Tommy

*More in the extended section*

Rev. John Powell, a professor at Loyola University in Chicago writes about Tommy, a student in his Theology of Faith class.

Some twelve years ago, I stood watching my university students file into the classroom for our first session in the Theology of Faith. That was the day I first saw Tommy. My eyes and my mind both blinked. He was combing his long flaxen hair, which hung six inches below his shoulders. It was the first time I had ever seen a boy with hair that long. I guess it was just coming into fashion then. I know in my mind that it isn't what's on your head but what's in it that counts; but on that day, I was unprepared and my emotions flipped I immediately filed Tommy under "S" for strange... very strange.

Tommy turned out to be the "atheist in residence" in my Theology of Faith course. He constantly objected to, smirked at, or whined about the possibility of an unconditionally loving Father/God. We lived with each other in relative peace for one semester, although I admit he was for me at times a serious pain in the back pew.

When he came up at the end of the course to turn in his final exam, he asked in a cynical tone, "Do you think I'll ever find God?" I decided instantly on a little shock therapy.

"No" I said very emphatically.

"Why not?," he responded, "I thought that was the product you were pushing."

I let him get five steps from the classroom door and then called out, "Tommy I don't think you'll ever find Him, but I am absolutely certain that He will find you!" He shrugged a little and left my class and my life. I felt slightly disappointed at the thought that he had missed my clever line: "He will find you!" At least I thought it was clever. Later, I heard that Tommy had graduated and I was duly grateful.

Then a sad report came. I heard that Tommy had terminal cancer. Before I could search him out, he came to see me. When he walked into my office, his body was very badly wasted and the long hair had all fallen out as a result of chemotherapy. But his eyes were bright and his voice was firm, for the first time, I believe.

"Tommy, I've thought about you so often--I hear you are sick", I blurted out.

"Oh, yes, very sick. I have cancer in both lungs. It's a matter of weeks."

"Can you talk about it, Tom?", I asked.

"Sure, what would you like to know?", he replied.

“What's it like to be only twenty-four and dying?", I asked.

"Well, it could be worse.", he replied.

"Like what?", I asked.

"Well, like being fifty and having no values or ideals; like being fifty and thinking that booze, seducing women, and making money are the real biggies in life.", he replied.
I began to look through my mental file cabinet under 'S' where I had filed Tommy as strange. (It seems as though everybody I try to reject by classification, God sends back into my life to educate me.)

"But what I really came to see you about", Tom said, "is something you said to me on the last day of class." (He remembered!) He continued, "I asked you if you thought I would ever find God and you said, 'No' which surprised me. Then you said, 'But He will find you.' I thought about that a lot, even though my search for God was hardly intense at that time." (My clever line. He thought about that a lot!) "But when the doctors removed a lump from my groin and told me that it was malignant, that's when I got serious about locating God. And when the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began banging bloody fists against the bronze doors of heaven. But God did not come out. In fact, nothing happened. Did you ever try anything for a long time with great effort and with no success? You get psychologically glutted, fed up with trying. And then you quit."

"Well, one day I woke up, and instead of throwing a few more futile appeals over that high brick wall to a God who may be or may not be there, I just quit. I decided that I didn't really care about God, about an after life, or anything like that. I decided to spend what time I had left doing something more profitable. I thought about you and your class and I remembered something else you had said:" "The essential sadness is to go through life without loving. But it would be almost equally sad to go through life and leave this world without ever telling those you loved that you had loved them.'"

"So, I began with the hardest one, my Dad. He was reading the newspaper when I approached him. "Dad."

"Yes, what?", he asked without lowering the newspaper.

"Dad, I would like to talk with you."

"Well, talk."

"I mean... It's really important".
The newspaper came down three slow inches. "What is it?"

"Dad, I love you--I just wanted you to know that." Tom smiled at me and said it with obvious satisfaction, as though he felt a warm and secret joy flowing inside of him. "The newspaper fluttered to the floor. Then my father did two things I could never remember him ever doing before. He cried and he hugged me. We talked all night, even though he had to go to work the next morning. It felt so good to be close to my father, to see his tears, to feel his hug, to hear him say that he loved me."

"It was easier with my mother and little brother. They cried with me, too, and we hugged each other, and started saying real nice things to each other. We shared the things we had been keeping secret for so many years! I was only sorry about one thing --- that I had waited so long. Here I was, just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been close to."

"Then, one day I turned around and God was there. He didn't come to me when I pleaded with Him. I guess I was like an animal trainer holding out a hoop:" 'C'mon, jump through. C'mon, I'll give You three days, three weeks.' "Apparently God does things in His own way and at His own hour. But the important thing is that He was there. He found me! You were right. He found me even after I stopped looking for Him."

"Tommy", I practically gasped: "I think you are saying something very important and much more universal than you realize. To me, at least, you are saying that the surest way to find God is not to make Him a private possession, a problem solver, or an instant consolation in time of need, but rather by opening to love. You know, the Apostle John said that. He said: 'God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God and God is living in him.'" "Tom, could I ask you a favor? You know, when I had you in class you were a real pain. But (laughingly) you can make it all up to me now. Would you come into my present Theology of Faith course and tell them what you have just told me? If I told them the same thing it wouldn't be half as effective as if you were to tell it."

"Ooh I was ready for you, but I don't know if I'm ready for your class."

"Tom, think about it if you are ready, give me a call."

In a few days, Tom called, said he was ready for the class, that he wanted to do that for God and for me. So we scheduled a date. However, he never made it. He had another appointment, far more important than the one with me and my class. Of course, his life was not really ended by his death, only changed. He made the great step from faith into vision. He found a life far more beautiful than the eye of man has ever seen or the ear of man has ever heard or the mind of man has ever imagined. Before he died, we talked one last time.

"I'm not going to make it to your class", he said.

"I know, Tom."

"Will you tell them for me? Will you tell the whole world for me?"

"I will, Tom. I'll tell them. I'll do my best."

So, to all of you who have been kind enough to read this simple story about God's love, thank you for listening. And to you, Tommy, somewhere in the sunlit, verdant hills of heaven --- I told them, Tommy as best I could. If this story means anything to you, please pass it on to a friend or two. It is a true story and is not enhanced for publicity purposes.

With thanks,
Rev. John Powell, Professor Loyola University in Chicago

So I’m doing my part and passing it on, now it’s your turn.

Real Time Starts Tomorrow!

Yes! Daylights Savings time begins tomorrow! Well technically it begins on Sunday at 2:00am but I will take care of setting my clocks tomorrow night before I turn in, so for me it begins tomorrow. And yes, for me real time finally begins again.

Next year thanks to our illustrious leaders Daylights Savings Time will begin even earlier, and will end a week later than it does this year. If they keep this up in a few years we will only be on Standard time for Christmas. I don't know why we just don't do away with Standard Time and leave our clocks on the Daylights Savings Schedule all the time. This whole switching our clocks stuff is bothersome to say the least.

Of course I would be remiss if I didn't tout the "party line" and remind you to "Change your Clocks, Change your Batteries. Smoke Detector's Save Lives"

An Open Letter to Ken Mehlman

Mr. Mehlman,

I want to thank you for the stirring letter requesting my support for the upcoming election cycle; my $25.00 check will be sent out shortly. I do however, have one question, how am I supposed to support a party that seems to have listened to its core members and voters and then gone and done the exact opposite of what we want?

I am of course talking about the President’s Illegal Immigration/Amnesty proposal. The conservative base of the Republican Party has for years stood for a strong border and stance on immigration, especially illegal immigration. We want and have demanded a more secure border between the US and Mexico only to be given, in the form of current and pending legislation a border that couldn’t stop a child, let alone a terrorist.

Illegal immigration is the single issue that is going to destroy our country. Currently both sides of Congress are crying that Social Security and Medicare cost too much, but every day we add thousands of illegal immigrants to the rolls of Medicare and Medicaid stressing an already fragile system to the breaking point. Millions of illegal immigrants are already in this country and many major cities have adopted policies that require their law enforcement officers to ignore federal laws about immigration, and we still give those cities billions of federal dollars to care for their illegal immigrants.

I am well aware that even if we were to build a fence or wall 1 mile wide and stop all of the illegal border crossing we would not have stopped the 9/11 terrorists from entering the country. Sadly our own US Department of State seems as intent on ignoring federal laws on immigration as most of our major cities by offering Visa’s to persons from known terrorist nations and then never follows up on them once they arrive.

For Mexico, Illegal immigration is their biggest industry. This is recognized by the Mexican Government when they publish and distribute pamphlets on how to cross the border safely but still illegally. Furthermore, the current McCain/Kennedy bill is a slap in the face of millions of immigrant Americans that immigrated to the US legally and made something of themselves, they are in essence being called patsies by our legislators who wish to provide Amnesty and instant citizenship to the billions that arrived here illegally. While Sensenbrenner’s bill is touted by both sides as Fascist in nature and he is caricatured as a modern day Hitler by the illegal immigration lobby.

What we need is a leader who is able to secure our borders from both terrorists and those that wish to live off of the government. America is still the destination of choice for all immigrants and with good reason, but we can’t let the illegal immigrants and their lobbies dictate to us how we will administer our own Government.

I await your answers; in the meantime, the check is in the mail.

Terry Schiavo One Year Later

One year ago today Terry Schiavo succumbed to her illness and died. Most of the Conservative bloggers, journalists and legislators out there will tell you she was murdered, while most of the liberal bloggers, journalists and legislators will tell you she died a valiant death and secured the Right to Die for all American’s. I can tell you one thing, none of those bloggers or journalists or legislators ever spent anytime working in the healthcare industry or spent days watching patients suffer needlessly because their families were too scared to let them go, for if they had they would have known about the good Hospice can do for patients and their families.

This is one topic where I break ranks with my Conservative brethren, for after 13 years in the healthcare industry, I have seen the effects of long term hospitalization on patients and I believe that Terry had every right to die with dignity on her own terms. Sure there will always be some question about what her true concerns were but I have to error on the side of the spouse in this matter. I base my decision upon the answer to a simple question, when do the rights of a parent to protect their child end? In my opinion those right end as soon as the person turns of age. More importantly, those rights are transferred to another person upon the simple act of marriage.

This was the single question that was never answered in the Schiavo case as the entire case was supposed upon some belief that Terry’s wishes were not what were being presented. Every court that took on the case never answered the one question that should have driven this case and that being who had standing. In my opinion the parents of Terry Schiavo did not have standing and the first judge to hear this case should have stated as such, Terry was a grown, adult woman, married to an adult male, their parental rights were no longer valid and had been transferred to Mr. Schiavo on the day that he married their daughter. Case law supports this position for no law requires adults to obtain parental permission for anything that they undertake, whether it be obtaining a loan to purchase a home or car, or apply for a job.

Where then did this supposed right of the parent come that allowed them to intervene in the application of medical treatments authorized by the souse? Where they required to sign any documentation that authorized their consent in treatment of their daughter? No, the consent forms were required of her spouse, he husband, her protector in those times in which she could not speak for herself. No they were created whole cloth by legislatures and judges who felt that they knew better than the patient.

Terry Schiavo died one year ago today. She did not starve to death, she did not suffer and she did not win a great victory for the right to die. She simply died while in the care of Hospice, comforted from pain and suffering, and with her died the unwavering rights of adults to be their own masters.

Web Reconnaissance for 03/31/2006

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.


t.f.boggs writes I have poster board, can I come too? “…On the third anniversary of the Iraq invasion a lot of people chose to voice their opinion about the ongoing “war” in Iraq. People took to the streets in different cities across the world to gain media attention to their cause while at the same time chanting catchy anti-war slogans. They held up signs pleading for the war to end, Bush to be impeached, Mumia to be freed, and Palestinians to finally be allowed to return to their “rightful” home. The day turned out to be an all-encompassing rally cry for all causes extreme left…”

Mohammed at Iraq The Model writes Politics in Iraq, a Mexican series! “There's a great deal of mysteriousness shrouding the government-formation talks between the political blocs in a way that makes these already lengthy talks and meetings seem to be taking forever in the eyes of the average Iraqi citizen.
"All they care about is getting more power for their parties" or "No one trusts nobody" is the most common remarks people here use whenever words like government or parties are spoken.”

Charlie Munn writing at The Officers’ Club writes Worst-Case Scenario “The Korean War's decisive point came when the Chinese entered. Could this war's decisive point be at hand?
The following is a decision brief delivered by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the Holy Supreme War Council, chaired by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini KHAMENEI….”

Michelle Malkin writes THE HECKLER'S VETO [UPDATED] “Much talk in the blogosphere today about the refusal of Borders and Waldenbooks to carry this month's issue of Free Inquiry because it reprints Jyllands-Posten's cartoons of Mohammed. Not much talk, though, about another magazine's brave decision not only to publish the cartoons, but to put the most provocative one right on its cover.
Submitted for your approval, courtesy of fearless editor Robert Bidinotto, the Winter 2006 issue of The New Individualist:”

ROFASix writes Broken Thinking & the Defense Budget “Broken Thinking and the Defense Budget is written by a guy who is a friend of the military. He doesn't worry about the "toys" the military is developing or producing. His focus is instead on our taking care of our troops by providing for adequate force structure.
His message is simple. Before 9/11 the JCS told Congress that troops and their families were being worn down by high OPTEMPOs.”

Blonde Sagacity writes Where's the ACLU? “This is the kind of case I want to see the ACLU start taking if they want to convince many of us that they aren't pursuing an anti-Christian agenda..."The United States Supreme Court may hear a case involving a school district's censorship of an art poster that a kindergartener drew for a school assignment -- a drawing that was partly suppressed by school officials because it contained the child's depiction of Jesus.”

Jason of Countercolumn writes Operation Swarmer: What didn't happen “Here's something a commenter wrote in response to this piece that I want to elevate to the main page, because it deserves a closer discussion:
‘How many insurgent attacks do you think that amount of ordnance represents? Doesn't look like a lot to me. 34 rifles with less than 100 rounds each, wow, color me unimpressed.’”

Austin Bay writes Remembering Saddam's Slow War “The latest quip accusation that the United States "rushed to war" with Saddam's Iraq conveniently ignores 12 years of combat, terror and crime.
Perhaps The Slow War -- Saddam's war against the U.N.-mandated sanctions and inspections regimen that halted Operation Desert Storm -- has slipped from public historical memory. It shouldn't, for The Slow War is the long, violent bridge connecting Desert Storm to Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

Martin at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy writes French hokey-pokey “The outrageous law proposed by the French government enabling employers to hire AND fire workers for the first two years of their career, goes to Monsieur President Al Chiraq today…”

Interesting Research

Believe it or not, you can read what follows:

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit plcae.
The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Amzanig huh?

H/T Nikki

Web Reconnaissance for 03/30/2006

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.

Buck Sargent of American Citizen Soldier writes SHOOT THE MESSENGERS “What’s black and white and red all over? The blood-soaked headlines, the negative news reports and pessimistic press coverage sprints ahead at full gallop. Live from Iraq: it’s the Meme of the Month. Didn’t you know? The country is in the midst of a calamitous downward spiral into Civil War! (All things considered, it’s really not much of a war and yet it’s far from civil). Al Jazeera said so. Or was that CNN? Is there really even a difference anymore?”

Confederate Yankee writes Fact or Fiction? “In news related to the five FISA court judge’s testimony, competing articles today by Eric Lichtblau of the New York Times and Brian DeBose of the Washington Times paint radically different pictures of the judge's testimony today, with Lichtblau's article making it appear that the five judges were siding against the president, and DeBose stating that the judges said Bush's executive order was legal. Obviously, one is wrong, and possibly being deceptive. The "verdict" from the lawyers of Powerline:”

Paul J. Cella writing at RedState posts Analysis of HR 4437 “Inspired by Leon’s industrious work, I spent some time yesterday digging through HR 4437, the Sensenbrenner immigration bill. I was not surprised to discover that the great bulk of the rhetorical violence directed against it is baseless. Aside from a single provision, included only for cynical reasons, it is a rather modest piece of reform…”

Andi of Andi’s World writes Al-Jazeera Cares “Al-Jazeera is concerned about the mental health of our troops. Incidentally, Al-Jazeera's cited source, AfterDowningStreet.org, is comprised of the usual crackpots, including Code Pink, who I've had the misfortune of witnessing on many occasions. The column continues (even quoting milblogger Colby Buzzell) and reminds me why I'm so bothered by the feigning of concern by those who are clearly not supportive of our global efforts to stamp out terrorism, and certainly not supportive of our troops…”

John at ARGGHH!! writes Observations on Military Latrines... “Back in the day, when I was 13 and Dad was a battalion commander in Germany, I could keep an eye on battalion morale by reading the walls of the stalls in the Sheridan Kaserne (Augsburg) snack bar latrine (I also got my first porn from his troops who manned the gate to the Fryar Circle housing area and got into R Rated movies (woo-woo! How 'bout that Mrs. Robinson? The pasties on that dancer? Yowza!)) because the troops who worked the theater didn't care...”

CDR Salamander writes The Last Helicopter “Want to know what this is all about. Want to understand why many of us get so mad at the press and the modern-day copperheads? Think things will be easier without Bush? You need to read all of this…”

NOTR aka ROFASix writes Info War - The Other War in Iraq “Yesterday the SecDef commented on something I have written about numerous times. The on-going information war that is such a big part of the war on terrorists is not going well for the US. It is being waged in the Middle East and in the middle of the American homeland. Rumsfeld suggested that often times it seems the US is coming in second. He said to the War College audience Monday:”

Expose The Left has Sandoval Again Calls For Abolishing The Military (VIDEO) San Francisco Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval appeared on The O’Reilly Factor tonight to defend the far left’s attack on peaceful Christian protestors in the Bay area last weekend. O’Reilly nailed Sandoval for not condemning the far left because liberals like him are supposed to be tolerant of others. More proof that liberals are only for free speech when it applies to them.

How Low Can the Anti-War Crowd Get?

*More in the extended Section*

[Ed. Note: I received this from Pam at Iraq War Today where she has posted this. I don’t really know what else I can say about this so I’m going to cross post her entire post here. Please stop in and let her know how disgusted you are with the Anti-war Anti-American sentiments that are indoctrinated on our College Campuses nationwide all in the name of Diversity and free speech. Pam's comments are in Italics.]

You'd think I'd know better than to ask that question.

The following was forwarded to me by Debey, known to all of us at Soldiers' Angels as Gunnar's Mom...

There is a War Protest with a cemetery display at my son's college here in St Louis. They have tomb stones with the names of those that were killed in the war. Alex went through and removed the names of those he know who would not want to be associated with this type of protest. As he told the student who organized this you do not have the permission of those killed or of their families to use their name to represent your cause, I am needing this out so that any family who has a loved in who was killed in Iraq if you want to call or write the Dean of Students and let them know how upsetting this is to you please do so or email me and I will with your premission remove the name for you please email me privately...

That email was sent by Jan Lang, founder of Marine Comfort Quilts, and the mother of a Marine Hero who has safely returned from duty in Iraq. Marine Comfort Quilts has completed over 1700 quits that have been sent to the families who have lost a loved one in Iraq. Please contact me for Jan's email address.

Need to know how disgusting this display is? Here is a picture of the referenced display (from a previous event), organized by the St. Louis Instead of War Coalition:



This is typical of the response that has been received to requests for removal:

Dear Ms. M---:
Per your request, I have seen to it that the tombstone with the name of your loved one has been taken down.

Please let me say that I am extremely sorry for your loss. The students who set up the memorial on our campus did not mean to add to your pain. They were simply trying to bring honor to those soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve those freedoms that we enjoy.

Hmmmmmm...somehow, I don't think so. This hero's widow didn't think so, either:

Mr. Brady,

I am responding to your comment "They were simply trying to bring honor to those soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve those freedoms that we enjoy."

It is my understanding that there was a tombstone with simply D----- M---- on it. (Name withheld pending permission from this hero's widow) No branch of service, no rank. Exactly how were you honoring a "soldier" when you excluded his military experience? My husband EARNED his rank by being in the Marine Corps for 13 years and doing his job well. His intention was to be in for 20 years. Your students erased his dedication to defending their freedoms by erasing his military background. Your students have made him just a name. Really I can't even dream up something as distasteful. I would not have called if I didn't feel this was truly just a display for visual impact....by no means "honoring" anyone. Please save your empty condolences and sarcasm.
Deborah M------
Proud Wife of SSgt. D----- M------, Jr.
KIA on March 25, 2003

And if you haven't lost your lunch yet, not only do these "tombstones" completely eliminate any reference to rank or branch of service, but our Heroes are sharing space on them with Iraqi names, as well.

Some are particularly disturbing - like this one removed from the display. This is how these people saw fit to "honor" a member of the Soldiers' Angels family:



For the record, that's PFC Gunnar Becker, 2nd Platoon "Bandits," Bravo Company 2/63 AR Battalion, US Army



Freedom of _expression is one thing. This is...I don't know what this is. Wrong, is all I can come up with. Wrong, wrong, wrong. This kind of thing needs to be addressed. The Respect for Fallen Heroes Act is a start - more information on that below.

The two pictures above come from Jan's album of photos of the display and some of the stones they've been able to remove:

I spent 3 hours at the College today removing tombstones. I do not know the name of the person who I spoke with from this group but they "OWN" the tombstone and I was told that the Pentagon release the name so that makes the name available to them for their use. SO while the school is removing the names per the families wishes if they send the school a email, the school would not allow me to take them with me. I have a picture of every one that I was able to get taken down. The display was missing 300 names as we were told they are on permanent display where the exit started. The display does come down on Thursday March 30, 2006 at 3:30 after Taps is played...

Here's some background:
It appears that the tombstone display actually is borrowed from this group: http://www.insteadofwar.org/ There is a picture of the display at a previous event.

Here is their contact info:
St. Louis Instead of War Coalition
438 N. Skinker Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63130
(314) 725-5303
staff@insteadofwar.org

So at this point I think everyone needs to email the group and also email their Senator and Congressman regarding the pending legislation regarding the upcoming Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act to have these such displays be added to that legislation. Below is a copy of what I have been sending, plus the link to sign the petition.

Petitions can be signed at www.mikerogers.house.gov/fallenheroes.aspx I encourage you to forward this site to your friends and family and ask them to help protect military families.

Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act is upcoming legislation, I do not feel this bill goes far enough. I believe that it should also include the use of our Fallen's names on crosses and tombstone in protest against the war without the family’s written permission. The visual impact would be the same if they put up 2400+ cross/tombstones without the names. Our men and women have died to protect the right of free speech but they have not given them the right to assume those who have died agree with their protest. The use of the names of our fallen give the impression they would have supported the protest.
Jan Lang, Founder,
Marine Comfort Quilts
www.marinecomfortquilts.us
Honoring or Fallen one Quilt at a time

If you have a family member or loved one whose name may be on one of these, and you would like to have their name removed from the display (which, as I understand it, is a travelling display), please either use the contact information above, or email me, and I'll put you in touch with someone who can help.

The anti-war crowd, unfortunately, never ceases to sicken me with the complete lack of respect they show our Heroes and their families. Just one more reason I don't buy the "I'm anti-war, not anti-troop" line.

Here is further information on the Respect for Fallen Heroes Act (forwarded by Sara of Soldiers' Angels:

Rogers Proposes the Respect for Fallen Heroes ActWhile attending the funeral of a Michigan soldier who died of combat wounds suffered in Iraq, protestors attempted to disrupt the funeral by shouting vile and harassing slogans at the family and other mourners. Military families mourning the loss of a loved one killed in the defense of our nation deserve the right to say their final goodbyes in peace. America honors and respects our soldiers, and none more than those who die defending freedom and our nation.

Next week, I will be introducing federal legislation to protect grieving military families by banning protestors from military funerals. This legislation, the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act, will prohibit demonstrating one hour before and one hour after the service for a fallen solider and keep the protesters 500 feet from the grieving family. No family burying a son or daughter, a husband or wife, a brother or sister, should be faced with the insults, verbal attacks, and intimidation that these protestors were screaming or displaying on signs. This common sense legislation will help to protect military families in their most difficult hour and is narrowly tailored to fit within the time and place restrictions consistently upheld by the Supreme Court.

Giving citizens an opportunity to participate in the process and support the legislation, I launched an on-line petition. The petition will allow citizens to express honor and respect for our American soldiers who make the ultimate sacrifice for the nation, as well as support for the people they love and leave behind. The petition and comments from citizens will be presented to the House Veterans Affairs Committee at an April 6 hearing in Washington. Petitions can be signed at www.mikerogers.house.gov/fallenheroes.aspx

I encourage you to forward this site to your friends and family and ask them to help protect military families. [Ed.Note: For my feelings on this legislation see here]

Further info from Jan:

The exhibit comes down this afternoon and after talking with the students involved yesterday I think they understand the families side better. As I told them, I just don't think they thought this all out very well. They failed to see how this could effect a Vet's attending school there and failed to think of the Families feelings. If nothing else it allowed dialog on the subject. The person from http://www.insteadofwar.org/ told me this exhibit was the same as the Traveling Viet Nam Wall in the sense that it was honoring those that were killed.

My signature is already on the Petition. I urge you to do the same. I echo Jan's sentiments, though - there are other exploitations of our nation's Heroes which should be dealt with. Freedom of speech can be exercised without harming the families of the fallen. I also think that certain actions against military members (ex., spitting on them) need to be specifically addressed in legislation. My personal opinion is that the military should be treated, in these siutations, in the same way that antidiscrimination's protected classes are treated. Can you imagine what would happen if the KKK showed up at the funeral of an African-American to make similar displays? Hurling the type of drivel that Phelps' crew does? Racial slurs and racially motivated attacks aren't freedom of speech / _expression - they're hate crimes. Certain actions aimed at our military heroes should be treated the same way.

This post stays at the top of the blog today.

Pam

Proud Soldiers' Angel Iraq War Today blogger


FREEDOM ISN'T FREE!!

DADism #13

"No pain, no gain"

{A somewhat feeble attempt at motivational speaking, this one is used to inspire a child to run one more lap, lift one more bushel, or endure one more round of multiplicatoin tables.}

Kids really hate this one.

For more on Illegal Immigration

Try these writers, all of whom can be found at Townhall.com

Kathleen Parker: When illegal is right, what is wrong?
Jonah Goldberg: Blurring the immigration issue
Thomas Sowell: Guests or gate crashers and Guests or gate crashers? Part II
Debra Saunders: It's time to get immigration reform done
Ben Shapiro: Congress is finally in the ballgame on immigration
Cal Thomas: Whose country is this?
Bill Murchison: Missing the point on immigration

And these writers at Frontpage Magazine
Ben Johnson: Who's Behind the Immigration Rallies?
Steven A. Camarota: Illegals Squeeze Out U.S. Workers

And writing at Jewish World Review
Robert Robb: McCain-Kennedy is more a capitulation to the tide of illegal immigration
Tony Blankley: Mexican illegals vs. American voters
Michelle Malkin: Racism gets a whitewash
Linda Chavez: Now the debate on illegals can begin

Web Reconnaissance for 03/29/2006

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention. Today focusing on Illegal Immigration and what isn’t being done about it. (With an American Soldier update at the end)

Doc Russia writes Just in case you were wondering “...about my position on the recent large protests against Sensenbrenner's bill; First off, my wife is an immigrant. Actually, she is a refugee if you want to be specific. I tell you this because I don't want to hear any bullshit about how "I don't understand the plight of the immigrant." That's absolute crap. I do know what I am talking about. My wife came to the US 16 years ago. Her family spoke no english, and they had about $200 for the six of them, and two suitcases each.”

Captain Ed writes Illegals To Americans: We Hate America “It's hard to imagine that the schoolchildren who engaged in a pro-illegal immigration rally yesterday helped their cause much, except to harden the polarization already felt on both sides of the issue. While our politicians in Washington talked about how the illegals came to the US to enjoy the American dream, their actions speak much more towards the reconquista that, as Michelle Malkin has written, lies at the heart of the triumphalism that they now espouse.”

Master Gunner at Tanker Brothers writes Tanker Brothers: Race Traitors? Think Again! “Someone insinuated that they couldn't understand why I wasn't predisposed to understand the plight of illegal immigrants. I mean, after all, I'm Hispanic, right? The whole time, I'm thinking "What the heck does that have to do with the price of tea in China?" Someone else said, quite pointedly, as a matter of fact, that they didn't understand it, either, since there had to be some immigration in my background.”

John Hawkins of Right Wing News writes The Senate's Illegal Immigration Horror Show
Sometimes, you just have to scratch your head and wonder what goes on in the vast empty space between the ears of some of the Republicans in the Senate. For example, that sort of head scratching might happen after you saw the nightmarish concoction that the Senate Judiciary Committee just came out with.

Michelle Malkin writes THE AMERICAN FLAG COMES SECOND “You will not see this heart-stopping photo on the front page of the NY Times or on the lead story of the major news networks. You should (hat tip: Mika and F/R):”

The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiller writes President Milquetoast Does It Again “Here we go again. “As Bill so very correctly notes, Wile E. Bushyote never gets tired of that same old shtick no matter how many times it blows up in his face. With Harriet Miers, all of us critics were “misogynists and elitists.” With the Dubai Dumbfuck, we were “Arab-hating racists.” Now, with his Full Amnesty plan for illegal aliens, we’re just plain old “xenophobes” who hate all immigrants…”

Gay Patriot writes Illegal Immigration Must End! “I’m hoping that Americans get as excited and angry about the watered-down Senate immigration bill as they did about the Dubai ports sale. We have got to toughen our borders first, and worry about law-breaking refugees second. If you are in this country illegally, you should not have any rights under this nation’s Constitution. It is a pretty obvious conclusion.”

Jay Tea at Wizbang writes Immigration reform: a modest proposal “With the latest round of protests against changing the laws regarding illegal aliens, I've been listening to the arguments. And it's the same old crap -- the United States NEEDS the cheap labor, we've become "addicted" to it as we have to oil, and our economy simply can't survive as is without it. I happen to think that's a load of crap, but just for the sake of argument let's presume it's true. How can we possibly reconcile our needs for security and regulating our borders with this perceived need?”

Kobayashi Maru writes Immigration and Persecution - The Missing Link “Flipping between my three favorite talk radio channels yesterday while running an errand, I was disappointed to find all of them going on about illegal immigration. And on. And on. And on…” [Ed. note: Yes I know I linked to this post yesterday also.]

Crazy Poltico’s Rantings writes Immigration, French Riots or Religion? “…The Senate judiciary committee passed a (semi)bipartisan bill 12-6 that on immigration that includes the President's request for a guest worker program. This one will set up a showdown with the Majority Leader Bill Frist on a competing proposal that doesn't include that program. When the Senate gets what ever it does worked out they still have to square their bill with the one in the House that doesn't include a guest worker program either.”


And finally some news about American Soldier who was wounded in Iraq:

American Soldier writes The angle of it all “Early March changed the way I look at things. How I felt about the war I had been fighting. Never deterred, but the angle in which I fought it…”

Web Reconnaissance for 03/28/2006

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.

Pam at Iraq War Today has A Message from a Hero “Dear Soldier Supporter - I am the Battalion Chaplain of the 37th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne) attached to 10th Mountain Division. You may remember sending some packages, letters, or cards to me when I was in Baghdad, Iraq last year with the 2nd Battalion, 8th (US) Cavalry of the 1st Cavalry Division. A lot of you wanted to know when and if I ever deployed again. Well, I'm deployed again, but this time to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom VII. You sent us great stuff last time and I wanted to give you another opportunity again, if you chose to do so…”

t.f.boggs writes True Reporting from Iraq “I feel like I am in the middle of a five-minute chess game right now that has been taking place so fast that I don’t have time to completely plan out my next move before the time runs out. In this chess game I am a pawn with the hands of someone much bigger controlling me, and with a panel of analysts describing the game.”

Buck Sargent of American Citizen Soldier writes WHAT CASEY SHEEHAN DIED FOR “On April 4th, 2004 Army Specialist Casey Sheehan and seven fellow soldiers were killed during protracted combat with Shi'ite insurgents in Sadr City, Iraq. Sheehan, a Humvee mechanic, had volunteered for the rescue mission to relieve his besieged comrades only to be ambushed himself while en route. He had been in country for five days.”

Uncle Jimbo writes Bricks for peace “I believe I have proven my tolerance quite a few times and I really don't care if people protest the war or W or whatever. But when some pampered pissant wants to disrespect the military that keeps us all safe, well I get pissed.”

Captain Ed of Captain’s Quarters writes The Fukuyama Two-Step “Francis Fukuyama has made headlines once again for abandoning the neoconservativism that he once espoused. His change of heart came, he says, when he attended a speech two years ago that treated the Iraq War as an unqualified success, and realized that he had nothing in common with this movement. Interestingly, it's taken him a while to come public with this information -- say, just about the time that public support for the war has ebbed -- and he does so just as his new book is being released..”

Omar at Iraq The Model writes Following yesterday's raid... “The Iraqi government, or more precisely the UIA part of it is obviously so outraged by the joint US-Iraqi army raid on al-Mustafa husseiniya that took place in eastern Baghdad yesterday.
Actually the reactions to this incident are so intense compared the reactions when 30 or 4 beheaded or strangles bodies are found on nearly daily basis in Baghdad in a way that it makes me question the intentions of this part of the government even more; this incident has received more attention and was met by more objections that it deserves, or to be more accurate; other more worrisome and tragic deaths in Iraq are receiving far less attention that they should be.”

WO1 Michael Fay of Fire and Ice writes Stranger in a Strange Land “…So, here I am back stateside groking America, feeling a little like a stranger in a strange land. This past week the actor Richard Belzer, from a bully-pulpit provided by HBO and Bill Maher, condescendingly disparaged the very same young Americans into whose able hands I placed my own life and limb into day after day in Iraq and Afghanistan…”

Jay at Stop the ACLU writes ACLU Teaching Children How To Be Good Criminals “If there is one thing that American needs more of, especially our children, it is to learn how to take responsibility for our actions and to realize that our actions have consequences. The ACLU are working hard to teach our children just the opposite…”

Ian of Expose the Left has Hannity Discusses Fight With Baldwin On H&C (VIDEO) “Co-host Sean Hannity discussed his feud with actor and Hollywood elite Alec Baldwin on WABC on tonight’s edition of Hannity & Colmes. The host of that WABC show, Brian Whitman, who was interviewing Baldwin, also appeared on H&C to talk about what happened. Co-host Alan Colmes didn’t even try to rationalize Baldwin’s statements that Cheney is a terrorist and that Rep. Henry Hyde should be stoned to death.”

Kobayashi Maru writes Immigration and Persecution - The Missing Link “Flipping between my three favorite talk radio channels yesterday while running an errand, I was disappointed to find all of them going on about illegal immigration. And on. And on. And on.
I haven't blogged on this much before, mostly because it seems like it ought to be a lot simpler than it's being made out to be. I've also been uncomfortable with the pridefulness that seems to animate some of those out front on the issue.”

Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes Act – Is It Needed?

I was asked this morning to highlight and to ask for your support for the pending legislation known as the Support the Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes Act being sponsored by US Rep Mike Rogers, Michigan's 8th District, but I’m not sure I can do that. I understand the desire to have legislation like this, I for one would not want Fred Phelps to show up at my funeral or a funeral I was attending, but I'm a little concerned about this legislation.

Freedom of Speech is the cornerstone of our constitution and is the foundation of all our other rights. The 1st amendment is very clear on this matter, it states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Whenever we decide that someone's speech is not acceptable in that it deserves no protection of free speech where do we stop?

I hate Phelps and all he stands for, but I love our guarantee of Free Speech even more. The Patriot Riders are I think the best method of countering Phelps and his ilk, the passing of legislation to limit what is acceptable speech in the public forum is I believe not the method of handling it.

The legislation as written is seeking to ban protesters 1 hour prior to and 1 hour after military funerals in National Cemeteries. If that is true then by all means go for it. National Cemeteries are by law, if I’m not mistaken, federal property and the Federal Government can make any rule for the safe conduct of business on its property, however extending this protection to all funerals of a military nature while admirable, is in my opinion unconstitutional.

If Phelps and his band of hate-mongers want to stand along the road and wave signs showing how ignorant they are, let them. It will be my pleasure and my right to drown them out with Patriot Riders and my own voice. Does the family deserve to be treated as such by them? No, but life isn’t fair and, despite what the ACLU would have you believe, there is no right to not be offended.

This legislation in my opinion is not needed, what is needed is for all us, who support our troops and believe that they are honorable men and women, to stand up in defense of them and block Phelps and those like him from getting close enough to the family. We should be creating human shields of patriots that will protect and insulate the family of our heroes from their vile utterances.

Today it’s Phelps and his band...tomorrow it could be you or me. It all depends upon who is listening. If you feel strongly about this and wish to support this legislation the online petition can be found here, but I caution you, this truly might be a case of being careful for what you are wishing; you might just get it.

Give Yale the Finger

Since March 8th Clint Taylor a '96 Yale alumnus has been driving a campaign to make Yale atone for their acceptance of Taliban mouth piece Sayeed Rahmatullah Hashemi to a special student program, and admit that the acceptance of Sayeed is political in nature and a jab at President Bush and the War on Terror.

If you’d like to show your outrage at Yale’s decision to admit the Taliban’s spokeman, join us in "giving Yale the finger." It would be disgusting– not to mention really painful — to mail your own fingernails, but you can buy glamorous, decadent, shameless-hussy-scarlet press-on nails (ask for "nail tips") from any drug store or beauty shop. They’re cheap; a box costs about $5.00. (Caution to Harvard-educated readers: do not eat the press-on nails. Sure, they look tasty, but they will make you sick.)

Send them to Yale’s Office of Development, along with a polite (or not-so-polite) letter explaining what you think of their decision to admit Rahmatullah:

Yale University
Office of Development
P.O. Box 2038
New Haven, CT 06521-2038

What’s more, you can also send a nice red fake nail or ten to Yale’s President, Richard Levin, at:

President Richard C. Levin
Woodbridge Hall
Yale University
New Haven Connecticut 06520

If you do have some connection with Yale, please tell them so in your letter and explain that you are withholding your donations until they end the disgrace of allowing America’s unrepentant enemy an opportunity which thousands of smart, deserving kids in Afghanistan, America or anywhere, who have been studying diligently instead of shilling for a brutal regime of retrograde, misogynist, terrorist-abetting, drug-running, Buddha-blasting, gay-murdering, freedom-hating tyrants, never received.

Feel free to point out the hyprocrisy of Yale’s decision to admit Sayeed Rahmatullah Hashemi, who supported a regime that killed homosexuals, stoned women, tortured / killed many, and destroyed Buddhas, even though Yale keeps ROTC off campus and files briefs with the Supreme Court protesting the military’s right to recruit on campus.

This issue isn’t going away anytime soon but we can hope to make Yale’s decision one that they will never forget. Clint along with three other Yale alumni, is tracking the story of the Yale Taliban on Townhall's Nail Yale blog stop by and lend your support.

Impeach Bush? Not Hardly!

*More in the extended section*

Local Columnist Joe Volz is apparently as out of touch with reality as the rest of his left leaning friends are. In his March 24, 2006 column he called for the impeachment of President Bush on two grounds:

“He has broken the law by illegally bypassing the courts and wiretapping American citizens in the United States. And he has violated his oath of office by misleading us about those non-existent weapons of mass destruction when he took us to war.”

Lets look at both of these accusations starting with the second one first. It was well known before the start of the Iraq Invasion that Saddam Hussein had at his disposal and has used Chemical Weapons on his own people. In fact Saddam Hussein himself told the whole world that he had Weapons of Mass Destruction and would resist all efforts to dismantle his program regardless of what UN Weapons Inspectors found or ordered him to do. Prior to President Bush coming to office, President Clinton as well as other Democratic Party leaders all called for the removal of Saddam Hussein based upon his ranting and prolific use of Chemical Weapons, and on December 24 The Hague convicted Dutch businessman Frans van Anraat, to 15 years for selling Saddam the chemicals used to kill at least 5,000 Kurds in Halabja, among others. Recently the chairman of House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Rep. Peter Hoekstra, indicated that wants to reopen this case to prove once and for all that Saddam did have Chemical Weapons and that he ferried them out of Iraq using civilian aircraft before the invasion, at the core of this investigation is 12 hours of audio recordings between Saddam Hussein and his top advisers that may provide clues to the whereabouts of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

If President Bush lied then he would have had to know that Saddam had already destroyed or transferred his Chemical Weapons programs before the Iraq Survey Group even arrived and the invasion was started. This of course is not possible as it would have meant that President Bush would have to have the ability to read the minds of others, a trait that no one possesses.

Let us now address Mr. Volz’s call to impeach President Bush on the grounds that he is illegally eavesdropping on American Citizens. If Mr. Volz had taken the time to actually research this issue he would have found out that the phone calls in question were either; made to known terrorists in terror sponsoring nations or they were sent from known terrorists located in terror supporting nations. Mr. Volz apparently has never heard of the December 22, 2005 report by the Department of Justice which found these intercept cases completely legal and reasonable in time of war, nor am I sure is he aware that a vast majority of American’s approve of the government actually doing its job of protecting us from attack. Under Article II of the Constitution, including in his capacity as Commander in Chief, the President has the responsibility to protect the Nation from further attacks, and the Constitution gives him all necessary authority to fulfill that duty. The report further states that if the Nation is invaded, "the President is not only authorized but bound to resist by force . . . . without waiting for any special legislative authority" This constitutional authority includes the authority to order warrantless foreign intelligence surveillance within the United States, as all federal appellate courts, including at least four circuits, to have addressed the issue have concluded that the President does have that authority.

When he states that the impeachment process should not be used as a means to recall the election he is in fact demanding that the president be impeached simply because he “feels” that President Bush stole the election in the first place and every act the President takes is illegal because he is in office illegally. Get over it Mr. Volz, your man lost and he lost simply because he was not a viable candidate. For you to call President Bush’s acts an attempt to dismantle the Constitution or make it “inoperative” is a joke as the only group that has set about to dismantle the constitution of late has been the Democratic Party.

DADism #11

"Close your mouth and eat your supper."

{Taken literally, of course, this dadism is an impossible feat.}

Translation: "Stop talking and finish your food before it gets cold. That steak cost me four bucks a pound."

Web Reconnaissance for 03/27/2006

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.

Ian at Expose the Left has Moonbats Deface Sign Honoring Green Beret “It is sad that the left has to turn to doing something this: But don’t you dare question their patriotism!”

Expose The Left also has Daily Kos’ Moulitsas Blame Liberals’ Problems On — The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy! (VIDEO) “…Moulitsas blames the problems liberals have on the conservative media. Liberals are so delusional that they think there is a conservatively biased media. Perhaps the problem is that they have no plans, no ideas, and no clear leader. They have to go ahead and blame their own problems on conservatives and this evil “conservative media” that has apparently taken over…”

Kobayashi Maru writes Brave New World: Why the Left Wishes North Korea Would Just Go Away “As we noted just over a year ago, the horrors of North Korea aren't going away. One day the veil will be lifted and the West forced to contend (as it did with the Nazi death camps) with its delay and vacillation. A flood of stomach-turning revelations will someday come pouring out. Until then, the dribs and drabs of defectors (this one breaking today) are sickening enough.”

Some Soldier’s Mom writes That Dang Pesky War in Iraq “Three years. Sigh. I have been watching the coverage of the 3rd anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. I’m already weary of the Democrats pummeling away that “72% of the soldiers think the troops should come home.” That’s really a misleading statement and the numbers are wrong. 100% of the soldiers think we should leave Iraq. And 100% of the wives, parents and friends of those that serve whether they are in Iraq now, have been there, might be going there, or will never serve in Iraq. We all -- they all -- want the soldiers home.”

Mrs. American Soldier writing for American Soldier posts More on the latest “AS is back in states. His injury has brought him home to recover. He is, for the moment, in a military hospital. He has run the gamet of testing to determine the outlook of things. And right now it’s a matter of time. He will be taking it slow for some time.”

Uncle Jimbo writing at Blackfive writes The mythical power of protest marches “When was the last time the right got all up in arms and flooded the streets with chanting protesters? I mean beside the 4th of July, seriously, why is this such a staple of the left? “

Captain Ed of Captain’s Quarters writes Strib: Let's Ignore The Constitution “The Minneapolis Star-Tribune once again demonstrates why it remains on the fringe of the newspaper industry. Their news section shows flashes of brilliance, but their editorial board continues to display the lunacy of the political outliers, and today's editorial gives a great example. The Strib today argues to allow a handful of states to hijack the Electoral College, defy the Constitution, and capture the presidency for the most populous states:”

Omar at Iraq The Model writes Know your enemies, dudes! “There are a few things that make me keep my optimism about a near end or at least a reduction of Iran's destructive game in Iraq. One and actually the most important is that we have an American ambassador who recognizes Iran's role in supporting both ends of violence in Iraq; that's the Shia militias, namely the notorious Mehdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr and the extreme terror groups like al-Qaeda's Ansar al-Sunna.”

Andi of Andi’s World has this short but wonderful post Terrorizing the Locals “My husband and his fellow soldiers are at it again, terrorizing the locals.”

Yehudit at Winds of Change writes Our intrepid war correspondents “…Friday night, Time Baghdad bureau chief Michael Ware got drunk on camera for Bill Maher, live from a city where alcohol is frowned upon (to put it mildly), in front of a cheering laughing studio audience, made vague allegations about US soldiers "manhandling" Iraqi women (while Maher made sarcastic asides about "good news from Iraq"), and explained how hopeless everything is. You could almost see the insurgent's hand up his butt making his little arms wave…”

Tom The Redhunter writes Reprisal, not Civil War “…Words have meaning beyond saying them. They determine how we look at things, and influence public opinion. There are two meanings to every word; the connotative and the denotative. The first is the "dictionary meaning", the second the thoughts, images, and feelings that the term or word conjures up. So when some people say Iraq is in a "civil war", most people who hear that don't run to the dictionary, or a book on military terms. They relate the term civil war to other civil wars they know about; the American Civil war, the Spanish Civil war, etc. And what they think of is two armies fighting each other in a somewhat conventional fashion…”

Ben Domenech Resigns

Red America is no more.

A 4 day run at the post for Ben Domenech ended today when he resigned from the staff.

Jim Brady Editor writes at Red America today:

"In the past 24 hours, we learned of allegations that Ben Domenech plagiarized material that appeared under his byline in various publications prior to washingtonpost.com contracting with him to write a blog that launched Tuesday.
An investigation into these allegations was ongoing, and in the interim, Domenech has resigned, effective immediately."

So the question for me is now...is this true or could the Post not deal with its own rabid readers and their excrement laddened comments?


UPDATE: Captain Ed of Captain's Quarters has more and some poinant insight.
Michelle Malkin also weighs in on this debacle. In which it appears that my question is now moot and Ben should resign.

Take the German MSM - Please!

While we often despair at the biased coverage of the American MSM, it may be time to look at the bright side.
What is the bright side, you ask?
Well, the bright side is it could be worse. Much worse.
Take - please! - the German MSM, for example.



H/T MaryAnn of Soldiers' Angel Germany

This is what they do to those they do not agree with....

Can you honestly say that we should leave now and let this type of treatment continue?

And how can the left, the party of tolerance believe that this is some how safer than President Bush?

DADism #10

"This is going to hurt me a lot more than it hurts you."

{This strange, guilt-ridden disclaimer is commonly used before a dad inflicts punishment on a child. The intended translation: "Even as I'm swatting your behind or taking away your car keys, I'm suffering more than you can possibly know."}

Kids never believe this for a second.

Web Reconnaissance for 03/22/2006

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.

Mohammed at Iraq The Model writes The third anniversary...sacrifice, fear and hope. “It has been three years since 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' began and for three years we debated whether the decision was right or wrong and until this moment we have different feelings and opinions about where this operation brought us and where its aftermaths are going to lead us.”

Master Gunner at Tanker Brothers writes Little Buddy... “…What will they say? They will tell their children and grandchildren that their parents and grandparents lived under the rule of a brutal dictator, and men from another land, of a different culture, came and saved them.Of this, I am confident.”

John Hawkins of Right Wing News writes Bush's Strategy In Iraq Is Starting To Pay Off “You know, it's funny. The media and Democrats have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off for years now telling everyone that all is lost in Iraq and it's Bush's fault.
We can't win! Civil War is right around the corner! We've got to cut and run! Woe is us! Abandon all hope ye who enter Iraq!
Meanwhile, back in the real world Bush's strategy in Iraq is starting to pay off big time.”

GayPatriotWest at Gay Patriot writes More Ties Revealed Between Saddam and Terror Plans Against The West “Do you really think another round of UN sanctions (or continuation of the corrupt Oil For Food program) would have stopped the evil son from pursuing his stated plans. More from the files of Saddam.”

Victor Davis Hanson writes A Port Postmortem “In retrospect, America went collectively insane over the possibility that a company owned by Dubai's government would operate several of our ports.
Rarely has reason been so routed by pure emotion. Dubai is a Westernizing state that long ago left the 8th century and accepts the modern world of globalized commerce and finance. This member of the United Arab Emirates has — especially after Sept. 11 — passed on intelligence, hosted our fleet and provided a foothold in the Gulf near Iraq and Iran.”

Quote of the Day

I did notice that nobody from the Democratic Party has actually stood up and called for the getting rid of the terrorist surveillance program. You know, if that's what they believe, if people in the party believe that, then they ought to stand up and say it. They ought to stand up and say, "The tools we're using to protect the American people shouldn't be used." They ought to take their message to the people and say, "Vote for me. I promise we're not going to have a terrorist surveillance program."

George W. Bush (March 21, 2006)

"Together We Can."

For those of you that remember my innagural post of Good Deeds For The Public concerning the MD State Troopers that took Erik Lerch on a flight of Trooper 3, the story can now be closed. On Monday, 20 March, 2006, Erik Alexander Lerch of Mount Airy and formerly of Laurel, lost his courageous 2 1/2 year battle with cancer. Born December 4, 1992, he passed away peacefully at home with his mother at his side.
Erik said that his purpose in life was to bring out the best in people and he did that each and every day. He brought out the best in everyone who met him and touched many lives with his infectious laughter and impish grin. His courageous battle involved many people throughout his community of Mount Airy, Maryland, especially the students, faculty and staff of Mount Airy Middle school, and reached the hearts of celebrities such as Lance Armstrong, Sheryl Crow and Cal Ripkin.
He was recently bestowed the honor of 4th degree Knight by the Knights of Columbus and was involved in several non-profit organizations involving children. Even through his own pain, he always reached out to others to offer a kind word of encouragement. His legacy will live on in The Erik Lerch Foundation to carry on his desire to help other families faced with similar challenges, and as the face of the Bellanger/Federico/Pitterich Foundation "Cool Kids" campaign. Erik loved Harp Seals since he was a baby, and wanted to thank Sir Paul McCartney for his efforts in saving them.
He joins his father, William "Bill" Lerch who preceded him in death in October, 2005. Forever in the hearts of his mother, Joan Lerch and his brother, Tony Quintana; along with his grandparents, Lenore and Thomas Lerch of Cheverly, Md., and Delores and Frank Blahnik of Laurel, Md.; as well as a host of other aunts, uncles, cousins, his faithful companion Abigail, and hundreds of friends that he made in his short life. Erik believed in living life to its fullest, taking one day at a time and cherishing those around him. "Livestrong"
Memorial donations may be sent to The Erik Lerch Foundation, P.O. Box 158, Mount Airy, MD 21771.

Godspeed Erik
Erik Alexander Lerch, Dec. 4, 1992 - March 20, 2006

Mr. Robert Stokely responds to those who question the recent acts by the Georgia State Legislature.

When I am able I will also post my reply but for now I will let Mr. Stokely speak for I believe he does so honestly and from his heart.
*more in expanded section*

SAM JONES sam@newnan.com
EDITOR, TIMES-HERALD
NEWNAN GA
This past week, you, as I understand it, decided that three SoundOffs should be published that were in regard to the front page article your paper printed after your paper sought me out for an interview upon your learning of the independent action, through the efforts of two State Senators to have the Georgia Senate name two roads after Mike Stokely (Times-Herald article March 6, 2006). Certainly, that article, along with the many you sought our family out for after Mike died were flattering articles and mostly well received. In all fairness, however, I also applaud your exercise of media free speech, even when it is not too pleasing to our family and personally attacks the Stokely’s for merely accepting the offer of our State Officials. Soundoff is a vehicle you use to give those who decline to sign their name, for whatever reason, an opportunity to "soundoff", including the personal attacks on the Stokely’s regarding the road naming proposals by the State. Such free speech is bought and paid for with the price of our military service personnel - a long lineage of dedicated service men and women who are our defenders of freedom, and most certainly, the first and foremost defender of free speech. Many in that lineage live to see the fruits of their service; some come home badly injured, even maimed. Some come home physically fit, but so haunted, they are at best, a shell of their former selves. Others are missing in action - never to be returned to their families, fate unknown. Others killed in action, but their bodies never recovered, leaving countless families wondering what happened. And, a significant number - the most visible these days - come home to their families in flag draped caskets. No matter how each served, each military person has to be considered heroes to whom we all - especially your paper - owe the right of free speech.

That being said, please allow me to address the free speech comments you saw worthwhile to print on your editorial page / SoundOff this past week. First, the comment on Saturday, March 11 - "my son serves in Afghanistan, if he doesn't make it back, will they name a road after him? Probably not." I can only respond that ever since Mike joined the Georgia National Guard as a Junior in high school and then went to boot camp that summer, advanced training after he graduated high school, and five plus years of service culminating with his service in Iraq, I thought of so many things. Such things as "I love my son; I miss him; I want him safe; does he have enough food; they handle live ammunition, sleep outside in the woods, on the ground; who is leading my son; who is serving with my son; it is dangerous in Iraq; what if they capture him and cut his head off while he is still alive, tape it for the world to see; what if they ambush his group, and drag his wounded or dead body around while others jump and dance, all, again on video for the world to see; it is hot in Iraq; is he alright, he has already had a lot of close calls; is he still alive when I wake up, go to bed, or eating lunch; is that call from him; is he one of those unnamed soldiers killed and we just haven't heard yet; where do they fly badly wounded soldiers; I need to keep my passport, credit card, cash, one change of clothes and plane schedules ready to go to Landstuhl in Germany on a moments notice; keep the car full of gas so you can get to the airport without delay; keep the cell phone charged, and on at all times; grab the cell phone every time it rings or vibrates; remember to tell the Judge in your courtroom "if I run out suddenly, it is to grab a call from my son" remember to give your cell phone to your daughter and put it on vibrate so if Mike calls while you are arguing an important case in front of the Georgia Supreme Court, she can slip out and talk to him while you think of him as you present your three year long court case; put the phone on the charger by the shower so you can grab it, dripping wet if need be; what will I do and say if he gets killed; how will I break the news to my family - especially his loving brother and 13 year old sister; how will our family go on.... All of these thoughts, and a million more, night, day, seven days a week, in church, in court, eating, sleeping, where ever, whenever were on my mind. But, never, never, not even a fleeting second did I think "will they name a road after him?" I thought what I thought and prayed - that is how I spent my time. It is for others, including this particular SoundOff writer to think what they think. But, as one thinks in their heart, eventually so speaks their tongue. Certainly, I don't think I am a preacher, by a long shot, so please excuse my rather poor paraphrasing of what I think a particular Bible verse says.

Now, as to the other two unsigned free speech Soundoffs printed Monday, March12. The gists of both of these Soundoffs are that the Stokely’s are being selfish for agreeing to the State's request to name a road after Mike - actually they requested two roads. Quite honestly, naming roads after anyone, whether it be a preacher, country music star, local politician, civil rights leader, former presidents, deer, dogs, or other creatures just has never been a part of my thought process. Where I come from, we don't even go for the "Junior" thing by naming a kid exactly after ourselves. Mike Stokely didn't concern himself with civilian affairs (as the Bible commands soldiers not to do). We - and Mike Stokely - left it our civilian leaders to decide such things as what road, bridge, overpass, park bench, building, park, produce pavilion, or whatever gets named, or not, and for whom, and what good reason, or not. We, as family, when approached after Mike's death, did agree to think about it, and, with the statement "Mike didn't do what he did to get something named after him" having been first said by me, we agreed to the State's proposal. We were humbled and appreciative of the thought to name a road for Mike - we didn't ask for it, we didn't push it - we just said o.k. and thank you.

Having said that, let me tell you about the things that Mike Stokely concerned himself with putting his name on. First, he wanted his name on what we Christians call the "Lamb's Book of Life". Then before he could even get his name on a driver's license he was already thinking about putting his name on a dog tag. As a 17 year old, he put his name on enlistment papers and went to boot camp while other rising seniors put their names on hotel rooms in Panama City, Daytona, and other vacation get-aways. Then, a few years later, before he went to Iraq, Mike couldn't wait to put his name on a marriage license with his high school sweetheart, Niki Yancey - his bride just ten days before he left for Iraq and three months before he died in Iraq. Mike also wanted his name on birth certificates of the children he wanted with Niki, and the deed to a house for which they could call home, even if it came with a mortgage. Mike also wanted his name on change of beneficiary forms so he could. take care of his wife and give her financial security like she had never known, and most likely would not have known had he lived. Mike made sure his name was on his pay checks, including the last one I received at my home for his one day of service on August 16, 2005, before he was terminated from the U.S. Army payroll - $62.59 base pay, $3.33 hardship duty pay, 8.91 subsistence allowance, 31.90 off base housing for his his wife Niki, and last but not least, allotment allowance for Niki - 8.33 - grand total of $115.08, tax free of course. Actually, he didn't even though he only worked 2 hours and 20 minutes on August 16, 2006, he still got the whole day's pay - and it was selfishly accepted and deposited into his bank account for his wife's benefit. There are other things Mike Stokely was willing for his name to go on, if need be as a sacrifice in the service of his country and the cause of freedom - Official Notice of Casualty, military autopsy report, and death certificate. These are the
things that Mike Stokely thought his name ought to be on, and if necessary should be on - as a man's heart is, so will speak his tongue and actions.

As for the rest of the Stokely family, the only thing we ever thought about and wanted to see Mike Stokely's name on was a uniform like he was wearing when we last saw him on May 14, 2005 as he was Iraq bound. We selfishly wanted, however, to see that name on a uniform he would be wearing when he was due to return home with his fellow soldiers early to mid May, 2006, maybe even in time to see the younger brother that he loved graduate from high school the end of May. And, we wanted to put Mike's name (and Niki) on an airline ticket and room in Hawaii as we had planned to take a special family trip - with the rest of us having a separate room and leaving Mike and Niki plenty of private time for the honeymoon they never had, but with time to celebrate his brother's graduation, including some trophy deep sea fishing, and being with me and the woman he called his "other mom" as we celebrated the 20th anniversary of our the marriage wherein he served as ring bearer, and comically interrupted the ceremony with an exclaimed in that little boy four year old voice "dad...we got shoes just alike"..

But for those who believe the road naming proposed by others, and acceptance of that offer is a selfish act by the Stokely’s - please take an unselfish moment and call 404-656-2000. That is the State of Georgia information line and the citizen can easily get connected to their State Representative, State Senator, the Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, and the Governor. With a call, the citizen who so desires, can exercise their free speech and demand that the road not be named for SGT Mike Stokely, or at the very least that the Governor not sign the Resolution. Even better, if computer savvy, just do a goggle search for Georgia state government and obtain their email addresses and send them something in writing.

Now, having told you this, I finally close by coming clean about something else that is more costly than the proposed road naming, and something that, in light of recent Soundoff comments, would have to be viewed as even more selfish of the Stokely family. Such involves the Stokely family taking advantage of available Federal Funds through the Veterans Affairs Department to put on a ceremony and commemorate a bronze plaque set in polished stone at a site located on property we have permission to use, along with other citizens, but that is owned and controlled by Corinth Christian Church. . . Please double click on the attachment below, (ed note: Picture below) for this picture is the best evidence of just how selfish Mike Stokely was. Such, might also give some further indication of how selfish the Stokely family will be as we claim this small four wide, seven long, and six foot deep plot of ground, marked by the bronze plaque shown in the photo.

Sincerely,
Robert Stokely

Father of SGT Mike Stokely, KIA Iraq 16 Aug 05 IED a man more than I'll ever be - a man who believed in God Family Duty Honor Country, and the priorities and overlap thereof and a man who knew the priorities of life, liberty, and security of the country he loved, and preserving such for all, stranger and loved one alike.

Man Down!

After trying to ignore a back injury for a couple of weeks, it finally fought back on Tuesday evening and put me on the floor, literally. After a couple of hours in the Emergent Care facility nearby, I was sent home on Percocet, Flexerall and Naproxin with a preliminary diagnosis of Ruptured Disc.

I'm heading for an MRI this afternoon to find out if this means surgery or some other treatment and I propably won't be back to blogging until Sunday at the earliest. I hope.

Any prayers for a quick recovery would be quite welcome.

Kossacks go apoplectic over Feingold Censure failure.

Aldpol in the diaries section of the Daily Kos is still looking for other Democratic Senators to sign on with Feingold and his call to censure President Bush. He writes: Tue Mar 14, 2006 at 08:48:43 AM PDT

“This is a Tuesday open thread for discussion of calls to Senators on censure. It's only been 18 hours since Senator Feingold stood on the Senate floor and called for the censure of the President. And now, with the exception of yesterday morning's diary by Russ himself, which is gallantly hanging on on the Recommended list, the issue has already virtually disappeared from DailyKos. (More in the extended section)
Contact info for your Senator is here: CONTACT YOUR SENATOR. Call, fax, email, call, fax, email -- every day until they understand that the consequences of standing down are worse than the consequences of standing up. Tell the Dems that their cowardice will cost them something; tell the Repubs that not everyone in their red states is OK with their abandonment of the Constitution.
In the face of the Bush Administration's admittedly illegal, and undeniably unconstitutional, domestic spying program, only one Senator (thank you, John Kerry) has had the political courage (or the political good sense) to support Senator Feingold in calling Bush out. All of "our" other Democratic Senators are, at best, hiding under their desks (where are you, Senator Reid?) or, at worst, running into the arms of the Republicans (no need to name names, but Lieberman Lieberman Lieberman).”

Aldpol like Feingold is wrong about this on so many levels the least of which, NO CRIME has been committed by President Bush in this matter as Confederate Yankee so succinctly details in his analysis of Feingold’s resolution:

“Feingold is correct only in that FISA does make it illegal to "wiretap Americans in the United States without a warrant or a court order." But the NSA surveillance of these suspected terrorist communications only intercepted communications, outside of the United States. Former NSA director General Michael V. Hayden implemented the surveillance program and states…”

Furthermore as Confederate Yankee reminds us later:

“Two Attorney's General, White House counsel, the top legal minds of the National Security Administration, and top Justice Department lawyers have maintained, and existing case law such as the FISA Court of Review's decision in In re: Sealed Case, Hamdi vs. Rumsfeld, and other evidence in this 42-page Dept. of Justice brief (PDF) strongly asserts that warrants are not required for this kind of international surveillance. FISA simply does not apply.”

I guess the comment left by Mass Southpaw this morning sums it up best:

“Ted Kennedy Undecided… Are we living in a parallel universe here or something?”

Well Mass Southpaw, yes you are living in a parallel universe, anybody with the belief structure that indicates that the President is a more worthy target than Islamic Terrorism is definitely living a parallel universe in my book. The problem is you haven’t figured that out yet, you are still convinced that your loving liberal Democratic Senators are being black mailed or are afraid of Rove that they won’t step forward and take up this obviously important issue.

DADism #9

"You better not let your mom hear you saying that."

Translation: "I'm too tired to discipline you for a small infraction like a cuss word, especially since you probably learned that word from me. Just don't try it in front of your mother, or we'll both be sorry!"

Web Reconnaissance for 03/14/2006

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.

Captain Ed of Captain’s Quarters writes Armitage The Plame Leaker? Maybe ... “Matt Drudge leaked a portion of an article appearing in the new Vanity Fair which quotes Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee as confirming that Richard Armitage, the right-hand man to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, was the first government official to leak Valerie Plame's status to the press. Armitage has been one of the prime suspects for those who, like Tom Maguire, have followed the case closely. However, Bradlee's own paper delivers quite a walkback in today's report from Jim VandeHei:”

Mohammed of Iraq The Model writes The situation as it looked today. “Security in Baghdad has drastically deteriorated recently and reached its latest spike with the multiple bombings of yesterday. Looking at the time pattern of violence escalations we can notice that spikes in attacks curve coincide with the sessions of Saddam's trial which indicates that followers of Saddam are still strong and active inside Baghdad and it seems that those are isolating themselves from the developments in the Iraqi scene even with regard to their politician friends and public base so to speak as the latter had changed their methods and switched largely to political means of opposition.”

Pam of Iraq War Today writes Media that Gets It? – KOA Radio “Steffan Tubbs of KOA Radio in Denver, Colorado, is embedded with troops in Iraq . Check out his dispatches and photos at the KOA Radio website. Tony, who passed along the tip (thanks, Tony!), says that Steffan's reporting on Iraq seemed, before his trip, to be a somewhat one-sided - reporting the bad, but not the good going on over there. Now that Steffan's over there, on the ground with our Heroes, he seems to be getting it.”

Charlie Munn of The Officer’s Club writes Archaeologists Find Ancient Israel Tunnels “Underground chambers and tunnels used during a Jewish revolt against the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago have been uncovered in northern Israel, archaeologists said Monday. The Jews laid in supplies and were preparing to hide from the Romans during their revolt in A.D. 66-70, the experts said. The pits, which are linked by short tunnels, would have served as a concealed subterranean home.”

Ralph Peters at Real Clear Politics writes Myths of Iraq “During a recent visit to Baghdad, I saw an enormous failure. On the part of our media. The reality in the streets, day after day, bore little resemblance to the sensational claims of civil war and disaster in the headlines.”

Cassandra of Villainous Company writes We've Come A Long Way, Baby...*Not* “...I have watched with considerable bemusement as women who decried the objectification of their own gender and the male preoccupation with sex "discover" the joys of copulation (for as they portray it, it seems little more than a physical act). As so it was that, when the time came to consider a fit topic for our first discussion at The Cotillion, I couldn't help but look around at modern culture: our obsession with larger breasts, vaginal rejuvenation, designer labia, hooking up and porn culture, and ask myself where the feminist revolution has taken us? Have we taken one giant step forward or two steps back?”

Wonder Woman at A North American Patriot writes The Truth According To Aljazeera.com “Born to Kill. Zionism is a form of Facism and Nazism which until very recently was classified as "Racist" by the United Nations. This classification was only overturned by pressure from United States at a UN conference in South Africa. Zionism represents the biggest threat to world peace today.”

The Gunn Nutt writes Pinko Permit Problems Persist at Walter Reed “What a difference a week makes! Temps in D.C. broke a record high set back in 1964 (can you say 'Global Warming'?). The springtime warmth brought out lots of patriots to welcome and cheer our beloved Troops. We had crowds on ALL FOUR CORNERS out in front of Walter Reed for the eighth week. Of course the nice weather brought some extra commie 'tards out from beneath the rocks as well. They were in for quite a surprise...”

Ace of Ace of Spades HQ writes Clooney Admits He's a Liberal For The Six Billionth Time “...Hey, I agree with him. The liberals who voted for the Iraq War did so precisely out of the cowardice he names. They never agreed with the war; they just didn't want people to say bad things about them, like "He's against going to war in Iraq.”

GayPatriotWest at Gay Patriot writes My Problem with Bruce Bartlett “… Bartlett is spot when he says President Bush has betrayed the Gipper’s legacy on fiscal conservatism. But, on many other issues, the president has stayed true to Ronald Reagan’s great vision for our nation. It’s too bad the Gipper’s successors can’t live up to his high ideals. But, then that great man set the bar pretty high.”

Expose The Left has Terry McAuliffe: We Left Tora Bora Too Early, But We Need To Leave Iraq ASAP (VIDEO) “On the 2pm Eastern hour of FOX News Live, former Democratic Chairman Terry McAuliffe claimed that President Bush took our troops out of Tora Bora too early which made us unable to capture Osama bin Laden. However, only a few moments later he said that we need to pull our troops out of Iraq. If McAuliffe was so sure that we would have captured bin Laden if we stayed in Tora Bora longer, then why would he want US troops to leave Iraq as soon as possible?”

Crazy Politico of Crazy Politico’s Rantings writes RETREAT!!! “Russ Feingold's Censure stunt yesterday made for interesting watching on CSPAN, but evidently didn't endear him to his fellow Democrats.As others have pointed out, Feingold is really pushing the censure issue not because he thinks it right, or because he thinks it would pass, but because he thinks it will give him some credibility with the Kosites who are the mouth of the party.”