BREAKING NEWS
WEDNESDAY'S HERO
This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By Echo9er
On August 11, 2004, Navel Hospitalman Luis E. Fonseca, Jr. was awarded the Navy's second highest decoration. The Navy Cross, which is awarded for extraordinary heroism while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States and must be performed in the presence of great danger or at great personal risk, was awarded for his actions while serving with Amphibious Assault Vehicle Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, Task Force Tarawa, II Marine Expeditionary Force. On March 23, 2004, Fonseca, Jr.'s unit were trying to take the Saddam Canal Bridge. Five Marines were injured when their vehicle was hit by an RPG. Fonseca, while still being fired upon by machine guns and RPG's, pulled the Marines to safety and established a casualty collection unit inside his own medical evacuation vehicle. After his vehicle was hit once again, Fonseca organized litter teams and directed the movement of four of the Marines, while personally carrying one wounded Marine over open ground to another vehicle. On November 15, 2004, Seaman Fonseca was awarded the "Grateful Nation Award" from the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs for his actions. "I was doing my job," said Fonseca. "I wish I could have done more."These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here.
CLEARING THE AIR
I think it is time for me to state something. During the past 10 days or so I’ve linked to several posts by highly respectable columnists or bloggers who were discussing the Latter Day Saints. First things first, for those who are bending over being conservative and Republican versions of the politically correct, members of the church rarely refer to themselves as “Mormons” but prefer to use “LDS”.
I have nothing against the LDS church. I have a habit and a reputation for being up front and at times rather blunt with facts. This is what I have been doing here. I have a great admiration for most members of the LDS church, but retain the right to dislike individuals just like I retain the right to dislike certain Episcopalians, the Bishop of
I retain the right to dislike Mitt Romney because I think he is the GOP version of John Kerry or Bill Clinton, not because he is a member of the LDS church. In fact, if I were a member of the LDS church I would be cringing over him, the way I am today when I heard that James McGreevey is talking about becoming an Episcopal priest. McGreevey is just what the Episcopal church does not need today!
We all have the right to say exactly what we think. The proposed “hate speech” bill has not cleared Congress yet. If I offended anyone besides conservatives who are pandering for Romney then I apologize. If I offended conservatives who are pandering for Romney and are worried that the LDS church cannot stand the light of day, I pity you. The LDS church is not quaking in their boots, praying for your defense. They don’t need it. Theirs is the fastest growing church in the country. They are a shining example for us all. Let’s face the truth here, if all churches would take care of their own people and their own community the way individual LDS churches do, we would have fewer people on welfare. If I were POTUS, I would require communities, cities, and towns throughout the nation to model welfare systems around the safety net the LDS church has set up for its members. If you are not familiar with it, I suggest you stop being offended and start looking into a magnificent program that could reinvent welfare, church based service, and communities being responsible for one another.
Because I am a genealogist, to me the greatest thing the LDS church has and will ever do is to salvage, restore, maintain, preserve, and promote family, church, community, local, state, and national genealogical records.
My back is still killing me. Scroll down for my Thursday Thirteen for 13 ways I may have hurt it. I’m opting for the latter. If I’d taken the time to eat today I would indulge in yet another dirty gin martini, but I need to finish this, cook supper, then go watch lost. I know, hold your breath, I’m cooking. Last time I cooked oriental food I caught the stove top on fire.
So, I am blogging lite.
Doc decided to jump up on the table, missed (embarrassing) and took out part of my left hand and my left leg. Ouch!
Spring has finally arrived, thanks to Algore and global warming! It is chilly here. The new fountain came for my balcony but things are so chilly (thanks to Algore and global warming) that I’ve turned the furnace back on this evening! There is a fresh dusting of snow up on the higher peaks today (thanks to Algore and global warming).
MY MINI-RANT OF THE DAY
I spent much of the day running around doing all those annoying little errands we all just love to do, especially in the pouring rain! (NOTE: I am not complaining about the rain, which is a blessing here in
Back to the mini-rant. Oh, running errands – I heard about fifteen minutes of Rush while I was taking Rumsfeld to the poodle spa (Vicki’s Grooming). Rush was discussing our President and his vision, the way the Dems were treating him, and the way he will be viewed in the future. Then, later in the afternoon, when I was driving through town, on the way to pick Rumsfeld up from the poodle spa, I caught a few minutes of Michael Reagan. Somehow they both reinforced one another.
I’ve been ranting and raving about this strange conservative obsession for the Second Coming of Ronald Reagan. Like Michael Reagan said today, his father will be dead three years in about a month. There will never be another. Why on earth, of conservatives cherish the memory of this great man they way they say they do, do they want to replace him?
NOTE: For those of you who are following my culinary misadventures, the rice has been successfully cooked, no burning, the noodles fried – no fire! Maybe this will turn out tonight!
Back to my rant:
Is it possible conservatives are doing this to ‘duck’ their political responsibilities de jour?
I keep going back to the way some Republicans, especially conservatives, have this obscene tendency to pull the rug out from under Republican Presidents, office-holders, and candidates. For those of you who deny this, just go back and review the history of the past twenty years or so. I know this sounds nasty, but is it possible certain conservatives (I will not mention names) enjoy being the ‘lone voice’ and do not like the competition? Is it possible certain well respected former speech writers, Ivy League pundits, and former magazine editors who are conservative simply reach a point where they feel it necessary to pull the rug out from under misc. Republicans so they can maintain their superiority?
Let’s face it, there’s no other logical explanation. If conservatives act reasonable, maintain a majority, and blend into the mainstream of American life, our precious lone voice conservatives become passé’ and redundant. As their ‘ideas’ evolve and become workable our god-like conservative writers, pundits, and thinkers lose control of the ‘movement they created’.
What if a Republican majority then discovered some of these precious pundits primary theological thoughts aren’t quite workable?
Then what?
Gates of
Live Science on the pet food scare.
This is all the Episcopal church needs right now.
Below the Beltway has touched on a subject near and dear to my heart, the consumption of gin via martini. I too feel Tanquery is the only way to go (add ice, tonic and limes isn’t bad). Currently I have been drinking about a finger of Tanquery, Nearly the same amount of olive juice, crushed ice, cocktail shaker (shaken not stirred, please!) and a couple big olives on a pick. Definitely not bad. Maybe that’s what I need for my aching back! Just read Strata-Sphere today – excellent.
IMMIGRATION
I think the best way to view this is from a number of different sources. Intelligent people know the ‘riot’ was caused by troublemakers who were not part of the march and by overzealous cops. It was a bad scene all the way around. I have much more immigration news which I will try and get to on the morrow.
Listening to Geraldo this evening on H&C, I agree with him that 'conservatives' who are so hard-line aganst any form of reasonable solution to our illegal immigration problem have seriously hurt the Republican Party. I am seriously unhappy with the proposals being floated by the White House. They are unworkable and will do absolutely nothing to solve the problem. Sometimes I think the powers that be on both sides of the issue actually don't want the problem solved.
Hispanic outreach important to the GOP.
Why did the LAPD react the way they did yesterday?
Captain Ed’s take:
The Gates of
THOSE DIRTY LYIN’ DEMS
Captain Ed on DiFi and ethics. Fun stuff!
PRIMARIES 2008
Dick Morris on Obama
Another Mitt Flop
Yikes! Once again Giuliani states the obvious.
Eye on 2008 calls Romney a Mitt-idot!
From Fred Thompson skeptics
Why does Romney make things worse?
Thirteen Ways I May Have Killed My Aching Back
1. Lifting several bags out of
2. Picking up the heavy grocery bags I threw in entry of condo
3. Picking up three 3’X8” shelving boards
4. Dealing with new Mac-book Pro
5. Picking up Rumsfeld
6. Loading 5 bags of kitty litter in
7. Lifting 5 bags of kitty litter off shelves at Wallyworld
8. Moving 3 printers, 1 scanner to new office shelves
9. Attaching new shelves to runners
10. Pulling heavy cooking pot out of oven
11. Lifting book-shelves out of car
12. Putting six pack of Guinness in shopping cart
13. It’s all in my head?
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