Wednesday Hero Blogburst 2-10-09

This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Brat

Sgt. Patrick Tainsh
33 years old from Oceanside, California
Troop E, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment
February 11, 2004


Five years ago today, Sgt. Patrick Tainsh sacrificed all as the mounted unit he
was part of was hit by an IED in Baghdad. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze and Sliver Stars saving the lives of his commanding officer and other soldiers before succumbing to his own wounds. Also killed in the attack was Pfc. William C. Ramirez from Portland, Oregon.

On Veteran’s Day, 2007, Deborah Tainsh, Sgt. Tainsh's mother, attended a school in Columbia, Georgia, and shared a story she had written called "A Boy Named Patrick."

Here is part of the story :

…a little boy named Patrick who loved football, beaches, surfing, and
skateboarding, and especially reading. Patrick watched his dad be a Marine for
over twenty years. During this time Patrick kept reading not only surfing and
skateboarding magazines, but history books, too. One day when Patrick was a man, he told his dad and best friend, “I want to do something that will make a
difference in the world, I’m going to be a soldier.” And so he did. And in 1999
he went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for boot camp and then went to Fort Polk,
Louisiana where he worked and trained hard to become a United States Army
Cavalry Scout. Then in 2003 Patrick had to say good bye to his mom and dad
because he had to go fight a war in Iraq to protect his country, friends, and
family from terrorists and to help fight for the freedoms of the boys and girls
in that country where they and their families were treated very badly by their
country’s leader. Patrick once wrote a letter to his mom and dad telling them
that he cried for the children because they were hungry and he didn’t have food
to give them. He said he couldn’t understand how a country’s leader could treat
the people so badly and make them live in such dirty conditions with trash and
wild dogs everywhere. And so Patrick's mom and dad keep a photo in their living
room of Patrick surrounded by Iraqi children.

You can read the story in it's entirety here.

Sgt Tainsh came to the military later than some, but rose through the ranks fast. In his last letter to his parents, Sgt Tainsh shared his thoughts about his mission. And in 2006, Sgt. Tainsh's mother wrote a book called Heart Of A Hawk about her son's life and her and her husband's struggles since their son was killed.


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. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Traitors Among Us.

The unholy trinity of Collins, Specter & Snowe (Oh MY) have singlehandedly enabled the democrats to be able to ramrod a spending bill that will do more to advance the cause of socialism than "The New (Raw) Deal" and "The (not so) Great Society" could have ever hoped to accomplish. Because of their votes for this heinous abomination to civilized society and the cause of economic and personal freedom, we have lost the chance to defeat this bill in a filibuster, and to send it back where it belongs.

After their votes tonight, this much is clear.

Sens. Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and Arlen Specter are deserving of some very serious primary challenges, and I charge the respective Republican parties from Washington, Maine and Pennsylvania with purging these three traitors from their ranks and refuse to support these pariahs any longer.

***UPDATE***

GMTA, I guess. Check out the new site: Expel the Traitors

It happened in Iraq--did you hear?

A Gold Star mom received an email from a Marine who was present in Iraq's recent elections. Read about it at Knotties Niche.

The Kraut Nails Obama to a Tree...

Just read it.

Homer Revisited.

(please click on pic for full size)

(h/t Maximus Politics)

Memorable Moments in Horror...

Remember, the little girl in Poltergeist II, who, staring at a snowy TV screen, turned around and said, "They're baaaaack!"

And let's not forget Jack the Nick, breaking through the bathroom door with an axe, as he proudly proclaimed in a terrifying voice, "Heeere's Johnnyyyy!" in the classic horror movie, "The Shining"


Now, beyond question the scariest of all, this scene takes place at the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama.Pleasant dreams, all.

(photo h/t @infernoenigma)

A "Rebellion" Brewing in New Hampshire?

From "We the People"

Four New Hampshire state legislators have introduced a bill that in essence knocks the slats out of any Hussein Obama attempts to impose “hate crimes” legislation on American citizens, or impose other Marxist-derived legislation.

[SNIP]

The New Hampshire state representatives took most of their language from a trusted source: the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, written by none other than Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, tow guys who knew a bit about freedom, considering they helped draft the defining legal documents of western man.

House Concurrent Resolution 6 was introduced into the New Hampshire State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee by Rep. Itse, Rep. Ingbretson, Rep. Comerford, and Sen. Denley. Resistance to Hussein Obama the Marxist Leninist and Manchurian candiate begins.

Some important sections of the bill follow, with bold text added by us, the Sons of Liberty:

“That the several States composing the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their General Government; but that, by a compact under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States, and of amendments thereto, they constituted a General Government for special purposes, — delegated to that government certain definite powers, reserving, each State to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self-government; and that whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force…“

“That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, slavery, and no other crimes whatsoever; and it being true as a general principle, and one of the amendments to the Constitution having also declared, that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,” therefore all acts of Congress which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution are altogether void, and of no force;

Well hallelujah and pass the hand grenades! Finally--lawmakers who remember the 10th Amendment to the Constitution!

Look it up. It's in there.

Hypocrisy R Us.

The economy is in shambles, unemployment is climbing, Obama & the dems chide company CEOs to tighten their belts and sell their planes and quit taking junkets, dogs are sleeping with cats!

So what do the oh-so sensitive democrats do?

Why, they take a luxury vacation, courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer, of course!

Hypocrisy runs amok in Washington... we all know that. But the Democrats have now taken it to a new level. While they send down fire and brimstone against "evil" corporate executives for living the good life, they will soak the American taxpayers for a luxury retreat in Virginia that they are attending this weekend.

As the Associated Press notes in a story on GOPUSA, "Members of Congress were quick to shame corporate executives for over-the-top extravagance during the economic crisis, flying private jets and taking luxury junkets. But some lawmakers are strolling fancy resorts spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars."

This weekend, Democrat House members are meeting at the Kingsmill Resort and Spa in Williamsburg, VA.

Having stayed at the Kingsmill resort last summer (at my own expense), I can say that the setting and amenities are definitely top notch. However, it's one thing for an individual or family to pay their own way, and it's quite another for the taxpayers to pick up the tab!

"Democrats spend taxpayer money on their retreat but do not permit lobbyists to accompany them. The public pays for a charter train from Washington to Williamsburg for many of the 200 members who attend, as well as conference rooms, security and catering."

Note that last month the Republicans attended a similar retreat, but NO taxpayer money was used.

"Lawmakers pay for their own transportation and room costs, roughly $190 per night, including food, according to one Republican who attended but spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the trip were not made public.

This "Do as I say, not as I do" mentality is not only standard fare when it comes to limousine liberal democrats, it has now practically become a prerequisite for inclusion in their elitist club. How anyone can take anything they say seriously is beyond my ability to comprehend.

Then again, I'm not a liberal.

Hold On to Your Guns--This is not a drill!

I received this in an email:

Hold Onto Your Gun - NOT A JOKE...
Please be advised and pass this along to everyone you know: House Bill HR 45, Blair Holt Licensing and Record Act of 2009 will, in my opinion, be the first of 2 or 3 steps toward confiscation of privately owned firearms. You can follow the sequence as it already happened in Canada and the UK . First the government needs to register the guns so they will know where to find them. We need to STOP this legislation DEAD in its tracks.

IMMEDIATELY Contact ALL our US Representatives and US Senators. THIS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. Voice your personal opposition to this HR45 legislation and support HR17. Google HR 45 or HR45 for more info on this POS legislation.

Here they come, ready or not. Feel the water getting warmer?

Are you ready for the House Bill titled 'HR 45, Blair Holt Licensing and Record Act of 2009'. It will make it illegal to own a firearm unless it is registered with the database in Washington D.C. As a gun owner you will have to be finger printed, you will be required to provide your DL#, SS#, you must maintain a valid address at all times, submit to mental and physical health records being put on file, you will also be required to file any address changes and any ownership changes even if a private sale. Each update will cost $25 and if you fail to comply you will lose your right to own firearms. This bill and its language mirror almost completely one defeated l ast year in the House of Representatives by soon to be Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Will we the citizenry be as lucky this time?

Pass this on to everyone who believes in strict Constitutionalism and remember that laws only apply to those who obey them. Criminals by definition and nature do not abide by laws. New laws and restrictions only apply to the law abiding citizen and are not written with the criminal in mind. With guns, it is not about having laws on the books to prosecute individuals, it is about taking guns away from the people so that no one has them in the first place. One last item to note, when assuming power and creating a facist state, Hitler was a proponent of strong gun laws because a disarmed populace was much easier to control than an armed one. The kings of old also outlawed weapons of any kind in any region that they conquered to quell the ability of the citizens to uprise against them.

The Founding Fathers of this nation understood all of the above and because of this they included the second amendment in the constitution. In fact, they knew that at some point in every society's life span that the need for the population to arise came about. To this end they made the right to keep and bear arms against a tyrannical state an absolute right that could not be revoked. They did this because the first thing tyrants and despots do is to remove a population's right to defend themselves When this is done, the tyrants have no pro blem with the destruction of society as we know it.

Send this on to all true patriots! Protect your Second Amendment!

The following is a summary of the bill as provided by the Congressional Research Service. If you read the whole bill, you'll find it will effectively preclude the ownership of ANY firearms by law-abiding people unless licensed by the Attorney General. How long do you think THAT would take??

Congressional Research Service Summary
The following summary was written by the Congressional Research Service, a well-respected nonpartisan arm of the Library of Congress. GovTrack did not write and has no control over these summaries.

1/6/2009--Introduced.

Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit a person from possessing a firearm unless that person has been issued a firearm license under this Act or a state system certified under this Act and such license has not been invalidated or revoked. Prescribes license application, issuance, and renewal requirements.

Prohibits transferring or receiving a qualifying firearm unless the recipient presents a valid firearms license, the license is verified, and the dealer records a tracking authorization number. Prescribes firearms transfer reporting and record keeping requirements. Directs the Attorney General to establish and maintain a federal record of sale system.

Prohibits: (1) transferring a firearm to any person other than a licensee, unless the transfer is processed through a licensed dealer in accordance with national instant criminal background check system requirements, with exceptions; (2) a licensed manufacturer or dealer from failing to comply with reporting and record keeping requirements of this Act; (3) failing to report the loss or theft of the firearm to the Attorney General within 72 hours; (4) failing to report to the Attorney General an address change within 60 days; or (5) keeping a loaded firearm, or an unloaded firearm and ammunition for the firearm, knowingly or recklessly disregarding the risk that a child is capable of gaining access, if a child uses the firearm and causes death or serious bodily injury.

Prescribes criminal penalties for violations of firearms provisions covered by this Act.

Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish and maintain a firearm injury information clearinghouse; (2) conduct continuing studies and investigations of firearm-related deaths and injuries; and (3) collect and maintain current production and sales figures of each licensed manufacturer.

Authorizes the Attorney General to certify state firearm licensing or record of sale systems.

posted by Brandy Burkhardt on 2/6/2009 6:27:02 AM

The Second Amendment was crafted so as to protect us from our government. With this legislation, they will know where all the guns are. That is the first step to their removal.

This is the real deal. Here's the full text. See for yourself.

Right now, I don't own a handgun. But I'm seriously re-thinking my options.

The road to Stalinism is at hand.

A new era of transparency in post-Blagojevich Illinois politics?

Err... perhaps not (emphases mine)

Unlike hundreds of other cities, however, Daley said Chicago won't make its list public.

"Yes, we do, we have our list, we've been talking to people. We did not put that out publicly because once you start putting it out publicly, you know, the newspapers, the media is going to be ripping it apart," Daley said.

"It's very controversial. Yes, we have ready projects from the Board of Education to the City Colleges to the Park District to the CTA and the city of Chicago. Oh yes. Us and New York decided not to do that. We thought we could go directly into the federal bureaucracies and the different departments," the mayor added.

Later, Daley was asked why he wasn't being more transparent.

"Read some of your newspapers. Heh heh," he replied.

Looks like Emperor Daley is rather Blago-like in his arrogance and comfort in his position.

Oh how the mighty do fall.

On Being Among Good Friends...

Forgive the inherent redundancy in this post, but it turns out one of the most wanted Nazis in the world moonlighted as a 'pious' Muslim.

One of the most wanted Nazi war criminals, Aribert Heim or "Doctor Death," lived for years as a quiet, pious Muslim in a small hotel on the edge of Islamic Cairo, where he was known as Doctor Tarek.

Concealed in the labyrinthine streets of the largest city in Africa and the Middle East, the man wanted for killing hundreds of concentration camp victims with horrific medical experiments found refuge until his death in 1992.

"He was like a giant, not very chatty but he never missed a prayer at the mosque," remembers Gamal Abu Ahmed, who today lives in Dr Death's former room on the sixth floor of the Qasr el-Medina hotel.

Birds of a feather, I guess...

Where's Waldo Al Franken?

What's a carpetbagger & Minnesota Senator wannabe to do while he's waiting to be coronated?

(click on pic for full size)

Red State has the details

Regarding Fascism...

In relatively recent years, the left have more or less made a cottage industry out of labelling conservatives "fascists."

But let's take a close look at a key component of the definition of fascism of the economic sense, shall we? Specifically, as fascism defined as government and business intertwined so as to make them inseparable, to wit:

Fascists considered the economy to be of little importance, and did not have clear economic views. One significant fascist economic belief was that prosperity would naturally follow once the nation has achieved a cultural and spiritual re-awakening.[16] Often, different members of a fascist party would make completely opposite statements about the economic policies they supported.[17] Once in power, fascists usually adopted whatever economic program they believed to be most suitable for their political goals

Okay, let's begin to break this down. First,

One significant fascist economic belief was that prosperity would naturally follow once the nation has achieved a cultural and spiritual awakening.

A cultural and spiritual awakening...is this why the agenda media were willing to overlook and/or gave short shrift to many of the Obama scandals, from his friendships with Tony Rezko, Rev. Wright and William Ayers, to the flak over his birth certificate? Is this illustrative of the near messianic esteem in which the masses held their lord and savior, Lord Voldemort Obama?

Let's go on, shall we?

Often, different members of a fascist party would make completely opposite statements about the economic policies they supported.

The democrat leader of the House of Representatives is a prime example here. Aside from claiming that inaction on the Spendulous package would lead to the loss of 500 million (yes million) jobs per month, Madame Speaker Pelosi praddled,

WALLACE: ... my point is this: Isn't it a mistake to raise taxes on anyone during a recession?

PELOSI: Well, first of all, I don't know that a decision has been made by the Obama administration. But I will tell you this, that in '04, '06 and '08, we had campaigned in saying what the Republican Congressional Budget Office told us. Nothing contributed more to the budget deficit than the tax cuts for the wealthiest people in America. Fiscal discipline is central to what we do, and we can't...

WALLACE: You're about to pass a $1 trillion spending program. That's not — that's not fiscal discipline.

PELOSI: No, no. It is discipline.

[SNIP]

PELOSI: No, I think it's very important. I think it's very important, and I support what he wants to do, to have a summit of that kind, and we will have our own initiatives in the Congress to work with him on that, because we do — again, fiscal discipline. Fiscal discipline.

We are committed to pay as you go, not heaping mountains of debt on our children, and the investments that we make have to be job- creating and bring money into the economy. So of course, the entitlements are an important part of how we make...

And finally, back to our definition:

Once in power, fascists usually adopted whatever economic program they believed to be most suitable for their political goals.

And what is more suitable to a democrat's political goals than the doling out of so many taxpayer-supported "goodies" that the electorate would find difficult to resist?

* $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions
coal power plant in Illinois that the Dept. of Energy defunded last year
because the project was inefficient
* $650 million for the digital television (DTV) converter box
coupon program
* $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker
(arctic ship)
* $448 million for constructing the Dept. of Homeland Security
headquarters
* $248 million for furniture at the new Dept. of Homeland Security
headquarters
* $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees
* $400 million for the CDC to screen and prevent STD's
* $1.4 billion for a rural waste disposal programs
* $125 million for the Washington, D.C. sewer system
* $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities
* $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost
overrun of $3 billion
* $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges
* $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI
* $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction
* $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi
River
* $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas
* $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings
* $500 million for state and local fire stations
* $650 million for wildland fire management on Forest Service
lands
* $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities
* $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job
programs

So, just who are the modern-day fascists?

Hmmm... I wonder.

On keeping your enemies closer...

The video contained on this link is good education for those of us who want to know what the Left is up to.

Watch it carefully, and learn.

And while you're at it, take a gander at the carnage.

Growing up Italian!

I received this in an email, and was surprised at how accurately (though not totally) it portrayed my childhood. My comments on each follow in parentheses:

A nice reflection back to the way things used to be...

The Life Of An Italian Child

You spent your entire childhood thinking what you ate for lunch was pronounced 'sangwich.' (Check)


Every Sunday afternoon of your childhood was spent visiting your grandparents and extended family. (Double-Check. And watching Lawrence Welk, Bonanza, and Mannix, to boot!)


You've experienced the phenomena of 150 people fitting into 50 square feet of yard during a family cookout (Check (though mostly on my mom's French side of the family; my Italian father's family was relatively small)

You were surprised to discover the FDA recommends you eat three meals a day, not seven. (Check)

You thought killing the pig each year and having salami, capacollo, pancetta and prosciutto hanging out to dry from your shed ceiling was absolutely normal. (Semi-check--although we had all these goodies, my grandfather operated a neighborhood grocery store. All the meat preparing was done there)

You ate pasta for dinner at least three times a week, and every Sunday. (check)

You grew up thinking no fruit or vegetable had a fixed price and that the price of everything was negotiable through haggling. (check--my father was the king of haggling, and the king of produce. He could tell if a cantaloupe or a honeydew was ripe from a mile away)

You were as tall as your grandmother by the age of seven. (Semi-check; actually by the age of five. To this day I believe that my grandmother was Steven Spielberg's model for Yoda).

Your mom's main hobby is cleaning. (semi-check; although my mom kept a clean home, she was a working mom).

You were surprised to find out that wine was actually sold in stores. (Check: To this day, we have our grandfather's 150 year old, 200-pound wine press)

You thought that everyone made their own tomato sauce. (Check. And their own pasta. And their own Italian sausuage, and their own eggplant appetizer, and...)

You never ate meat on Christmas Eve or any Friday for that matter. (Check; well, almost. On Christmas Eve we invariably had homemade pizza, Italian sausage, cannolis, and a special bread with cauliflower and Italian sausage that I don't know the name of, but I certainly loved. Fridays (and Wednesdays during Lent) were either scrambled egg days, or fish if my parents could afford it. Never. A. Crumb. Of. Meat.)


You ate your salad after the main course. (not necessarily; the myriad dishes were passed around the table between a lot of people. Your food would go cold if you were to wait around for everything to be passed your way).

You thought Catholic was the only religion in the world. (Check: When we were kids, there were actually two different kind of kids: The Catholics (who went to our parochial school) and "The Publics" (who went to public school).


You were beaten at least once with a wooden spoon or broom. (Actually our parents for the most part spared the rod; although my brother (whose gift of annoyance is to this day legendary) once got hit in the head by a set of flying keys).

You thought every meal had to be eaten with a hunk of bread in your hand (Check)

You can understand Italian but you can't speak it. (Check; lucky for us Italian kids, most high schools in the Chicago area had Italian foreign language classes. We had to go to high school to learn to speak the language. Despite the fact that our parents and grandparents provided us with plenty of examples of the more "colorful" aspects of Italian. My grandfather used to say, "Now that we're in America--we speak American!!).

You have at least one relative who came over on the boat. (Check: For us, that relative was my grandfather. He came over dirt poor (back in Italy as a boy, he had to follow the wagons that carried food for the pigs, so he could hopefully get a piece of what fell out as it travelled down the road). He died a millionaire.

All of your uncles fought in a World War. (Check--my grandfather fought in WWI; my dad in WWII).

You have at least six male relatives named
Tony (check), Frank (nope), Joe (nope) or Louie (nope). But we did have male relatives named Salvatore, & Leo (dozens of them). Actually, the name "Leo" (my name) was a derivative of the name, 'Liborio' (Americanized now to its present form).

You have relatives who aren't really your relatives. Yep. Uncle John from Rhode Island comes to mind.

You have relatives you don't speak to. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! (Check. My grandparents could hold grudges like a drowning sailor holds onto a bouy in the middle of the ocean. Luckily that family trait has died).

You drank wine before you were a teenager. (Check Again. And Again. Wine was a mainstay at meals at Grandma's).

You relate on some level, admit it, to the Godfather and the Sopranos. I maka a meata ball you can't refuse! .
Forrgetttabbboutit! Badda bing! (Check: I get a sentimental lump in my throat every time I watch The Godfather Trilogy).

You grew up in a house with a yard that didn't have one patch of dirt that didn't have a flower or a vegetable growing out of it. (Check, sort of. We did have a bit of lawn as well as a garden. But true that each patch of dirt did have some kind of vegetable or flower growing from it--except for the path laid by the dogs as they raced around the garage to the alley from side to side to ward off possible intruders).

Your grandparent's furniture was as comfortable as sitting on plastic. Wait!!!! You were sitting on plastic. (Check, check, and double-check. We thought it was a natural state of furniture to be covered by plastic. Getting up from a seat at Grandma's during a hot summer day was akin to receiving a body wax).

You thought that talking loud was normal. (Check)


You thought sugared almonds and the Tarantella were common at all weddings. (Check. Not to mention three different types of pastas, garlic breads, and a zillion pastries).

You thought everyone got pinched on the cheeks and money stuffed in their pockets by their relatives. (Checkeroooni!)

Your mother is overly protective of the males in the family no matter what their age. (My mom was French, so this didn't necessarily apply; my grandmother and my dad, however, was a different story).


You couldn't date a boy without getting approval from your father. (Oh, and he had to be Italian) (See above--though my dad did brandish a shotgun once when my sister's boyfriend got her home a bit too late one evening).


You dreaded taking out your lunch at school (Generally, we got a baloney 'sangwich' and a Hostess Ho-Ho or Ding Dong. Lunch was pretty good).

Going out for a cup of coffee usually meant going out for a cup of coffee over Zia's house. (Actually, my mom's French relatives--she grew up in a family of ten kids-- were the coffee drinkers; and going out for a cup of coffee meant going to Aunt Claire's house, and playing Tripoley til 5AM. This was fine with us kids, who relished not having a bedtime on Friday or Saturday nights--and all the French curse words we learned was an educational bonus!).


Every condition, ailment, misfortune, memory loss and accident was attributed to the fact that you didn't eat something. (Check, and check again. My grandmother's favorite words? "Mangia! Mangia!")

CIAO!

(See--I wasn't lying about the plastic!)

Perhaps J-Roosh or Learned Foot could relate?