Written here are my thoughts, and opinions. Agreeing with them is not a requirement, but respecting them, and those that belong to any of the others that comment here is required.
Operations Specialist 3rd Class Leonel Yanez (Right), from Huntington Park, Calif., monitors a radar screen in the Combat Direction Center aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis is on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
One of my cousins sent me a link this week that I had to share. When I clicked it took me to a page where a song immediately started playing. A song with very powerful lyrics, and a message that should be shared with all Americans.
After listening to the song and reading the pledge, I signed the pledge. The pledge is this:
"I am a Born Again American I am my Country's Keeper My President and my Congress report to me And so - I will stay informed and involved I will make my voice heard And not just at election time I can make a difference I matter I am an American, Born Again"
The Declaration of Independence is out nation's birth certificate. Recommit to its principles and declare yourself to all a Born Again American by adding your signature.
The site also has a list of the next steps, such as registering to vote, volunteering in your community, contacting your elected officials, and how to learn about your freedoms. Visitors can also share their stories. It is definitely a site to take a look at, and more importantly, it seems to outline what Americans should be doing, no matter what religion, race, gender, or political party they belong to.
I hope that all of you will sign the pledge, and help take back America.
Pfc. Alan R. Blohm 21 years old from Kenai, Alaska 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division December 31, 2006
Alan R. Blohm enlisted in the Army in 2004 because "He wanted to serve the country," his brother Jeremy said. "His grandfather had been in the Army, and it's just something he wanted to do."
Blohm graduated in 2004 from Bay City Western High School, where he was a 250-pound defensive player for the football team. Blohm's size prompted coach Jim Eurick to nickname him "Biggins Blohm," his brother recalled. "I know he paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life," Mark Boileau, Blohm's former school Principal, said. "We know Alan will be in a better place because of the sacrifice he made, because of his love for our country."
PFC. Blohm died of wounds suffered when an IED detonated near his unit while on combat patrol in Baghdad Besides his brother, he leaves behind his parents and a younger sister.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
I received an email today from my sister-in-law who lives in the United Kingdom. She is going to be participating in the Race For Life Cancer Walk. She didn't ask that I help, but I want to. She has always been amazingly kind to me, and I couldn't think of a better person to help or a better cause for that matter.
If you have anything you can spare, please consider donating it via her Race For Life website. Keep in mind that she is in the United Kingdom, and the funds will be collected in Pounds from your credit card. This means, that due to the current exchange rate, that if you donate 20.00 Pounds via her website, your credit card will be debited about $29.41.
The minimum amount that can be donated is 2.00 Pounds. Please let her know in the comments when you donate that her sister in the states sent you. I don't want to freak her out :P
Thank you to all of you for taking the time to read this, and great big hug to all of you who can, and have donated.
So, there are numerous things that would lead a person to calling 911. Some are more serious than others, but I am pretty sure we are all in agreement that 911 should only be called in life and death emergencies.
Woman calls 911 over lack of shrimp in fried rice Associated Press, 04.07.09, 07:43 PM EDT
A woman called 911 to report she didn't get as much shrimp as she wanted in her fried rice at a Fort Worth-area restaurant. Police on Tuesday released the taped emergency call, in which the customer is heard telling the dispatcher, "to get a police officer up here, what has to happen?" The customer also said: "He didn't even put extra shrimp in there."
The upset customer was gone when an officer arrived Monday afternoon.
Restaurant workers said the woman had been denied a refund after leaving with her order, then returning to complain.
Cook June Lee said there was nothing wrong with the meal, and that "some customers are happy. Some are not."
Waste of time, waste of taxpayer money, and a perfect example of how petty and selfish other people's children really are. I really can't make it anymore simple that that.
How many of you have seen professional athletes on TV playing their sport of choice? How many of you enjoy the show-boating that sometimes occurs on the field? Well, I am sure some of you are like me and think it silly to some extent, but here is some show boating by NFL players that you are sure to enjoy. It gives show-boating a whole new definition.
Which was your personal favorite? My favorite was the player kicking the ball and ringing the bell. The player diving through the open windows of the SUV was a very close runner up.
I wanted to follow up on previous story, found here.
Below is an article regarding Officer Robert Powell and Houston Texans Running Back, Ryan Moats. You will recall that Ryan Moats was stopped for rolling through a red light on his way to the hospital with his wife. They were on their way to be at the side of Moats Mother-in law during her final moments of life on this Earth. I wanted to post this as a follow up to my earlier writing as I thought those of you who were following the story would like to know.
DALLAS (AP)—The police officer who pulled out his gun and threatened an NFL player with jail instead of allowing him inside a hospital where his mother-in-law was dying resigned Wednesday. Officer Robert Powell had been placed on paid leave pending an investigation of the March 18 incident. “I made this decision in the hope that my resignation will allow the Dallas Police Department, my fellow officers and the citizens of Dallas to better reflect on this experience, learn from the mistakes made, and move forward,” Powell said in a statement issued through his attorneys. He had stopped Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats’ SUV outside Baylor Regional Medical Center in suburban Plano after the vehicle rolled through a red light. The officer pulled out his gun and threatened Moats with jail as the player and his family pleaded to be allowed to go inside the hospital. Powell continued writing Moats a ticket and lecturing him even after a fellow officer confirmed that Moats’ mother-in-law was dying. Jonetta Collinsworth, 45, died of breast cancer before Powell allowed Moats to go inside the hospital. Powell’s resignation was first reported by Dallas-Fort Worth television station KTVT. He later issued an apology, and Moats said he would accept it. “I still hope to speak with the Moats family to personally express my deep regret, sympathy, and to apologize for my poor judgment and unprofessional conduct,” he said in the Wednesday statement. He also said he wanted to apologize to his fellow officers. A call to Dallas police was not immediately returned Wednesday. Dallas police Chief David Kunkle previously apologized to the family and said Powell acted inappropriately. He also lauded Moats’ restraint, noting that he did not try to seek special treatment by identifying himself as an NFL player. Moats, 26, explained that he had waited until there was no traffic before continuing through the red light. When Powell asked for proof of insurance, Moats grew more agitated and told the officer to go find it. According to video from a dashboard camera inside the officer’s vehicle, Moats’ wife, Tamishia Moats, and another woman disregarded Powell’s order to get back inside their vehicle, and they rushed into the hospital. After Powell yelled at Tamishia Moats to stay in the SUV, she said, “Excuse me, my mom is dying—do you understand?”
I am glad to see that Officer Powell recognizes the wrong in his actions that night. I am proud of him for making such a public apology. Apologies are always tough, but one this public has to be ten times harder. It has also occurred to me that a man who offers a public apology, and steps away from his job, shows his recognition of his errors, the sincerity of his apology, and a hope to move on with his life in a job he may be better suited for. I can even say, that it is my opinion, that even if Mr. Powell moves on to a different police force, or a different line of law enforcement, that he probably learned a very important lesson, and probably won't commit the same mistake again. Only time will truly tell that story though, and perhaps a new career or field of expertise is in order.
I am also glad to see that Mr. Moats is continuing with his previous inclination to be a very stand-up guy, and accept this apology. I am happy to see this outcome. I wish both officer Powell and the Moats family all the best. I truly do.
Spc. Jeffrey Scantlin, Sgt. 1st Class Erich Phillips, Sgt. John Hayes, 1st Lt. Aaron Thurman, Sgt. Hector Chavez and Spc. Tyler Hanson 2nd Platoon, Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment
In the early morning hours of July 13, 2008, Soldiers from Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment were not thinking about medals as they fought off roughly 200 insurgents attacking their vehicle patrol base in Afghanistan.
No Soldier in combat does.
The Army, however, takes pause afterward to honor those who distinguish themselves in battle and recognizes them before their peers.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Please view the following two videos. Once watching them, tell me who you think made their mother more proud.
Part 1:
Part2:
The officer's name is Robert Powell, and has been placed on paid administrative leave in connection with the incident, which happened last week. The man he stopped in Plano, Texas was Ryan Moats, who was driving his wife to the hospital to be with her dying mother during her last few minutes of life. Ryan Moats was stopped for running a red light. From the dash-cam recording, it seems that Mr. Moats didn't just tear through the light and throw caution entirely to the wind. It seems he treated it is a four way stop, checking for traffic before he ran the light.
Now, I can see why an officer may have some concern when he attempts to make a traffic stop, and is seemingly ignored, but when he ended up following the SUV into the hospital parking lot, don't you think the first thing he should have asked was, "Sir, is everything OK?" I would have thought something like that would have been in order. People running red lights on the way to the hospital would have at least made the thought that something was wrong with a passenger cross my mind.
From there it only gets better though. He is told numerous times that the driver's mother-in-law in inside the hospital dying. Watching this video I hear it said numerous times, at varying levels of desperation. Instead of realizing the importance of what was being told to him, Officer Robert Powell berated Mr. Moats, threatened him with arrest, and even pulled his gun.
It can clearly be heard in the video that Officer Powell said to Moats:
"I can screw you over. I’d rather not do that."
This whole endeavor took 13 minutes. Most of which ended up being Mr. Moats agreeing to everything the officer said, whether it was right or wrong, in hopes of getting the man to stop with the lecture, and let him get on his way. Officer Powell, even after being told by hospital security and a nurse that Mr. Moats mother-in-law really was inside currently dying, continued to lecture, and started to claim that if Mr. Moats had stopped and mentioned the reason for his hurry before that he would have let him off. I don't think the cost of the ticket was ever a concern to Mr. Moats. I don't think that Officer Powell would have been as understanding as he claims. After all, Mr. Moats told him what the hurry was, and it lead to a 13 minute lecture with not even a hint of compassion. Not a single word emulated anything resembling compassion, understanding, or any form of concern. He just kept lecturing.
Officer Powell ensured that Mr. Moats did not make it to the bedside on his dying mother-in-law in time. His mother-in-law passed before he could reach her side.
When questioned about his thoughts on this matter, Dallas Police chief David Kunkle said:
"His behavior in my opinion, did not exhibit the common sense, discretion, the compassion that we expect our officers to exhibit.
"When we in the command staff reviewed the tapes. we were embarrassed, disappointed --- it’s hard to find the right words and still be professional in my role as a police chief."
The chief also praised Moats and his family for how they handled Officer Powell's behavior.
"They exercised extraordinary patience, restraint, dealing with the behavior of our officer. At no time did Mr. Moats identify himself as an NFL football player or expect any kind of special consideration. He handled himself very, very well."
That's right! In a day and age where sports heroes, actors, rock stars, and politicians are all playing the popularity card to get out of trouble, Mr. Moats did nothing of the sort. Mr. Moats is a Houston Texans Running Back, but nothing of the sort was mentioned, or even so much as hinted at.
Officer Powell started to end his 13 minute lecture with this gem.
“Attitude’s everything,”
Sounds to me as if Officer Powell should be taking a few lessons for Mr. Moats. Talk about the perfect example of "practice what I preach and not what I do."
All of this said, I point you to my earlier question? Who's mother is more proud of her son tonight? Which son learned the lessons of humility, and patience, and which knows the importance of being humble? Which one exhibited better listening skills, and knows that sometimes it is best just to hold your tongue?
My condolences go out to Mr. Moats, and to his wife and their entire family.
"Chief Airey was an Airman’s Airman and one of the true pioneers for our service," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff. "He was a warrior, an innovator… and a leader with vision well ahead of his time. His legacy lives today in the truly professional enlisted force we have serving our nation… and for that we owe him a debt of gratitude."
Chief Airey was born in Quincy, Mass., on December 13, 1923. At age eighteen, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December, 7, 1941, Airey quit high school to enlist in the Army Air Forces on November 16, 1942. He later earned his high school equivalency certificate through off-duty study. During World War II he flew as a B-24 radio operator and additional duty aerial gunner. On his 28th mission, then-Technical Sergeant Airey and his fellow crewmen were shot down over Vienna, Austria, captured, and held prisoner by the German air force from July 1944 to May 1945. During his time as a prisoner of war he worked tirelessly to meet the basic needs of fellow prisoners, even through a 90-day forced march.
Chief Airey held the top enlisted from April 3, 1967 to July 31, 1969. During his tenure he worked to change loan establishments charging exorbitant rates outside the air base gates and to improve low retention during the Vietnam Conflict. Chief Airey also led a team that laid the foundation for the Weighted Airman Promotion System, a system that has stood the test of time and which is still in use today. He also advocated for an Air Force-level Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy. His vision became reality when the academy opened in 1973, becoming the capstone in the development of Air Force Senior NCOs. Chief Airey retired August 1, 1970. He continued advocating for Airmen’s rights by serving on the boards of numerous Air Force and enlisted professional military organizations throughout the years. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Airmen Memorial Museum, a member of the Air Force Memorial Foundation and the Air University Foundation.
On the north wall of the Air Force Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Airey’s thoughts on Airmen are immortalized, "When I think of the enlisted force, I see dedication, determination, loyalty and valor." The Air Force Association honored Airey with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Chief Airey passed away on March 11, 2009 at his home in Panama City, Florida
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Perhaps not something that was really sent to the President, and perhaps Richard Ford isn't even a real person living in Queen Creek, Arizona, but this short little letter that arrived in my inbox is to the point, and makes a very valid point.
Subject: A short note to the President
Dear President Obama,
Thank you for helping my neighbors with their mortgage payments. You know the one's down the street who in the good times refinanced their house several times and bought SUV's, ATV's, RV"s, a pool, a big screen, two Wave Runners and a Harley. But I was wondering, since I am paying my mortgage and theirs, could you arrange for me to borrow the Harley now and then?
Richard Ford Queen Creek, AZ
P.S. They also need help with their credit cards, when do you want me to start making those payments? P.P.S. I almost forgot - they didn't file their income tax return this year. Should I go ahead and file for them or will you be appointing them to cabinet posts?
I have had the benefit of enjoying the company of some of the best flight attendants in my lifetime, but only when I have flown Southwest. Don't get me wrong, I have been on other airlines with wonderfully nice attendants who made my time on the plane much more tolerable than it could have been with out them. Southwest has the most entertaining attendants "per capita" by far, hands down.
I have been on Southwest flights where the attendants sing the safety message that has to be shared with passengers before take off. Funny little ditties full of humor in fact, and to this day I wish I had written the song down. I have been on a Southwest flight full of teenagers who were flying to a youth convention. A five hours flight became much more bearable when the attendants started a few games such as a relay race to pass the pillow from the front of the plane to the back, and see who's aisle got to the back first without getting out of your seat. Or when her partner decided that he would run up and down the aisle leading us all in the wave.
This is on thing I have seen though, although the price of an airline ticket would be well worth it, just to say I had. Watch this video, and tell me how long it would have taken you to think this up, and how many times you would have had to rehearse it to get it right?
See? Cool huh? To all the wonderfully creative and entertaining staff of Southwest airlines I say thank you. Thank you for making the hassles of airport security, baggage claim, and sitting between two obnoxious or smelly people so much more tolerable. I really mean it. Without you, so many of my trips would have gotten off on the wrong foot the minute I arrived at the airport.
Kevin George Baker, a disabled Navy veteran, had been riding his hand-propelled bicycle from his hometown through Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Marseilles, Illinois to support a new flag designed to honor fallen members of the military. His trip began at his home on Saturday, March 7 and sadly ended on March 13 when he passed away in his sleep. Baker, who is unable to use his legs due to a neurological impairment, was flying the Honor and Remember Flag from his bike and encouraged people along the way to sign a petition urging Congress to adopt the flag as a new national symbol by passing HR Bill 1034.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
If you need a laugh today, then this should do it! I usually try and stay away from religious humor, and although religion is resent, the humor is the a child's interpretation of what he or she was taught. This reminded me so much of Captain Dramatic as a young one that I couldn't stop laughing. It also begs the question, "I wonder how often we take for granted that children understand what we are teaching?"
Through the eyes of a child:
The Children's Bible in a Nutshell
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did. Then God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars. Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something. One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check. After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat. Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.
God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother. One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town. After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me. After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them. After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.') During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him. Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead. Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.
Spc. Brian K. Baker 27 years old from West Seneca, New York 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) November 07, 2004
Near his hometown, the flag flew at half-staff outside the East Concord Volunteer Fire Department where Baker had been a junior firefighter. He joined the Army shortly after graduating from Springville-Griffith Institute in 1996 with the goal of making it his career, friends said.
"You might say it was his calling," said Lori Ploetz, a longtime family friend. "He was great at what he did. He was respected by his peers."
Spc. Brian Baker was killed when a vehicle-borne IED detonated near his security patrol in Baghdad. He leaves behind his parents, his wife, Amy, and two daughters who were born after his death.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
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