Evergreen State College President, Mr. Bridges, Should Resign!

A Day of Absence and Day of Presence at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington according to their website is something this school does every year. They invite the campus community to participate in the activities for two days. The idea is to address current issues surrounding race at Evergreen and beyond. Where did they get this idea?

This idea originated from a play written by Douglas Turner Ward, an African American playwright back in 1965. This was a time in our country when African Americans were fighting for their civil rights, fighting to be seen as equal. The play is a social commentary about how race relations were in the U.S., especially in the South back then.

In the play the town wakes up to find all African American citizens have disappeared from their town. The realization of this gives them something to think about what all these people meant to their community and how they would carry on without these essential members of their community. In other words we all work together and build our environment no one person is any better than the other. We each have a job to do and when that person is no longer there their absence is felt by everyone concerned.

So Evergreen State College started their Day of Absence in 1970 with the help of a faculty member Maxine Mimms. She was inspired by the play and thought it was a good way to bring the faculty and staff of color in spending a work day away from campus as a grassroots action. From there it grew to include all students, faculty, and staff at Evergreen. The idea was to explore and celebrate the diversity, to initiate conversations about issues of difference and in 1992 they added the Day of Presence which was to reunite the college community and honor diversity and unity as a whole campus.

A day of absence doesn’t mean students and staff just don’t show up and do nothing all day. There are events planned throughout the day on and off campus that cover issues such as anti-racism work from a majority culture or white perspective, educational and social programs designed to address issues from people of color. No one is told where to go or what to do. It is your choice on what to attend and be involved in.

The Day of Presence is a day to reunite on campus and to share ideas with each other as friends, not adversaries. This concept is designed to bring people together not to pull them apart. In today’s society we have stepped back into the 1960’s when this play was written. Instead of learning from our mistakes the young people today are carrying a chip on their shoulders and not allowing themselves to be free of the burdens of society. Society does not define who you are! The color or your skin does not define who you are! The only thing, the only one that can define who you are on this earth, what you will be and how you will leave your mark in this world, is you!

For me to stand here and say racism does not exist in this country would be a total lie but to allow students to make demands that all white people leave campus for a day and to comply with that is wrong. The idea of this grassroots program is to open a dialog so these problems can be addressed by all concerned and if these leftist students are feeling so threatened by the presence of white people on their campus then perhaps they belong in a school of people of color only which would be sad since back in the 1960’s people fought hard for desegregation.

Students take over the campus and the president of the college claims he is grateful for the passion and courage demonstrated by this mob of students who are pushing their weight around and bullying others into doing things their way or no way. At the same time a professor who teaches at this campus is forced to teach off campus for his own safety. Mr. Bridges, the president of Evergreen State College, you are a big part of this problem. You are so afraid of speaking out and standing up to these liberals that you are forgetting about not only the rest of your student body but the safety of your white faculty.

These students are talking about needing to feel safe on campus and how they want to be able to learn in a supportive environment free from discrimination or intimidation yet they are the ones causing the issue. They are the ones causing people to feel as if they are in danger. They are the ones who are discriminating and I don’t want to hear how people of color cannot be racist because that is a bunch of bull and we all know it.

Mr. Bridges you allowed yourself to be bullied by part of your student body and gave no thought to others attending your college or to your staff. Not all students or staff of color stood with this group who shouted down and cursed the faculty and administrators as they screamed for social justice. You call this a passion I call it what it is, bullying and if you don’t have what it takes to see to it this is not allowed then you, Mr. Bridges do not belong in the position you are in and need to resign.

When these students leave your campus and go out into the real world and get a real job they are not going to be able to stomp their feet and get upset because someone in their work place offended them. The world doesn’t work that way. There are some amazingly wonderful people in this world and there are some amazingly dense people in this world who just don’t get it. You cannot go around and stomp your feet, make demands, act like you are a two year old and figure everyone is going to give into you because hey, that’s what they did when you attended college. No sir, in the real world, which is what you are supposed to be getting them ready for, life is very different.

You may have a boss you absolutely love, work well with, even become the best of friends with and then again you may have a boss you can’t please no matter what you do and you cannot always scream racial discrimination and cry for your safe space, sometimes you just have to suck it up and grow up. Bills have to be paid, food on the table, and responsibilities of life itself rules what you do and don’t do with your life. You set the ground rules, you set your goals and no matter what you do, do not allow anyone or anything to get in your way.

If you are teaching these young people they can get their way by screaming, throwing a temper tantrum, and resort to crying racism you are not getting them ready for the real world. Most people could care less what color your skin is. In today’s world there are mixed races wherever we look. It is accepted in today’s society but I can tell you back when I was a kid it was frowned upon and I could not figure out, for the life of me, why. Whether you are white or of color you are still the same inside, as I have said before, we all bleed red.

So Mr. Bridges to you I say stop giving in to these demands. If you want this to stop on your watch then bring these students and the faculty together and hash it out. Not scream it at one another, call for a peaceful discussion and if it is otherwise the people who are involved in causing chaos should be removed. Oh, I know you think I don’t know what I am talking about since you are there and I am here but it does not take a rocket scientist to realize if you allow this to continue it will continue to grow and there will always be racial tension in your school and in the lives of these young people attending your school.

The people of this great nation need to start standing together no matter what your race is. We need to start teaching our children to concentrate on improving their lives and not to worry about what others think of them. Our young people need to be able to hold their heads up with pride and work together to fix the mistakes of the past not keep them going and fanning the fires so they never stop burning.

Peace comes from within. If you are not at peace with yourself, if you do not see yourself as God sees you then you will not be able to move ahead in this world and you will always be blaming someone else for your misdeeds. Let’s all stop this craziness and as adults show our young people just how important it is to work together to improve our country, to make life better for all people. Life is too short to live with a chip on your shoulder when there is so much to get done because that chip will weigh you down and you will never get ahead.

May God Bless America and bring us all together.

The Most Decorated WWII Soldier: Audie Leon Murphy

We have so many heroes who served this country proudly and with honor that I can write about a different one every day. Today in honor of Dedication Day or Memorial Day, however you wish to call it, I chose to write about another of our courageous American heroes Audie Leon Murphy, born on June 20, 1925 in Hunt County, Texas.

This is a story of another young man who didn’t have an easy life yet managed to overcome the obstacles put in his way. He came from a large family being one of twelve children raised in a rundown sharecropper’s house. His parents, Emit and Josie Bell were poor sharecroppers and their life was a struggle but it taught Audie Murphy responsibility as he picked up the slack. He left school in the 5^th grade to pick cotton and find any other work that may be available for someone his age so he could help his parents support the family. He was always very skilled with a hunting rifle which came in handy hunting to add food to the table for his family.  

Times got harder for Audie when his father abandoned the family in 1940. Only a year later his mother passed away. Audie was all of sixteen years old working at a radio repair shop and a combination general store, garage and gas station.

With the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States entered WWII. After being turned down by the Marines and the Navy, Audie enlisted in the Army but he was under age so his oldest sister, Corinne, helped him. She helped him falsify documentation so he would meet the minimum age requirement to enlist in the military.  He was 17 when he entered the military but that didn’t hold him back.

After basic training, February 1943, he was shipped out to North Africa, assigned to Company B, 1^st Battalion, 15^th Infantry Regiment, 3^rd Infantry Division. His commanding officer was Major General Lucian Truscott. Here his division received rigorous training in preparation for Allied invasion of Sicily. Impressing his superiors he was first promoted to Private First Class on May 7^th and then to Corporal on July 15^th.

On July 10^th the 3^rd Infantry landed in Sicily, while on scouting patrol Audie Murphy killed two fleeing Italian officers. His health took a setback about this time and was laid up for about a week. By time he was back on his feet Company B was in Palermo where Audie rejoined them.

September 1943, Murphy participated in the landing on the mainland of Salerno landing at Battipaglia. While out scouting he and two other soldiers were ambushed. They had taken on German machine gun fire which killed one solider. Murphy and the other soldier killed five Germans using hand grenades and machine guns. In October the Allies led an assault on the Volturno Line, Audie and his company were attacked by seven German soldiers. They killed three and took four prisoners, by December Audie Murphy was promoted to Sergeant.

Not long after, in January of 1944, he was promoted to Staff sergeant but then he was hospitalized in Naples with Malaria and was unable to participate in the landing at Anzio beachhead. He didn’t get to join up with his Battalion until January 29^th when he joined in the First Battle of Cisterna. After this battle he was made platoon sergeant in Company B. He then returned with the 3^rd Division to Anzio remaining there for months. During this time they were taking shelter from the rain in an abandoned farm house. On March 2, Murphy and his platoon killed the crew of a German tank. Crawling out alone, Audie got close enough to destroy the tank with rifle grenades. This action earned him the Bronze Start, he was also awarded a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Bronze Star.

In August 1944 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during the first wave of the Allied invasion of southern France. His platoon was under attack by German soldiers. During this time he fired at the Germans killing two and wounding one but then his best friend was shot and killed by two Germans who appeared to be surrendering. After that Murphy advanced on the house the Germans were taking refuge in, on his own, killing six and wounded two plus took eleven prisoner.  He also received the Presidential Unit Citation along with other soldiers who took part in the action.

It was in September of 1944 Audie Murphy received a heel wound from a mortar shell blast which earned him his first Purple Heart. On October 2 he earned his first Silver Star when he killed four and wounded three at a German machine gun position. Just three days later Murphy found himself crawling towards the Germans while directing his men where to go and what to do on the radio for one hour, while the Germans shot at him.

By the time this all came to an end 15 Germans had been killed and 35 wounded. Audie Murphy was truly an American hero and was awarded a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Silver Star and a battlefield commission to second lieutenant, making him platoon leader. Only a few days later he and his platoon were attacked by a German sniper group. Murphy captured two before being shot in the hip by a sniper who he then shot between the eyes. Gangrene had set in his wound causing him partial loss of his hip muscle. It also kept him out of combat until January but earned him his first Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Purple Heart for this injury.

By the time he left the military in 1945, Audie Murphy was the most decorated United States Army combat soldier in WWII. He received every American combat award for valor available. He was just a kid who wanted to serve his country and he did so with pride and honor but he was teased, because of his baby face, very often.

Unfortunately when Audie came home service he suffered with PTSD but it wasn’t called that back then. It was known as “combat fatigue” which gave him a quick temper. Many nights he woke up screaming and slept with a loaded gun nearby. What he went through while in country battling for our freedoms tortured him when he got home and caused him to have a bumpy ride through life for some time. In Audie Murphy fashion he pushed hard for the government to spend more time and money on taking care of the Vietnam War Veterans returning home since he knew exactly what they were going through. He knew some of the problems many of them would face.

When Audie was discharged from the military his story caught the eye of none other than the great James Cagney who invited him to Hollywood. Cagney took a personal interest in Audie and under Cagney Productions he paid for acting and dancing lessons but he didn’t think Audie had what it would take to be a movie star. Audie struggled to make it as an actor, he had a few bit parts here and there but finally got a lead role in Bad Boy in 1949 and The Red Badge of Courage in 1951. Universal-International Pictures signed him for a string of low budget Westerns. In 1955 he stared in his autobiography To Hell and Back. You can check out the rest of his film career and enjoy some good old classics if you like online.

It was on May 18, 1971 Audie Murphy boarded a private plan to go to a business meeting. Near Roanoke, Va. they ran into a thick fog and crashed into the side of a mountain, killing all six on board. He was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery. May this hero Rest in Peace as we remember him this Memorial Day and thank him for his service and dedication to his men and his country.

May God Bless America and watch over our troops.

Sgt. Alvin C. York an American Hero

With Memorial Day upon us I thought it would be a good idea to talk about an American War Hero of yesteryear. Alvin C. York received a Medal of Honor during WWI but let’s back up a bit so you can get to know him.

Alvin Cullum York was born December 13, 1887 in a small two room log cabin near Pall Mall, Tennessee. He was the third child out of eleven born to William Uriah York and Mary Elizabeth Brooks York. His family had a farm which he, his father and brothers worked and harvested their own food. The York family lived in poverty. William York also worked as a blacksmith to help supplement the family income. Not having the money to go to the store to buy whatever clothes they needed their mother made all the family’s clothing. Because their father needed Alvin and his brothers to work the farm while he worked as a blacksmith they only attended school for nine months. Besides working the farm it was also their responsibility to hunt and fish in order to feed the family. No, the York family was no stranger to poverty but they worked hard never giving up because they had pride and trusted the Lord would provide.

In 1911 William York passed away and since Alvin was the oldest who was still living close to home it became his responsibility to help his mother raise his younger siblings since he was devoted to his family and their welfare. Alvin had a negative side to him as an alcoholic who when drunk became violent which caused him to get into fights and arrested. His mother tried everything she could to get him to change his ways, to stop drinking because without the alcohol he was a different person, calm, understanding, and caring. He was the man she knew he would always be.

In 1914 Alvin attended a revival meeting at his church that opened his eyes and helped him to realize he couldn’t continue on this path he was taking because it would only lead to his destruction. The Church of Christ in Christian Union was of Protestant denomination which opposed all forms of violence. It is what helped Alvin to realize he couldn’t continue the way he was. When WWI broke out and Alvin had to register for the draft there was question on the form that asked “Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)”. For Alvin it was and easy enough answer as he wrote, “Yes. Don’t Want To Fight.” His claim for conscientious objector was denied so he appealed.

If anyone, during WWI, claimed to be a conscientious objector they still had to serve in the military if they were drafted however they were not given assignments that would interfere with their beliefs. Since Alvin’s application was originally denied it was in appeal when he was drafted into the army so he had to report to Camp Gordon in Georgia. This is when he decided to start keeping a diary and he did so until he returned from the war in 1919. He noted in his diary that he refused to sign papers provided by his pastor asking for a discharge from the Army on religious grounds as well as forms from his mother claiming he was the sole supporter to his mother and siblings which he was.

Alvin York served in the United States Army in Company G, 328^th Infantry Regiment, and 82nd Infantry Division at Camp Gordon, Georgia. He confided in his company commander Captain Edward Courtney Bullock Danforth and his battalion commander, Major G. Edward Buxton about how troubled he was training for war when his belief was not to fight, not to take another life. During one of their discussions Captain Danforth cited Biblical passages that were about violence giving Alvin something to think about as he was granted a 10 day leave to go home for a visit, think it over and if upon his return he still felt the same he would receive a position to honor his decision.

While Alvin was home he thought long and hard over what he, Captain Danforth and Major Buxton discussed as well as reading his Bible before coming to the decision he would fight. Alvin was convinced that God meant for him to fight and would keep him safe so he could return home to his family. He took this commitment to the United States Army with the same passion and commitment he did to his belief to pacifism. There is no doubt in his mind or anyone else’s that he was indeed right due to the circumstances and outcome of the Battle of Saint Mihiel.

With the events that unfolded on October 8, 1918, Alvin and his battalion did indeed have an angel watching over them. They were sent to capture German positions near Hill 223 along the Dacauville rail-line. Those in command of this operation were Sergeant Bernard Early and four non-commissioned officers which included Cpl. Alvin York along with thirteen privates as well. Their orders were to infiltrate the German lines and take out the machine guns.

They worked their way behind the Germans and overran the headquarters of a German unit capturing a large group of German soldiers who were preparing an attack on U.S. troops. While Sergeant Early’s men were watching the prisoners they started taking on machine gunfire which took out a total of nine soldiers with six Americans dead and 3 wounded. Corporal York was now in charge of the seven remaining soldiers. He left his men under cover to guard the prisoners while he made his way into position to take out the German machine guns.

When Corporal York was asked to give an account of his actions on this day he said the machine guns were firing down on them and he didn’t have time to dodge behind a tree or take cover because once the Germans saw him they opened fire giving him no choice but to exchange shots with them. “There were over thirty of them in continuous action” he stated “All I could do was touch the Germans off just as fast as I could.” While he did this Corporal York kept yelling for them to come down. He states he didn’t want to kill any more than he had to but they were giving him no choice. While all this was going on with the machine guns he was also attacked by six German soldiers with bayonets and had to use his M1911 semi-automatic pistol as he shot all six soldiers before they could reach him, since he had already used all his rounds of his M1917 Enfield rifle taking out the machine guns.

Seeing they were not going to win this battle German First Lieutenant Paul Jurgen Vollmer offered in English to surrender to York, who of course accepted. By the end of the battle York and his seven men had 132 German prisoners to march back to the American lines. The actions taken by Corporal York that day were responsible for enabling the 328^th infantry to renew its attack to capture the Decauville Railroad. Alvin York was promoted to Sergeant and he received the Distinguished Service Cross. It took a while but a few months later an investigation into the chain of events on that day was done by York’s chain of command. This investigation resulted into now Sergeant York receiving the Medal of Honor which was presented to him by the commanding general of the American Expeditionary Forces, General John J. Pershing. He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre, the Medaille Militaire and the Legion of Honor by the French Republic and the Croce al Meriot di Guerra from Italy as well as a War Medal from Montenegro. During the investigation into the events of the battle General Lindsey asked Sergeant York what made him change his mind and do what he did that day on the battlefield. York told him, “A higher power than man guided and watched over me and told me what to do.” General Lindsey agreed with him.

Sergeant York’s Medal of Honor citation reads: After his platoon suffered heavy casualties and 3 other non-commissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York assumed command. Fearlessly leading seven men, he charged with great daring a machine gun nest which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machine gun nest was taken, together with 4 officers and 128 men and several guns.

Back home his heroism went unnoticed until April 16, 1919 when journalist, George Patullo wrote in the Saturday Evening Post an article titled “The Second Elder Gives Battle.” It was when Mr. Patullo was touring the battlefields earlier in the year that he learned of the heroism of York. He laid out a story about York’s life before and during his service to our country saying “he was an uneducated man who seems to do everything correctly by intuition.” The circulation of this edition of the Saturday Evening Post was in excess of 2 million copies.

Upon hearing the story a group living in New York City, the Tennessee Society, arranged for celebrations to greet Sergeant York when he returned to the United States. He arrived in Hoboken, NJ. On May 22 and stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and attended a formal banquet in his honor. He toured the subway system in a special car then continued to Washington D.C. and stood before the House of Representatives to a standing ovation. President Wilson was in Paris so Sergeant York met with Newton D. Baker the Secretary of War and Joe Tumulty the President’s secretary.

He was discharged from the Army out of Fort Oglethorpe, George and made his way home to Tennessee and more celebrations. He was barely home a week when he married Gracie Loretta Williams on June 7, 1919. Yet the story is not as happily ever after as the movie portrays, York refused to profit from his actions during the war and rejected requests for endorsements and movie rights to his life story. He did however, join in a lot of civic organizations in which he lent his name to. The Nashville Rotary purchased a 400 acre farm and gifted it to York but it was not fully equipped as he had been promised leaving York to have to borrow money in order to stock it. With the farming depression that followed the war York lost money in this venture and the Rotary was now unable to continue with the installment payments on the property so York had to pay them himself. Christmas 1921 an appeal to the Rotary Clubs nationwide about what York was going through, brought in the required contributions he would need to keep his farm.

He wanted to join in the battle during WWII but he was now 54 years old, overweight and boarding diabetic so he was denied enlistment as a combat soldier but he was commissioned as a major in the Army Signal Corps. He toured training camps and participated in bond drives to support the war effort usually paying his own travel expenses.

His autobiography was written by Tom Skeyhill on York’s behalf in the first person and was credited as the editor of Sergeant York: His Own Life Story and War Diary. York gave lectures and speeches over the years but they were written by his secretary Arthur Bushing.

Over the years he refused several times to give permission to have his life story turned into a movie. Finally in 1940 York was looking to finance an interdenominational Bible School so he gave permission for the movie which in the first two years earned him $ 150,000 with more royalties to come in the future and a battle with the IRS. York did eventually have his Bible School which hosted 100 students until the late 1950’s.

Sergeant York suffered a stroke in 1948 and over the years more strokes and pneumonia followed. He became confined to bed in 1954 and hospitalized several times in his last two years of life. On September 2, 1964 in a Veterans Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, Sergeant York passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage. He left behind his wife Gracie, six sons and two daughters. His children’s names were Alvin Cullum Jr, George Edward Buxton, Woodrow Wilson, San Houston, Andrew Jackson, Betsy Ross, Mary Alice, and Thomas Jefferson York. Alvin York is buried at Wolf River Cemetery in Pall Mall. His youngest son Thomas Jefferson York was killed in the line of duty on May 7, 1972 while serving as a constable in Tennessee.

Before her death in 1984 Gracie York sold off most of the York farm to the State of Tennessee which is now opened to visitors as the Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park.

By the end of World War I Sgt. Alvin C. York had earned more than 50 medals. In an address he made at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Memorial Day 1941 he said that “veterans understood that liberty and freedom are so very precious that you do not fight and win them once and stop.” He said, “They are prizes awarded only to those peoples who fight to win them and then keep fighting eternally to hold onto them.” Always blunt York said, “I think any man who talks against the interests of his own country ought to be arrested and put in jail, not excepting senators and colonels.”

Thank you Sgt. Alvin York for all you have done for our country on and off the battlefield.

May God Bless America and please everyone take a moment this Memorial Day and remember our fallen.

DAV Forget-Me-Nots to Remember Our Disabled Veterans

What is Argonne Day? The Battle of the Argonne Forest was a major part of the final Allied offensive of WWI. The battle started on September 26, 1918 and lasted until Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. This battle involved 1.2 million American soldiers as they fought side by side with our allies in a series of attacks known as the Hundred Day Offensive. It brought the war to its end costing the Germans to lose 28,000 soldiers and the United States 26,277 lives were lost. It is said to have been the largest and bloodiest battle of WWI.

When our soldiers came home there were many disabled veterans who felt forgotten by their government. Their requests for government treatment and compensation were being ignored. They needed to be heard, they needed their government which they fought so hard for and sacrificed so much to hear them and stop denying their claims.

This was a big undertaking for our disabled veterans and they needed help so the enlisted the aid of young girls, society women, and the general public to help them find a way to raise funds to help our disabled veterans. The disabled veterans were to make forget-me-nots out of crepe paper and the volunteers would go out and sell them so they could be worn in remembrance of our disabled veterans.The tag attached to the flower read Forget-Me-Nots, sold by and for, Disabled American Veterans of the World War.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote:

“Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven, blossomed the lovely starts, the forget-me-nots of the angels.”  Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie

What is a forget-me-not? A forget-me-not is a small perennial herb bearing beautiful bright blue or white flowers. It is considered an emblem of fidelity and friendship.The proceeds of the sale of these crepe paper flowers went towards funding relief programs for the permanently injured veterans. The goal of the supporters who worked so hard on this campaign drive was to put to rest any doubt of the nation’s appreciation of the disabled veterans as well as their families.

These flowers were offered first in every large city and town throughout the nation. There were many appreciative people who had not forgotten all our soldiers had done for us during our time of war. They wanted to help and show them their appreciation. Buying and wearing a forget-me-not was the least they could do.

To the American people who wore this flower it showed they were unselfishly supporting our disabled veterans the way our disabled American veterans unselfishly went off to war for our rights and safety. It was a way of saying thank you and at the same time remember those who returned from the war.

The DAV had hopes and dreams that the sale of this small flower would raise them enough money to help carry on their important work in years to come. They kicked off their first official Forget-Me-Not Day on February 24, 1926. As you can imagine it took time to get these flowers made and the campaign started so it would be beneficial to all those who needed the help of the DAV.

It was decided in 1929 these flowers would be sold on two days of the year and the money put to good use for our disabled veterans. September 26, Argonne Day and November 11, Armistice Day are the two days a year these flowers were sold unless the weather was bad, then they could sell them on an alternate day.

Calvin Coolidge was our President at the time of the first annual appeal to the public with the sale of Forget-Me-Nots by the DAV. He issued a proclamation calling upon the American people to show their support for our disabled veterans by purchasing the flowers. If not for the work of the DAV many disabled veterans would have not had the help they needed. President Coolidge commended them for their work in assisting to alleviate the suffering of our disabled veterans.

So why Forget-Me-Nots? It is said the idea behind the Forget-Me-Not flower came from an image carried home from WWI. It was in the memories of the soldiers returning home who had seen spring flowers growing among the graves of their buddies and allies killed in the line of duty.

For such a small flower it makes a big statement as it asks “Please, do not forget me.” It doesn’t only speak of those who did not return home but for those who returned from war disabled as well as with memories they can never wipe away. It is a symbol to remind us of our military men and women’s service as well as their sacrifices in order to make our way of life possible. This symbol is a legacy which started after our veterans returned home from WWI and continues till today.

The DAV is there to help our disabled veterans and their families in a variety of ways. The selling of these flowers have helped to raise funds in order to continue to do their work. The public responds well to the Forget-Me-Not drive because it is hosted by the DAV, an organization they trust and hold in high regard.

I don’t know about you but when I see an elderly man standing outside in front of a store or on a street corner selling Forget-Me-Not crepe paper flowers I cannot resist no matter how many I have already bought one. To me, it is a small price to pay for the freedoms we enjoy and the sacrifices our service men and women have had to endure as well as their families.

I have proudly worn my flower on my jacket or wrapped it around the strap of my pocketbook to show my appreciation and dedication to our military. There is no other country in the world I would rather live in and I am so very proud of our military. Our brave young men and women deserve to know we support them and will continue to do so long after they return home.

May God Bless America and watch over our disabled veterans and help them heal.     

Terror Attack at Manchester Arena

Last night the world was glued to their television as they watched the horror unfold before them. The attack of a suicide bomber at the Manchester Arena. A packed arena filled with young children and their parents to attend the Ariana Grande concert. Since tickets for these events go on sale long before they are to take place and you can find out online just how many seats are available, he had all the information he needed to know he was about to attack a packed house. It didn’t matter to him this house was filled with children.

There are reports of an arrest being made by the Manchester Police Department of a 23 year old man in connection with the bombing on Monday evening. There are also reports that they now believe they know the name of the man who carried out that attack. Knowing who he is isn’t what matters but knowing he did this for his so called religious belief is what matters. The world needs to ban together to rid us of this garbage.

One man, one piece of trash, detonated a homemade explosive device only minutes after Ariana Grande finished her performance. It was approximately 10:30 PM in Manchester at the time when this homemade bomb filled with nuts and bolts was detonated sending thousands young fans and their families running and screaming for help. Many were separated from their group and some are still missing.

Ariana Grande, the 23 year old singer from America, was led to safety. She took to twitter saying:

             broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. I don’t have words.

After witnessing this horror the singer has suspended her world tour indefinitely. No one can blame her as reports came in she was in hysterics after the bombing and inconsolable. I can only imagine how hard this is for her. There were many fans there she had personally met before. Sources say she is not concerned with her shows at this time and we can all understand the emotional stress she must be under. In my opinion along with our prayers for the victims of this horrible attack we should all be adding this young performer, Ariana Grande, to our prayers and well wishes. Give her some space so she too can heal.

Unfortunately last night’s attack has left many children and young adults among the dead and unfortunately missing since some are believed to have been pulled away from their group as the chaos began. Parents have been desperately searching for their missing loved ones throughout the night. There are images all over social media asking for help if you have seen their loved ones.

As the names start to come in of the victims from last night the first one I saw this morning was a young girl, only 18 years old, from Whittle-le-Woods in Lancashire. Georgina Callander was a college student and a huge fan of Ariana’s. She had the honor or meeting her idol back in 2015 and posted a picture of herself and Ariana on her Instagram account back then. Saving that moment for her forever in her history. My prayers go out to Georgina’s family and friends.

As I watched the news a short while ago the image of this cute little eight year old girl came across the screen, Saffie Rose Roussos who was the second victim to be confirmed dead. Saffie was attending the performance last night with her mother Lisa and her sister Ashlee Bromwich. When the attack took place Saffie was separated from them. Both her mother Lisa and her sister Ashlee are being treated for shrapnel injuries. I pray for their quick recovery from their injuries but I am afraid there are not enough prayers to heal their hearts for the life they lost.

Many of the people who were injured last night are being treated for life-threatening conditions in eight different hospitals across Manchester so I am sure parents and loved ones have been going from place to place in hopes of finding those who are missing from last night. There are reports there are twelve victims under the age of 16. This attack was on our children and cannot be over looked.

I commend the first responders for the amazing work they did keeping everyone calm and attending to those who were in need of help. I also commend the people of Manchester for their out pouring of help to those in need. From people opening their homes to the concert-goers, to hotels near the venue taking in children to keep them safe until they can be reunited with their families, to taxi drivers offering people free rides home, and to all the volunteers who are ready to give blood and help in any way they can. This community pulled together and did what they had to do to help people they didn’t even know.

As we all know this investigation is far from over. The police have a lot of evidence to go over and will have to track the attacker’s movements in order to find out if there are any others involved. This morning Prime Minister Theresa May said the bomber had chosen the time and place of his attack deliberately to cause “Maximum carnage and to kill and injure indiscriminately.” This was a well thought out attack, he knew when and where to be at that point and time to do the most damage and he gave no thought to how young his victims were.

My heart breaks as the images of these young people who had so much to give, so much to look forward to in life, had their hopes, dreams, and lives ripped from them and for what? To spread fear among us trying to keep us living with fear in our hearts, so much so we will fear standing up against them. Obviously they don’t understand human nature. You attack our children we will fight back, defend and protect our own. It is time for all nations to ban together and unite with one thought in mind, rid this world of any and all Radical Islamic terrorist.

The Islamic State has clearly declared an all-out war against all nations and they do not care if they hurt our children yet when President Trump was a candidate and promised to “quickly and decisively bomb the hell out of ISIS” many people were up in arms because of the children who could be put in harm’s way. As we can see they do not care about our children, they do not care who they hurt, who they kill, they only care about spreading fear and dread. We cannot allow this to continue to go on.

Today, while in Bethlehem, President Trump spoke about the attack last night at the concert in Manchester. He offered his condolences to the victims and their families and called these attackers “evil losers in life.” He called for “all civilized nations” to unite against terrorism and “obliterate this evil ideology.” This is the message President Trump has been delivering across the Middle East this week. To unite against terrorism and to put our differences aside and work together to rid this world of this evil.

This trip is so much more important than the media is making it out to be. President Trump is on his own World Peace Tour to bring countries together, to set aside their differences and to stand together in unity so peace will prevail and evil will fail. In his speech before leaving for Rome and the Vatican President Trump talked about the possibility of a peace deal between Israel and Palestine.   He met with the leaders of these two countries and believes they are ready to talk about bringing peace between their countries. A long awaited peace and if that happens defeating ISIS is just around the corner and that is what ISIS does not want and probably why they once again attacked innocent people to prove they are still a power to be reckoned with.

Well, like so many of us have been saying since January 20^th, 2017, there’s a new sheriff it town and he doesn’t back down. President Trump will be talking to NATO and G7 partners in Europe later this week about anti-terrorism. So I ask all Americans to let’s give this man a chance and stop all the bickering because as we can see, there is work to be done and he has set his sights on getting it done.

President Trump has a tough job ahead of him but we shouldn’t make it any harder for him to accomplish with protests and riots and screaming about conspiracy theories. Instead we need to stand beside him and the leaders of our allies in this fight against terrorism. Those children who were killed last night, all those injured were out enjoying family time. Innocent and unaware of the horrors that were about to take place. The world needs to be able to stand together in order to fight this evil and drive it away. I understand not everyone is so sure going to war with ISIS is the answer but we need to protect our children and this may be the only way to do so but along with this we need prayer. So I ask all my prayer warriors to please take the time every day to pray for a positive outcome to all of this horror and for the Lord to watch over all countries and protect them from the horrors of ISIS because if not there will come a day when we are fighting this fight on American Soil defending the rights and freedoms we hold so dear once more.

I pray to the Lord to please take these victims of last night’s attack, wrap these angels in your arms and let them know they are loved. Please help those who have been injured to heal quickly and please help Ariana Grande through all of this, Amen.

May God Bless America and May he watch over all our allies as we battle ISIS to bring peace to the world. 

Deplorable Proud and True

Who am I? I’m a Deplorable! Remember, that’s what Hillary Clinton called people who supported Donald J. Trump for President. What is a Deplorable? Someone who is interested in seeing this country come back to the way it used to be, a country full of hopes and dreams for all Americans and Legal immigrants.

The real meaning of the word deplorable is: some deserving of strong condemnation/shockingly bad in quality. This came at people who supported then candidate Donald J. Trump from someone who has the shadiest background in all of politics. Now if that isn’t calling the kettle black.

Since he won the November, 2016 election for President of the United States attacks on President Trump, his family, staff, and his tactics have come under fire more times than you can count. The thing that amazes this Deplorable about that is no one on either side of the fence was this up in arms with all the behind the door shenanigans that went on in the Obama administration. The lies that were told to the American people suddenly became truths because so many lost their ability to think for themselves and to put the evidence together on their own to draw their own conclusion.

We had a President who talked his own country down to other world leaders. He apologized for the United States and our stance in the world, who turned a once strong and respected country into a laughing stock no one would be cautious to go up against. We were a laughing stock for so many years it has become second nature to many Americans to just sit back and let the wheel of deceit continue.

The comments that have been made against President Trump in the news is comical if you ask me and not just because I fall into the Deplorable bracket. Our past administration stood before this country for all to hear and condemned the work of our police officers whenever a thug went up against them and was killed for attacking a police officer. Could some of it have been prevented? I don’t know for two reasons. One, I am not a police officer so I do not and will not pretend to tell you I know what it is like to have someone point a gun at me or come at me with a knife or any other form of lethal weapon. Two, because I was not present at the time of the incident and cannot tell you what happened or didn’t because I didn't see it with my own two eyes. Yet the past administration and many people around this country blamed our police for protecting their own lives so much so, they felt the need to defend themselves to the public. They were being picked off as if it was open season on police and a get out of jail card for the criminals. Great policy as crime grew and the authority of the police diminished. 

This alone should have called for outrage from the American people but so many supported it because hey, a police officer pulled them over once and gave them a ticket or they got arrested for one crime or another so the police are wrong and not those committing the crimes.

Let’s talk about the depletion of our armed forces. You know the Army, Navy, Air force, Marines and Cost Guard, the people who keep the crazies off our shores and see to it our boarders are protected. The men and women who lay their lives on the line to help keep us safe and our freedoms alive and well. The same people who leave their loved ones to go off to fight in a foreign land or lend a hand when asked by our allies, yep those armed forces. It seems President Obama didn’t feel the need to up personnel or for that matter give them a raise they could live on, but he felt it was important to fight for the raise of minimum wage for federal contractor workers. I guess maybe some of you missed that raise from $ 7.25 per hour to $ 10.10 per hour. Now I am not against raising the minimum wage but to raise it for just federal government contract workers and not the rest of the American citizens is a little off balance in my book. Yes our minimum wage needs to be upped a bit for all but you can’t just give it to some and not the rest. It’s like dangling a carrot in front of a horse but keeping it just out of his reach so he can’t enjoy it.  Since 2007 Military pay raises have been at an all-time low yet no one is screaming for them to get a pay raise. We expect them to go out and put their lives on the line when the average Private (E1) with 2 years’ experience is making a little over $ 19,000.00 a year.  In other words an active duty Private with 2 years’ experience or less at an E-1 is making $ 1,491.00 a month, however basic pay for a Private (E1) with less than 4 months active duty is only $ 1,378.80 a month.

Now here’s the reality check. This pay our military is receiving for putting their lives on the line is monthly not weekly. So if we were to break it down our brave men and women who go out there to do this job aren’t doing it for the pay but for the love of this country because no one would work for under minimum wage without doing it for love. At 1,491.00 that means they make $ 49.80 a day and break that down into hours of only 8 a day, which is a laugh if this soldier is deployed because they don’t get to clock in and out like you or I do, that gives them a whopping $ 6.23 per hour, to keep your sorry behind safe and sound. Yes, those with families who cannot take them along for the ride, get an allowance but don’t get too excited they only get an extra $ 250.00 a month. The past seven years the past administration approved pay raises for our military have been at an all-time low with some years only at a 1 % raise. I don’t know about you but this Deplorable believes in our military and feels they deserve to be treated better and payed for the job they are tasked to do with a fair salary and to me this is way off the mark.

Again everyone is up in arms that President Trump won the election due to Russian influence when someone hacked into the DNC and they of course are blaming the Russians. There are so many stories flying around it’s ridiculous and they just keep spinning them into larger and larger swirls so no one can tell where all the BS begins and where it ends. Yet no one was upset when Obama promoted Mohamed Elibiary to senior member of the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council. Why should you have been upset, outraged, and even protesting this? Ironically because he is a close friend of Shukri Abu Baker who is the former president of the Holy Land Foundation which is an organization that sent large sums of money to the Hamas terror organization to finance terror activities. Trust me he wasn’t sending it so they could start a knitting club. Don’t believe me, that’s OK you can do your own homework and look him up. I know he loves to tweet so check it out and see how much he respects and loves this country.

Let’s not forget the Benghazi cover up even though I know many of you think there was none but we still left four of our own to die like animals even after they begged for help. The cover ups to protect Her Royal Ass, Hillary Clinton from Benghazi all the way down to the Clinton Foundation. The woman is a liar, a crook, a traitor, and completely off her rocker but hey, what do I know I’m just a Deplorable. How about negotiating with terrorist for the release of a military deserter and of course my all-time favorite releasing terrorist from Gitmo so they can go back and do the same, terrorize the innocent.

Yet we are listening to the news bash the man in the Oval office because he doesn’t see things their way and we are allowing them to stir the pot and cause friends and family to argue over politics. Seriously folks the one thing we should never talk about to our family and friends is religion and politics because we all have our own views and we all have a responsibility to ourselves to do our homework and figure out the truth. That area in between the left and the right, the area that is the balance of both stories.

We are not in any of the meetings held by President Trump, his staff, or visiting dignitaries so we cannot say for sure what is being said or what is being done. We were not there when Trump spoke to Comey so we only have Comey’s word, which is questionable since he waited to be fired before saying all this bs and of course President Trump’s word. It was a private conversation and trust me if Trump had it recorded he would have handed it over just to prove Comey is off the mark and stop all this so we can get down to what really matters. Running the country and fixing the mess we are in.

Now there is speculation that President Trump is going to step down once he fixes this country and turn everything over to Vice President Pence. Now don’t get me wrong I think Pence is a great man and would do an amazing job but I don’t see President Trump stepping down, backing down, or turning away from this country as easily as so may have turned on him. He is working to do what he said he would do and has hit a brick wall here or there but is managing to fix it and negotiate his way around it. There is no room in news reporting for speculation, the people want, need and deserve the true facts not your opinion in how it could be or what might happen because it’s that spin on things that is sending this country into a panic.

I didn’t vote for Barack Obama, not because of any other reason but I didn’t think he could do the job, yet I was still supportive of him until he went up against our finest, our police, and took the side of the thug. I don’t know how others were raised but I was taught to respect those who served to protect my behind. Are there officers that take it to the extreme, of course, anyone in any walk of life can take it too far but I will always support the police and not jump to conclusions until all the information is in and then I can make an educated decision. I will never apologize for my support of police officers everywhere.  

I am proud of the Office of President as long as they show they have the best interest of this country and its people at heart. It is not a job to be taken lightly and it should not be under scrutiny at every turn. This country, politicians included, has become a bunch of conspiracy theorist, spreading their fear among the crowd. Why not take a moment to breathe, say a prayer if you like, spend some time with your family, or anything else that relaxes you and stop feeding into the news propaganda. Stop letting them rile you up and give the man in the Oval Office a chance to prove you right or wrong.

I am a supporter of President Donald Trump and I will tell you even if Hillary won, I may not have been a happy camper but I wouldn’t have been miserable every day of my life just because she was in office. Like I did with Obama, I made the best of it and took care of my house, my home, and my family. I cannot understand how anyone, six months after the election, is still distraught over Hillary not winning and I do not understand anyone who is not at least willing to give President Trump a chance to make it or break it. He has said let the investigations go on, let them continue to dig. Yes he has made some tweets that have been a bit outspoken but that’s why I like him. He is just like anyone else I know that will tell you like it is whether you want to hear it or not.

This Deplorable will stand by President Trump, fight for this country to unite, and pray for all to see we need to give it a chance in order to let it work. It took years to tear down this great nation so we cannot expect President Trump to fix it in 4 months. After all he does not walk on water.

  

May God Bless America and may he help President Trump along this rocky road so many put before him. 

Why Do We Celebrate Memorial Day?

With Memorial Day upon us I wonder how many of us know the true history behind this day? You know it isn’t really just the start of the summer barbecue season and a reason to party. It really is so much more and many Americans either don’t know it or have forgotten exactly why this is a National Holiday.

Believe it or not Memorial Day dates all the way back to the ending of the Civil war, all the way back to 1866 when it was called Dedication Day. Never heard that one before, right! After the Civil War the people of this country felt it was the least they could do to honor the fallen soldiers of perhaps one of the bloodiest wars ever to take place on American soil. Funny though even on this they couldn’t seem to agree on who or which state was the first to celebrate Dedication Day.

The Civil War ended in 1865 during the spring. So many soldiers lost their lives in order to fight for what they believed in, their country. This war claimed more lives than any other in United States history. That being said, this was the reason our first national cemeteries were established. Between the North and the South combined there were more than 600,000 soldiers who died in battle.

There is documentation that women in Savannah, Georgia decorated Confederate soldiers’ graves as early as 1862 to honor their fallen. There were others to follow with one in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1863 with a ceremony commemorating the graves and still there were others who picked one day or another to pay tribute to their fallen heroes throughout the North and South.

In the south the practice of decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers started in 1866. It is attributed to the women of Columbus, Mississippi that on April 25, 1866 they laid flowers on both the Union and Confederate soldiers’ graves in the city’s cemetery. In the south it became known as Confederate Memorial Day where veterans and their families honored the dead by visiting the local cemeteries and placing flowers on the graves and taking a moment to pray.

Historians have said the Ladies Memorial Association played a key role in these rituals to preserve the Confederate memory. It wasn’t just one day and everyone in the south took the time to observe. They had various dates that began April 25 and didn’t end till mid-June. All across the south organizations were formed mostly by women in order to care for the cemeteries of the Confederate soldiers. One of the most important organizations formed was the United Daughters of the Confederacy which grew from 17,000 members in the 1900 to almost 100,000 women by World War I. They worked hard organizing commemorative ceremonies, raised money to sponsor monuments as a permanent way of remembering the Confederate soldiers who gave their life fighting for their cause. These women were strong and fought hard lobbying legislatures and Congress for the reburial of Confederate soldiers and worked to shape the content of history textbooks.

How do we honor these Confederate soldiers who are a big part of the United States of America’s history today? We mock them, by removing every symbol of their existence starting with the Confederate Battle Flag and working their way towards these monuments so many struggled so hard to raise money for in order to pay tribute to the fallen of this war that claimed so many lives and helped shape the history of this great nation. What gives the few big mouths the right to erase a part of American history when every soldier North and South should be honored?

In the North they heard of the men and women in the South taking a day to celebrate their fallen and so they copied the practice and started on May 5^th, 1868 when General John A. Logan issued a proclamation calling for “Dedication Day” to be observed nationwide. That year it was agreed it would be celebrated on May 30^th because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle of the Civil War. In the North there was the Women’s Relief Corps and the women’s auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic who sponsored these ceremonies. There were nearly 300,000 Union Soldiers whose remains were moved from the battlefields in the south and re-interred in 73 national cemeteries in the north. The most famous being Gettysburg National Cemetery and of course Arlington National Cemetery.

So for decades people around the country celebrated Dedication Day in honor of the fallen soldiers who gave their all so we can have our freedoms. It was a time to stop and remember those who sacrificed without giving a second thought in order to keep their families and values safe.

“Dedication Day” wasn’t an official holiday but the states celebrated it all the same and gradually it became known as “Memorial Day” around 1882, which was fitting seeing as it was meant to remember those who served and gave their all. After WWII it became more common to celebrate it as “Memorial Day” but it wasn’t officially named “Memorial Day” and made into an official national holiday until President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation in 1967. Memorial Day a holiday set aside for the express purpose of remembering not only those who served and sacrificed so much during the Civil War, which more than 150 years later remains the bloodiest conflict in United States history, but also all who fought in the wars and conflicts that followed. Each soul lost paid the ultimate price for our safety and freedoms and deserved our thanks. A day set aside dedicated to remembering them was a little gesture of thanks from the people of the United States of America.

So when did it suddenly become the day to start the summer games, playing in the pool, hopping down the shore, barbecuing in the back yard, and forgetting all those who gave up so much so we can have fun in the sun? For decades this holiday was celebrated the last day of May but in their infinite wisdom, Congress, whom we all know I feel needs a complete over haul, made the decision to change a date picked more than a hundred years ago. It was in 1971 Congress decided Memorial Day needed to be fixed. Of course we never thought it was broken but for some reason they saw fit to turn it into a 3 day weekend instead of a day set aside to thank those who gave their all. Now it was to be celebrated the last Monday in May giving everyone a long weekend.

Over the years the American people downplayed the holiday and started looking at it more as the start of their summer season and a reason to take a long weekend away with the family. It became an American tradition to the point of more than 36 million people take road trips on this holiday weekend. Some just hit the road with no major plan in mind other than to relax and enjoy themselves. Many families have the tradition of family gatherings and barbecues but how many actually take the time to say thank you to those who served and gave their all?

You see when Congress changed the date to create a three-day weekend it undermined the very reason this day was set aside in the first place. It changed the outlook of the holiday to many and instead of taking a the time to say a prayer for those who served this country and gave their lives for our safety and freedoms it became a nonchalant observance with a parade here or there as if to say “we didn’t forget so before we party we will have a parade to show our appreciation.”

A tradition to commemorate “Memorial Day” is the raising of the United States flag which is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to half-staff where it will remain till noon before it is once again raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. Why half-staff? That is to remember the more than one million men and women who served this country and gave the ultimate sacrifice. Why raise it to full-staff at noon? Well that one is easy to figure out, raising it back to full-staff at noon it is their memory being raised by the living, those who promise not to let their sacrifice be in vain but to take the charge and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all Americans.

There are different traditions going on around the country that weekend and some still hold a ceremony on May 30^th just to remind us this is the original date of “Memorial Day.” The National American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars are out selling Remembrance Poppies for you to hang from your review mirror so every time you look at it you will remember the lives given so you can have your freedom.

In 1987 Hawaii’s Senator Daniel Inouye introduced a measure to return Memorial Day to its traditional date of May 30^th. Senator Inouye was a veteran of World War II who fought besides those who gave their all. He understood why setting this special day aside and bringing it back to its original day was so important. Try as he might he was unable to turn Congress around introducing resolution after resolution until his death in 2012.

Somewhere in the middle of Senator Inouye introducing his resolution to change Memorial Day back to May 30^Th Congress decided to pass the National Moment of Remembrance Act in 2000.  This act asked people all around the country to stop whatever they are doing at 3:00 PM to remember those who served this country. In my opinion this is a joke because there is no way this act can even be enforced and to just nonchalantly ask the people to stop chewing their burger or surfing in the water at 3:00 PM for a second to remember those who served is a laugh and a half.

I am happy my parents never left things like this up to the government regulations or view of what is important or not in our lives. They instilled in us the importance of all those who served this country and the respect we need to show those who served and returned home and the thanks we need to show those who served and never made it home to be with their families again.

I had some amazing role models who gave to this country no questions asked. They served this country and never asked for anything in return. They served with pride and honor as did their families because for each solider who didn’t return home there was a broken family who this country owes a debt. So this Memorial Day when you are sitting with your family at your destination of choice take a moment to bow your heads and say thank you. If you have memories of family members or friends who served this country with honor and dedication why not share their stories with your family so they can see what an amazing family tree they have.

This country was started by people with a vision and their vision carries on in the eyes of all Americans today. Their vision is for a better life and pride in their country. We may not all agree on every aspect of what we expect from those who serve in a political position in this country and that’s ok because that is our God given right to think freely and speak our mind however, to all those who served and will serve this country we all have to agree we owe them our deepest gratitude and respect.

I bow my head in prayer as I thank all those who gave their lives so I can live in the land of free and the home of the brave. I give thanks to all those families who have sacrificed so much so we can thrive as a country. You have my deepest gratitude. May God watch over all those who serve and their families and see to it they are protected and cared for in the arms of the Lord.

May God Bless America and on this Memorial Day may we all take a moment to remember the true meaning of this holiday and say a prayer of thanks to all those who served and gave their all. May they R.I.P. and honor. 

The Confederate Flag A Big Part of American History

The Confederate battle flag is not a flag in support of racism it is a symbol of the South wanting to leave to Union. That’s right going back to before the Civil War to the North and South being divided. It wasn’t about slavery because there weren’t only slaves in the south. That’s is a myth that has been instilled in our folk stories.

You see before the Civil War, the North and the South were having issues that included States Rights, disagreements over tariffs, and of course the one we have heard to be the cause, slavery. At one time slavery was in the North and south but gradually it was banned by the states north of the Mason-Dixie line.

With settlers moving towards the west there were discussions, debates, as to whether or not slavery should be permitted to go any further. The South feared if slavery was not allowed in these new areas being settled, these new territories it would mean the government was unbalanced because if there were no new states allowed to have slavery then the amount of states without with be greater than the amount of states with, giving control of the government to the abolitionists.

In 1860 Abraham Lincoln ran for president campaigning to contain slavery to the south. In the December 20, 1860 election South Carolina seceded from the union. It was the first state to do so but was followed only 4 months later by Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana. Later Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and parts of Virginia joined them. The parts of Virginia that did not follow was the northwestern area which stayed loyal to the Union and was formed into a state of its own, West Virginia.

My father always told me there are three sides to every story, theirs, yours, and the truth or the balance in between. The South claims the war wasn’t over slavery, the north claims it was and still others claim there was more than just slavery at steak. I would have to go with there was more going on than they are letting the people know even all these years later.

Rumors have said the south flew the Confederate flag on slave ships but that’s not true. Actually the slave ships weren’t owned by the south. Slaves however were brought here by the British, Dutch and even Portuguese but not the Southern Nation, as they had become known. Now the north isn’t as innocent in this slave trade, as there were ships from New England who brought slaves to this country and then made their money from the products they were paid for, for each slave.  I seem to remember Ms. Murray my 5^th grade teacher talking about this and how unfair it was to put the blame squarely on the south since that was no true.

Now all these years later the people of this country want to rewrite history and do away with the Confederate flag saying it is a symbol of racism. Well that’s a bunch of bull plain and simple. There was more to that war then the freeing of slaves. Politics were a big part of that battle and many lives were lost in order to win an argument and when all the dust cleared President Lincoln came out the hero who freed the slaves since he signed the Proclamation Emancipation but if you were to read it you will find out it only frees the slaves of the South.

It reads “All slaves in the rebellious states shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” It did not say any slaves still held in the North were also to be set free. Only the ones in the rebellious states which were in the south. It was their pay back for not agreeing with the way things were being run, as I stated earlier.

The Southern Nation, as they wished to be called, had four flags in all. They started with their First National Flag but changed it because they felt it was too much like the United States Flag. Their Second Flag was slightly modified but too many felt it resembled a flag of truce and they were not about to surrender so came the Third National Flag which became the adopted flag of the Confederacy. They also had the Confederate Battle Flag which never was the Southern Nations national flag. This was the flag proudly carried into battle by serval armies of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee. It was also used by the Confederate Navy. The Confederate Battle flag is known as the “Southern Cross.”

There are so many rumors spread about this flag and what it stands for but to say a piece of material carried into battle hundreds of years ago stands for racism in this country today is ludicrous. Why now? Why is this flag upsetting so many people in 2017? How insecure are we as a nation that we can allow this and how immature are the American people who have no clue and no desire to find out the truth?

The Confederate Flag is a big part of our American History. The south is a part of the United States of America and these men died for what they believed in. They proudly carried their flag into battle just like the north did. It was just that, a battle flag, not a National flag. It never flew over a slave nation in support of racism or slavery. The truth needs to be discussed and taught in our schools to our children so the history will live on and not be destroyed by those who wish to change the face of the United States of America.

If we keep allowing the big mouths of the world to take the lead and sit back, do nothing, then they will succeed in ruining this great nation and we have only ourselves to blame. The Civil War was fought on our land and with it came lies that carried through the years. The South wanted to be treated fairly on States Rights and tariff. They fought the American Revolution right alongside their brothers in the north and deserved to be treated equal. Yes, slavery was a part of the issue but it was slowly being abolished throughout the land. We cannot allow history to be rewritten to please a few people who want to keep the hate and deceit going.

It is not only the ancestors of those who fought for the north who have a right to be proud, those whose ancestors fought for the south should be able to hold their heads high and be equally proud of those who fought for what they believed in. The south has some 70 million people whose ancestors fought in the War Between the States, the Civil War. They are proud of their heritage and proud of the Confederate Battle Flag which to them is their legacy, their badge of honor and a huge part of their military history.

To those of the South this flag represents southern heritage, freedom, states’ rights, individual responsibility, and resistance to an out of control federal government which is exactly what they fought against in the American Revolution. I am sure there are racist who raised both the Confederate Flag and the American Flag so what are we going to do now ban the American flag. Think folks before you start squawking because that is where we are headed.

The Constitution of the United States of America which the southern states belong to, gives us a right to free speech. If a person chooses to hang a Confederate Flag, a United States Flag or the flag of their favorite sports team and show their love and support we do not have the right to take that away from them.

Are there demented people in this world who fly the Confederate flag and are racists, of course there are, I don’t live in the land of OZ, I am well aware of the evil that is in this world but there are also racist people who fly the American Flag. They don’t wear a label on their arm that says, “I’m racist.”

As proud Americans we need to stand together with those in the South and fight against the removal, not just of the Confederate Flag but all the statues honoring the Confederate soldiers who bravely fought for what they believed in. These veterans should be honored and never forgotten.

Our history was played out a long time ago, that is why it is called history and not the present. We cannot erase the parts we don’t like but we can learn from them and in doing so fight for everyone’s rights and for a better tomorrow. Teach our children the color of someone’s skin is not what makes the person it is what is inside that counts, it is where the beauty lies.

This country has been divided too long and it’s time to unite and stand up against the closed minded people and stand up for what we believe in. I support the right for all Americans to fly the Confederate flag if they so choose to. It is their way of expressing themselves, it is their right to free speech and our responsibility as Americans to see to it these rights are not taken from anyone.

May God Bless America and open the hearts and minds of all those who are closed minded in this world. 

Minutemen

Who were the minutemen and what impact did they have on American History?  A minuteman was a member of a class of American militiamen who volunteered to be ready for service at a minute’s notice before and during the American Revolution. Our first real patriots these men played a crucial part in American History.

Back in the 18^th century there was a difference between the militia and the minutemen who stepped forward and volunteered their services to this country. Militia were exactly what it sounds like, soldiers, armed forces formed to protect the towns and the people from invasion and war. This of course, is different than the minuteman.

Minutemen were civilians, self-trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies from the American colonial militia before and during the American Revolutionary War. So why were they called minutemen? These men were known to be able to be ready for service at a minute’s notice which is why they got the name.

They played an important part in the American Revolution forming about a quarter of the entire militia. These men were more mobile. Since they were more mobile they served as an early response to any attacks from the enemy. In Massachusetts Bay, all able bodied men between the ages of 16 and 60 were required to participate in their local militia as early as 1645. However members of the minutemen were no more than 30 years old.

One of the things I remember so well about the American Revolution was the ride of Paul Revere. Now Paul did not make this ride alone since there was too much ground for him to cover on horseback. He was joined by the Sons of Liberty, which was a secret organization created in the thirteen colonies to protect the rights of the colonist and fight taxation by the British government, and the minutemen. During this ride to warn the colonist the British were coming out from Boston, Paul Revere was captured and unable to complete the mission.

Minutemen were chosen because of their enthusiasm, political reliability, and of course their strength. The first to arrive at battle and wait for the enemy. Officers weren’t appointed or tested to move up in rank they were elected by popular vote and they had to sign a written covenant, oath, when they enlisted.

They met as a unit to train anywhere from two to four times a year during peacetime. Once it became apparent we were headed for war with the British their training stepped up to three to four times a week. They had to be sure they were ready.

They didn’t have the privilege of being armed by the government as the British were arming their men. They had to provide their own arms and there were no uniforms. These men were regular people, farmers and merchants who believed in their cause. So with no set uniform they wore their farmers, workmen’s and even hunting clothes.

They armed themselves with what they had and in those days they all had something to protect their land. Remember, no telephones to call 911 in case of an emergency so even the women had to know how to use a gun or some form of protection. The minutemen armed themselves with a fowling piece, which is a shotgun usually designed to be fired from the shoulder. It uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small pellets called shot. They also used their own rifles if they were available. Neither of these weapons had bayonets which was a problem in hand to hand combat. Don’t forget back then they fought out in the open in a line formation. I never could understand that. They were like sitting ducks. Believe it or not there were some colonies who purchased muskets, cartridge boxes, and bayonets from, guess who, yep England in order to maintain their armories in the colonies.

Believe it or not before the start of the American Revolution there were times the minutemen fought side by side with the British soldiers especially during the French and Indian War in the 1750’s. Soon after that the tensions between the colonies and the British grew and things were about to change.

The first battles of the Revolutionary war was on April 19 1775 when the minutemen along with the militia came together to fight British in Lexington, Concord, Massachusetts. The Concord, Massachusetts battle site today is the site of the Minute Man National Historic Park. It would be a great place to take the family and teach them a little bit about our history.

The Continental Army regulars were trained during the American Revolutionary War in European-style warfare. However the minutemen were not because they needed them to fight the battles in the dense lines, in skirmishes, and as sharpshooters. Their form of warfare was considered irregular giving them the upper hand. After all they were familiar with hunting in the frontier. They knew how to sneak up on their prey and how to use what was around them for cover instead of standing there in a line waiting to be picked off. This gave them an advantage over the British.

During the American Revolutionary War the minutemen proved their value by having these rapid mustering forces. To prevent the British from seizing their ammunition as a precaution they often hid these items in the fields or wooded areas as well as under the floorboards of their barns and houses.

Working together the Minutemen and the militias were tough and they provided valuable support to the Continental Army. Actually the British learned valuable lessons from the Minutemen style of fighting and it helped them to modify their tactics adjusting to their surroundings. Still the Minutemen knew their terrain and were able to set traps and fight in a manner the British were not used to causing them to lose ground while the Continental Army advanced to victory.

The Minutemen played an important role in the Revolution. They were an intricate part of our fighting units in their support of the militia and the Continental Army. These men were in the forefront of the battles of independence. In one of the tenets of the United States Constitution it says that a well-armed militia is essential to the defense of the Union. They know this because of the battles these men helped win. They knew without the Minutemen willing to come forth along with the militia, the Continental Army did not stand a chance alone against the British.

Our first Patriots and Veterans fought so we could live in a country they only dreamed of before coming here and tolerating the injustices of the British. Taking a stand to defend their land, their families, and their rights these men fought for the betterment of the soon to be United States of America. Farmers, merchants, young men barely out of school, many left school just to join in the battle, fighting for their right to be free of tyranny. They set the model for which we have fought so hard to uphold.

Their patriotism and courage is an amazing part of American History and there are many places in the original 13 colonies where you can go and see where these battles were fought, experience how they lived, and understand what they were fighting for. Our history is something we should all be proud of.

These men deserve to be honored and for us to teach our children about them and how this country was formed. To teach our children about the battles that were fought so they can live a life of freedom and prosperity. I have a great love for American History and a deep feeling of gratitude to these men who fought so hard, gave so much, so we can live in a land they could have only dreamed of.

When they came here they saw nothing but empty land that had to be settled. They worked hard did what they needed to do, learned how to work the land, and how to work together. A handful of people compared to what we have now in this country and they were able to join together in unity and fight for the rights of this great nation. I salute our Minutemen, militia, and Continental Army of yesteryear. I thank them all for their service and dedication to this great nation.

May God Bless America and watch over our troops. 

Trump Had To Terminate Comey

Yesterday when news broke of the firing of Director Comey from the FBI by President Donald Trump as usual those on the left who wanted to see him hang just a few short months ago, were up in arms and calling for the President to explain himself. Actually they have come up with yet another conspiracy theory. People like Mr. Gloom and Doom himself, Senator Schumer, feels this is some sort of way for the President to cover up his involvement with the Russians influence over the Presidential election. Really Senator? After all this time, nine months, and all the investigations into this accusation by the left, still nothing has turned up to support this theory so now you are calling for more money to be spent on a special prosecutor to get down to the truth of the matter. I don’t think you would know the truth of anything if it hit you in the face.

All letters concerning the firing of FBI Director Comey are public for everyone who cares to educate themselves and read. Even the Washington Post has published them. What started this was an evaluation Memorandum sent to the Attorney General by the Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstien whom, I might add, was only appointed 2 weeks ago by an outstanding majority vote in Congress. So that being said he comes in and starts doing his job by investigating the elephant that has been hanging over the Justice Departments head since the Obama administration, and I am not talking about the Republican Party. In doing so he found just cause to question the actions of Comey during this time.

Now following the chain of command, which by the way if Comey had done back in June of 2016 he would still have a job, the Deputy Attorney General sent his findings to the Attorney General, the head of the Justice Department and his boss. Attorney General Jeff Sessions now has to do his job. He goes over the report and sends his recommendations to the President, his boss. President Trump being the man he is, goes over both the report and the recommendation from the Attorney General and decides they are both right and until Comey is removed from his position the FBI and Justice Department will not regain the public or congressional trust. So now President Trump fires Comey and all those who wanted his head only a few short months ago are up in arms. Give me a freaking break.

Let’s look at it this way. You are the new CEO (President Trump) of a company (The U.S.A.) that has been having some major issues with threat, leaking of information to your competitors, not being able to trust those who are working for you if they were loyal to the CEO (Obama) who you replaced. You hire someone as head of your security department (Attorney General Jeff Sessions) but since people are talking that your influence or collusion with others (The Russians) could have been the reason the other candidate for the job as CEO (Hillary Clinton) did not get hired for the job, the shareholders (the American people) want someone else to head up the investigation into the incompetence of the security staff director (Comey) because of your close relationship with the head of your security department (Jeff Sessions).

You being the smart businessman you are figure since this was another position (Second in command of security) filled by yet another person from the past CEO (Obama) it might be good to look into their reasons for being there especially since they don’t listen to the orders you give them and prefer to follow their own set of rules (against the travel ban, Yates). So now you need to look for the right candidate for the job all the members of the board of trustees (Congress) or at least the majority of it could agree on. Enter your candidate (Rod. J. Rosenstien) who takes the board by storm with more votes than needed to secure the position.

Being the type of man you knew he would be he hits the ground running and starts his investigation on how things have been working since the last CEO (Obama) was in office so he could get a feel of why the investigation into all the cover ups, lies, and deceit were never uncovered to the shareholders (The American people) liking.

After two weeks of talking to people, doing his investigation of the security staff director, he found significant proof this person (Comey) not only covered up information he didn’t go through the proper channels to inform your board of trustee’s (Congress) by first going to his boss (Loretta Lynch) and informing her of his findings. Granted he had cause to feel she might be part of the problem but he still did not follow protocol.

Instead of following the chain of command the said security staff director went directly to the board of trustees (Congress) and gave a report stating the person who was also up for your job (Hillary Clinton) was only guilty of poor judgement and should not be held accountable. So she gets a walk. Later he holds yet another press conference in which he says his findings do not show she willingly did anything wrong. He has tarnished the integrity of your security staff (The FBI) in the eyes of the board of trustees (Congress) and your shareholders (the American People).

In following protocol your new second in command of security (Rod J. Rosenstein) sends a memorandum to his boss the head of security (Attorney General Jeff Sessions) expressing his concern as to how things were handled in the past by the security staff director (Comey). In his memorandum he makes suggestions that there needs to be changes in order to bring back the integrity of the security staff (the FBI) at your business (The U.S.A.) in order to put the minds of the board of trustees (Congress) and shareholders (the American People) at ease.

After reading the second in command of security’s memorandum the head of your security department (Attorney General Jeff Sessions) makes his recommendations to the you, the CEO (President Trump) suggesting the dismissal of the security staff director (Comey). Now being the hands on CEO you are you see no reason to let grass grow under your feet so you immediately email and mail a termination letter to the security staff director (Comey) informing him he is relieved of his duty effective immediately.

You then report to your board of trustees (Congress) and your shareholders (the American People) who have been crying for months for you to get things in order or else there will be hell to pay. With this in mind you know the most important thing is to keep the business (the U.S.A.) first and foremost since it is your responsibility to see to it the shareholders (The American People) are happy with the way you handle things and that the business will continue to grow. You have the shareholders to keep happy, creating jobs and seeing to it people who are out to hurt your company (the U.S.A.) are not allowed to get in the way of you doing your job. Simple business folks.

President Trump did with Comey what he would have done to any employee in his business had he found out they were causing problems that were deemed bad for business. For Congress to run hot and cold depending on how the wind is blowing is just ridiculous. We all wanted to see the truth come out about the goings on before the election with Hillary Clinton. The list is so long it’s unbelievable but one thing you can believe, if it was you or me we would have been locked up and they would have thrown away the key.

So why now are they booing President Trump? Well they have their conspiracy theory that Trump had something to do with the Russians and that is how he got elected. No, that is not how he got elected. If they really wanted a Democratic President then they should have put up a candidate that had the integrity, honesty, and could gain the trust of the American People. Instead they put up Hillary Clinton. Come on, you mean to tell me the left has no other woman they could have put up against Donald Trump that the people would have trusted.

I am so done with all the double standards Congress has and for that matter the American people who support the left as well. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t keep calling for justice and crying in your beer then when something is done to correct what is wrong cry louder and scream conspiracy theory. 

President Trump is doing a great job. One thing I keep stressing, President Trump has said time and again he will not tip his hand on something he is going to do that he considers not the business of the press until it needs to be. The need to know if Comey was going to get fired before it actually happen, was not our business. It was his bosses business, President Trump. It is up to him to see to it the American people are secure and seeing to it the FBI is not compromised is a part of Attorney General Jeff Sessions job. It was also a part of Comey’s job but he didn’t see to it that it was done properly. So the only answer is to fire those who are not doing their job. End of discussion.

Great job President Trump, keep up the great work. The American people need you.

May God Bless America and watch over President Trump.