Wednesday Hero Blogburst 9-30-09

This Week's Post Was Suggested By Cindy

1st Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo
59 years old from Spanaway, Washington
August 18, 2009


Sorry for the presentation of this post, but haven't been feeling well and don't feel much like typing. You can read Sgt. Crisostomo's story here and here.

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.

Be Civil?

I regularly receive e-mailings from the NBRA (National Black Republican Association), and I thought this one particularly worthy of posting:

By Frances Rice

It’s a sure sign that Republicans are winning a debate on issues when Democrats, aided by well-meaning civility police pundits and activists, demand that Republicans stop showing their passion and “be civil”.

I am still waiting for those with such a keen sense of civility to demand that Democrats cease their unrelenting and uncivil, even racist, attacks on black Republicans. I won’t hold my breath.

High on the Democrats’ list of those to be denigrated are accomplished black Republicans who do not toe the Democrats’ liberal agenda line. Shamefully, Democrats do not want poor black children to have as role models any black person who does not engage in victim mongering and works hard to become prosperous rather than become dependent on government handouts.

The message that Democrats gives to poor blacks is despicable. If you remain poor, uneducated and vote for Democrats, we will celebrate your victimhood. If you get a good education, get a good job and vote for Republicans, we will denigrate you as "acting white”, a "sellout”, an "Uncle Tom”, a "House Negro”, a "House N-word", a "Lawn Jockey”, and worse..

Brazenly, on the left-wing Internet website called "The News Blog," Democrats posted a doctored photograph of then Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele (now chairman of the RNC) when he was running for a Senate seat, depicting Steele as a "Simple Sambo" with a blackened minstrel-style face, nappy hair and big, think red lips. The cartoon caption read: “Simple Sambo wants to move to the big house”. This contemptible racist stereotype is the same one Democrats used to demean black men during the era of slavery and segregation.

In addition to other outrageous racist images of Dr. Condoleezza Rice produced by several Democrats, cartoonist Jeff Danziger depicted Dr. Rice as an ignorant, barefoot "mammy", reminiscent of the stereotyped black woman in the movie “Gone with the Wind” about the slave era black woman who remarked: "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies". This is the type of racist stereotype Democrats used to demean black women during the era of slavery and segregation.

Democrats now love Gen. Colin Powell, but spewed out racist attacks on Powell before he endorsed Obama and embraced the liberal agenda of higher taxes and a bigger government to provide poverty producing handouts to blacks.

A video was shot by WKRN Video Journalist Beau Fleenor at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee that shows Al Sharpton demeaning Gen. Powell and Dr. Rice, when Sharpton was asked to give his opinions about whether Powell and Rice were “House Negroes". That video can be found on the Internet.

An article that appeared in a Portland, Oregon paper was one of many exposing how hardly a ripple of protest was made by black Democrats when Harry Belafonte publicly denounced Gen. Powell as a "House Negro".

With impunity, the late Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy called black judicial nominees, including Judge Janice Rogers Brown, “Neanderthals”. Democrat Senator Harry Reid slurred Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as an incompetent Negro who could not write good English. “Slap at Thomas stinks of racism,” was the headline of the New York Daily News’ December 7, 2004 editorial.

Even black Democrats will be maligned if they dare step off of the Democratic Party’s political plantation. When black Democrat Juan Williams wrote his book entitled "Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-end Movements and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America" that exposed the deplorable conditions in black communities caused by the Democrats running those communities, Williams was denounced on national TV by another black Democrat as a "Happy Negro".

For details about how Democrats during the 1960’s even smeared Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was a Republican, see the article posted on the NBRA website.

“Civility, Ours and Theirs” is an article that provides more details about how Democrats vilify black Republicans while wagging their finger at Republicans about being civil.

Our political discourse can be elevated to the high standards demanded by the civility police only when Democrats are also required to play by the rules of civility.

Frances Rice, a retired lawyer and US Army Lieutenant Colonel, is chairman of the National Black Republican Association and may be contacted at: www.NBRA.info

Taking the 'messiah' complex to the extreme...

Absolute moronic pseudo-religious moonbats actually praying to their god, Obama:


When one is God-less, one necessarily tends to attempt to vainly fill the void; with invariably disastrous results.

The Brown Shirts Are Now On Back-Order...

But for now, why not host a "Kids for Obama" sleepover?

First, though, you'll need the official "Kids for Obama" starting kit:

Do you feel like you want to get involved in the political process but you don’t know how? Do you feel like there’s something important coming up in the Presidential elections? Get involved in KIDS FOR OBAMA! Studies have shown that kids can affect their parents and their siblings’ opinions and even change the opinions of older family members . . . including those of voting age. Are you still with me? Great, Let’s get started!

Have fun, kids! And parents, just remember:

"When an opponent declares, "I will not come over to your side," I calmly say, "Your child belongs to us already... What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community."
- Adolph Hitler

Just sayin'...

(via American Thinker)

***Update***

Maybe you can sing this oldie but goodie at your Barack Obama slumber party...with your Barack Obama matching drape, bedspread and waste basket set.

Never Let A Crisis Go To Waste...

From the Inquirer:

No debate: Deluge due to climate change

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:05:00 09/30/2009

MANILA, Philippines—The massive floods that inundated Metro Manila were a chilling reminder of the need to seriously address climate change experts said, warning that the lives of millions were at stake.

More rain fell on Manila and surrounding regions in nine hours on Saturday than the amount Hurricane “Katrina” dumped on New Orleans in 2005.

Why is it that they are able to generalize specific weather events with "climate change," (read GLOBAL WARMING) but they completely ignore the fact that last winter was one of the coldest on record--ever!

If these asshat clowns with an agenda can claim incontrovertible proof of global warming with one weather event, then I can sure as hell claim global cooling from the entire of last winter, and proclaim that we need an increase in greenhouse gases as a result, and call for mandatory SUV ownership and drilling for oil until ANWR looks like Calumet City, Indiana.

If George Bush Was an Idiot...

I received the following in an email--usually I don't pass forwards along, but I found this one at once brilliant in its simplicity along with its ability to cut to the quick:

If George Bush was an idiot...





If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?


If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved?


If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?


If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?


If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?


If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?


If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia , would you have approved?


If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?


If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved?


If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?


If George W. Bush had mis-spelled the word "advice" would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as proof of what a dunce he is?


If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite?


If George W. Bush's administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11?


If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?


If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?


If George W Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?


If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?


So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He's done all this in 5 months -- so you'll have three years and seven months to come up with an answer.

Regarding The Right to "Choose."

A libertarian acquaintance of mine and I share a number of views in common; we are both for smaller and less intrusive government, as well as the right to pursue happiness in ways of our own choosing.

Where my libertarian acquaintance and I part ways is the question of abortion, and a woman's so-called right to choose whether or not to maintain the developing life inside her womb. Although this acquaintance is personally pro-life, she appears to think that it is not necessarily the role of government to dictate whether a woman must carry a baby to term.

I wrote,

"I can get behind much of what you believe in.

Except for the abortion part.

You see, my right to do what I want with my fist ends with your face.

And the right of what a person can do with his or her body ends when that person's choice interferes with another innocent person's God-given right to live, no matter what station in life or life stage one finds oneself. (read it in the preamble to the Constitution)

The woman's so-called right to "choose" is not a question of freedom. It goes much deeper than that. It's a question of one's fundamental right to exist. When that is called into question, the right to "freedom" is moot."

Yes, one has a right to engage in the behavior that may or may not produce a life. But one does not have a right nor necessarily the freedom to escape dealing with the consequences of one's choices, especially when that choice impinges on another's fundamental right of existence.

***UPDATE***

My correspondent wrote back:

I am personally a pro life person! That is why I say freedom of choice - instead of prochoice- the pro choice folks believe pro choice means their choice – I disagree- I believe pro choice means that I am freed to choose life and I DO! Listen to last weeks show and you will hear me say so!

To which I responded,

Yes, one has a right to engage in the behavior that may or may not produce a life. But one does not have a right nor necessarily the freedom to escape dealing with the consequences of one's choices.

She went on...

I agree Leo- we just can not stop people from doing things they want to do- I wish I could but that is God’s job not mine! I answer to God and so will they!

To which I responded

No, we cannot stop people from doing things they want to do, but we CAN hold them accountable.

We have laws that codify against murder. We have laws that codify against robbery and crimes against person and against property.

Why should the unborn, developing human being be unprotected by the rule of law? Why should their status and the protections afforded them be any different than any other human being?

Are the unborn 3/5ths of a person? Are you comparing the unborn to slaves, with no rights, especially that of the most fundamental right of all, that being the right to exist?

You say you are pro life.

I don't believe you.

Either you believe that the developing fetus is a human being, and is entitled to unalienable rights, or you don't.

Let's be honest, here.

...to be continued?

***UPDATE***

My correspondent wrote back:

Leo-

I told where I stand if you are going to call me a liar- we have nothing else to discuss.

Have a good evening.

To which I responded,

Betty Jean, what I am saying is that you are being intellectually dishonest.

You say you are pro life, a position which, by definition, holds that the developing fetus is indeed human; yet you are unwilling to assign human rights to that which you ostensibly deem human.

Realize that saying, "I'm pro-life, and I wish everyone was, but I understand that others will make different decisions," is not in the same league as saying, "I like coconut on my donuts, and I really wish everyone liked coconut on their donuts, but I understand that others may not." The former carries with it real life and death implications, while the latter is merely a preference.

Realize that when one says one is pro-life, that means that one truly understands that it is indeed a separate and distinct life developing within the womb. Yes, a LIFE.

Of course, saying that you're pro-life but simultaneously recognize other women's right to "choose" may score you points by those on both sides of the issue who haven't taken the time to parse the illogicality of what you stated. But realize that by saying what you're saying, you have effectively negated your pro-life stance by its very definition. You have in effect made a non-statement.

Yes, Betty Jean, I am challenging your beliefs by identifying the inconsistencies inherent in that which you state you believe.

I understand that can be an uncomfortable feeling.

But if I can see the inconsistency in your stated beliefs, it is my contention that others in your audience can also see that inconsistency, which may lead them to question your credibility.

What I'm asking is that you take a step back, and take a good, long, hard look at your stated belief regarding abortion.

Don't rationalize it. I mean, take an honest look at it.

Again, if you can't be honest with me, at least be honest with yourself.

Consider this an exercise in constructive criticism.

-Leo-

...developing.

Go to Jail...Go Directly to Jail..

..and/or pay $25k if you try to opt out of Obamacare:

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) received a handwritten note Thursday from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance.

Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty, Barthold wrote on JCT letterhead. He signed it "Sincerely, Thomas A. Barthold."

The note was a follow-up to Ensign's questioning at the markup.

Hopenchange, baby!

Indoctrinate U- Version 1.0

Wednesday Hero Blogburst, 9-23-2009

Lt. John Madea


Lt. John Madea holds his daughter as she is baptized with holy water from the ship's bell of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46). This is the fourth person baptized aboard Tortuga since the ship's christening in 1988, and her name will be inscribed inside the bell as a tradition of the U.S. Navy.

Photo Courtesy U.S. Navy
Taken By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Geronimo Aquino

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.

The Million Med March

Doctors across the nation are furious about health care and aren't going to take it anymore!

From Medscape (subscription required)

"I'm tired, mad as hell, and just not going to take it anymore," says Richard Chudacoff, MD, a gynecologist from Las Vegas. "I am going to Washington, DC. At noon, on Thursday, October 1, 2009, I will be on the Mall with a few other physicians."

Dr. Chudacoff is not talking about vacation plans. Rather, he intends to unite with other physicians in what he calls the Million Med March.

"We simply decided that we will not work that day and perhaps the day before and maybe even the day afterward," says Dr. Chudacoff. "Perhaps we will show the country that physicians are worth more than a $5 copay; that physicians are more important than a mid-level healthcare worker; and that our profession is needed, our services are required, and our practice is a calling to be respected, not a trade that is to be negotiated to the lowest bidder."

A letter posted by Dr. Chudacoff on www.obgyn.net in June has been spreading like wildfire across the Internet, finding its way to personal blogs, discussion groups, and professional forums. On June 23, it was posted to Medscape's Physician Connect (MPC), a physician-only discussion group, where it sparked a flurry of responses. A number of MPC postings suggest that Dr. Chudacoff will have plenty of company on October 1.

"Finally, something constructive," says a dermatologist. "I'll see you in DC on October 1. Some of the office staff, including our nurse, expressed a wish to be there too. Bring spouses and friends and anybody else who actually cares about healthcare in the US."

"I have cleared my schedule and plan to attend," responds a vascular surgeon. "I think this type of grassroots action, unaffiliated with hospitals, insurance companies, or the AMA, is likely to get the most sympathetic attention."

"This is the best proactive effort I have heard from physicians," says an MPC family medicine physician. "Actions speak louder than words."

"I can be there without changing my schedule," adds an anesthesiologist. "I was just terminated from my office-based practice where I have been for 7 years."

One physician's decision to take a stand and unite with his fellow colleagues has given doctors a simple way to show the public and elected officials that healthcare, for them, is not a political agenda. It is their life and livelihood. And in recent weeks, the partisan discussions in the Senate and House of Representatives on healthcare legislation have seemingly marginalized -- and at times even maligned -- physicians.

"I was for nationalized healthcare," says a family medicine physician, "but I thought that meant providing a safety net for needy Americans. But this monster of a bill is something quite different."

"Politicians and payers have turned our profession into a political football," retorts an anesthesiologist.

President Obama's recent tonsillectomy remark, in which he insinuated that doctors make medical decisions based on what they would be paid for a procedure rather than the best treatment for the patient, has further incensed physicians. "As a hard-working, conscientious physician, I am offended. It's like racial stereotyping. Only now it's about a group that is mostly overworked, tired, and saving people's lives," retorts a family medicine practitioner.

It is clear that every day Obama and his marxist minions try to ram this albatross of a "health care" plan down Americans' throats spells more and more certain doom for the far-left power structure of this nation.

The full measure of ire from the American people is yet to be felt, but feel it they will.

An Evening With Ross Ueckert...

Ross is passing on his way through to St. Cloud, so he, Myrna (Ross' sister), my wife and I got to spend some time together.

First we toured Clemens and Munsinger Gardens (this is a must see for anyone visiting St. Cloud), after which we had a great dinner at Ciatti's. We talked extensively about his travels and about life in general; and the more I spoke with Mr. Ueckert, the more I realized that I was speaking with a national treasure. His love for this country and for the people he's met along the way is nothing less than genuine.

I believe that Ross' journey has only begun, and by the time he makes his way to the Lincoln Memorial, he will have touched the lives and hearts of millions of Americans. It is more than apparent that one individual can make a difference.

The movie, Forrest Gump, began with a scene of a feather floating with the wind, flitting about and traversing to wherever the wind took it. This was done as a metaphor to illustrate how Mr. Gump touched all those he came in contact with, not by design, not purely by accident, but seemingly by divine providence.

Mr. Ueckert's walking journey has thus far been similar to Forrest Gump's; one of unexpected twists and turns, yet through it all, there appears to be a Divine providence, steering his every move, putting him in contact with the right people, at the right time, and touching others in a purposeful, God-driven way; and I feel honored and privileged to have been even a small part of his, wonderful, storied serendipitous journey.

Godspeed, Ross and Myrna!

The Power of the Pope

The Pope and Nancy Pelosi are on the same stage in front of a huge crowd. The Pope leans towards Mrs. Pelosi and said, "Do you know that with one little wave of my hand I can make every person in this crowd go wild with joy?
This joy will not be a momentary display, like that of your followers, but go deep into their hearts and they'll forever speak of this day and rejoice!"

Pelosi replied, "I seriously doubt that. With one little wave of your hand? Show me."

It was then that the Pope slapped her.

Obama Protects His Harem

Obama on the sorry state of his state-run newspapers:

"I am concerned that if the direction of the news is all blogosphere, all opinions, with no serious fact-checking, no serious attempts to put stories in context, that what you will end up getting is people shouting at each other across the void but not a lot of mutual understanding," he said.

Translation: "WTF am I gonna do if my state-run media isn't there to run cover for me?"

In his description of blogging as involving, "..no serious fact-checking, no serious attempts to put stories in context" he pretty much described the New York Times, The LA Times, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC CBS...."
Can't say that I blame him.. I mean, why ruin a good thing?

Minnesota Flagline 2009....

I participated today with the Minnesota Patriot Guard's Flagline 2009. The 25-member St. Cloud contingent met at Perkin's and proceeded to Randall, to top off our tanks before we headed off to Ripley. But little did I realize that 25 members would actually morph into the 1000 plus riders from across the state:We congregated at Pillager before we made our final trek toward Ripley


All through our ride, there were well-wishers on the side of the road, waving flags and showing their support! It was an unbelievable rush seeing nothing but bikes both in front and behind you for as long as the eye could see, as the line of bikes stretched for over a mile.

The most poignant part of our ride went through the Veteran's Cemetery near Ripley, and it was at once awe inspiring and tearful, as we honored our brave men and women who gave their all for the cause of freedom.

All in all, around 1400 flags lined the road at Camp Ripley. I met some new friends, and got to interact with a lot of our nation's finest men and women.

Story here.