Primarily, a place for folks to gather .................. if I {we?} can give you a chuckle, or a bit of hope, GREAT! If I make you think, so much the better ................. and if I encourage you to research for yourselves, to make your own, independent judgments - I will be fulfilled.
@ 1841 CT {6:41 pm, for civilians }, which is a "Texas THANG" for New Year's ........................ the FodGuy is NOT working tonight {it woulda been himself & ONE other person}, so we're going to go up the road a bit to a little honky-tonk for a spell - if it's too crowded/loud/whatever, we'll just head on out to dinner somewhere .............................. so, to KG, Gecko, MK, Tiberius, Bayou Renaissance Man, the LawDog, the Gentlemen of HillBuzz, Old NFO, the folks @ iOwnTheWorld, any of my visitors from around the world, and any and all Brothers & Sisters in our beloved U.S. Military, a heartfelt "Semper Fi'", Hand Salute, and
I received a thank you from iOwnTheWorld .......................... doin' a HAPPY DANCE!!
.
Not only do I have some most-valued friendships via Crusader Rabbit, I also have a 'presence' at iOwnTheWorld ........................... life is GOOD!!
according to astrologer Linda Goodman, I've a .................... tendency .................. to kinda be the personification of 'hope springing eternal', whether warranted or not .................. I HAVE my pessimistic moments, but rather like Finian McLonergan, I'm always thinking it'll be better when I get to the "hill beyond yon hill" {which yes, can be actual or metaphorical} .................... we're having a bit of a rough patch, but like the song below, we'll be fine ........................
Hey, maybe I'll dye my hair
Maybe I'll move somewhere
Maybe I'll get a car
Maybe I'll drive so far
They'll all lose track
Me, I'll bounce right back
Maybe I'll sleep real late
Maybe I'll lose some weight
Maybe I'll clear my junk
Maybe I'll just get drunk on apple wine
Me, I'll be just
Fine and Dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down
I'll be fine and dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow get me way down
Hey, maybe I'll learn to sew
Maybe I'll just lie low
Maybe I'll hit the bars
Maybe I'll count the stars until dawn
Me, I will go on
Maybe I'll settle down
Maybe I'll just leave town
Maybe I'll have some fun
Maybe I'll meet someone
And make him mine
Me, I'll be just
Fine and dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy christmas
I'm barely getting throung tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down
I'll be fine and dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down
I'll be fine and dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down
'Cause I'll be fine
(I'll be fine)
Oh, I'll be fine
Whether your Christmas is grand or modest, I wish you all love & peace in your hearts ....................... and that you remember the 'reason for the Season' .......................
What makes this so great is, the vast majority of Marines I've had the privilege of knowing/associating with, are JUST like this - you'd think they're without hearts, always professional, NO room for emotion/kindness ...................... the look on that little boy's face kinda gives the lie to that, doesn't it?
on computer power supplies & hard drives - tonight, as a combination anniversary/Christmas present {this is just PART of his Christmas!}, the FodGuy tonight got a 32", 1080p, 16:9 aspect ratio LCD TV as a computer monitor ...................... then we went out to dinner - I was thinking he was planning it as my 'birthday dinner', since he'll be working on my birthday next week ..................... I'm not overly snobbish, but Golden Corral just ISN'T my idea of a 'birthday' place ........................
couple of weeks ago, news report were that a flight was delayed, from Atlanta to Houston; WHAT WE WERE TOLD WAS, "a passenger" refused to end a cellphone call - OK, most folks gaff it off, figure he'd been too indulgent in the airport bar(s), & the flight crew, TSA, airport security would handle it, right? Seems that's not quite the full story .........................
From Old NFO, a report from a former U.S. Navy diver who was initially on the flight, before it left Atlanta.
THIS is the narrative of a Chaplain who got on the flight after most of the drama had occurred ..........................
Thank God there were people on the plane who weren't willing to "go quietly".
~~~~~~~
UPDATE: I sent an eMail to The Atlanta Journal Constitution last night, calling them to task for glossing over this 'incident', which devolved into a snark-fest with their "evening news manager"; he went to Old NFO and responded to my comments there via eMail - apparently, he was too unsure of their 'reportage' to assert their veracity in an open forum. ANYhoo, I eMailed the Chaplain mentioned above, to thank him for his account - HE had just gotten off the phone with the AJC, and they were 'digging deeper'. SOOOOOO, thanks to "citizen advocacy" as opposed to "advocacy journalism", we MAY get the real story from the MSM, yet.
This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii
for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes
all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body,
he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now.
He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.
Dear President Obama,
My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.
I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.
One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.
So here goes.
I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.
I can't figure out what country you are the president of.
You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:
" We're no longer a Christian nation"
" America is arrogant" - (Your wife even
announced to the world,"America is mean-
spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching
that nonsense to 23 generations of our
war dead buried all over the globe who
died for no other reason than to free a
whole lot of strangers from tyranny and
hopelessness.)
I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.
After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals."
Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.
I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.
Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.
Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue. You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.
And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts, who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.
One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.
You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.
You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.
And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.
Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes
When a 95 year old hero of the "the Greatest Generation" stands up and speaks out like this, I think we owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as we can. Please pass it on.
I DO agree with equal work for equal pay; giving women the opportunity to do the same work as men, in police/fire academies/the military, without lowering established standards.
THAT said, I'm appalled by the silence from women who will scream like a wounded eagle over some perceived "injustice" from 'the patriarchal establishment', yet have no breath left to protest such practices as female genital mutilation or {WARNING: GRAPHIC} acid attacks by practitioners of the "Religion of Peace"; I guess all those women were just 'asking for it' ............................ SPIT!
on the one hand, I LOVE the excitement of anticipation; on the other, when I can't just snap my fingers & 'DO' {buy/bake/build/whatever}, it's a bummer ........................... with the new hard drive, I'm uncertain of how to get the audio to work, so I can't listen to what I'm putting up here for y'all to listen to - that's OK, though, as I know this one by heart - it's my all-time favorite non-religious Christmas song ....................... bear in mind, this portion of Mame takes place the Christmas after the stock market crash of 1929 ............................. makes it somewhat MORE poignant this year, yes?
of a SciFi eBook - Meddlers in Time - a brief description "You can’t change history, can you? No- but you can make a new reality, when you alter events. ‘Meddlers in Time’ explores the shaping of a parallel earth, by altering events in 9th century England. Some were lured by money, other by the adventure- a few just wanted a new chance at life. One thing remains constant- time travel changes all who follow that path…"
Please Note: There IS a disclaimer "This book contains content that may not be suitable for young readers 17 and under."
NOW, for those unfamiliar with American jurisprudence - EVERYONE in a position of "authority" is supposed to keep their traps SHUT re: their "opinions", because of the possibility of 'undue influence' on members of the judiciary AND the prospective jurors. Obambi has JUST handed KSM & Co. a gold-plated "Get Out of Jail FREE" card.
THIS is what happens when a Republican weighs in: On August 4, despite precautions taken by the court, Manson flashed the jury a Los Angeles Times front page whose headline was "Manson Guilty, Nixon Declares," a reference to a statement made the previous day when U.S. President Richard Nixon had decried what he saw as the media's glamorization of Manson. Voir dired by Judge Charles Older, the jurors contended that the headline had not influenced them. The next day, the female defendants stood up and said in unison that, in light of Nixon's remark, there was no point in going on with the trial.[122] On October 5, after being denied the court's permission to question a prosecution witness whom the defense attorneys had declined to cross-examine, Manson leaped over the defense table and attempted to attack the judge. Wrestled to the ground by bailiffs, he was removed from the courtroom with the female defendants, who had subsequently risen and begun chanting in Latin.[54] Thereafter, Older allegedly began wearing a revolver under his robes.[54]
This beautiful little 5 year old was sold into sexual slavery by her "mother" ....................... Shaniya's whereabouts are unknown ...................... there HAS to be a special circle of Hell for such "parents" ......................
UPDATE: This child's body has been found; "mother" and a pedophile are under arrest.
so when I told him our turkey was already ordered for Thanksgiving, and that it's boneless, he kinda gave me THAT look ........................ I'm expecting something good from Hebert's Specialty Meats {for those familiar with New Orleans, yes, it's the same family}, since the Progeny & I tried their boneless chicken & enjoyed it very much {not too crazy about their beef shish-kebabs, though} ................. ;-)
The day after Thanksgiving {the day when all SANE folks stay home!} is our 10th anniversary ....................... couple weeks later, I turn 53 .................. then Christmas ...................... his flat screen monitor decided to die, so I told him to apply whatever he was going to spend on our anniversary/my birthday to getting a new flat screen {he's currently using an old CRT} ...................... see, things like THIS are why I play the lottery {ONLY MegaMillions, ONLY $10.00 a day/2 days a week}, to be at a point where it ISN'T a matter of "budgeting" to get something like a flat screen monitor .................... already told him, if we ever DO hit, I'll announce it to him by telling him to find the Harley he wants & order it ....................... ;-)
HillBuzz ..................... the link is to an article/posting regarding their realization of the ultimate humanity and decency of former President George & former First Lady Laura Bush ...................... GREAT read, and the comments are wonderful, too!
1. Best haircut. Hands down. You can't have a bad hair day with a high and tight. And you spend less on shampoo.
2. Dress blues. They're the coolest uniforms in any military worldwide.
3. Bloused trousers. Another distinctive Marine look that sets the proudest service members apart.
4. The rest of the Marine sea bag. From the Alphas to the camouflage utilities, uniforms just look better on a Marine than any other service member.
5. Marines don't wear dungarees.
6. Most respect I. When the Marines pulled out of Haiti and Somalia, the media reported the U.S. military was pulling out -- as if tens of thousands of Armytroops weren't still in the country. Now that's respect.
7. Most respect II. When the Corps came back to Haiti after 60 years, an old man on the Cap-Haitien beach said ``Welcome back!''
8. Toughest mascot. The Marine Corps' is a bull dog. The Navy's: a goat.
9. Esprit de Corps. Even if you can't spell it or pronounce it, the Marine Corps has it in spades. One example: When sailors get tattoos, they do it toexpress their individuality, and their choices range from Betty Boop and Mickey Mouse to raging sea serpents. When Marines get tattoos, they do it to express their solidarity, and choose bull dogs, ``death before dishonor,'' and ``USMC.''
10. Best war monument: Iwo Jima
11. The Marines invade, then go home. The Army has to do the occupying.
12. The silent drill platoon. Just watching them ply their trade makes you want to wear dress blues.
13. Status. Sailors live and work on ships. Marines go for cruises -- then hit the shore.
14. Best fast attack vehicles: LAVs.
15. Best fighting knife: Ka-Bar.
16. Best duty assignments: Okinawa, Kaneohe Bay, Camp Pendleton, Diego Garcia, Moscow, North Carolina. Plus any ship at sea.
17. Worst duty assignments: Okinawa, Kaneohe Bay, Camp Pendleton, Diego Garcia, Moscow, North Carolina. Plus any ship at sea.
18. Most exotic duty assignments: Kuala Lumpur, The White House.
19. Best phone number. Call 1-800-MARINES and you've got the Corps. And if you're a civilian with the mettle to be a Marine, a recruiter there will be happy to sign you up.
20. Toughest DIs. They're so tough that when the Navy wants to train its officers, who do they call? 1-800-MARINES.
21. Toughest boot camp. When San Diego was still training Navy recruits, legend has it that recruits occasionally would jump the fence and accidentally land in Marine boot camp. The Marines would keep them a couple of days, and when the recruits were sent back, they were ready to be sailors!
22. Best motivational cry: Ooh-rah!
23. Best emblem: Eagle, globe and anchor.
24. Best campaign covers: The Smokey Bear hat.
25. Separate heads for enlisted and officers. Everywhere else, officers and enlisted use the same pot.
26. The only official, congressionally sanctioned hymn for any of the services: ``The Marines' Hymn.''
27. Best slogan I: ``Once a Marine, always a Marine''
28. Best slogan II: ``Tell that to the Marines''
29. Best slogan III: ``Send in the Marines.''
30. Best nicknames I: Jarhead
31. Best nicknames II: Leatherneck
32. Best nicknames III: Devil Dog. Trivia question: Where did this term come from? Answer: The German Army in World War I, whose soldiers' greatest fear was running up against the toughest American fighting men, the Marines. They called them ``teufelhunden,'' or Devil Dog.
33. Most remarkable airplane: The Harrier. No other service's jets can take off and land on a dime.
34. Most dangerous airplane: The Harrier. Not a simple science, but luckily more of a danger to the enemy than to Marine fliers.
35. You're a Marine. Not a soldier or a troop.
36. That's Marines, with a capital M.
37. Tradition! The Corps is older than the republic itself!
38. Marines symbolize: Discipline, courage, honor, commitment, valor, patriotism, military virtue.
39. Best recruiting gimmick I: Those darn Knights-in-Shining-Armor commercials.
40. Best recruiting gimmick II: ``We're looking for a few good men.'' OK, they left out women. The Corps is looking for a few good women, too.
41. Best recruiting gimmick III: ``If you have the mettle to be a Marine.''
42. The Commandant's House. It's the oldest occupied residence in Washington, D.C.
43. Chesty Puller. You gotta love a service that has heroes with names like that.
44. Former Commandant and Mud Marine Al Gray (Anecdote I): His official portrait, in cammies.
45. Former Commandant and Mud Marine Al Gray (Anecdote II): He drank from a four-star canteen cup.
46. Former Commandant and Mud Marine Al Gray (Anecdote III): Business leaders are so impressed with his ethic and style, they're using his Fleet Marine Force Manual 1, ``Warfighting,'' to hone their skills for boardroom battles.
47. Unity. Every Marine is a rifleman.
48. The Marine Air-Ground Task Force. Marines attack by land, by air and from sea -- simultaneously.
49. The ``docs,'' -- Marines' corpsmen-in-arms. They're sailors, but they're as tough as Marines.
50. Mud. You wanna see pure joy? Look at a group of Marines after a mud fight.
51. Starch. Clean 'em up, put 'em in starched cammies, and they look sharp.
52. Poetry in motion. They're weapons, not g-u-n-s. And if you don't know the pithy verse that explains that, don't ask us. We blush to tell.
53. Point of the spear, out in front, kicking down the door. What the Marines do best.
54. Marine spouses. God love 'em. They have it then worst of any of the service spouses. They endure six-month deployments and one- and two-year unaccompanied tours. The ones who survive a career are as tough as the Marines they married.
55. Marine kids. God loves them more. They know the meaning of duty, honor and country at too young an age.
56. The Air Force. Aren't you glad you're not an airman? They're pampered, yet they still find time to whine.
57. The Army. They get all the best equipment first and Marines still do it better.
58. The Navy. Give them credit. They have it almost as tough as Marines. But who wants to be a limo service?
59. The Coast Guard. Tell the truth: If you couldn't be a Marine, would you be a Coastie? In those powder blue uniforms? Not on your life!
60. CH-46. Say a Hail Mary and climb aboard. Nobody makes 'em anymore, but Marine ingenuity keeps 'em flying. And with a safety record that's nothing short of a miracle.
61. The Close Combat Manual.
62. Leadership I. In the Corps, E-3s and E-4s get to do more than most E-6s in other branches.
63. Leadership II. Every Marine above the rank of corporal can tell you what it takes to be a leader. It's spelled out clearly and drilled in relentlessly. And it pays off under fire.
64. Leadership III. Corporate America could -- and does -- learn from the Corps' leadership curriculum. All Marines who enter the private sector take those lessons with them.
65. Combat correspondents. They're journalists in the Navy, but in the Corps, the job is combat correspondent, thank you very much.
66. Marines do more with less, and they like it that way.
67. Amphibians one and all. Like the Army, Marines have tanks and armored vehicles. But theirs not only fight . . . they swim.
68. Air power. When the grunts look to the sky for support, they see Marine pilots, not zoomies.
69. Style. Nothing beats the canopy of sabres during a full dress Marine wedding.
70. Wetting-down parties. No one celebrates promotions with more flair and admiration.
71. Mess etiquette. Enter covered and drinks are on you.
72. Mess night I. Those who make the most pay the most.
73. Mess night II. ``1775 Rum Punch'' -- four parts dark rum, two parts lime juice, one part pure maple syrup. Grenadine to taste.
74. Non-Comms rate their own ceremonial sword!
75. Fighting style I. When the U.S. went into Haiti, Army soldiers sought cover behind their rucksacks. Marines DUG IN!
76. Fighting style II. When the Air Force deploys, they carry their Samsonite bags on luggage carriers and stay in hotels. When Marines deploy, it's two seabags and your weapons. And a tent in the bush.
77. Fighting style III. Marines know how to use their bayonets. Army bayonets may as well be paper weights.
78. No smiling in official portraits. All business.
79. Terminology. In the Corps it's a ``fighting'' hole not a ``fox'' hole. Fox holes are for people who want to hide. Fighting holes are for people who want to fight.
80. The ``people's own'' Marine Corps Marathon.
81. When asked by the press, an overseas Marine doesn't say ``I don't know what my mission is,'' ``I don't know why I'm here'' and ``I don't like it here.'' He knows. It's his calling.
82. The ``Stumps.'' The combat center at Twentynine Palms, Calif., is a huge sandbox in California's desert. It's where Marines go to play warrior any time of the year.
83. Best environmental motto: ``We're looking out for a few good species.'' They may be charging the beach, but Marines are taking care not to step on endangered critters.
84. Image. Marines get real network coverage, not the kind you need a gridiron and an academy to get.
85. AH-1W SuperCobra gunships. They are lean, mean fighting machines.
86. The ONLY combined arms force. You want jointness? The Marine Corps has been joint for decades, with its own air force, groundpounders and Navy in one.
87. When the President cares enough to order in the very best, who's he gonna call? Not ghostbusters -- but Marines.
88. First in, first out. Marines bust in first so the Army can do its job.
89. When it absolutely, positively has to be destroyed overnight, the number may as well be 9-1-1. Send in the Marines!
90. Boss' night. Every so often, the NCOs or staff NCOs buy the drinks for their charges attheir club. Can't beat that!
91. Physical fitness. You've seen portly chiefs, but there are no fat Marines.
92. Everyone's a Marine -- officer and enlisted.
93. Actor who should have been a Marine: John Wayne.
94. Former Marine who shouldn't be an actor: John Wayne Bobbitt.
95. .50 caliber sniper rifles! OOOHRAH.
96. Most stickers spotted on America's highways on car bumpers and windows.
97. The summer evening parade.
98. ``The President's Own,'' the Marine Corps Band. John Philip Sousa, the world famous band master, was the first leader of the band.
99. Value for your tax dollar. The Corps does it all for less -- just 6 cents of every dollar spent on defense goes to the Marines.
100. Best motto, Semper Fidelis, always faithful. That's Latin, by the way.
101. Best twist on the best motto. Semper Gumby, always flexible. Yeah, he was green, too.
102. Best slogan I. ``Nobody ever drowned in sweat.''
103. Best slogan II. ``Marines go where others fear to tread.''
104. Best self description. Gungy
105. First in orbit. No, that's not another gunny losing his temper. John Glenn, that clean Marine, was the first human to orbit Earth.
106. Marines are first on foot and right of the line. Marines form at the place of honor in any naval formation. Secretary of the Navy bestowed that honor in 1876.
107. When the President climbs into a helicopter, he flies Marine One.
108. Most prestigious helo squadron. HMX-1, the president's fleet.
109. When the Navy needed someone to guard its ships, sailors and nuclear devices, they called on Marines.
110. Best personalized license plate I: ``1775.'' It's on the commandant's car.
111. Best personalized license plate II: ``SM OF MC,'' Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Harold Overstreet's four-wheel drive Chevy Blazer truck.
112. The Chief of Naval Operations rides in a Lincoln Town Car. Commandant Gen. Carl E. Mundy Jr. rides in a sporty Chrysler LHS sedan.
113. When the nation goes to war, the press covers the Marine Corps. During the Gulf War, there were more than 90,000 Marines in the region of a total force of 650,000. But the Corps outpaced the Army, 293 to 271, on articles about the ground war in four major newspapers. As journalist and author John Fialka put it: ``If the PR rivalr y between th e t wo services . . . had been a basketball game, the score would have been Marines 149, Army 10.''
114. Best Heroes I: Smedley D. Butler. With a name l ike Smedley, he had to be tough, in self-defense. The Army rejected him, but by lying about his age, he got a commission from the Marine Corps in 1898, at age 16. From the Philippines to Haiti, he was an expert in suppressing revolution. His blunt style was pure Marine, and probably cost him a job as Philadelphia's public safety director after his first retirement and a bid for the Senate after his second.
115. Best Heroes II: Chesty Puller. It's more than t he name. He started in the Corps with a reserve commission and was released in the drawdown after World War I. He then enlisted as a corporal, served in Haiti and received his second commission in 1924. He retired in 1955 a lieutenant general, the most decorated Marine in history, and probably the most colorful as well.
116. Best Heroes III: Lewis Puller Jr., Chesty's son. He joined to follow in his father's footsteps, lost both legs in battle, and went on to become a Pulitzer Prizewinning author. He ended his own life this year, and he's sorely missed.
117. Best Heroes IV: ``Manila John'' Basilone. A true gunfighter from the word go. The first enlisted Marine in World War II to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Won it for his heroic efforts on Guadalcanal. Later killed on Iwo Jima, and posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
118. All the Marines who won the Congressional Medals of Honor. There are 293 in all.
119. Best greeting. Semper Fi, Mac!
120. Best show of pride. After the 1982 Beirut Bombing, Marine Corps Commandant P.X. Kelly visited a wounded Marine in the hospital to present his Purple Heart. Covered by tubes and unable to speak, the Marine simply asked for pad and pen. On it he wrote: ``Semper Fi.''
121. Best recruiting station: Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, 1775. It's a bar, no less.
122. Only armed force with a beer named in its honor: Tun Tavern Beer.
123. Best description: Soldiers of the Sea.
124. Best slang for a Navy ship: LHA -- Luxury Hotel Afloat.
125. Best Marine quote from the Gulf War: ``I sure hope the Iraqis are good lovers, because they sure can't fight.''
126. Best acronyms I: The MEU (SOC). Say it out loud and it says what it means. Sock it to 'em.
127. Best acronyms II: SPIE rigging. It stands for Special Insertion, Extraction. It's what they do when they're saving the day.
128. Hollywood loves Marines. A few examples:
129. ``Sands of Iwo Jima.''
130. `` The Wind and the Lion.''
131. ``Heartbreak Ridge.''
132. ``The Flying Leathernecks.''
133. ``The D.I.''
134. ``Death Before Dishonor''
135. And television loves Marines:
136. ``Baa Baa Black Sheep''
137. ``Gomer Pyle, USMC''
138. ``Major Dad''
139. Heroes. The 40,000 Marines who gave their lives on the fields of battle since the Revolutionary War.
140. Scarlet stripe on NCO and officer trousers. They're not just sharp, they serve a point: The stripes represent blood shed in battle.
141. The Book of Remembrance. Stored at the post chapel at Quantico, it lists the n ame, rank and date of death of all Marine s and sailors who served with Marines and who gave their life in Vietnam.
142. Famous proverb. A young recruit asked the D.I., ``Sergeant, who carries the flag in battl e ?'' The reply: ``Son, eve ry Marine carries the flag in battle.''
143. The highest-ranking active-duty woman in the services wears two stars. She's Maj. Gen. Carol A. Mutter, USMC.
144. Notable quotable I. ``A ship without Marines is like a coat without buttons.'' -- Adm. David G. Farragut.
145. Notable quotable II. When the Marines found themselves surrounded by Chinese troops near the ``Frozen Chosin'' during the K orean War, a Marine officer summed it up for his men. ``Good. Now I can shoot in all directions.''
146. Notable quotable III. ``Uncommon valor was a common virtue.'' -- Adm. Chester Nimitz, leader of Pacific forces in World War II.
147. Notable quotable IV. ``Retreat . . . Hell! We just got here.'' -- Col. Wendell ``Whispering Buck'' Neville, fighting in France during World War I.
148. Notable quotable V. ``Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?'' -- Sgt. Dan Daly, World War I.
149. Notable quotable VI. ``The raising of the flag on Mount Surabachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years.'' -- James Forrestal, who was then secretary of the Navy.
150. Fleet submission I. ``My 10-year-old is proud when he's teased about his mother wearing combat boots'' -- anonymous Marine mother.
151. Fleet submission II. ``Marine Corps spirit and purpose define American resolve and intent.'' -- Carrol Childers, a civilian employee at Quantico's Amphibious Warfare School.
152. Leadership. The Corps trains its leaders young and expects a lot out of them. And, gosh darn it, they get what they ask for.
153. Fleet submission III. ``Those hardcharging NCOs that have done so much with so little for so long.'' -- Capt. James Lopez, Quantico, Va.
154. Fleet submission IV. ``The smell of gunpowder in the morning on the rifle range.'' -- Cpl. Bradley Cameron, Quantico.
155. Fleet submission V. ``It's my life.'' -- GS-8 Diane Pierce.
156. Fleet submission VI. ``The feeling of belonging. Whenever you go, there will always be someone you know, someone with something in common and someone willing to lend a hand'' -- anonymous Marine.
157. Fleet submission VII. ``The Corps is the world's biggest fraternity. All our present and past members are, and always be, members of the Semper Fi fraternity. And unlike other fraternities, ours is open to women.'' -- CWO Mark Roulette.
158. Fleet submission VIII. ``Knowing when you're in need, a Marine will be there.'' -- SSgt. Cheryl Oban, Quantico.
159. Hollywood loves Marines. (Part II: Marines who went to Hollywood).
160. Don Adams.
161. Charlton Heston.
162. Bob Keeshan (Capt. Kangaroo).
163. Lee Marvin.
164. Steve McQueen.
165. Burt Reynolds.
166. George C. Scott.
167. Gene Hackman.
168. Bea Arthur.
169. Tax advantages I. VHA & BAQ -- your housing allowances -- are tax-free.
170. Tax advantages II. You don't pay tax at the exchange either.
171. Marine wives. They put up with a lot but they have their limits. See No. 94.
172. Fleet submission IX. ``It is a family.'' -- anonymous Marine.
173. Fleet submission X. ``It teaches us to be strong people both mentally and physically.'' -- Cpl. Maria Retan, Quantico, Va.
174. Fleet submission XI. ``I love the Marine Corps for those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: Pride, honor, integrity and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past. After I have done what I can for the Corps, I can say that I was a Marine'' -- Cpl. Jeff Sornij.
175. Fleet submission XII. ``The pride of going home on leave, putting on the dress blues and everyone knowing you're a member of the world's finest fighting force.'' -- Sgt. Chase Gilbert, Laurel Bay, S.C.
176. Up-to-date fashions at overseas Exchanges.
177. Congress loves the Corps. The congressional ``mafia'' of former Marines now in positions of power or influence over the defense budget includes:
178. Rep. Ronald Dellums (D-Calif.). The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is sometimes lampooned as a dovish cutter of defense budgets. But he's a former Marine, too. And once a Marine, always a Marine, as the saying goes.
179. Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio), chairman of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on military readiness and defense infrastructure.
180. Sen. Chuck Robb (D-Va.) All right, he may not be reelected Nov. 8. But if he loses, look who'll take his place: Republican nominee and retired Marine, Oliver North.
181. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee.
182. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee and armed service committee member who is a former Navy secretary. He served in the Navy in 1944-46, became a civilian, and then went back to do it right: He joined the Marine Corps and served from 1950-52.
183. Other former Marines in Congress include: Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill.; Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Montana; Rep. Gerald Soloman, R-N.Y.; Rep. Paul McHale, D-Pa.; Sen. John Chafee, R-R.I., a former Navy secretary; Rep. Arthur Ravenel, RS.C., a House Armed Services Committee member who is retiring; Sen. Jim Sasser, DTenn.; Rep. Frank Tejeda, D-Texas; Sen. Howell Heflin, D-Ala.; Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark.; Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Calif.; Rep. Al McCandless, R-Calif.; Rep. David Skaggs, DColo.; Rep. Dan Schaefer, R-Colo.; Rep. Andy Jacobs, D-Ind.; Rep. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.; Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Md.; Rep. Thomas J. Manton, D-N.Y.; Rep. Amo Houghton, R-N.Y.; Rep. Austin J. Murphy, D-Pa. (who is retiring); and Rep. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., a House Government Operations Committee member.
184. And finally, pulling strings for Marines behind the scenes on Capitol Hill are two Marine-friendly power brokers: Marine Corps Reserve Brig. Gen. Arnold Punaro, staff director for the Senate Armed Services Committee, and retired Lt. Col. P.T. Henry, the staff director for the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on force requirements and personnel.
185. Global presence, global reach. As the Hymn notes, so spread out are Marines around the globe that some can watch the sun set while others are watching it rise.
186. Despite their service to U.S. presidents, no Marine has ever been a president. Now that's smart!
187. Respect. The State Department chose Marines, not soldiers, to protect our embassies.
188. Good taste in gifts. Wanna know how much a Marine missed his family during a deployment? Check out the china and toys in his seabag on the return trip, and then look at his credit card bill.
189. The 1st and 15th of each month. Gotta pay for those good gifts.
190. Marines are winners. Consider, for example:
191. Tarawa.
192. Saipan.
193. Guadalcanal.
194. Tripoli.
195. Belleau Wood.
196. Chosin.
197. Hue City.
198. Peleliu.
199. Leyte Gulf.
200. Guam.
201. Tinian.
202. Iwo Jima.
203. Okinawa.
204. The Officer's Sam Browne Belt.
205. Top Guns I: The Marine Corps Rifle Team. After a record-setting performance at the interservice rifle championships in July, the Marine team blew away the 1,200 civilian and military rivals at the U.S. Nationals in August. No doubt about it, Marines are the best riflemen in the country.
206. Top Guns II: MSgt. Donnie L. Heuman. After 17 years of competitive rifle shooting, he took top individual honors at this year's Interservice Rifle Championships, shooting a record-breaking 995 out of a possible 1,000 points with 50 bull's-eyes. His nearest competitor was nine points and 10 bull's-eyes behind.
207. Top Guns III: The Marine Corps Pistol Team. They won the U.S. National trophy six years running, establishing themselves as the champion to be beat. They were second this year, but don't expect the trophy to stay in anyone else's hands for long.
208. Top Guns IV: Marine snipers. Oneshot, one kill, one thousand yards.
209. The 174,158 men and women in Marine Corps uniforms as of Oct. 1, 1994.
210. Top Guns V: Marine Corps wrestlers and boxers. They don't use weapons, and they don't need them, they are regular medalists at the Olympic Games.
211. Navy chow. It's better on the ship than in the field.
212. Navy chaplains. You gotta love a man of the cloth when the cloth is camouflaged. One example: Lt. Cmdr. Dennis Rocheford, wounded twice in Vietnam as a Marine infantryman, is now a Navy chaplain aboard the USS Wasp.
213. MREs. You hate to love 'em, but when you're hot and sweaty and in the field, nothing satisfies like the beef frankfurters and beans.
214. The Marines take care of their own. On the battlefield, nobody's left behind -- dead or alive -- and the homefront is always secure.
215. Commitment and devotion. ``You gotta love it,'' says Col. Richard D. Stearns, commanding officer, Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, S.C. ``Just liking it won't get you through the day.''
216. Image. ``I'm inspired by the integrity of Marines: uplifted by the pride, focus, discipline, flexibility and motivation to do the right thing in thebest way. I'm honored that, by service to the country, they are serving citizens like me. All this, and they are fun colleagues and co-workers.'' -- Jean Forrest, civilian instructional systems specialist, Marine Corps Institute.
217. The Birthday Ball I: The cake.
218. The Birthday Ball II: Remembering all those Marines who gave their life for their service and their country.
219. The Birthday Ball III: Seeing who's the oldest and youngest Marine in your unit.
220. Ooh-rah!
.
“The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!” -- Eleanor Roosevelt
.
and my rage toward "Major" Hasan makes me physically ill; the truly tragic and outrageous issues in this whole mess are:
1) He was ON law enforcement's radar SIX MONTHS ago
2) The pandering community, as soon as his name was known, began their usual wailing/wanking/whining/whinging about the "religion of Peace" and this being an 'anomaly' - NEWSFLASH - most citizens of Western countries don't want to hear that garbage anymore
3) He not only violated his oath to the U.S., he violated his Hippocratic oath, as well as HIPAA standards, by regaling his family members with tales from "therapeutic sessions"
4) He was more than willing for American taxpayers to foot the bill for his education, but when he was expected to REPAY that debt, via his service, he suddenly begins having 'problems' {NOTE: He received the bulk of his education post-9/11, so he couldn't claim being 'caught up' in conflicts against his will}
5) Poor widdle snookums got his "feelings" hurt by the big, bad Americans who questioned his loyalties .................... looks as though the b,b Americans were CORRECT in doing so - and, were his 'sensibilities' so tender, WHY did he enlist, over the objections of his parents? He complained to his imam in Silver Spring about his difficulties in finding a 'nice Muslim girl' - if he had listened to daddy & mommy, he probably would have had an arranged marriage - were his actions because he {self-imposedly} had no 'outlet' for emotional expression? If so, that's a personal problem, NOT the problem of the Army
As fellow former Marine, Mark says {paraphrase} I took an oath - I don't recall there being an 'expiration date'
"I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
When Maj. Brian Dennis of the United States Marine Corps met a wild stray dog with shorn ears while serving in Iraq, he had no idea of the bond they would form, leading to seismic changes in both their lives. "The general theme of the story of Nubs is that if you're kind to someone, they'll never forget you -- whether it be person or animal," Dennis tells Paw Nation.
In October 2007, Dennis and his team of 11 men were in Iraq patrolling the Syrian border. One day, as his team arrived at a border fort, they encountered a pack of stray dogs -- not uncommon in the barren, rocky desert that was home to wolves and wild dogs.
"We all got out of the Humvee and I started working when this dog came running up," recalls Dennis. "I said, 'Hey buddy' and bent down to pet him." Dennis noticed the dog's ears had been cut. "I said, 'You got little nubs for ears.'" The name stuck. The dog whose ears had been shorn off as a puppy by an Iraqi soldier (to make the dog "look tougher," Dennis says) became known as Nubs.
Dennis fed Nubs scraps from his field rations, including bits of ham and frosted strawberry Pop Tarts. "I didn't think he'd eat the Pop Tart, but he did," says Dennis.
At night, Nubs accompanied the men on night patrols. "I'd get up in the middle of the night to walk the perimeter with my weapon and Nubs would get up and walk next to me like he was doing guard duty," says Dennis.
The next day, Dennis said goodbye to Nubs, but he didn't forget about the dog. He began mentioning Nubs in emails he wrote to friends and family back home. "I found a dog in the desert," Dennis wrote in an email in October 2007. "I call him Nubs. We clicked right away. He flips on his back and makes me rub his stomach."
"Every couple of weeks, we'd go back to the border fort and I'd see Nubs every time," says Dennis. "Each time, he followed us around a little more." And every time the men rumbled away in their Humvees, Nubs would run after them. "We're going forty miles an hour and he'd be right next to the Humvee," says Dennis. "He's a crazy fast dog. Eventually, he'd wear out, fall behind and disappear in the dust."
On one trip to the border fort in December 2007, Dennis found Nubs was badly wounded in his left side where he'd been stabbed with a screwdriver. "The wound was infected and full of pus," Dennis recalls. "We pulled out our battle kits and poured antiseptic on his wound and force fed him some antibiotics wrapped in peanut butter." That night, Nubs was in so much pain that he refused food and water and slept standing up because he couldn't lay down. Dennis and his team left again the next day, but Dennis thought about Nubs the entire time, hoping the dog was still alive.
Two weeks later, when Dennis and his team returned, he found Nubs alive and well. "I had patched him up and that seemed to be a turning point in how he viewed me," says Dennis. This time, when Dennis and his team left the fort, Nubs followed. Though the dog lost sight of the Humvees, he never gave up. For two days, Nubs endured freezing temperatures and packs of wild dogs and wolves, eventually finding his way to Dennis at a camp an incredible 70 miles south near the Jordanian border.
"There he was, all beaten and chewed up," says Dennis. "I knew immediately that Nubs had crossed through several dog territories and fought and ran, and fought and ran," says Dennis. The dog jumped on Dennis, licking his face.
Most of the 80 men at the camp welcomed Nubs, even building him a doghouse. But a couple of soldiers complained, leading Dennis' superiors to order him to get rid of the dog. With his hand forced, Dennis decided that the only thing to do was bring Nubs to America. He began coordinating Nubs' rescue effort. Friends and family in the States helped, raising the $5,000 it would cost to transport Nubs overseas.
Finally, it was all arranged. Nubs was handed over to volunteers in Jordan, who looked after the dog and sent him onto to Chicago, then San Diego, where Dennis' friends waited to pick him up. Nubs lived with Dennis' friends and began getting trained by local dog trainer Graham Bloem of the Snug Pet Resort. "I focused on basic obedience and socializing him with dogs, people and the environment," says Bloem.
A month later, Dennis finished his deployment in Iraq and returned home to San Diego, where he immediately boarded a bus to Camp Pendleton to be reunited with Nubs. "I was worried he wouldn't remember me," says Dennis. But he needn't have worried. "Nubs went crazy," recalls Dennis. "He was jumping up on me, licking my head."
Dennis' experience with Nubs led to a children's picture book, called "Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle," published by Little, Brown for Young Readers. They have appeared on the Today Show and will be appearing on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on Monday.
Was it destiny that Dennis met Nubs and brought him to America? "I don't know about that," says Dennis. "It's been a strange phenomenon. It's been a blessing. I get drawings mailed to me that children have drawn of Nubs with his ears cut off. It makes me laugh."
here - the quote that I'm having trouble comprehending is "Allen is nearly seventy, but he served in the Marines in Vietnam" - "but he served in the Marines in Vietnam"??? WTH? Soooooo, the FACT of his having served in Uncle Sam's Misguided Children OVER FORTY YEARS AGO somehow is responsible for his not taking crap from an idiot, rather than that Mr. Allen is sufficiently confident in himself and his abilities as an editor? Ri-i-i-i-ight, WaPo, you keep on telling yourselves that ..................... and unicorns, tooth fairies and Santa Claus & the Easter Bunny will be right over for a visit ............................ schmucks!
I wanted to post this - to all my brothers- and sisters-in-arms, under whatever flag, who fights tyranny and fascism, Semper Fi' and hand salute!
What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
this blog, regarding the slaughter of white South Africans - I had no idea that this was going on, lo these 15 years after apartheid was ended - yet, when it IS reported, the majority of time it's asserted that it's only happening in the context of property crimes, rather than a subtle, wholesale massacre of the few {productive} citizens of South Africa ...................... may their souls rest in peace .......................
I've been to Gettysburg several times over the years ........................ first time was in school - the nuns {in Virginia} ensured we KNEW what that battle represented ........................ I've long had .............. "issues" ................... with those who would re-write history ......................
National Park Service’s New “Dawn”: Propagandizing Pseudo-Science and “Civil Rights,” Pandering to Blacks and Hispanics, and Deliberately Alienating Whites
Posted By Nicholas Stix On 15 October 2009 @ 5:00 In General | Comments Disabled
Two million Americans per year visit Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, where the bloodiest battle of the Civil War was fought in 1863, in order to learn about the “Civil Rights” movement, right? And the most important scientific knowledge for the park rangers responsible for California’s Sequoia National Park is “climate change,” right?
The National Park Service has a new director, Jon Jarvis, a new direction and, as breathlessly regurgitated by L.A. Times “reporter,” Julie Cart, new talking points. It is being Obamatized.
Millions of overwhelmingly white Americans visit our national parks every year, two million at Gettysburg alone, where in America’s bloodiest conflict, Union and Confederate forces suffered a combined 48,000-51,000 casualties. They visit to “get away from it all”, to get in touch with the real America, down to her rocks and soil, and to hear mystic chords of memory.
“It” is non-stop urbanization and sprawl, due to our elites’ illegal, nation-killing open borders policy. “It” is black and Hispanic racism, crime, and violence. “It” is the obscene blaring of rap, and the sound of Spanish—and bad Spanish, at that. “It” is diversity training 24/7, at work and even while watching TV at home.
Jon Jarvis sees his mission as bringing “it” to our nation’s parks, which are almost entirely paid for by her white citizens, implanting “it” there, and cutting those chords. He is doing everything possible to pander to hostile blacks and Hispanics, even in Spanish, and to make white Americans’ visits as unpleasant as possible. His park rangers promote the pseudo-science of “climate change” (PDF; formerly known as “global warming”), and at Gettysburg, rant about not only slavery, but the so-called civil rights movement, which would only arise 90 years after the battle was fought.
The Park Service has shut down its Gettysburg Web page—for ideological redesign, perchance?—but its cache can momentarily still be viewed here.
“‘I’m not the least bit afraid of controversy in the work that we do,’ Jarvis said. ‘We’re pretty good at this. It’s our job to tell the story and without embellishment [!], to tell it as truthfully as possible [!]. Based on the historical side, scholarly work; and on the natural side, scientific work. That’s going to be the basis for our interpretation and we shouldn’t shy away from it.
One change Jarvis says he’ll institute is to put park rangers back in classrooms. When Gale Norton was Interior secretary, she stopped that long tradition, saying it represented “mission creep.”
Rangers’ storytelling — called “interpretation” in the park service — will also shift. Jarvis said that rangers at Civil War battlefields now spend less time telling visitors where the Confederate and Union armies lined up for Pickett’s charge and more time discussing slavery and civil rights. Those issues are more relevant to today’s society, he said. [NS—which society is he talking about; the one that exists, or the one he’s trying to replace it with?]
The role of the parks, Jarvis said, is to continue to tell the American story. He said that a group of military lawyers recently toured historic Japanese internment camps, to try to get a look at ‘how the current internment of American citizens will appear in history,’ he said.” [By “current internment of American citizens,” who is he talking about? Terrorists? Illegal aliens? Black felons?]
[New park service chief sees 'convergence' by Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times, October 5, 2009.]
Why in heck would a family go to the expense and trouble to spend their vacation driving to and from Gettysburg, if the rangers refuse to talk about Gettysburg? How is Gettysburg irrelevant to Gettysburg? And why should the predominantly white taxpayers support a racist, anti-American National Park Service?
To paraphrase Nathan Glazer, the Park Service has gone from doing what government does well—protecting and maintaining our natural, national treasures and history—to turning into two-bit demagogues and pseudo-scientists, while surrendering our parks to Mexican narcoterrorists, who have turned huge swathes of them into illegal marijuana farms that are ecological disaster zones ruled by heavily armed, illegal alien gang-bangers.
But Julie Cart’s only mention of arms was regarding Jarvis’ concern over American citizens legally bearing loaded arms in the parks, as per a new law. She and Jarvis showed similar concern over the “problem” of Evangelical Christians having non-Darwinian interpretations of the age of the Grand Canyon. Now, those are clearly dangerous people!
To comment to Julie Cart: julie.cart@latimes.com
To comment to the National Park Service’s Washington, D.C. national headquarters:
(202) 208-6843
To comment to the NPS’ Northeast Regional Office, responsible for Gettysburg National Military Park:
(215) 597-7013
Article printed from VDARE.com: Blog Articles: http://blog.vdare.com
URL to article: http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2009/10/15/national-park-service%e2%80%99s-new-%e2%80%9cdawn%e2%80%9d-propagandizing-pseudo-science-and-%e2%80%9ccivil-rights%e2%80%9d-pandering-to-blacks-and-hispanics-and-deliberately-alienating-whites/
recognize that the U.S. is the preferred place to live - biggest problem is, they're trying to transform the U.S. INTO what they left behind ........................
Poll: Mexicans Say Amnesty Would Increase Illegal Immigration
Mexicans also Feel Mexican-Americans Should Be Loyal to Mexico
WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new survey by Zogby International finds that people in Mexico think that granting legal status to illegal immigrants would encourage more illegal immigration to the United States. As the top immigrant-sending country for both legal and illegal immigrants, views on immigration in Mexico can provide insight into the likely impact of an amnesty, as well as other questions related to immigration.
if the dithering by the White House regarding potential increases/decreases in troop strength in Afghanistan isn't a calculated effort - if 'they' wait long enough, it ends in abject failure that can {once again} be laid on Bush. If 'their' indecisiveness somehow achieves victory, 'they' will claim all glory. Nevermind the American lives that are and will be lost, or the injuries sustained by OUR military members .................................. it's a win-win for the gutless wonders ........................................
in producing this website/video Our American Freedom - go take a look/listen ......................... it about says it all ............................
gmail address, who were then spammed - it was without my knowledge or consent - below is my letter to the company concerned:
I recently contacted friends through their blogs, asking that they contact me at MY gmail address - imagine my humiliation, when one of them was SPAMMED by YOUR hijacking of MY gmail address?
I signed up to see some of your offerings - I NEVER PAID YOU A CENT, NOR GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO USE my account, so wouldn't THAT have indicated that I wasn't going to be one of your peons?
You will remove my gmail address from your database IMMEDIATELY! I will NOT have my friends hassled by you or your ilk.
Most sincerely,
M------------
Again, my apologies.
UPDATE: APPARENTLY, the "vacation responder" function of gmail was hijacked by that 'company' - since I've never USED the responder on gmail, I don't know how they gained access .................... but over SEVEN HUNDRED spam eMails were sent out from my gmail account - it's now disabled, and WILL be checked before I send any further eMails or ask ANYONE to eMail me there.
.
The arrogance is breathtaking - I've been saying for months that Obama's biggest problem is his arrogance - his snooty, 'stench in his nostrils' poses, his condescending, patronizing comments .......................... and don't get me started on his pompous, ignorant a$$ of a "press secretary", much less any of the other WH 'staffers' ............................
HERE'S the thing - if 'they' were all that certain of the "rightness" of all the crap they're trying to cram down our collective throats, there wouldn't be the accusations of Nazism by Pelooser et al, or the mumblings of Dingy Harry of Nevada, or the "teabagger" comments of Janeane Garofalo - but now that the shoe is on the other foot, it appears to be pinching a bit - a Dem you DON'T hear referred to too much anymore, had a saying, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" ..........................
There's a "bill" currently in committee in the House of Representatives; while my heart aches for Blair Holt's family, penalizing the law-abiding is NOT the answer.
Official Summary
1/6/2009--Introduced.
Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit a person from possessing a firearm unless that person has been issued a firearm license under this Act or a state system certified under this Act and such license has not been invalidated or revoked. Prescribes license application, issuance, and renewal requirements.
Prohibits transferring or receiving a qualifying firearm unless the recipient presents a valid firearms license, the license is verified, and the dealer records a tracking authorization number. Prescribes firearms transfer reporting and record keeping requirements. Directs the Attorney General to establish and maintain a federal record of sale system.
Prohibits:
(1) transferring a firearm to any person other than a licensee, unless the transfer is processed through a licensed dealer in accordance with national instant criminal background check system requirements, with exceptions;
(2) a licensed manufacturer or dealer from failing to comply with reporting and record keeping requirements of this Act;
(3) failing to report the loss or theft of the firearm to the Attorney General within 72 hours;
(4) failing to report to the Attorney General an address change within 60 days; or
(5) keeping a loaded firearm, or an unloaded firearm and ammunition for the firearm, knowingly or recklessly disregarding the risk that a child is capable of gaining access, if a child uses the firearm and causes death or serious bodily injury.
Prescribes criminal penalties for violations of firearms provisions covered by this Act.
Directs the Attorney General to:
(1) establish and maintain a firearm injury information clearinghouse;
(2) conduct continuing studies and investigations of firearm-related deaths and injuries; and
(3) collect and maintain current production and sales figures of each licensed manufacturer.
Authorizes the Attorney General to certify state firearm licensing or record of sale systems.
House of Harkonnen to the "Friends" link area - he's former Navy {you remember WHY the Marine Corps still needs the Navy, doncha? 'Cause "we" haven't learned to walk on water yet! ;-) ;-) } Take a gander - he's well worth it! ;-)
Went to the 'new' doctor again today - got a cortisone shot in my right foot {been having excruciating pain for ~ 8 months {tendinitis & bone spurs} - 'old' doctor was great for sending me to "specialists" @ $30.00/pop {visits with our primary care physicians are $15.00} - THAT can get to be expensive ................................ Dr. C. also removed a cyst behind my ear that just WASN'T going away, under local anesthetic - it's SO NICE to go to ONE doctor's office & get EVERYTHING taken care of ......................... ;-) New doc also has no problems with my using Valium as needed for anxiety, & NOT immediately figuring I'm "depressed" - I'm SO SICK of doctors/PAs insisting that I have depression - I KNOW when I'm depressed - I look for bridges to jump off of - haven't been like THAT in about 11 years ...............................
our Congressional representative held a health care Town Hall two towns south of here; HE'S the one who's staff developed this, to explain ObamaCare .................... YOU know, the one SanFranNan wouldn't permit being sent from the House of Representatives. I attended, primarily to thank Representative Brady for his staff's efforts - he received the loudest applause when he was talking about "those who don't deserve ONE DOLLAR of healthcare, because they're here illegally!"
Got to talking with his campaign manager; I'll be getting in touch to assist in his next run for office. I was VERY impressed by the man - Kevin Brady remembers WHO he represents; I suggested he remind others in Washington that THEY work for US.
your comment "jackass" here - just who, in particular, are you referring? The unknown, presumptive Aggie student, or me? Either way, unless/until you have the BALLS to provide a name, NO MORE of your comments will be viewable by the public .......................... your 'keyboard courage' is underwhelming, to say the least .........................
Thank you to the Emperor Misha I, of The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler for bringing this to the attention of the blogworld ........................ y'know, it's a pretty damn sad commentary, that the coverage by the MSM is/was, in the main, either negative or dismissive - do the terms "ingrates" or "ungrateful" ring any bells? The Russians had their own experiences - remember Beslan? I'm sure the Russians do .............................
And, here's the Snopes link referred to by the Emperor .......................
Monster Hunter International; it is THE BEST BOOK I've read since I first read Tom Clancy's early works {The Hunt for Red October, Red Storm Rising, The Cardinal of the Kremlin} as the FodGuy noted, my "normal" reading choices are true crime, crime novels, crime history, some "militaria"; kinda lost my affinity for Anne Rice, Keri Arthur is pretty good - but, OMG, Larry Corriea is absolutely wonderful - I can NOT emphasize enough how strongly I encourage all to read it ........................
"For as long as I could remember I'd wanted to be somewhere else, laying in bed late at night listening to the sound of the trucks ..........................."
We're currently living in a rural area NNE of Houston, TX. Despite it's cosmopolitan affectations, the Houston area tends to be rather ....................... parochial. The vast majority of people I deal with on a daily basis in my job as a convenience store clerk were born within 50 miles; their ambition is to live out their lives & die here. They know each other from birth to the grave - they watch each other's children grow up. And I can appreciate that this is what these folks want - but it's not for me. I grew up the eldest child of a career U.S. Marine officer - from a VERY young age, I answered the phone "Captain P*****'s residence, Mary speaking, how may I help you?". My earliest memories are of traveling by air solo, at age 3 & 4 {the flight attendants were ALWAYS very kind to me, and I treasured the 'wings' they gave me}, between Washington, DC, to San Antonio, TX, where I stayed with my paternal grandparents for a year, then to San Diego, CA, to be reunited with my parents.
We moved every couple of years for my Dad's career; my parents made it an adventure, new people/places. I visited both Canada & Mexico. I didn't go through the 'but I want to STAY here' garbage too much until I was in my late teens. Even then, it was a rather minimal desire - there were NEW people/places to see.
As an adult, I moved every couple of years {actually, 'couple of years' was a LONG stretch for me to stay in one place ;-) }. In '95, I went to Morocco for a week, where I came to appreciate the Berber/Bedouin tribes; in Oualidiya, we met a young tribesman who had come into the city to sell the jewelry they made, whenever they stopped in the desert - the young man was so pleasant, I wanted to bring him back with me, & give him the opportunities America had to offer.
At age 42, I moved from Scranton, PA, to Houston, TX, to marry the FodGuy; we'll celebrate our 10th anniversary the day after Thanksgiving. We moved the May after our marriage to Mexico for 2.5 years; then we moved back up here. He went to the Czech Republic for what was supposed to be 6 months & wound up being 2 years; I was able to visit several times, which is when I fell madly in love with Austria in particular, and Europe in general.
Between my parents' influence, my own experiences, and the Sagittarian trait of wearing rose-colored glasses, I pretty much view 'going/moving to new places' as being WONDERFUL; as Finian told his daughter, 'the hill beyond yon hill' will have the proverbial pot of gold ..........................
Of course, there's also the appeal of shaking the dust of disappointment {NOTE: NOT disappointment in my immediate family - disappointment in people/situations outside OUR family} - "Mud can make you prisoner and the plains can bake you dry. Snow can burn your eyes, but only people make you cry. Home is made for coming from, for dreams of going to, which with any luck will never come true."
Lee Marvin was a WWII U. S. Marine - in a documentary about the Pacific theater, he used a quote that EVERY Marine learns - "And when I get to heaven, St. Peter I will tell - 'Another Marine reporting, Sir; I've served my time in Hell'"
I dunno, I'm just READY for our next adventure; I receive weird looks/insulted comments from folks 'round here, because I don't want to stay here forever ......................... but I've gotta keep lookin' for the rainbow ......................... ;-)
when he saw available @ Barnes & Noble yesterday, he picked it up - he's beyond chapter 15 already {yeah, I know - before we got back together, I was the fastest reader I knew :-( } - his Amazon copy arrived today. ;-)
This link will provide another link to Amazon, should any of my readers be interested in reading it - I'm waiting for my spousal unit to finish it, as I just HAVE to read it, now ........................ ;-)
…And when I start to fret that we are running up a debt, That we’ll reduce the US dollar to a value somewhat smaller Than a slug, I simply pour another mug…
…Obama, I can promise you, that even if you bring us to Disaster, we’ll still love you and exclaim, “Give Bush the blame!”
…To those few extremists clinging to the faith of your upbringing, Hey, you need a new religion, Come and be a happy pigeon In our flock, The Great Assembly of Barack, The God of Talk.
…Please don’t call him the Messiah, He is actually much higher, He’s humanity perfected, Che Guevera resurrected, He’s so swell, I’d gladly follow him to hell, Just like Michelle…
}, which is a "Texas THANG" for New Year's ........................ the FodGuy is NOT working tonight {it woulda been himself & ONE other person}, so we're going to go up the road a bit to a little honky-tonk for a spell - if it's too crowded/loud/whatever, we'll just head on out to dinner somewhere .............................. so, to KG, Gecko, MK, Tiberius, Bayou Renaissance Man, the LawDog, the Gentlemen of HillBuzz, Old NFO, the folks @ iOwnTheWorld, any of my visitors from around the world, and any and all Brothers & Sisters in our beloved U.S. Military, a heartfelt "Semper Fi'", Hand Salute, and 
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