Patriot Guard Riders website...

Found the link to the webpage for "Patriot Guard Riders". There are some great photos here and information about their efforts regarding the protesters at the memorial services... http://www.patriotguard.org/

Patriot Guard Riders...

Located the website for the Patriot Guard Riders and they have an impressive site with photos and info: http://www.patriotguard.org/

Standing up for our fallen Heroes...

I must apologize for the poor quality of this photo but it is a scanned image of an AP photo that appeared in a local paper showing a protester kicking a balled up American flag. Obviously it caught my attention and the text copy described a Kansas church group that goes to military memorial services for soldiers killed in combat to protest the soldiers. The name of the group is the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka and the leader is Fred Phelps who has a history of such protests over the years. Many of these protests are organized by Phelps daughter, Margie who states that the soldiers are being killed because "Westboro believes God is angry at America for it's tolerance of homosexuality. That's why soldiers are dying"

Phelps and his daughter even protested the funeral of President Ronald Reagan to bring attention to their cause...

To the rescue... They call themselves the "Patriot Guard Riders" and they are more than 5,000 strong, forming to counter protest Phelps and the members of Westboro Baptist Church . They ride their motorcycles, only after being invited by the soldiers family, to the memorial service to show their support for the fallen hero and the family. Please follow this link to NewsMax: http://www.newsmax.com/popunders/mainpop_internal.htm?rnd=0.7228553036059492 for an outstanding article on these riders...

Since seeing the initial article on the Westboro Baptist Church and their protest, I had an interesting conversation with a dear friend on this subject. We spoke about how soldiers returning from their service are greeted with applause and sincere welcome and gratitude by those seeing them in the airport. Unlike when soldiers returned from prior wars and only to find abuse, both verbally and physical... We also spoke about how you do not see protesters now attacking the troops verbally or otherwise like in the past. It was mutually agreed that the reason you do not see these attacks now is probably not due to the protesters fearing the soldier, or even the soldiers family, but fear of those Americans who will now stand up for the soldier, the family, and the United States of America...

Pappy Boyington.... Tolerance of a Hero?

No Heroes allowed on campus....

It seems that the Student Senate at the University of Washington has voted down a proposal to erect a memorial to alumnus Gregory "Pappy" Boyington...

World War II veteren Colonel Pappy Boyington was a U.S. Marine fighter pilot and commander of the "Black Sheep" squadron that operated in the South Pacific. Boyington was responsible for shooting down 28 Japanese planes which made him a five-time fighter Ace and spent more then 18 months in a Japanese prison camp... http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/2/17/165356.shtml?s=icp

It seems that few of the students at the University of Washington actually knew who Boyington was and what he did in World War II. Some of the students questioned why the University should honor a person who killed others or honor a Marine. (Boyington was responsible for shooting down 28 enemy pilots, who may have inflicted incredible damage on the troops and or civilians. Anyone of these Japanese pilots could have gone on and sink a single troop transport in the south pacific killing hundreds of troops.) One student leader questioned why another rich white man should be honored on campus. The truth is Boyington was also part Native American with a Sioux ancestral background.

The local newspaper picked up on this issue and published a story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer which resulted in many calls to the University by the public...

I fear, many have forgotten...

I fear many have forgotten what has happened...

I took a ride this weekend up to New Jersey to visit friends that I grew up with and had a nice ride getting back to the Jersey Shore and coast area. One of the most interesting things was how many American Flags are visible from the road when you get closer to the central\coastal Jersey area. You start seeing them here and there, but once you get up around Toms River and Point Pleasant Beach area it seems the flags on overpasses really pick up. I also noticed that along the roadway you will come along a construction area where the cranes and other construction equipment proudly display the flag... Along the NJ Parkway south of Toms Riverthere was a LARGE American flag that was flowing proudly for all to see suspeneded from the cable and about 100 feet up...

These flags were also new. Not their location but the flags themselves. I remember seeing some of the flag locations the numerous times I have been back to NJ since 9-11 and the flags are always new and standing straight. No fadded, torn, or damaged flags to be found and it is apparent that the locals are proud of these flags and what they stand for. Unfortunately in the area where I now live in Virginia and surrounding area it is possible to see flags that are faded and need to be repaired\replaced. I understand that the people flying these flags are proud to show their support but replacement of these faded, worn flags have gone to far.

Another thing I saw while in NJ was the numerous shirts, hats, and other items showing remembrance of 9-11 and the people lost. Again here you did not see worn, torn, or faded items. I saw new items and proudly worn. The 9-11 attacks truely touched many people in this area and everybody knows somebody directly tied to a loss during these attacks. On 9-11 I was working in New Jersey that day in the Atlantic Highlands area and we drove over to the Twin Lighthouses in Atlantic Highlands to look across from Sandy Hook towards Manhatten to see the smoke and destruction. Even from that far distance you could tell this was something that changed the world.

Coast Guard and fishing the Gulfstream...

Key West

An interesting thing happened when I was working on a Sportfishing charter boat in the Florida Keys a few years back. We were fishing east of Summerland Key and were about 10 miles offshore when we saw a Coast Guard helicopter fly over and headed East. After a short period we saw a Coast Guard cutter headed out from the direction of Key West Coast Guard station and running hard.

A short time later Captain Jim Sharpe of the charter boat SeaBoots, http://www.seaboots.com/, that I worked on received a radio communication from a private boat who we knew fished regularly in the area. This private boat advised us that he had become entangled in a Large crab trap buoy line and was unable to get free. The cable had become entangled around a propeller and was in effect anchoring the boat in about 2,000 feet of water. The problem was with the gulf stream moving along at 4 to 4-½ knotts this was pulling the boat down and almost sinking. Upon arrival of the Coast Guard cutter several people were removed from the private boat thus leaving the captain and mate on the small boat…

It is common for fishing boats to run offshore to known crab pot locations for there are usually 3 to 4 large buoys tied together to the trap line to mark its position and used in retrieving the large crab pot. This pot is about the size of the ones you see on the Discovery Channel special about commercial crab fishing in the Northeast. They are rather large, heavy, and about 2,000 feet down and left for 5 to 7 days to catch crab. The buoys of these traps on the surface tends to attract many fish and fishing boats like to troll baits near these buoys.

This private boat unfortunately got too close to the trap line and got entangled. In the photo it looks as if the private boat is backing up but is actually being pulled down by the current which is running left to right in these photos.

The Coast Guard inflatable hard bottom boat was to small to help with towing the private boat against the current and the Cutter was way to big. The SeaBoots boat that I was on tied off to the front of the private boat and pulled it’s bow around and into the current. This allowed tension to be taken off the trap line and the private boat being cut free…

"By the Numbers"...

By the numbers

I remember seeing this back after the first Presidential election when George W. Bush was elected, by the people, over then Vice-President Al Gore. I believe this was done again for the Bush \ Kerry 2004 election and I will see if I can find the data to post it…

The data gives a whole new meaning to the Red \ Blue County map above…

Election data per candidate:

• Population of counties won:
  Gore: 127 million
  Bush: 143 million

• Sq. miles of land won:
  Gore: 580,000
  Bush: 2,427,000

• States won:
  Gore: 19
  Bush: 29

• Murder rate per 100,000 residents:
  Gore: 13.2
  Bush: 2.1
  

Professor Joseph Olson of Hamlin University School of Law, St. Paul Minnesota.

“In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was (mostly) the land owned by
the tax-paying citizens of this great country. Gore’s territory encompassed
those citizens living in government owned tenements and living off government
welfare…”

"The Full Quote"...

The rest of the quote
by Rhonda Winfield
February 6, 2006

This is in response to a column that ran in your Feb. 3 edition written by Hunter Mabry of Waynesboro.

I was quoted in Mr. Mabry's article but, unfortunately, only partially so.

I am the mother of Lancer Cpl. Jason C. Redifer, of Stuarts Draft, who was killed by an IED explosion just south of Baghdad on Jan. 31, 2005. Jason was a nineteen-year-old Marine who was proudly and bravely serving in the "triangle of death" to insure that all Americans will continue to be blessed with the many freedoms we so easily take for granted.

It is just one such freedom that Mr. Mabry exercises while failing to understand just how that freedom is sustained.

I attended the Jan. 16 town hall meeting that Mr. Mabry wrote of, and I addressed those in attendance. While I did remark that no one wants their sons and daughters dying in combat, that was only the beginning of the statement.

Mr. Mabry , speaking on behalf of the Augusta Coalition for Peace and Justice, has apparently decided that he speaks for me and that the Coalition represents the thoughts and feelings of my family.

Mr. Mabry, my son would be shattered to think that you and your group have used his death to attempt to further a cause that doesn't even understand the ideals for which he gave his life.
I have stood by and witnessed your anti-war displays that include photographs of my son. I agree that facts and statistics are exactly that and we all will certainly have our own opinions with regard to them. However, your group takes advantage of those facts by insinuating through the photographs you display that you represent these felled service men and women. You try to give the impression that you speak on behalf of their now silent voices.

Mr. Mabry, you do NOT speak for my family and certainly not for my son.

Jason, at only 19 years of age, knew what a precious gift our liberty is and valued it enough to lay his young life down for it. He volunteered for his duty knowing that there is always a human cost of war. He was also wise enough to understand that there would be a far greater human cost to avoiding this war.

Let me remind you that innocent Americans were attacked on American soil. Citizens, whose only crimes were going about their daily lives, were murdered that September morning and the evil forces that orchestrated and supported those horrific events, as well as the others that yet await us, could not be allowed to prevail. Jason believed that these terrorists must be engaged on their soil before we would all be forced to defend ourselves on our own.

While I defend a democratic process that allows our citizens to freely speak their minds and openly question our leaders when we are concerned with their representation of us, as well as to hold those same individuals accountable for the decisions they make on our behalf, I would ask that everyone please remember who ultimately pays for those luxuries for us.

Yes, no one wants American lives lost for any reason and we all want our troops home. The fact is, our service men and women have a job to complete to continue the liberties and ideals that this country was founded on and that we exercise daily. "No one wants their sons or daughters dying over there."

So, while we may not agree on many issues, I ask that we all pray for their mission to end as quickly as possible. I believe that we should all pray for their accelerated advance to victory, NOT their rapid withdraw to defeat.

Make no mistake, Mr. Mabry, just because you see yourself as "anti-war," that does not place me as "pro-war" by default. I am not pro-war. I am Pro-America.

Might I suggest you try it?

America is the land of the free because of the brave and freedom isn't free. Let THAT be the rest of the quote.

Rhonda Winfield is a Stuarts Draft resident

Taxation -/+ Consumption

http://www.andrewclem.com/Politics.shtml

Andrew Clem presented some interesting ideas about President Bush’s “investment in research in alternative energy sources” in his letter to the NewsLeader editor. His idea is to raise the cost of oil products by taxation resulting in development of renewable energy resources and conservation which is somewhat low priority with our present “Low” cost of petroleum products. Also the extra tax money collected would be used to develop better forms of energy including renewable sources of energy…

http://newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060209/OPINION03/602090318/1014/OPINION

Know as much as I am against more or additional taxes, Andrew makes a great point that this problem will best be solved by the free market system. In the majority of examples it is the free market, not the government, that creates solutions to many of our problems. My fear is where that additional tax money will really show up and in what form. Many times Profit\loss statements are the most efficient guides to getting the job done.

It is apparent that we are using more energy now then we ever used before. This is possible for the simple reason that energy produced by petroleum products are relatively cheap to us in the United States. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but little change will happen until the cost rises to a point where the “Market” dictates a change.

Look at the recent $3 a gallon effects of Hurricane Katrina. People started to think twice before taking that extra trip or how they could save and consolidate these trips. Around here the average gallon price is about $2.20 and people have forgotten already the pain of $3+ a gallon. Interestingly people are talking more about the obscene, (term used by mainstream media and politicians looking for airtime) profits made by the oil companies. I agree the profits are high as compared in the past but history shows oil companies average about 10% in profits when all is said and done. McDonalds averages 24.4% profits… Go figure… The thing is that the oil companies spend much of their “profit” money on exploration and development of more sources of petroleum to remain competitive. If we tax petroleum products to raise the cost and promote conservation and development of other forms of energy, how can we be sure this money will be used wisely?

After watching the recent hearings to confirm Justice Alito, I do not feel very comfortable with those politicians with more of our tax money…

Hillary and those eyes...

It seems many people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl especially to see the new commercials. I watched the President’s State of the Union speech last week and have to admit that I looked forward to see how the Democrats would react to the President’s speech.

In the past we have seen Democrat members of Congress push their way to center aisle so to get that photo-op of shaking hands with the President. The same President that they had been bashing at every opportunity all during the year prior to the speech. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) is always sure to be there in her bright red dress to get that photo op and then attack the President at the next possible opportunity. “Nothing personal, just politics. Smile for the camera please”.

It is also interesting to see what issues the Democrats refuse to applaud on while the Republican side of the aisle is roaring with applause. This has happened with most any of the administrations but the democrats now seem to bring it to a whole new level. The President described the importance of continuing a strong stance on terrorism and taking the fight to those who have attacked us and continue to plot to attack freedom no matter where it is. This brought a strong response from the Republicans but the democrats were almost silent. The next sentence the President spoke of the brave troops fighting the war on terrorism and the democrats could not get out of their chairs fast enough to be seen applauding.

It was also interesting to watchat times to see several democrats look towards each other to see who was going to clap or not and if enough fellow members got up they all got up. Not to applaud a statement but to appear unified.

Then there was Hillary with the eye’s rolling…

Peggy Noonan (Wall Street Journal) had a great quote in this weeks article. "It seemed a metaphor for the Democratic Party: We don't know where to stand or what to stand for, and in fact we're not good at standing for anything anyway, but at least we know we can't stand Republicans..."