I was listening to one of my favorite radio shows, Laura Ingraham, today while driving around in my cruiser looking for bad guys, when I was struck by a guest that Laura had on her show. It was Major Tammy Duckworth of the Illinois National Guard. If you have not heard her story, read it. It's long, but very inspirational.
In a nutshell, Major Duckworth was piloting an Army Blackhawk in Iraq last year when the helicopter was struck by a rockey propelled grenade, which detonated between her legs. She lost her right leg, and most of her left, half of the blood in her body as well as a host of other injuries.
What struck me while listening to her was this:
1. Her main goal is to get back in the pilot seat. "There is no way I am done flying," is what I heard her say during her interview.
2. When asked about Cindy Sheehan, her reply was that Ms. Sheehan has every right to express her point of view, and the Major would no criticize her in any way.
3. Major Duckworth is in the National Guard, folks, not the regular Army. At the time of her commission, she chose 5 preferences for assignments, and first on the list was the only field where she would go to a combat unit, Aviation.
Ladies and Gentelmen, if the story of Major Duckworth does not inspire you, nothing will. What upsets me is that I have heard about Cindy Sheehan on the news every night for weeks now, and this is the first that I have heard about Major Duckworth, who was shot down almost a year ago.
Once Again, God bless the troops, and God Bless the United States of America.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Support Our Troops
I have had this post building inside of me for a long, long time, since before the existence of this Blog. It is basically summed up by one statement: Anything but one hundred percent support for the troops and their mission makes their job harder to accomplish.
I am sick and tired of the lily-livered comment “I support the troops, but not the war.” Folks, the troops are at war for our freedom. They are making huge sacrifices so that our way of life is not wiped from the face of the earth.
Make no bones about it. Extreme Islam has had the United States in its sights for a very long time. Remember the Iran Hostages? September 11, 2001, was the culmination of a very long effort to strike at us here. Thankfully, we have a President that, as Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces, who recognized the significance of that attack. He also knows that the best defense includes a strong offence.
President Bush made it clear a long time ago that this war was different. He told us that it would be fought on many fronts, and this was not a war on specific countries. Right now, we are embroiled in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some will try to make you believe that we are losing. I don’t think so. I just know that this war will take much longer than most people have patience for, and that there will be setbacks along the way.
I have noticed that people generally tend to accept the mission in Afghanistan. We are still there fighting terrorists, even though the country has a new government that is working well. Yet, when it comes to Iraq, people have a problem. Yet when you think about it, the mission is the same, basically. We are there fighting terrorists while the new government is forming a new constitution. The only difference is the number of terrorists there, and the fact that the enemy was better prepared before we arrived.
I want to take this opportunity to make one point very clear. Saddam Hussein was a terrorist. He just happened to also be the “leader” of a nation as well, and had all of the resources of the country at his disposal. He needed to go. In my first rant on terrorism, I provided links to some interesting information about Saddam’s links to terrorism. If you haven’t seen them, you should check it out.
So when a group of people go to Crawford, Texas, to protest the war in Iraq, they need to be reminded just who it is that makes it possible for them to be there. The next time you see a soldier in uniform out in public, make sure to shake his or her hand and thank them for what they do. God Bless the United States and its Armed Forces.
Best place I've found for info on the troops: Jack Army
I am sick and tired of the lily-livered comment “I support the troops, but not the war.” Folks, the troops are at war for our freedom. They are making huge sacrifices so that our way of life is not wiped from the face of the earth.
Make no bones about it. Extreme Islam has had the United States in its sights for a very long time. Remember the Iran Hostages? September 11, 2001, was the culmination of a very long effort to strike at us here. Thankfully, we have a President that, as Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces, who recognized the significance of that attack. He also knows that the best defense includes a strong offence.
President Bush made it clear a long time ago that this war was different. He told us that it would be fought on many fronts, and this was not a war on specific countries. Right now, we are embroiled in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some will try to make you believe that we are losing. I don’t think so. I just know that this war will take much longer than most people have patience for, and that there will be setbacks along the way.
I have noticed that people generally tend to accept the mission in Afghanistan. We are still there fighting terrorists, even though the country has a new government that is working well. Yet, when it comes to Iraq, people have a problem. Yet when you think about it, the mission is the same, basically. We are there fighting terrorists while the new government is forming a new constitution. The only difference is the number of terrorists there, and the fact that the enemy was better prepared before we arrived.
I want to take this opportunity to make one point very clear. Saddam Hussein was a terrorist. He just happened to also be the “leader” of a nation as well, and had all of the resources of the country at his disposal. He needed to go. In my first rant on terrorism, I provided links to some interesting information about Saddam’s links to terrorism. If you haven’t seen them, you should check it out.
So when a group of people go to Crawford, Texas, to protest the war in Iraq, they need to be reminded just who it is that makes it possible for them to be there. The next time you see a soldier in uniform out in public, make sure to shake his or her hand and thank them for what they do. God Bless the United States and its Armed Forces.
Best place I've found for info on the troops: Jack Army
A sad state of affairs in the Education System
I am using the Microsoft Word Blog tool that I downloaded recently for this post to see how it works.
I don’t have much to say; though I had something happen today that I think will be fodder for future posts. I was at an amusement park with the family today. My wife went to one of the snack shops there, and made a purchase of $4.05. Not wanting to get a handful of change back, she handed the cashier $5.25. Now, having been hired as a cashier, one would think that the person behind the counter would know how to at least do math, if not properly count back change. No. He didn’t. After he called over a co-worker, who was just as confused as he was, my wife then told him that the change was $1.20. That was enough to satisfy the cashier, and my wife was on her way.
Folks, these were two high-school aged people working behind the counter. How can they not know the math involved with that simple transaction? Home schooling seems a lot better every day.
I don’t have much to say; though I had something happen today that I think will be fodder for future posts. I was at an amusement park with the family today. My wife went to one of the snack shops there, and made a purchase of $4.05. Not wanting to get a handful of change back, she handed the cashier $5.25. Now, having been hired as a cashier, one would think that the person behind the counter would know how to at least do math, if not properly count back change. No. He didn’t. After he called over a co-worker, who was just as confused as he was, my wife then told him that the change was $1.20. That was enough to satisfy the cashier, and my wife was on her way.
Folks, these were two high-school aged people working behind the counter. How can they not know the math involved with that simple transaction? Home schooling seems a lot better every day.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Property Rights
Not a lot of time today for a long post, so there will be more details to follow. I just want to ask everyone to start paying attention to what is happening in this country with regard to property rights. Everyone by now has heard of the Kelo Decision in New London, CT, where private property is to be taken for "economic development." I have not met anyone yet who thinks that this was a good decision.
I have also heard of other instances where government is trying to take property from one private owner to give to another for the "public benifit." One such instace is in Topsham, ME. The city government is planning to take the property that a very successful Cumberland Farms has been operating on for 20 years to build a new town hall. The property is right on Main St, and is very valuable.
I plan to do more research into this, in the mean time, check out this website for info or your property rights. And pay close attention anytime your local or state government wants to take someones property. It's not just for roads anymore.
I have also heard of other instances where government is trying to take property from one private owner to give to another for the "public benifit." One such instace is in Topsham, ME. The city government is planning to take the property that a very successful Cumberland Farms has been operating on for 20 years to build a new town hall. The property is right on Main St, and is very valuable.
I plan to do more research into this, in the mean time, check out this website for info or your property rights. And pay close attention anytime your local or state government wants to take someones property. It's not just for roads anymore.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
RINOs
RINO.....for those of us on the right side of the spectrum, RINO is a derogatory term. Republican In Name Only. It refers to those elected officials who are members of the Republican Party, for whom voting with the democrats happens more often than not.
I have heard some people decry the "labeling" of people as democrats or republicans. "I'm am Independant." "I don't need a party to tell me how to vote." Hogwash. Being a member of a certain party does not dictate how you vote, unless you are an unengaged person, brain-dead clod, in which case, you ought not be voting in the first place.
That having been said, I am a member of the Republican Party. Does "Republican" best describe my points of view? No. I suppose that a more accurate description of my political leanings would be "On the Libratarian side of Conservative." Unfortunately, there is no "On the Libratarian side of Conservative Party" candidate running. This is because we have a two party system. Therefore, I have to choose the party that I agree with the most. For as long as I can remember, that has been the Republicans.
Lately, however, I am becoming upset with the Republicans in office. They do not seem to have the core beliefs that I thought. For instance, just before adjourning, congress passed a transportation bill at the end of July. According to an ABC news story, there is about $24 billion worth of pork in it. This from a republican controlled congress. As an aside, in the story, ABC news calls John McCain a "spoil-sport" for being one of a few to speak out against the bill.
Over at Taxpayers for Common Sense, there is a breakdown of what all that money has been earmarked for. It's worth a read.
There is more, however it is too much for one post. But I have to say, until the party that I am a member of comes to it's senses, I guess that you could call me a RINO.
I have heard some people decry the "labeling" of people as democrats or republicans. "I'm am Independant." "I don't need a party to tell me how to vote." Hogwash. Being a member of a certain party does not dictate how you vote, unless you are an unengaged person, brain-dead clod, in which case, you ought not be voting in the first place.
That having been said, I am a member of the Republican Party. Does "Republican" best describe my points of view? No. I suppose that a more accurate description of my political leanings would be "On the Libratarian side of Conservative." Unfortunately, there is no "On the Libratarian side of Conservative Party" candidate running. This is because we have a two party system. Therefore, I have to choose the party that I agree with the most. For as long as I can remember, that has been the Republicans.
Lately, however, I am becoming upset with the Republicans in office. They do not seem to have the core beliefs that I thought. For instance, just before adjourning, congress passed a transportation bill at the end of July. According to an ABC news story, there is about $24 billion worth of pork in it. This from a republican controlled congress. As an aside, in the story, ABC news calls John McCain a "spoil-sport" for being one of a few to speak out against the bill.
Over at Taxpayers for Common Sense, there is a breakdown of what all that money has been earmarked for. It's worth a read.
There is more, however it is too much for one post. But I have to say, until the party that I am a member of comes to it's senses, I guess that you could call me a RINO.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
60th Anniversary
August 6, 2005, marks the 60th Anniversary of what could be considered the biggest favor any president has ever done for this country. On August 6, 1945, under orders from President Truman, the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, thereby setting into motion a quick end to World War II.
Today, there is some controversy about that decision. Without getting into a long protracted essay about the subject, suffice it to say that Truman saved lives with that decision. Yes, there was a great loss of life in Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. However, the loss of life, based on our experiences in Okinawa and Iwo Jima, would have been enormous.
For details regarding the estimates, I would suggest reading "What If? 2", a book of historical essays that look at what might have happened in a number of situations in history. One is what would have happened if Truman had not dropped the bomb. It is fascinating reading.
The lesson learned there is this: Sometimes, when you are dealing with fanatics, it becomes necessary to use an absolutely overwhelming amount of force to convince the enemy to cease their operations. Is this applicable to our current situation? Maybe. Only time will tell.
Today, there is some controversy about that decision. Without getting into a long protracted essay about the subject, suffice it to say that Truman saved lives with that decision. Yes, there was a great loss of life in Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. However, the loss of life, based on our experiences in Okinawa and Iwo Jima, would have been enormous.
For details regarding the estimates, I would suggest reading "What If? 2", a book of historical essays that look at what might have happened in a number of situations in history. One is what would have happened if Truman had not dropped the bomb. It is fascinating reading.
The lesson learned there is this: Sometimes, when you are dealing with fanatics, it becomes necessary to use an absolutely overwhelming amount of force to convince the enemy to cease their operations. Is this applicable to our current situation? Maybe. Only time will tell.
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