to death.
Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are crying, they
are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and afraid of
their father. You see all of this son....what do you do?"
"Dad?"
"What do you do son?"
"I call the police, Dad."
"OK. Pretend that the police are the United
Nations and they take your
call, listen to what you know and saw but they refuse
to help. What do you do then son?"
"Dad, but the police are supposed to help!"
My son starts to whine.
"They don't want to son, because they say that it
is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out
of it," my husband says.
"But Dad...he killed her!!" my son exclaims.
"I know he did...but the police tell you to stay
out of it. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our
neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to
his children."
"Daddy...he kills them?"
"Yes son, he does. What do you do?"
"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go
and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him" our son says.
"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is
happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and
help you stop him," my husband says.
"But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can't stop him by
myself!!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO SON?"
Our son starts to cry.
"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the
street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He
stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?"
"What Daddy?"
"He walks across the street to the old ladies
house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets
her house on fire and then...he kills her. He turns around and sees you
standing in the window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?!!!"
"Daddy..."
"WHAT DO YOU DO?!!!"
Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers,
"I close the blinds, Daddy."
My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and
asks him... "Why?"
"Because Daddy.....the police are supposed to
help...people who needs it ....and they won't help....You always say that
neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either
...they won't help me stop him...I'm afraid....I can't do it by
myself...Daddy.....I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these
terrible things and ...and .....do nothing...so....I'm just going to close the
blinds....so I can't see what he's doing ........and I'm going to pretend that
it is
not happening."
I start to cry.
My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in
the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husbands questions
and he tells him .... "Son"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Open the blinds because that man....he's at your front
door -"WHAT DO YOU DO?!!"
My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes.
He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without
hesitation he says: "I DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT
MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!! I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT
HIM!!!!!"
I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs my son
to his chest and hugs him tight, and cries..."It's too late to fight him,
he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son.....you should have
stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife. You have to do what's
right, even if you have to do it alone, before......it's too late" my
husband whispers.
THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq.
When good men stand by and let evil happen is the greatest EVIL of all. Our
President is doing what is right. We, as a free nation, must understand that
this war is a war of humanity. WE must remove this evil man from power so that
we can continue to live in a free world where we are not
afraid to look out our window and see crimes on humanity. So
that my nine
year old son won't grow up in a world where he feels that if
he just "closes" the blinds the atrocities in the world won't affect
him.
Today the second day of "WAR on IRAQ" I felt
compelled to write this and pass
it along. Hopefully, you will understand the lesson my
husband tried to teach our son.
"YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT! EVEN IF
YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!" BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE PROUD OF OUR
PRESIDENT! BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS!! SUPPORT THEM!!! SUPPORT AMERICA!! SO THAT
IN THE FUTURE OUR
CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS...."
Thanks Heather!
Paul Harvey Writes:
We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.
For my grandchildren, I'd like better.
I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice
cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches.
I really would.
I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by
being cheated.
I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.
It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog
put to sleep.
I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a
line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers
with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.
When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along,
I hope you'll let him/her.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in
a town where you can do it safely.
On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver
to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool
as your Mom.
If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of
buying one.
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in
your head.
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a
boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap
tastes like.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick
your tongue on a frozen flagpole.
I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a
friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go
fishing with your Uncle.
May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.
I hope your mother punishes you when you throw
a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you
at Hanukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.
These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and
happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.
Recently, I received this note written to Fox News. It strikes the clear chord of truth. Deb V
From a
Marine’s Mom
I have been
glued to Fox News because Rick Leventhal is with my son’s company.
I was so
pleased this morning when Rick commented on (what seems to be the only subject
the news reporters are interested in) the safety of the civilians. Give me
a break! This is war! What about the
chance the troops take by being so careful not to hurt the Civilians? How many
soldiers have to lose their lives or become injured from these so-called
civilians? I do believe our troops are being extra careful to protect
them, obviously more than their leader is, so can we just get over this issue
and win the war so our sons, daughters, husbands and wives can come home
safely!
Sue
P.S. Tell
Rick I know I'm not alone when thanking him for bringing our loved ones closer
to home by his reports. God Bless all of them!
World Net Daily ran
an article containing E-mails from the battlefield. Of utmost concern in these notes is that of reported truth by the
media back home. This is worth reading! Deb V
Thoughtful Words
From the Big Kahuna
George W. Bush must
feel the full weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders. Yet our President
is not alone as he wrestles with momentous decisions. The Lord is with him,
just like He was with George Washington and so many of the founding fathers
during those trying times in our nation's history. Never lose sight of the fact
that some of the greatest men in history have put their faith in the Lord.
In these times of
trial, bear witness and honor the Lord who reminds us of our Godly heritage. We
must never neglect to pray to the source of America's guidance,
strength and protection-- a comforting and reassuring thought during these
troubled times.
God bless America, our
troops and President Bush.
HISTORY LESSON, NOT
ASSAULT
Submitted by Josh
Duncan
03/30/03
With all of this talk of impending war, many of us will encounter "Peace
Activists" who will try and convince us that we must refrain from
retaliating against the ones who terrorized us all on September 11, 2001, and
those who support terror. These
activists may be alone or in a gathering.....most of us don't know how to react
to them. When you come upon one of these people, or one of their rallies, here
are the proper rules of etiquette:
1. Listen politely
while this person explains their views. Strike up a conversation if necessary
and look very interested in their ideas. They will tell you how revenge is
immoral, and that by attacking the people who did this to us, we will only
bring on more violence. They will probably use many arguments, ranging from
political to religious to humanitarian.
2. In the middle of
their remarks, without any warning, punch them in the nose.
3. When the person
gets up off of the ground, they will be very angry and they may try to hit you,
so be careful.
4. Very quickly and
calmly remind the person that violence only brings about more violence and
remind them of their stand on this matter. Tell them if they are really
committed to a nonviolent approach to undeserved attacks, they will turn the
other cheek and negotiate a solution. Tell them they must lead by example if
they really believe what they are saying.
5. Most of them will
think for a moment and then agree that you are correct.
6. As soon as they do
that, hit them again. Only this time hit them much harder. Square in the nose.
7. Repeat steps 2-5
until the desired results are obtained and the idiot realizes how stupid of an
argument he/she is making.
8. There is no
difference in an individual attacking an unsuspecting victim or a group of
terrorists attacking a nation of people. It is unacceptable and must be dealt
with. Perhaps at a high cost. We owe
our military a huge debt for what they are about to do for us and our children.
We must support them and our leaders at times like these. We have no choice. We either strike back,
VERY HARD, or we will keep getting hit in the nose.
Lesson over, class dismissed!
True Stories Of
Military Service
Jim Askew
03/26/03
I saw this on your
page and thought I could add a true story inspired by watching our guys passing
candy bars to Iraqi kids today.
During my patrols on the
Qua Viet river we passed a village with no name where we greeted the children
in the village with c-rats and candy bars and taught them to yell George
Wallace okay when we passed their vil.
They didn't know who George Wallace was and spoke no other words in
English but knew that we would toss c-rats and toss concussions grenades
upstream to send a bunch of fish downstream in our passing.
War is always brutal
but there are always some good acts.
Human Shields and the Leftists
by the Big Kahuna
Though the above seem
to be the most vocal and therefore receive a great deal of attention from the
mainstream liberal press, their number is not to be construed as representing
mainstream America. This opinion, I sincerely hope, is not just mine, but also
many of my cyber buddies. Meanwhile, across the border in Iraq, there is my
grandson,
Nicholas Romano, CPL. United States Marines, proceeding into Iraq from the north, south and east. He is joined
by 249,999, which means there are about 250,000 of Americas finest young men
and women serving their country as "OUR" "human shields".
They are our U.S. armed forces defending our liberty and our national security,
confronting our enemy on orders from their Commander-in-Chief (who compared to some
we have had in the not too distant past) is worthy of our trust and faith. I
would be derelict if I didn't also mention some of Great Britain's (50,000)
finest and other allied troops. So much for the liberal ranting about our
unilateral action! It is to my absolute amazement that this hasn't deterred
those
lobotomized cretins and children of all ages. They along with other opportunist
from the left, who gather the disenchanted from all over are converging on our
larger cities to promote their leftist agenda. Little do they realize that in
most parts of the world they would be promptly kicked in their collective
derrières and thrown post haste into some very unpleasant jail. I would also
hazard a guess that the key would be thrown away!
God bless America, and
all of our fighting troops.